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Brand is Mission: Brand is Business posted by Peter J. Patsula

Branding Tips

As I listen to Stan Getz's "The Girl from Ipanema", it strikes me that the song's "tall and tanned, young and beautiful, girl from Ipanema" still lingers in my mind after so many years. Why is this? How is it that such simple lyrics and melody have been so deeply imprinted in my mind? Branding experts will tell you quite simply that the song has successfully tapped into my desires, dreams, and hopes. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for Bossa Novas and tenor sax?

Personally, I think branding is getting more attention than it deserves these days. Branding is the image of your product, service, or company imprinted on the mind's of your customers. It isn't all that complicated. Of course, company's will spend huge amounts of money trying to modify and change this image to get you to identify and BUY their goods. However, I would think that most of us consumers are wising up to their tricks, and although we will identify with certain brands, when it comes to many of our purchasing decisions, most of us cut to the chase and look for quality, craftsmanship, and service (and of course, a good deal). Sure, a nice logo makes us feel good about a product, but most importantly, these logos/brands HAVE BECOME SYMBOLS of quality, craftsmanship, and service.

My advice: Take a good look at your company, product, or service strengths. Figure out your main benefit and then make sure your branding (i.e., marketing) reinforces this from your logo to your mission to your company welcome mat. It's that simple.

But if you're not convinced and need more to mull over: Consider the following jewels of wisdom extracted from some branding gurus on the Web:

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1. SMALL BUSINESS AND BRANDING
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Highlights from the writings of Jim Blasingame
http://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com
(a nice little intro on the branding of Harley's)

MARKET ACCEPTANCE
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"Successful branding begins with acceptance of your product or service by the customer."

IDENTITY
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"Brand dominance happens when customers not only want to do business with you, but they become so personally attached that your brand becomes one of the ways they identify themselves."

TANGIBLE ASSET
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"A brand can be as valuable and marketable as any tangible asset."

COMPETING WITH THE BIG BOYS
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"To many people, a brand is something big corporations have, not small businesses. It's the name on the stadium, or the logo on the racecar, or on the professional athlete's clothing. But placing such a limit on the definition of a brand is like saying only movie stars can have beautiful children."

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2. The Seven Laws of Personal Branding (TM)
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Copyright © 2000, Jason Hartman
http://www.brandofchoice.com
Well thought-out tips on how to brand your own name.

Merit: "I am significant and what I say has value."
Presence: "I become what I decide to be."
Virtue: "Reputation is born of virtue."
Constancy: "I am dependable."
Name: "My name is my brand."
Increase: "Time is my friend."
Immortality: "What I am lives on."

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3. Branding Checklist
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Highlights from the writings of Paul Temporal
http://www.brandingasia.com/columns/temporal.htm
What you need to think about when planning your branding campaign.

- What is your brand's vision?

- What are the good and bad features/attributes of your brand (company, product, service)?

- What are the practical benefits associated with each of the good features/attributes?

- Can you extend those features and benefits to form emotional characteristics for the consumer?

- What are the emotional reasons why customers might buy your products/services?

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4. Tips for Kids that Work for Adults
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http://www.teachingkidsbusiness.com
It's just for kids, but very practical.

MEANINGFUL BRAND
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"If the name [brand] is meaningful and fits with the product, it tends to generate higher recognition."

BRANDS SHOULD CONVEY EMOTIONS
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"When a name [brand] conveys an emotion, it is more often remembered."

NAMES SHOULD BE SHORT
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"A two-syllable word will be easier to learn than a three-syllable word. An example of one-syllable words that are easily remembered are Coke, Bic and Bold."

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5. Some Great Branding Quotes
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My name is my brand.
- Jason Hartman, Brandofchoice.com
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Money and power are not your true rewards. Your name, your principles, your impeccable standards, your virtuous conduct, and remains an influence with others long after you are gone.
- Jason Hartman, Brandofchoice.com
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For a branding strategy to be successful, there must be a vision, a top-down commitment and a long-term financial investment to start, and keep, the effort alive.
- David Gordon, Channel Marketing Group
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1. Brand is mission.
2. Brand is marketing.
3. Brand is business.
- Peter J. Patsula and Michael Pucci (after a long branding debate)
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Real branding is personal.
Real branding is integrity.
Real branding is why I/you/we[all] get out of bed in the morning.
- Tom Peters
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It is important to distinguish between corporate identity, brand identity, and brand image.

1. Corporate identity is concerned with the visual aspects of a company's presence.

2. Brand identity is the total proposition that a company makes to consumers - the promise it makes.

3. Brand image, on the other hand, is the totality of consumer perceptions about the brand, or how they see it, which may not coincide with the brand identity.
- Paul Temporal, Brandingasia.com

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A brand is a trademark or distinctive name identifying a product or a company. Branding is the strategy the owner of a brand uses to establish it in the marketplace.
- Jim Blasingame
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