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ePaper created 2015-03-06, 14:42:46 | version 1.33.01
08 I I practice management _ brand building If you are still not convinced, let me give you an- otherexample.Thedollarisaworldbrand.Inessence it is simply a piece of paper. But branding has made it valuable. All the tools of marketing and brand building have been used to create its value. On the front you will find the owner of the brand: the FederalReserve.Thereisatestimonialfromthefirst PresidentoftheUnitedStates,GeorgeWashington. There is a simple user’s guide: ‘This note is legal tender for debts public and private’. And if you are still not convinced, the owner has added the all- importantemotionalmessage:‘InGodWeTrust’.The dollar is a world brand. It confers a uniform value globally.But,asIsaid,itisreallyjustapieceofpaper. Branding has made it worth something. I mentioned earlier that brands are more impor- tant today than in the past. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, the world has come online and there are many new markets and a growing middle class in places such as India, China, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Nigeria, Indonesia and in many more places. These consumers buy brands. They buy premium brands.Thebestbrandingtodayisbasedonastrong idea. The best brands have remarkable creativity in advertising to help them break through people’s wall of indifference to create brand heat and prod- uct lust. A case in point is the recent turnaround of Chrysler and its reliance on marketing and ad- vertising. Or look at the reinvention of Levis. A final example is a campaign by my own agency, which has helped reenergise one of America’s great iconic brands—Jim Beam. Developing a corporate brand is important be- cause a positive brand image will give consumers, and other interested stakeholders, confidence about the full range of products and activities associated with a particular company. _Essence: A single, energising central idea; it is the heartbeat of the organisation. _Values: What the organisation believes in and stands for. _Personality: The traits and qualities that distin- guish your organisation as being different. _Behaviour:Theactionsassociatedwithvaluesand personality. _Relationships: The internal and external rules of engagement. _Value Proposition: The offer that is made to cus- tomers,thepointofdifferenceandwhyitmatters. The sophisticated strategy is a cultural move- ment strategy. I believe that building brands now requires a cultural movement strategy as opposed to simply a brand building strategy. A cultural movementstrategycanaccelerateyourbrand’srise to dominance. Once you have cultural movement, you can do anything in a fragmenting media en- vironment, maximising the power of social media andtechnology.Theworldhaschanged.Wearenow livingintheageofuprisingsandmovements.Ihave written about how to build a brand in this new age in my new book Uprising. These days, building brands has become a lot less expensive and smart brands can take advantage of new tools and rocket up there globally, very fast. A common interpreta- tion is that a brand is the promise that is made to customers. Or, the brand is not what you say it is, but what your customers say it is. While these views are legitimate ways of helping to understand a brand, an-actively-managed approach makes a brand more tangible and provides it with structure. Company branding is the most efficient way to show potential customers what your business is about. It is reflected visually via the logo and com- panydesignelements,aswellasthroughverbiagein marketing materials, slogans and informational copy. According to Fast Company magazine, ‘The brand is a promise of the value you'll receive’. Inthefaceofthecurrenteconomicchallenges,it isworthnotingthatbrandsdobetterintoughtimes compared to unbranded products. Brands outlive product cycles. And in these challenging times, there are still great brands being built. Brand own- ers still recognise opportunity and their brands will thrive in the years ahead. No branding, no differentiation. No differentia- tion, no long-term profitability. People do not have relationshipswithproducts,theyareloyaltobrands. Inamovementstrategy,brandshaveapurposethat peoplecangetbehind.Brandscaninspiremillionsof people to join a community. Brands can rally people for or against something. Products are one dimen- sional in a social media enabled world, brands are Russian dolls, with many layers, tenents and beliefs that can create great followings of people who find them relevant. Brands can activate a passionate group of people to do something like changing the world. Products cannot really do that. Brands have to contain: _Uniqueness: utilise your branding to set yourself apart from your competitors. To do this, analyse what you do best and consider you target demo- graphic. Use graphics and word choices that clearly reflect your business to your target au- dience, hence your brand. Use your branding to deliver clear messages. _Target Audience: done correctly, your brand can assist you in getting a stronger foothold in your CAD/CAM 1_2015 CAD0115_06-10_Pelliccia 02.03.15 13:16 Seite 2 CAD0115_06-10_Pelliccia 02.03.1513:16 Seite 2