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BRANDING – What is Branding?Branding is process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumers’ mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.
A brand is the idea or image of a specific product or service that consumers connect with, by identifying the name, logo, slogan, or design of the company who owns the idea or image. Branding is when that idea or image is marketed so that it is recognizable by more and more people, and identified with a certain service or product when there are many other companies offering the same service or product.
Advertising professionals work on branding not only to build brand recognition, but also to build good reputation and a set of standards to which the company should strive to maintain or surpass. Branding is an important part of Internet commerce, as branding allows companies to build their reputations as well as expand beyond the original product and service, and add to the revenue generated by the original brand.
The American Marketing Association defines the term brand as follows: “Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s goods or services as distinct from those of other sellers.”
Your brand strategy is how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating and delivering on your brand messages. Where you advertise is part of your brand strategy. Your distribution channels are also part of your brand strategy. And what you communicate visually and verbally is part of your brand strategy, too.
The foundation of your brand is your logo. Your website, packaging and promotional materials, all of which should integrate your logo and communicate your brand. Your logo is only the top of the iceberg of your brand, the visible tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot more happening beneath the surface that defines your brand, culminating at that logo-the job of which is to communicate the essence of everything that lies beneath.
A logo is the graphic symbol that represents a person, company or organization. If the logo is well-known enough, such as the Nike swoosh, you may even see a logo used without the name of the business that it is associated with.
Is your logo cute? Did you grab it from a online source, such as Google Images? Is this reflective of your business?
Consistent, strategic branding leads to a strong brand equity, which means the added value brought to your company’s products or services that allows you to charge more for your brand than what identical, unbranded products command.
Ask yourselves these questions:
1. Is your Logo professionally created?
2. Do you have a clear Brand Message?
3. What is your Tagline – Is it a memorable, meaningful and concise statement that captures the essence of your brand?
4. Is it placed on all of your marketing materials?
5. Is it consistent?
