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Branding Strategy - Brand Identity


Today, in many organizations around the world, branding is treated as a cosmetic exercise only, and regarded merely as a new name, logo, stationary and possibly a new advertising campaign. But, to associate your "brand" with such superficial cosmetics is like saying that people are really only the sum of their name, face and sometimes their clothing

But branding is a thoughtful discipline that strongly belongs to the long-term strategy of an organization; brand strategy is, or should be, business strategy, and vice versa.

Smart Branding is about having a clear point of view on what an organization is about and how it can deliver a thoughtful and unique experience to its customers. Then, the execution is about organizing all products, services, and corporate operations around the customer, to close the gap between the promised and the delivered brand experience.

For example, Staples, an office-supply retailer in the US, aims at making the purchasing experience easy, as communicated in its trademarked slogan "that was easy." In practice, it may mean training the front-line personnel in customer service processes (e.g., how to minimize issues during check-out), designing the website for instant product reviews and actual delivery time, and scheduling fast delivery of orders and pick-up of returns. All those organizational aspects thus reinforce each other and converge to the same strategic objective.

Approach branding as a business strategy, is to view how all products, services and interactions with the consumer under the brand name become building blocks of bedrock of trust derived from their customers' experience; For instance the iExperience that the iFamily of Apples' iProducts deliver to its iFanatics.

To be successful, Smart Branding has to be seen as an important part of the corporate strategy, something that will deeply influence the entire organization. That's why Smart Branding initiatives need to be aimed not only to the external costumer but also has to be directed to the inside of the organization, transforming the figure of the CEO into the brand champion who drives the brand and everyone in the organization; Think Howard Schultz, Steve Jobs or Richard Branson

To truly become and act as The Brand champions, CEO's need to take all their decisions based on three premises:

1. The brand is the most important organization asset

2. The most important source of income is the customer, and

3. Branding is about business planning.

These three premises will help CEO's follow the most important rule of the marketing game: If you don't sell, you aren't in business.

This CEO level approach to branding, allows brands to have an aided recognition that can result in premium pricing and extension opportunities, which ultimately will increase customers' loyalty. It also provides management tangible metrics to assess initiatives, which eventually can be transformed into tangible brand equities.

To measure how strong your brand is copy and paste: (http://brandidentityguru.com/bightml/brandmasterpiece.html). Then click "Take the brand strength test". This is a short survey that measures the strength of any company's brand. It's a great tool to see where you are today.

Scott White is President of Brand Identity Guru (http://www.brandidentityguru.com), a leading brand consulting and market research firm located in Easton, Massachusetts, USA, near Boston.

Brand Identity Guru specializes in creating corporate and product brands that increase sales, market share, customer loyalty, and brand valuation. Over the course of his 15-year branding career, Scott White has worked in a wide variety of industries: high-tech, manufacturing, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, banking, restaurants, fashion, healthcare, Internet, retail, and service businesses, as well as numerous non-profit organizations.

Brand Identity Guru clients include: Sun Life Financial, Coca Cola, HP, Sun, Nordstrom, American Federal Mortgage, Simon (America's largest shopping mall manager) and many others, including numerous emerging growth companies.

Scott White is a very enthusiastic speaker and has the gift of being able to explain the principles of branding in a compelling and entertaining manner so that people at all levels can understand.


MORE RESOURCES:

International Projects by CBX Win Awards for Store Design and Branding
MarketWatch - 11 hours ago
NEW YORK, Dec 03, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- CBX, the strategic branding, design and consultancy agency based here, has been honored with awards for ...


Judge blasts Mesa-Aloha branding deal
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... to license the brand to Mesa, whose interisland airline go! was seen as a primary cause of Aloha’s bankruptcy and shutdown in March. ...


A New Look for McDonald's
BusinessWeek - 1 hour ago
But New York-based brand consultant Dean Crutchfield notes that similar mass branding projects at giants like Unilever (UN) have cost from $50 million to ...


Enhancing Marketing ROI with Master Branding
MarketWatch - Dec 2, 2008
This single consumer decision shows the power of a master brand in boosting marketing return on investment (ROI), according to Roy Levitt, a Principal with ...


Bike to Work Book offers free cover branding
Bike Biz, UK - 7 hours ago
The personalisation is for bike companies, bike shops and bicycle campaign groups. In the US, the first advocacy group to get a personalised copy is from ...


News 10 Now

JCC unveils new logo, tagline
Newswatch 50, NY - 8 hours ago
“We were gratified by the students’ interest in this branding process,” said Karen J. Freeman, Marketing and Public Relations Officer for the college. ...
JCC reveals new logo, motto WatertownDailyTimes.com
JCC launches new identity News 10 Now
Jefferson Community College Unveils New Marketing Campaign WWNY TV
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Vertical Branding, Inc. Announces License Agreement With Global ...
MarketWatch - Dec 1, 2008
"We are very excited that Genius has selected Vertical Branding to market these products in the United States," said Vertical Branding CEO Nancy Duitch. ...


Branding Briefs: Nina Sky, Beyonce, American Express
Billboard Business News, NY - Dec 2, 2008
By Kamau High, NY - Twin sister duo Nina Sky will star in a print, TV and online ad campaign for their line of shoes for Fila. ...


Intertainment Media Inc. Announces Subsidiary Funding
MarketWatch - 5 hours ago
The Itibiti platforms provides clients with custom branding, loyalty and revenue opportunities allowing them to extend their "Brand Experience" to the ...


New MD for Switch Branding and Design
Bizcommunity.com, South Africa - 18 hours ago
Robert Havik and Adam Botha have recently been appointed MD and creative director of Switch Branding and Design (a division of the Switch Group) ...

Branding - Google News

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