Branding: You are the Brand

What's in a brand name? Everything! Think of these brands: Coke, Barbie, Hershey, McDonalds, Madonna, Pepsi, Bono, Microsoft, Kleenex, Xerox, Steven Spielberg, Dell and GM. Did you notice that brands can be things, replicas of people and actual people? Brands are the public perception of a thing or person. Companies work very hard to establish their brand, sometimes failing when they attempt to tie a secondary product into the popular brand name. Does anyone even remember A1 chicken sauce?

The people and companies behind the above brand names are well known. They are established. They have earned the right to be positioned where they are in the public's eye. Are you or your product clearly associated with the solution you seek to provide? What about your product? What about your name? How are you positioned in the marketplace? As an entrepreneur, a small businessperson, you have to be ever so keenly aware of every minute detail and opportunity to brand yourself. You need to be the expert. Your product must solve the problem, and the world needs to know about it. Branding therefore, may be the most important marketing challenge you face as your business plan unfolds.

It's all about public perception. Is Coke the real thing? Does Hershey make the finest chocolate? Does McDonald's offer the best tasting, most nutritious hamburger? Does GM make the finest cars? We have been trained by skilled marketers to make the above associations. We have been conditioned over time to accept the advertising as real, whether we actually believe it or not. Very clever indeed, these markers have been. You cannot afford to be any less convincing in your efforts.

As CEO of your own organization, you will most likely not have the extensive resources that a major company or big name star has. You probably are the marketing department, the advertising department, the sales team, the accountant and so on. As such, you must remain acutely aware of your image, the perception of each and every customer, and to a great extent, the marketplace as a whole. Your position in the marketplace, often dictated by the perceived quality of your products, your celebrity, your reputation for service, your leadership in your field and your consistency will certainly have a great deal to do with the effectiveness of your brand. You are the brand.

As the brand, you must take the position that you will always be under scrutiny, under the microscope. Assume leadership. You may not be the biggest guy in your field, but through leadership you can establish a market presence that will help you to become positioned along with the major players in your market. Take the lead on local issues or take a stand on a national issue that relates to your product, service and market. Through association, you will be perceived as a market leader, regardless of your size. Attempt to resolve a small problem and associate it with a greater one and you will achieve a level of notoriety, one that you can leverage to increase your brand awareness.

Your company must be credible. That is to say that your products and services must do what you say they will. You must also be credible personally. If you cannot be rightfully associated with your product or service offering, it will be difficult for the public to be receptive to such a contradiction. Honesty and integrity will be assets of great value to you as your marketplace gets to know you.

You must be consistent. You must find your niche, take your stance, establish some position and build from it. If you change every week or every time a new wind blows, people will not take you seriously. They will begin to doubt your leadership and find it difficult to perceive you as a credible source for your goods and services. You will lose whatever market position you have gained and whatever leadership position that you have achieved by wobbling among various directions. The public sees consistency as strength and strength as character. When you are a small company, struggling to grow, the perception of you in the marketplace is a critical factor.

Your marketing plan should certainly include these concerns as well as the incredible importance of the awareness of your market image. Since you are the brand, few components within your business plan should receive more of your attention than the development of the public's perception of you, your evolving position in the marketplace and the development of your brand image.

Daniel Sitter is the author of the breakthrough e-book, Learning For Profit, the revolutionary how-to book providing simple, step-by-step instructions to teach people exactly how to learn new skills faster than ever before. It's currently available from c|net's download.com, the author's web site http://www.learningforprofit.com/ and a variety of online book merchants. Mr. Sitter is a contributing writer for several online and traditional publications. His expertise include sales, marketing, effective learning techniques, self-improvement and general business interests.

---

Branding: Bring Back the Jingle!

Did you grow up in the '70s and '80s? If... Read More

Donald Trump On Branding - Brand Identity Guru

Love him or hate him, one thing is certain: Donald... Read More

Choosing the Right Color Palette

Color is a highly personal experience ? everyone has favorite... Read More

How to Work with Your Graphic Designer

As a graphic designer, I can tell you something right... Read More

Mascots ? The Killer Promotional Concept

Mascots are the unique dolls or puppets that help identify... Read More

John Deere and NASCAR; Excellent Use of Brand

We should all recognize the marketing efforts of John Deere... Read More

Blonds Have More Fun!

In the book, The Blond Knight of Germany, American authors... Read More

Effective Branding...Whats in a Name!

Ask any marketing executive and they will tell you that... Read More

Simple Risk Reversal Formula Will Send Your Sales Into Space (2 of 2)

Make A Bold Promise Then Back It Up With An... Read More

Is It Legal? - Indecent Naming With Tradition

When Mitsubishi launched a new car with the name "Pajero"... Read More

The Big-Pay Off -- Brand Value

Many CEOs and marketing directors find their time wasted evaluating... Read More

Measuring Return On Investment

...or Is My Brand Working?To measure the impact and effectiveness... Read More

Logo Design Tips

Logos can be described as visual icons that provide a... Read More

Santa - The Brand

Every Christmas Eve, a burglar named Santa busts into homes... Read More

Brand Identity - Corporate Identity and Brand Value

Companies work hard building the strength of their brands -... Read More

Branding ? Brand Identity Guru

Brands are important aspects of any business, but unlike money... Read More

Brand Your Consulting Brilliance

Today's competitive marketplace for consulting services is no longer responsive... Read More

Power Your Word for Profit

Discovering and owning a powerful word that reflects you and... Read More

Jan Verhoeff: Brand Your Market

Marketing potential of any product is based on recognition and... Read More

Why You? -- Professional Identity Branding

You can have first-rate products and services, but if you... Read More

Naming Names... How to Name your Business

Sometimes the best inspiration comes from hearing about the deconstruction... Read More

Differentiate and Dominate

Quite often small business owners will ask me to reveal... Read More

Brand Identity and Brand Image - Brand Identity Guru

It is important to distinguish between corporate identity, brand identity,... Read More

Trade Journals in Franchising

As many people know Industry Trade Journals in America have... Read More

Brand Identity Guru - Is Your Brand Vital?

The world is not waiting for you?or your product or... Read More

Brand Name Identity in the Oil Business

I submit to you that Brand Name Identity in the... Read More

Branding Your Products Is Important

I was chatting with a couple of friends, all of... Read More

Setting the Right Price

One of the ways people get to know you is... Read More

New Uniforms Could be the Gold Charm for the Golden Arches

New designer uniforms could be the gold charm McDonald's needs... Read More

Boston Brand Building - Brand Identity Guru

"Make no little plans, they have no magic to stir... Read More

The Role of a Visual Vocabulary in Brand Identity Design

Visual elements are a major part of your business's brand... Read More

Branding - More Than Just a Statement - A Memory Scar

Conjure up in your mind broad rolling meadows with runs... Read More

Play Your Position! - The Only Way to Win in Business

Have you ever watched 5-year-olds play soccer? It should be... Read More