 There is a huge clutter problem in the marketplace. There are five different forms of clutter: Product, Feature, Advertising, Message, and Media clutter. All of which creates a distraction for consumers; it also creates a problem for companies as they face the challenge of standing out from all the clutter out there. Branding helps companies avoid being lost in the clutter.
What is Branding? So, we have all heard of a ‘brand’ and can even think of some examples such as Apple or Coca Cola at a moment's notice. However, we do not think about all the things that go on behind the scenes for a brand to be as successful as Apple or Coca Cola. That is where branding comes into play. A brand is in essence the gut feeling and perception that consumers have about a person, company, or service. Branding is the process where a company differentiates itself from the clutter to be known by the public. In short, think of branding as the efforts that a company goes through in order to have the brand they want. A brand can be more than just a company, it can be a person or service as well. Think of your favorite athlete or celebrity, they themselves are a brand. Not only the rich and famous can have their own brand, but you can also too. When starting your professional career think about what you want others to immediately think of you as. For example, as I start my career, I want to be authentically me. I want my clients to know that when they work with me, they are getting the real me (i.e. always Audrey Marie). For me, relationships are what I want my brand to be centered around. Why Branding is Important Branding allows the company, service, or person to make an impression on consumers. Without branding the consumers will not know what to expect from you. The most successful brands out there are brands that have strong brand recognition and allow the consumers to feel a certain way about them before they even buy the product. For example, I need some tennis shoes and go to the store. There are two different shoes that are practically the same style, one being Nike and the other being an off-brand shoe that I have never heard of before. I, personally, will then pick the Nike brand over the other one because I am familiar with the brand and I know the kind of quality I am getting from the shoe. Despite the other shoe being the same style and perhaps costing less money, it does not matter since I already have a relationship with the brand Nike and trust them. How to Have a Successful Brand Now, just because you may not be as big as the brand Nike, does not mean that you cannot succeed. You must start somewhere, just as Nike had to do once before. To be a successful brand you need to figure out what the brand’s purpose is. The brand's purpose statement and mission statement can be interchangeable. After you know what your mission/ purpose is, you need to set some goals up for the brand and create a vision statement. This is to show where you want the brand to go towards in the future. You should do some research on competing brands in your market to understand your placement in the industry and maybe find ways to make your brand stick out from the competition. The biggest thing for a brand to be successful is to be different and good. To be different and unique is needed for a brand's success so you do not just blend in and get drowned by all the clutter that is out there. You need to stand out. However, you can stand out for bad reasons and that is not what is going to drive consumers to your brand. You also need to be good at whatever it is that your brand's purpose is. With a combination of being different and good, your brand is on its way to success. Always, Audrey Marie
0 Comments
|
