An Introduction to Branding - Part 1
by KMF Kamal
There are probably two kinds of reader for this article: those who want to create a strong brand, and those of you who wish to revitalise an existing brand.
Regardless of which reader you are, the fact is that you very probably have a good idea of how you would like people to perceive your products or services and your business philosophy. If you fall into the second category, for better or worse, you already have a brand for yourself. The key, however, is how you can change an existing brand to suit your current philosophy and aspirations. If you wish to prompt change, you will find this a relevant introduction to branding.
In short, a brand is how people perceive what you are trying to sell. A brand is experienced whenever people come into contact with a product or service. Your brand is the character of your product, service, person, or company that stakeholders – including customers, employees, shareholders, etc. – associate with it.
The action of branding is all about creating a cohesive and compelling experience of value for customers who come into contact with anything to do with what you are trying to sell. As long as customers come into contact with anything to do with what you are trying to sell, they are experiencing your brand. Therefore, your brand must be cohesive and compelling.
A company can only say that it has a truly strong brand when all of the contact a person has with anything that involves the company is cohesive, in that the character of the brand is felt consistently across all interaction points. You can spend all the money in the world on that snazzy new logo or corporate headquarters to get your brand across, but if the customer ever has a single bad experience over the phone with one of your operators or sees one piece of signage that is dirty or left hanging, that is immediately a slur on your brand and your business will suffer for it.
A brand must be compelling. The brand of a company must stand for something that customers believe will add value. Traditionally, brands were always used to make value propositions to the customer. For example: “Our brand of soap cleans better than any other soap out there!” or “Our boots are of such great quality they will last for years and years!” In order for a brand to be compelling, it must have a value proposition for the customer, in that when a customer experiences it, they know they are getting something they want and need.
