What is branding
Even for people who have studied marketing, branding is a bit hazy marketing concept and may rapidly become complicated. Branding is the process of building and shaping a brand in the minds of consumers to give meaning to a specific organization, company, product, or service. Its a method used by businesses to help customers immediately recognize and experience their brand and give them a reason to choose their products over the competition by defining what the brand is and isn't. Effective branding allows businesses to stand out from the crowd and cultivate a devoted following.
\"A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumers decision to choose one product or service over another\"
Seth Godin
In increasingly competitive marketplaces, having a strong brand strategy gives you a significant competitive advantage. It explains what they may expect from your products and services while also distinguishing your offering from your competitors.
Your brand strategy is the way you intend to communicate and deliver your brand messages, including how, what, where, when, and to whom. Your brand strategy includes where you promote. It also has what you express visually and verbally. Your brand strategy includes your distribution channels as well.
Brand equity refers to the increased value contributed to your companys products or services, allowing you to charge more for your brand than for identical, unbranded things. Coke vs a generic beverage is the most obvious illustration of this. Coca-Cola can charge more for its goods because of its has strong brand equity, and customers will gladly accept the higher price.
Importance of branding
Advertisment
Your company's brand is likely one of its most valuable assets. It provides your company with a personality, makes it distinctive to customers, inspires them to buy from you, helps your marketing and advertising, and instills pride in your personnel. Here are how branding can be of importance to your business:
- More customers will recognize your business.
- Branding can help build trust and gives a business credibility.
- Help a business gain more from advertising.
- Employees like working for strong and recognizable brands.
- Creating brand followers and loyalist
- Builds emotional connection and attachments with customers.
- Opens new business opportunities through brand extension, licensing, etc.
- Boosting business sales and revenues.
Brand Personality
Now that we have articulated what branding is and its importance, we can detail brand personality.
In the eyes of your potential customers, brand personality is what gives your company a human face. The tone of voice, graphics, and even customer service policies are all used to convey this message. Any effort you make to portray consistent personality traits to your audience might help them understand what its like to be your customer.
Brand personality is a set of human traits associated with a brand that plays an important part in building and maintaining great brands.
Its purposefully determined through a process of assigning the brand a set of human attributes and qualities. When human-like descriptors – such as unique, kind, hilarious, trustworthy, creative, forthright, dishonest, rebel, and so on – are applied to a brand, it develops a personality.
If you think of your brand as a person with distinct personality features, you can start to present yourself in a way that allows you to emotionally connect with your humans (the clients you want to attract).
And this is significant since emotion is at the root of all decision-making, including purchase decisions.
Consider Apples clientele. You know theres no point in debating the virtues and benefits of buying an iPhone because theres no substitute for them. Purchasing an Apple product says a lot about a person.
Importance of brand personality
When human-like adjectives – such as unique, kind, hilarious, trustworthy, creative, forthright, dishonest, rebel, and so on – are applied to a brand, it develops a personality.
Brand Image
Brand identity and brand personality are two interconnected strategies that aid in developing the desired brand image in the marketplace. Brand identity visualizes a brands strategy, which leads to the development of a brand image. Brand personality strategizes how a brand will behave in the market.
Emotional connection with customers
Brand personality aids in the development of emotional connections with like-minded people who seek more from the brand than just tangible goods. This emotional bond also aids the brand in developing more meaningful brand encounters and launching customer-driven marketing initiatives such as word-of-mouth marketing, loyalty marketing, and so on.
Differentiating a brand
One of the most significant things in distinguishing your brand from the competition is its personality. Depending on your personality, the same product or service can be promoted in a variety of ways.
The aim is to develop a personality that is true to your brand, holds up over time, and is relatable to your ideal customer.
Brand awareness
Your brand experience will be both identifiable and memorable if it has a distinct brand personality. These are the most critical aspects of brand recognition.
Brand awareness isn't simply about bringing your brand to the attention of prospective new customers through marketing and promotion. Its also about increasing customer awareness, so it moves from recognition to preference.
Brand loyalty
Apple is the best at using the power of personality. Devotees of the brand perceive themselves—if idealized versions of themselves—in the sleek, artistic, slightly unconventional personality that the company has built over decades of targeted advertising.
This has resulted in a legion of brand-loyal customers whose identities are defined, at least in part, by owning an Apple product.
Building brand personality
1. First and foremost, decide who you are.
Many brands figure out who they are after they launch and adjust their messaging accordingly. Thats simply catching up. Choose your values and target identity BEFORE going to market to simplify things from the start. Make your brand identitys framework stressing your priorities, specialities, and emotional appeal, and the rest will start to fall into place. Youre not just selling a product or service; youre selling your distinct brand. From the start, it should reflect who you truly are.
2. Recognize your target market
Keep your potential clients in mind while creating marketing materials if you know who they are. For a good reason, they admire you and look up to you. They value your expertise and unique perspective on the topics they care about. So hand it over to them.
3. Select Your Tone
This is where the real magic starts to happen. This is where you can let your personality shine through in everything your audience sees. Begin by deciding on a tone. Is it supposed to be funny or serious? Is it more cost-effective or more luxurious? Is it for him, her, or everyone? Is it more retro or futuristic? You dont have to choose just one (since this may turn off certain individuals), but your voice resonates with those who know you and those who want to know you. The best approach is to combine your voice (funny but professional, innovative but realistic, etc.) with human aspects in your brand identity.
4. Create a Message
The nuts and bolts of your brand identity are the messages you send out. It is the vehicle through which your speech can travel and reach your audiences eyes, ears, and minds. This is where well-executed Content Marketing really shines. Know when and where to show different types of relevant material (social media, web, email, landing pages, etc.) and how often (morning, night, before, after, or during important events).
5. Maintain Consistency
Now that youve worked so hard to create your brand identification through your personality and content stay the course. Commit to your approach for the long run, and write it all down as a reminder and a guide for newcomers. Also, make sure your material doesnt take any \"left turns\" that would alienate your readers. Posting from the opposite end of the spectrum might swiftly undermine your efforts if youre a certain type of brand (funny, techy, romantic). If you discover that your messaging isnt working, remember that A/B testing is encouraged, and rebranding is acceptable.
Brand Personality framework
Sincerity, competence, ruggedness, excitement, and sophistication are the five unique attributes of the brand personality structure. In The Journal Of Marketing Research, Jennifer Aaker is the first to define all of these characteristics. She was a branding and marketing guru.
Brand Personality Framework
1. Sincerity
Its one of the most important aspects of a companys personality. It comprises brands that are straightforward, wholesome, down-to-earth, and joyful in their approach.
Coca-Cola, Hallmark, Orpah, Pampers, and a variety of other brands occupy this space.
2. Competence
Only when consumers can trust a brand can it be considered successful. This category includes brands in the healthcare, insurance, finance, and logistics industries. These brands are self-assured, dependable, and dedicated. They must also be intelligent and successful.
Microsoft, Volvo, and Chase are examples of this type.
3. Ruggedness
Rugged is a brand that represents the outdoors, experiences, and ruggedness. These brands are known for their toughness, muscularity, authenticity, and hard labor. Sports, construction, and the outdoors are generally included in these brands.
Jeep, Levis, Yeti, and a slew of other companies compete in this space.
4. Excitement
Its a type of brand personality that seeks to appeal to a younger demographic. It displays their youthfulness as well as their unwavering excitement. Energy, the ability to imagine, bravery, and being on the cutting edge are some of these characteristics. Their marketing strategy consists of celebrity endorsements and exciting ads.
Nike, GoPro, RedBull, Disney, and a slew of other brands fall into this group.
5. Sophistication
Charm, luxury, and refinement are the hallmarks of sophisticated brands. These brands cater to an upper-class consumer concerned with class and status. These are the brands that are associated with luxury and fashion.
This personality feature includes brands such as Nescafe, Apple, Hermes, Mercedes, and many others.
This article was written by Nicholas T Mushayi, a consultant as the Industrial Psychology Consultants, a business management and human resources consultants company.