What Is Branding?Brand is the proprietary sensory, emotional, rational, and cultural image or identity that you associate with an organization, product, person or issue. When you think Volvo, you might think safety. When you think Nike, you might think of Michael Jordan or "Just Do It." When you think IBM, you might think "Big Blue." When you think of Apple, you might feel creative. The fact that you remember the brand name and have positive associations with that brand makes it easier for you to select that product and enhances the value and satisfaction you get from it.
Coke is the most valuable brand in the world. Even if Pepsi-Cola wins blind taste tests over Coca Cola, more people buy Coke. Why is this? An important and compelling research study published in the October 14, 2004 issue of the Neuron Journal, compared Coke and Pepsi preferences to demonstrate how cultural messages shape perceptions and modify behavior and preferences. This is believed to be the first proof of the mind/reality-altering power of brand marketing.
In the study, Coke and Pepsi were "delivered" to subjects anonymously (blind taste test) and with "brand-cued delivery" as their brains were being scanned in a fMRI scanner.
Coke and Pepsi actually have similar chemical composition and thus should taste very similar. Here is a summary of the results:
If Coke can brand colored-sugar water to evoke a dramatic, actual physical reaction in the brain and create the world's most valuable brand, think what branding can do for your product, company or cause. What makes up a brand identity?A typical brand identity includes a brand name, positioning statement, category descriptor, organizational values, brand archetype, key purchase factors with their tangible and emotional benefits (brand associations), and the Reptilian and Limbic hot buttons that stimulate its purchase.
A good brand name gives a good first impression, is easy to remember, and evokes positive associations with the brand. The positioning statement tells, in one sentence, what business the company is in, what benefits it provides and why it is better than the competition. Imagine you're in an elevator and you have 30 seconds to answer the question, "What business are you in?" The category descriptor lets your customers know what "hook" to put your brand on in their mind. Linking your internal organizational values with your brand builds trust with your customers. Brand archetype and personality adds emotion, culture and myth to the brand identity by the use of a famous spokesperson (Bill Cosby - Jello), a character (the Pink Panther), or an image (You're in good hands with Allstate).
Brand associations are the attributes that customers think of when they hear or see the brand name. Ideally, you want customers to think of what they want from the brand (e.g., reliability and the benefits of reliability) and then associate that attribute with your brand name. Is Branding just for large companies?No, BrandSolutions' process can be applied to any business, organization, or product. The techniques of branding have been kept proprietary for many years because they provided a competitive advantage to those companies that used them. Our process takes the proven principles of branding used by companies like Microsoft, P&G, GE, and Coca Cola and puts them into a simple, understandable, and easy-to-use process. This process can be used by retailers, service businesses, manufacturers, businesses, and organizations of all types and sizes. How do you build a well-known brand?Brand has been called the most powerful idea in the commercial world, yet few companies consciously create a brand identity. Do you want your company's brand identity created for you by competitors and unhappy customers? Of course not. Our advice to executives is to research their customers and find the top-ranked reasons that customers buy their products rather than their competitors'. Then we advise that they pound that message home in every ad, in every news release, in every communication with employees, in every sales call, and every media interview. Because of this consistent repetition of the most persuasive selling messages, which creates an imprint in the brains of your audience, customers will choose you when they are deciding on whether to buy from you or your competitor.
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