The Road Back to Brand Basics 

The essence of branding still seems to puzzle many people.  Surprisingly, many still don't have a clear understanding of what branding is and the benefits that can be realized from a proper brand position.  It is critically important that when you are heading down the road to a branding initiative for your primary brand - say that of your company - or for secondary or tertiary brands like a product or service line, that those who are involved have a clear understanding of what branding is.

The best place to start may be to simply ask their thoughts on what a brand is.  You might be surprised with what you hear.  The answers will obviously depend on the level of experience of those you are talking to, but don't be surprised by the number of people who will tell you that a brand is a logo, or a tagline or a series of headlines in an ad campaign.  While all these elements are part of your brand activity, none in isolation is your brand.  There is so much that goes into your brand, including a reflection of your core assets, key market differentiators, your culture, the promise you make to your target markets, what your customers value most, and more.

So, how come many view their brand as a logo, tagline or advertising component?  It could be that no one ever took the time to educate them on what a brand is and what the expectations of a branding exercise should be.   Typically your branding initiative will contain many components from branding workshops, to market research, to an analysis of what the competition is saying about themselves.  Your deliverables could include a new logo or tagline, but in most cases the truly valuable components will be your brand positioning, messaging platform, brand characteristics and personality, and an overall brand communications direction or strategy.   

That's a lot for many marketers, especially those in small to mid-sized companies, to get their hands around.   You have to be clear about the role of each component and how it will establish and build your brand.  By doing so, you will not only provide a better idea of what branding is, you will establish a clear understanding of what the deliverables of the branding effort will be.  And, you will have eliminated a potentially huge hurdle in your branding program.

brandwerks3 is a brand strategy firm that helps companies increase the success of their marketing and business development initiatives by helping them properly position the organization, its products and services in the marketplace.  We do so by uncovering and defining their true brand assets, establishing key market differentiators and creating brand communications strategies that resonate with their target markets.