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Revealing
the Roots: The Process of Building Brand
For
a simple explanation of the meaning and uses of brand, see our previous
article "Understand Brand".
How
is branding different than marketing?
Branding is not so much different from marketing as it is an element
of marketing. We think of marketing as a tree; the brand is the
roots, holding the tree in place and providing constant energy.
The leaves are the tactics, reaching in various directions and changing
with the seasons, the trunk is the marketing strategy, connecting
the brand and the tactics. In this way, brand is positioned as the
basis for any marketing initiative.
Building
a Brand
Creating a brand involves a process that demands attention to develop
and diligence in carrying out to achieve results. While this may
seem difficult, the end result of the branding process is the establishment
of a system, and a structure that actually simplifies the marketing
process.
Our
process serves to match the work a company does best with an audience
willing and able to buy, and proceeds to develop a program of visual
and verbal messages that reflect the experience the company wants
to deliver. Branding is about developing a pull rather than a push,
identifying a core value that resonates with your audience and attracts
the business that is desired.
- Understand
the current perception of your company:
Effective brand marketing starts by gathering information. What
is known and thought now both inside and outside your walls? Do
you know who your competitors are and what their brand is? Why
do clients choose-or not choose-your company? What do clients
value most about your firm? Both quantitative and qualitative
information is needed to get a clear picture of your company’s,
and your industry’s, place in the mind of your audience.
- Evaluate
what you do best, what is special and unique:
Having gathered information, both internal and external feedback
is reviewed. It is time to compare the needs that exist in the
market with the strengths your firm has or wants to develop. This
process identifies the most marketable elements to a given audience,
the focus features.
- Align
this strength with the appropriate audience:
With a clear picture of the features your company can deliver
well, and an understanding of who would value these features,
key benefits are defined and linked to a feeling, the core
value, to create further focus. The purpose of brand is to
create a durable connection and build recognition, recollection
and referrals.
- Choose
how you will show, tell, and organize to convey the alignment:
The visual image, verbal
message and experience that will be
delivered must be developed to communicate your brand perception.
While staff, headlines and images may change from year to year
and campaign to campaign; this structure creates a stable base
that allows for flexibility without veering off course.
- Deliver
a well-defined image, message and experience with diligence, consistency
and repetition:
Educate everyone on your brand so that each staff member becomes
a "Keeper of the Brand." The biggest problem with maintaining
brand is lack of consistency. A new marketing director, eager
designer or outside consultant bored with what has been done and
wanting to put their own stamp upon the company can quickly derail
a brand. While you can’t change your logo every year, regular
evaluation of the tools employed to convey your message is vital
in keeping both your audience and your staff engaged.
Strong
roots are needed to keep a tree healthy, and essential in surviving
a storm. When growing your brand, be thorough in discovery, objective
in the definition of position and consistent in delivery, and the
process of building brand will be time well spent in attracting
and maintaining the kind of clients that will grow and sustain your
business.
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