The 7 Deadly Sins of Branding

View of the Wall Street Journal

A few years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that in the market $ 36 billion dollar beer, the brand strength of an American beer is sometimes its most powerful "reason-to-buy". The Wall Street Journal also said that the Stroh Brewery, the nation's fourth largest beer, now on sale: "The sale of Stroh, a 149-year-old Detroit beer was once a strong competitor in the market beer, is the result of poor brand management in a flat market, dealers said .... It [Stroh] did not take advantage of its strong regional brands .... "

Tempting fate

The above story does not just happen overnight. For every right thing a brand can do, can also take as many actions that simply do not contribute anything good to the presence of a brand, personality, strength and, ultimately, sales.

Some Basics

Let's briefly review some basic principles of identity. Any product or service company has an image. So ...

* What is the image? And 'the public's perception, not what the product, company or service, but as it is perceived. Lives, or does not, in the minds of your audience.
* What makes this picture? Everything from the packaging identity since they are the messengers that influence the perception of the market. PR and word-of-mouth are also soldiers on the battlefield.
* What is identity? Not to be confused with "corporate identity" or identity "brand identity", so the product, company or service is really the first that his message has never been exported to the market, ie, the consumer's mind and senses.
* What is branding? These are the collective-action design, packaging, message, color, personality, media, comes from a company, product or service to create its image. Not done pro-actively, the brand "just happens." This is where "brand management" mentioned in the above article comes into play.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Branding

To better manage your brand "destiny", I have compiled a checklist for anyone managing or affecting, the construction of a brand. Basically a "not-doing-things-" checklist, these "Seven Deadly Sins of Branding" should make all efforts to manage branding with greater ease.

Sin # 1: The setting higher quality product

In our global marketplace, the apparent differences between the products has reached an all-time peak of gray, ie the differences are not so black and white as they used to be. So who comes first to the market and remains present (and the online media increasing every hour of every day, the battleground is stiffer than ever) can outsell a similar product that is far superior. With the lines of communication around the world literally a mouse click away, one can no longer rest on their laurels for long.

To be "better" does not mean as much as in the past. The solution is in the first place, the creation of a brand identity meaningful and relevant and reason for being and the second, ensuring that the image connects the product not only has superior attributes for the public. Successful examples of this is Nike's "Just Do It" and Apple "Think Different" campaign.

Sin # 2: The syndrome of "no-one-can-touch-us"

This pitfall rears its ugly head every time a company reaches any level of complacency. The battlefield is littered with victims of the brand: Nike has been behind Under Armour. Electrolux brand and each other has been empty for less than Dyson. Small cars are less hip the Mini Cooper. Smart phones were thrown a curve ball the iPhone, leaving everyone scrambling to recover. If you start feeling complacent, take a fresh and honest to your brand and you will find, like life, nothing stays level for a long time.

The son of the founder of IBM, Thomas Watson Jr., said while the head of IBM, "... We do not think that good design can make a good product .... But we believe that good design can contribute materially to make a good product reach its full potential. " Is not it time we all heard and used the power of design?

Sin # 3: The brand called "Fear"

Simply, if you're too worried about what associates than I think I'm too worried about your brand, then going anywhere near branding is a bad career move for everyone involved. The opposite side of the coin is a firm belief in their product, their willingness to deliver what he promised, and a force of conviction. There needs to be an ogre, but you have to believe in their own actions. That includes not being overly preoccupied with internal political popularity contests. Looking beyond the best brands, the majority came into existence led by an individual vision and faith-in potential of the brand and their persistence in see through.

This cousin of complacency, essentially a lack of will to investigate, face the facts, they evolve and challenge-has killed many brands as large as possible, leaving only the competition happier and stronger.

Sin # 4: Ignoring the design and the image of your brand forward

Have you seen these products. Have you bought them. Brands such as products are everywhere ... and nowhere as. Go into a store, any store, and the look. Just look for. You'll find a gazillion products. You will find many good products, but, with most ignoring their design and the image, only a handful have become great brands. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is in the details of branding.

What role does the image in the real world of branding? Everything. Fact: About 9 years ago, Minute Maid ® found that other companies of orange juice have been "borrowed" their signature black box. What once was a point of distinction had become "generic". Add to that the expansion of choices given to consumers-bottled waters, flavored waters and iced tea and coffee, bottled drinks and retaining market share had become an important issue for Minute Maid. The answer? Renewing the Minute Maid packaging line. The result? Volume sales increased by over 24%, with sales of convenience stores more than 34%. When you're dealing with 28 million portions a day, only one per cent increase, 280,000 portions a day, is considerable.

Sin # 5: Make schizophrenia and anarchy

Imagine this conversation: "Oh, you want to change the golden arches of Day-Glo pink Sure, no problem? '. Not in this lifetime. You could also print a new resume and look for another job.

The confusion between the construction of a brand, be consistent, keeping a brand alive and reinventing a brand can be so mish-mashed, what a mess. Random change is not the same planned evolution of a brand. Equally true is that boring, stagnant messaging is not the same brand consistency.

A good rule of thumb is that provided by Sir John Egan, managing director for the group the world's leading international airport, "Defining the experience that customers want becomes a criterion by which you can judge the artwork that the Commission's work . "

Other points to consider are: "This effort to contribute to our brand image and equity? This dilute our brand position? Will this enhance the experience of 'our consumers of our brand?"

This is all based on the fact that there is a basis for building a brand above.

Sin # 6: The relationship of human connection

The fragility of a brand is in direct proportion to the extent that a trademark can not connect with its consumer. Flaunting a commodity is about as popular, and effective, as they end up in a paper in one night. What's good for Visine sales (remember "take the red"?) Is not necessarily good for the grade.

Every strong brand is somehow become a product that represents what the customer is looking for: simplicity, convenience, power, strength, pride, beauty. But in any case, is the human factor that can be lost. Each product has, as its final use, a human who is buying the product for a reason. Finding the right, keep it in personal terms, and you're on your way to avoid this trap.

Sin # 7: Forgetting where they live makes

If you were to ask brand managers where brands live, you might say, "On the shelf with our product. In our annual report. In our advertising." Wrong. Those are like a brand is built, not where he lives.

Brands do not live anywhere but in the minds and hearts of consumers and prospects. The job of branding is to get the product to the point of having an army of believers who are from that brand, and what it means, in their minds.

The job of branding is to get the front door and become a comfortable fixture in the minds of consumers. Avoid these seven traps will help .......