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A brand name is more
than a word. It's the beginning of a conversation...*
Business in the 21st Century now relies on carefully crafted
interactions and touchpoints with consumers, which must be deliberately
constructed to achieve an objective. Brand and design strategy and
management is a key component of these interactions.
The term branding in modern terms is a relatively new one. The origins
of the word conjure up images of branding cattle or livestock, but
the concept is still very much the same in principle. Allocate an
identity to an item, with the modern addition of a set of brand
values.
A brand is made up of all the ways a company executes its strategies
and processes in a market place. From the way its employees speak
to customers (and suppliers) on the phone, to the quality of it's
retail presence, to the events and promotions it sponsors. All visible
(and other) manifestations of that company contribute towards a
company's brand.
The term branding describes the way a company goes about constructing
and maintaining it's brand. All facets of media and market exposure
should be considered and detailed in a Brand Strategy Plan, usually
an offshoot of the marketing department, although increasingly an
area of it's own specialisation.
The way the company expresses itself in print, web, radio, television,
cinema, direct mail and other constructed advertising must be regimented
and given equal investment. The way staff deal with customers and
others must also be thought out and constructed. The way the company
deals with the market and it's regulators, and the media that covers
it is also to be considered. How the company is perceived by independent
press and through it's own PR department should also be 'brand managed'.
Now more than ever and increasingly so, the web and other digital
brand expressions are becoming crucial to the way businesses create
and maintain relationships with customers and consumers. It's fair
to say some companies have almost all their brand equity tied to
their website - internet giants such as Google, Amazon and Yahoo
are good examples. They're on the net because of the net itself.
Never before has technology become so personal, so intrinsic to
people's lives. Blogs, podcasts, email, website memberships, iPods,
e-procurement, digital photos, all these tools add to the basic
web surfing experience to create true brand loyalty.
In the end, it's all really about the conversation you and your
company have with your customers.
© 2005
* Quote from Lexicon
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