Successful Branding For SMEs
Then
Branding (from Teutonic brinnan, to burn), was first a mode of
punishment using a hot iron to scar the body so that criminals
could be recognized. It became a method of marking ownership of
goods or animals with a hot iron.
Branding is still here to differentiate one thing from another
and it is still about 'mental shelf space' or recognition of
something.
Now
But these days it is more - it is about 'emotional shelf space'
too.
Now it is about describing a company or product or service's
core tangible & intangible attributes, values, character,
expectations and reputation both before and after purchase to
anyone in the defined audiences for the brand.
Defined audiences may include employees, distributors and
consumers.
Describing this multi dimensional 'personality' of a brand
involves creating a positive visual, emotional, rational and
cultural image using a name, packaging, colours, symbols,
straplines, music etc. etc.
The purpose is to ensure that more individuals 'develop a
relationship' with the brand, remember it better than
competitors and feel they have received greater value and
satisfaction by buying 'their brand'.
Your brand is what identifies your business to consumers. It
resides in your customers and prospect's hearts and minds - it
is all their experiences and perceptions. Good branding results
in loyal customers. It is well known that existing customer
relationships are the key to profitability. So it's no wonder
that branding is a major marketing goal.
Kieron Matthews, the IAB's head of marketing has said about
branding: "I have always worked from the point of view that my
role in advertising is a glorified filer. I have to ensure that
my target audience has my brand (e.g. a McDonald's Burger) filed
right at the front of the fast food part of the restaurant
section that sits in their brain. By keeping it so front of
mind, you can be sure that there will only ever be one winner
when your consumer is faced with the perennial Whopper Vs Big
Mac choice."
Your feelings about a company or product or service can be
shaped by just word of mouth: the rule that says one unhappy
customer tells twenty to thirty people. But a brand, as we have
noted, is not just about that 'mental shelf space' or 'brand
perception' built up by advertising or word of mouth. It is the
sum of all experiences from first hearing about the product to
purchase to repeat purchase to customer service etc. It is
created from a series of experiences, from every interaction
over the lifetime of the relationship with each adding to or
subtracting from the 'brand experience.
Can smaller companies create a successful brand?
Well, they need to do so whether they know it or not - because
of the 'brand experience' phenomenon. As just noted, every
interaction over the lifetime of the relationship is what
creates the brand with each adding to or subtracting from the
'brand experience'.
Patrick Hanlon, CEO of branding company Thinktopia suggests
seven "pieces of primal code" that go into making a great
brand:
the creation story - where you come from is as important for
people to know as what you believe
the creed - defining, understanding and communicating your
mission to employees and customers
the icon - graphic or other representation that clearly shows
who they are and what they stand for
the rituals - the repeated interaction that people have with
your business and how you handle those interactions
dealing with nonbelievers - by defining the pagans, you
define who and what you are not
the sacred words - the words that you must know to belong
within that group e.g. 'skinny latte' or 'death kitty' or
'emily the strange'
leadership - successful brands have a person who is the
catalyst, the risk taker, the visionary
Never underestimate the power of story, says Hanlon. "Take Pom
Wonderful who have less than 100 staff" he says, "its Web site
includes an entire history of the company and the pomegranate
itself. All brands are a narrative; the story is what draws us
in".
Once customers are in, it's a company's value system or creed
that keeps them coming back. Take Blue Banana who specialize in
alternative clothing, band merchandise, fashion accessories and
body jewellery and have just 11 stores plus their webstore.
Their creed is: ".... to allow you to join in with others who
have a similar view about life to you. Your culture and music
remains at the core of everything Blue Banana does, everything
is influenced by your music."
These companies and others like them have spent a lot of effort
in creating their brands and realize that it can be destroyed
very quickly. They have defined what their organization must do
to support their brand values.
This has paid off in increased sales and profitability which
has been shown to be the case time and again - brand savvy
companies have better growth, profits and shareholder returns.
However, a Microsoft survey showed that over a third of UK
small businesses admit to having no brand values and those
companies with between one and ten employees were the least
likely to have built a brand, with a disturbing 58 per cent of
this group shunning the creation and communication of brands
within the business.
So, if those companies are willing to be persuaded here are
some of the things they could do:
Define the business' personality:
How do you want to be perceived?
What is it that makes your product or service desirable?
Why should customers choose to come to you instead of your
competitors?
Be consistent, ensure the same values, messages and visions
are communicated to all of your staff and make sure they act
on them.
Build recognition, ensure your brand designs and rituals are
found at all 'customer touch points'.
Make the most of what you've got. One of the most effective
yet simple ways to have a strong brand presence is through your
website. Although seven out often small firms have a business
website, half of them are not using it for marketing purposes.
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Branding (from Teutonic brinnan, to burn), was first a mode of
punishment using a hot iron to scar the body so that criminals
could be recognized. It became a method of marking ownership of
goods or animals with a hot iron.
Branding is still here to differentiate one thing from another
and it is still about 'mental shelf space' or recognition of
something.
Now
But these days it is more - it is about 'emotional shelf space'
too.
Now it is about describing a company or product or service's
core tangible & intangible attributes, values, character,
expectations and reputation both before and after purchase to
anyone in the defined audiences for the brand.
Defined audiences may include employees, distributors and
consumers.
Describing this multi dimensional 'personality' of a brand
involves creating a positive visual, emotional, rational and
cultural image using a name, packaging, colours, symbols,
straplines, music etc. etc.
The purpose is to ensure that more individuals 'develop a
relationship' with the brand, remember it better than
competitors and feel they have received greater value and
satisfaction by buying 'their brand'.
Your brand is what identifies your business to consumers. It
resides in your customers and prospect's hearts and minds - it
is all their experiences and perceptions. Good branding results
in loyal customers. It is well known that existing customer
relationships are the key to profitability. So it's no wonder
that branding is a major marketing goal.
Kieron Matthews, the IAB's head of marketing has said about
branding: "I have always worked from the point of view that my
role in advertising is a glorified filer. I have to ensure that
my target audience has my brand (e.g. a McDonald's Burger) filed
right at the front of the fast food part of the restaurant
section that sits in their brain. By keeping it so front of
mind, you can be sure that there will only ever be one winner
when your consumer is faced with the perennial Whopper Vs Big
Mac choice."
Your feelings about a company or product or service can be
shaped by just word of mouth: the rule that says one unhappy
customer tells twenty to thirty people. But a brand, as we have
noted, is not just about that 'mental shelf space' or 'brand
perception' built up by advertising or word of mouth. It is the
sum of all experiences from first hearing about the product to
purchase to repeat purchase to customer service etc. It is
created from a series of experiences, from every interaction
over the lifetime of the relationship with each adding to or
subtracting from the 'brand experience.
Can smaller companies create a successful brand?
Well, they need to do so whether they know it or not - because
of the 'brand experience' phenomenon. As just noted, every
interaction over the lifetime of the relationship is what
creates the brand with each adding to or subtracting from the
'brand experience'.
Patrick Hanlon, CEO of branding company Thinktopia suggests
seven "pieces of primal code" that go into making a great
brand:
the creation story - where you come from is as important for
people to know as what you believe
the creed - defining, understanding and communicating your
mission to employees and customers
the icon - graphic or other representation that clearly shows
who they are and what they stand for
the rituals - the repeated interaction that people have with
your business and how you handle those interactions
dealing with nonbelievers - by defining the pagans, you
define who and what you are not
the sacred words - the words that you must know to belong
within that group e.g. 'skinny latte' or 'death kitty' or
'emily the strange'
leadership - successful brands have a person who is the
catalyst, the risk taker, the visionary
Never underestimate the power of story, says Hanlon. "Take Pom
Wonderful who have less than 100 staff" he says, "its Web site
includes an entire history of the company and the pomegranate
itself. All brands are a narrative; the story is what draws us
in".
Once customers are in, it's a company's value system or creed
that keeps them coming back. Take Blue Banana who specialize in
alternative clothing, band merchandise, fashion accessories and
body jewellery and have just 11 stores plus their webstore.
Their creed is: ".... to allow you to join in with others who
have a similar view about life to you. Your culture and music
remains at the core of everything Blue Banana does, everything
is influenced by your music."
These companies and others like them have spent a lot of effort
in creating their brands and realize that it can be destroyed
very quickly. They have defined what their organization must do
to support their brand values.
This has paid off in increased sales and profitability which
has been shown to be the case time and again - brand savvy
companies have better growth, profits and shareholder returns.
However, a Microsoft survey showed that over a third of UK
small businesses admit to having no brand values and those
companies with between one and ten employees were the least
likely to have built a brand, with a disturbing 58 per cent of
this group shunning the creation and communication of brands
within the business.
So, if those companies are willing to be persuaded here are
some of the things they could do:
Define the business' personality:
How do you want to be perceived?
What is it that makes your product or service desirable?
Why should customers choose to come to you instead of your
competitors?
Be consistent, ensure the same values, messages and visions
are communicated to all of your staff and make sure they act
on them.
Build recognition, ensure your brand designs and rituals are
found at all 'customer touch points'.
Make the most of what you've got. One of the most effective
yet simple ways to have a strong brand presence is through your
website. Although seven out often small firms have a business
website, half of them are not using it for marketing purposes.
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