Branding-Position Yourself for the Future

Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - By: Brian D

Branding-Position Yourself for the Future

by David G. Rohlander

Do you consider yourself a leader? The easiest way to tell if you are a leader is to look behind you. Is anyone following you? Leadership doesn’t really amount to much unless you cause people to take action, follow you.

Having the desire to become a brand is the same thing. Being a brand doesn’t really amount to much unless you are able to influence people to take action, buy your product or service.

More and more people and organizations are awakening to the value of being or having a brand. As consumers continue to cultivate discernment, the need for you to have a branding strategy is increasing. If you have a good brand it will attract new customers, shorten the selling cycle, improve your profits and build customer loyalty.

So, what is a brand? In its simplest form a brand is just a word: Kleenex, Xerox, or Jell-O. In its most advanced form it is the core of your strategy, your DNA. It embodies your image, determines your marketing from concept to execution, includes assets and liabilities, and influences internal and external customers. Developing a good brand takes focused effort, time and consistency.

Start at the Beginning

What is it that makes you unique? What are your special strengths? You may want to be a leader in the technology field but if you don’t possess the natural gifts of understanding needed in that field, you may just be whistling Dixie. Bill Gates is built to run Microsoft. Michael Jordan is built to play basketball.

At Harvard University they are doing research on the different types of intelligence. So far they have clearly defined seven different types of intelligence: logical-mathematical, linguistic, kinesthetic, musical, spatial, interpersonal and intrapersonal. We all have different amounts of each of these. Bill Gates is long on the logical-mathematical side and Michael Jordan is long on the kinesthetic side. (Jim Cathcart’s The Acorn Principle™ , devotes an entire chapter to the seven intelligences.)

The same type of analysis needs to be done on your company. What core competencies do you have based on your demonstrated achievements? Be sure to look at the organization as a whole. Small companies need to resist the temptation to build a department or product line around an individual. People come and go.

Define how you are unique. Make a long list of attributes and then be critical and pare the list down to the few truly unique and strong qualities. Your goal should be to define exactly who and what you are so that it can be ultimately represented by one word. This word will be your brand. It will represent the core attributes of your organization, product or service. A few examples from large companies will be helpful: Intel, Nike, Levi’s, McDonald’s and Coors.

One of the best ways to get your arms around this concept is to tell your story. If you went all the way back to the beginning, how would you tell your story? Would it start a long time ago like the GE story? “In 1876, Thomas Edison…” Have you done something very unique like the first car company, Mercedes- Benz. In what category can you claim to be the first or original player? Put on your journalist hat and tell your story. Recalling who, what, where, when, why and how is a good place to start. Have other people who know your history help you. This is one area where several cooks improve the broth.

Your goal is to refine your story and clarify your unique characteristics. You want to boil it down to the bare essence. This core is then the foundation you will use to build your brand. It must be clear, compelling and unique. Most important, it must appeal to your target customer.

Perception is Everything

Branding is all about creating an image in the eye and mind of your customer. What do they believe about you on an emotional level? Is there a common denominator among these perceptions that relates to all your constituencies?

One of the best ways to identify your image in the market place is to do a brand audit. This means you will conduct a comprehensive survey to determine who knows about you and your product or service as well as what their impressions are. Next you should compare this information with your employee’s beliefs. The best way to get the truth is to hire an outside firm that specializes in this field.

Now the really hard work begins. It’s time to think creatively. How will you blend the unique attributes of your product or service so that they will positively influence your customer’s perception? Is it unique? Is it compelling? Is it a first? Can you crystallize it all into one word?

Given the reality of where you currently are in the marketplace, what is a strategy to effectively communicate this new message? Branding is not just a minor part of marketing. Brand strategy should be an integral part of your total strategy and requires the personal involvement of your primary decision- makers. Remember to think like your customer. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Your brand is who you are.

What about Competition?

Far better to create rather than compete. First you clearly define what makes you unique. Then you create a new market perception of what you do. If you combine this with your strengths and oppose it to your competitors weaknesses you will do well. However, you will do even better if you have done all this and then communicate that you are the leader and first of a new or different category from all your competitors.

Al Ries calls this concept The Law of the Category: “Yet the most efficient, most productive, most useful aspect of branding has nothing to do with increasing a company’s market share. The most efficient, most productive, most useful aspect of branding is creating a new category. In other words, narrowing the focus to nothing and starting something totally new.” Remember, that’s new in the eye and mind of the beholder.

Developing a branding strategy is a very exciting and creative process. It will take time and commitment by the leaders of your enterprise if it is going to be successful. It’s all about effective communication. You need to take the time to reflect on who you are and why. Then you have to make sure you are pursuing something you and your target customer really care about. Last you must take the risk of making an investment of time and money. You will then have taken the first step. The journey is just beginning.

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