Brands are used to identify and distinguish goods sold or manufactured from one individual from another.

Brands create trust and attachments, and as a result, they create relationships with your product or service.

Now, why do we bother branding or rebranding, what’s the big idea?

Q: Who knows the three common components brands contain?

A: Brand’s are functional, comparative and emotional.

Why is this? Well, people buy products they know and trust.

-When your customers are familiar with your brand and what it represents, the sales process is easier and the decision making on their part more assured.

Why else? Brands build equity as consumers are willing to pay more to buy brands that they believe deliver more desirable or sustained benefits.

-Consumers stay loyal to the brands they know and trust without the need for additional promotions or incentives.

-This results in increased profitability, customer selection and name awareness.

Additionally, “Brands capture the essence of why the business exists and what it does for people.” Brands use symbols and languages as compelling short-hand to convey the essence of the business and the customer promise.

Q: So what’s involved in the branding process?

A: Product and product definition: what is it and what’s the big idea

Positioning: brands must fill unique spots in the market and the mind of your customers

Brand promise: your brand’s guarantee and what your customers can depend on.

Presentation: this is the packaging, branded collateral and communications

Push, pull and persistence: drive, determination, smart marketing and consistency

Perception: the brand identity. Use an outside-in approach to monitor where your brand exists in the minds and hearts of your customers, repositioning and realigning to match the perception.

Every aspect of the branding cycle is used to deliver the brand in tangible and intangible ways.

What makes a strong brand?

Strong brands cut-through the noise and market competitiveness to engage people in ways that deliver superior short and long-term results. 

Strong brands …

: Define a compelling purpose (a big idea), that stands out from the crowd, moves beyond the product, and matters to people.

: Reflect the customer and build an image in the mind of that customer that has relevance to them.

: Engage customers in achieving the “big idea” in a way people “connect to”.

: Enable customers to do more, while reinforcing the brand’s benefits and supporting its application.

: Anchor people around something “familiar and important”.

: Evolve as markets evolve with an ability to connect diverse markets and activities.

: Attract target customers, building brand preference, driving purchase behavior and sustaining price premiums.

: Retain target customers while building loyalty and encouraging advocacy.

: Drive shareholder value.

: And finally, strong brands inspire and engage people.

Five steps to creating strong brands

1. Clearly articulate the brand’s identity. The “brand identity” is what the brand means to the customer. It also sets the customer expectations.

2. Establish clear customer value propositions. Customer value proposition is the natural outcome of the brand identity. It is what the customers think of your brand.

3. Define the optimal customer experience. Identify all contact points where customers interact with your company. To create an integrated brand experience, you need to create a consistent and compelling experience at each of these touchpoints.

4. Cultivate relationships with customers. It’s important to never assume anything about what your customer thinks of your company. Be an active listener and learn and respond to your customers needs. Positive response to customer feedback turns casual customers into loyal customers and loyal customers into customer champions.

5. Strengthen your brand over time. Enhancing the level of customer-brand relationship directly impacts the brand. Strong brands require strong customer relationships.

Good luck with this, and let us know if you need help,
Cheers, The Savy Agency Team