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Have you ever thought, "Why doesn't the buying public see my business as I do?" You know exactly who you are, what you do, the benefits your products and services provide but for some reason the buying public doesn't seem to be catching on. It could be that your image has a weak or nonexistent brand. When putting together an advertising campaign, you must first address your branding program. Developing your brand first will make your advertising program more effective.
- What is branding?
- What does your brand say to your customers?
- Speak it - Write it - Be it!
- Resources
What is branding?
Branding is a conscious or subconscious image that is created in the consumer's mind about your product/service that differentiates it from the competitors. This image must be what the consumer thinks of when he/she hears or sees your product/service name. Good branding leads consumers to see your product/service as their first or only choice. The best branding is when your product or service has become interchangeable with the generic name, for example: "Make me a Xerox copy of this", "I need a Kleenex".
What does your brand say to your customers?
What problem do you solve for your customers? Rob Frankel, who has been called "The best branding expert on the planet", states that, "Branding is all about them (your customers) and not about you". He also says that, "Branding is getting your customers to see you as their only choice".
Chevron Oil is currently running a commercial promoting their Techron gas. The commercial ends with the tag line, "Simply Smarter". What does this mean as far as gas going into my car is concerned? Everyone is different, but when I think of gas, I don't think of "dumb or smart", I am concerned about "performance, knocking and cost". The Chevron tag line doesn't tell me why Chevron is my only choice for gas, unless I want my car to be a "genius".
Rob Frankel uses this company's campaign as an example of excellent branding. If you have a document that "absolutely, positively has to be there overnight", who are you going to use? You already know the answer. Federal Express, of course! Why? Because they developed a branding where you can trust they will solve your problem when the pressure is on for you to perform. The best brands don't have to compete based on price. When it "absolutely, positively has to be there overnight", you pay Federal Express whatever they charge.
Speak it – Write it – Be it! Once you have decided on your "branding", you need to make it ubiquitous. It must be incorporated into everything your company does. It will become the central theme to all your advertising campaigns. It must be projected in every facet of your business. Through all your printed materials, business cards, letter head, promotional items, your web site, your brochures, etc, you must state your branding message so it becomes attached to your name and becomes spoken as one line. Such as, Faye's Awesome Chocolates – "Treat yourself to the best life has to offer".
Resources
There are many books on branding. A very informative and easy to read book to start learning about how branding is established is "The 22 Immutable laws of Branding" by Al Ries,Laura Ries. Much of the information in this article has been excerpted from Rob Frankel's lecture on "Big Time Branding". Visit his web site http://www.robfrankel.com to read many interesting articles on branding.
March 12, 2000
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