Branding

Your brand is the way your customer perceives you. A brand is a promise to your customer-of good quality and service.

Branding is essential because it gives your business an identity that consumers can connect to.

Whether you run a large or small business, work in the corporate industry or work as a creative freelancer, branding is of universal importance. Airtel needs it; your corner Paanwala needs it. You need it.

Whenever any positive signal goes out of your company to the universe – that is branding.

It is not about a cute logo and attractive packaging anymore. Branding goes way beyond just a logo or graphic element.

Simply put, your colors, fonts, logo designs, and website—anything that is customer-facing—is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from you and why you’re different from your competitors.

Brand Strategy is a plan that focuses on the long-term development of your business goal, purpose, and impact.

Your  Brand Strategy will map out how you are different, trustworthy, memorable, and likable by your ideal customer. It will convey your purpose, promises, and how you solve problems for people.

Your brand strategy is how, what, where, when, and to whom you plan to communicate and deliver your brand messages.
Where you advertise is part of your brand strategy. Your distribution channels are also part of your brand strategy. And what you communicate visually and verbally is part of your brand strategy, too.

Brand Identity is how you convey your core message to your customers with visuals, messaging, and experience.

Your brand identity should be applied across all channels consistently. It is the way that your business becomes recognizable.

Your brand has verbal and visual identity.This includes your name,  logo, colors and fonts, website design, content, advertising, print or packaging, and more.

Your product leaves an impression on your customers long after you’ve made the sale. Brand identity is the process of shaping that impression.

Consistent, strategic branding leads to substantial brand equity, which means the added value brought to your company’s products or services allows you to charge more for your brand than what identical, unbranded products command.

The most obvious example of this is Coke vs. a generic soda. Because Coca-Cola has built substantial brand equity, it can charge more for its product–and customers will pay that higher price.

Brand positioning is defined as the conceptual place you want to own in the target consumer’s mind — the benefits you want them to think of when they think of your brand.
What does your brand stand for in your consumer’s mind ?

An effective brand positioning strategy will make your product relevant to your customer, make it appear different than competitive brands and  maximize brand value.

Some examples of positioning are:

• Apple -Think different
• Volvo Car – Safety
• Seven up – Un Cola
• Sachin Tendulkar – Best Batsman

Brand architecture is defined as the logical, strategic and relational structure for all brands in the portfolio.

A key concept of brand architecture strategy is that customers relate to brands at different levels — for example, a corporate (or master brand), endorsed brands, product brands and product descriptors.  This allows an organization to create a brand portfolio that appeals to distinct segments.

Here are a few examples:

• Coca Cola Company vs. Coke vs. Diet Coke vs. Diet Coke Caffeine-Free vs. PowerAde (from the Coca Cola Company)
• Apple vs. Mac vs. iPod vs. iPhone vs. iPad

This is a myth that only large companies can afford to do branding.
Every small positive activity you do, like creating a good web site, designing a great logo and packaging, having a good marketing strategy, treating your employees and customers well, contributes to branding efforts, building trust among consumers.

People buy companies before they buy products.
When people trust you, they are willing to pay a higher price for your products. That is why brands like Apple, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola charge a premium, and consumers are happy to pay this premium.

In today’s world, most of the products are similar. What differentiates you from the competition is your superior branding.
You can always start small. But not branding is not an option.

Forever. As long as you are breathing.
Branding is a way of life.
More branding means more satisfied customers, more profits. More happiness.

These brands are the most popular and successful  global brands

• We can easily say that Apple is one of the most successful brands of our generation
• Coca-Cola – There is no way that we can speak of global branding without mentioning Coca-Cola. 
• Starbucks – Their success is attributed to real customer experience around coffee consumption.
• ZARA – Worldwide success in style clothing.
• Airbnb – It redefined how people stay while traveling
• Ikea – This Swedish furniture company sells in more than 100 countries
• Uber – One of the most successful companies during last ten years
• McDonald’s – World’s favorite food company.
• Tesla – Fastest growing automobile company.