When it comes to brand management each new initiative is different in terms of resources and execution, however the ultimate goal is the same: building a brand that is differentiated and profitable. Marketers often get sidetracked by everyday tasks such as sending e-mails, updating the social media pages and responding product-related inquiries. Their to-do list is usually long and sometimes tend to pay less attention to the final output.
I listed below five brand management principles that force me to think of the end result of every Marketing initiative. I apply them to each project to make sure I work toward what’s really important when it comes to building a strong brand.
Focus on what’s important
Any important Marketing decision has to start with an important question: Is this new initiative in line with what the company is known for? A brand that wants to be too many things ends up being nothing, and give specialized competitors the opportunity to claim a slice of the market. The more focused a brand is the more it breaks through the clutter.Loss of focus leads to brand failure. Below is an example:
Research in Motion, the maker of the Blackberry, decided to compete head-to-head with Apple for a slice of the consumer market instead of focusing on the market segment where the company has a strong competitive advantage: business customers. The result: RIM has recently laid-off 2000 employees, and the company struggles to remain competitive.
Differentiate your brand
One important question I ask myself at the start of each project is: will this project contribute to my brand’s differentiation strategy? Or Am I just following the competition?
A strong brand stands up for something unique in the mind of the consumer. The reasons are simple: fierce competition and the multitude of choices consumer have today. If are not able to provide your target market with a reason to buy then your only option is to compete on price.
The market for hybrid vehicles offers an excellent example of successful differentiation strategy. The undisputed leader in the segment is Toyota Prius, with US sales of over 18,000 units in March 2011, according to http://www.hybridcars.com. The number two brand, Honda Insight, is far behind with only 2700 units sold. The reason for their success is obvious in my opinion: while their competitors took existing non hybrid models and added the word “Hybrid” after the name, Toyota implemented a complete differentiation strategy: a stand alone name (Prius) and a design that is looks different than the non-hybrid models. As a result, “Prius” is the synonym for “hybrid car”.
Be consistent
One of the biggest challenges Marketers face is a “noisy” communication environment, where the “core message” is difficult to communicate. The same differentiating message has to be repeated over and over in order for it to be understood. Consistency means having a simple and clear core message and using a smart communication strategy to reinforce it over and over again.
Italian shoe manufacturer Geox built their brand around an innovation that allows the insole to absorb sweat while it expels it as a water vapor through the micro-holes in the out-sole. This differentiation idea is reflected into the core message and tagline “The shoe that breathes” and depicted visually by a shoe sole that “breathes”.
Simplify your communication
Consumer’s attention span is shrinking, which makes the Brand Manager’s job challenging. Brands have about 10 seconds to make a first good impression. That’s why the KISS (keep it simple stupid) principle is highly effective and recommended.
Simplifying your communication means focusing on the essentials and leaving the rest out. In terms of product, simplicity might mean “easy to use”. In Marketing Communications it means using plain language and getting to the point quickly. Less is more. Simple is better.
A method to verify this principle is to ask for feedback whenever possible. If the feedback you are getting is positive you can put a check-mark beside simplicity.
Develop visually appealing Marketing materials
I strongly believe that aesthetics plays an important role in the purchase decision, although a lot of people don’t like to admit it. Product packaging and marketing materials that “look good” can make the difference between success and failure. I often use visual appeal as a differentiation point, in categories where the main competitors don’t pay attention to how the brand presents itself to the world.
If a consumer has to choose between two products with the same features he/she will prefer the one that looks more appealing to the eye. That’s because visual appeal is usually associated with a better user experience and functionality.
The principles above help me be efficient and see the big picture. What about your experience? Please feel free to add to the list.
My name is Michael, a Toronto-based Professional Certified Marketer. I am the publisher of BrandUniq, the Marketing and Brand Management blog that offers strategic advice on how to build strong and differentiated brands.
kaluganews
kagawa
fablabbcn
oss
igamepublisher
noreferer
worldwidepartners
gironafc
estradas
amigaos
grandarmy
gdansk
kuechenprofi
newsfood
amjs9090
681441
chromatioideae
8kbet
skiportillo
aplma
phuse
kt2005
vegamoontech
contacttokyo
officine
fashionary
polarisventures
evensi
nosweatvegan
getdice
sony
goldratt
rondomusic
calicocorners
workethic
alserkal
pictureframes
mandlabs
iitiraf
siglacredit
gzyxj28
unilever
triop
bpcbt
swab
ikkoopbelgisch
meter
bluelake
metube
filefishstick
v13
riders-share
zldpcb
bdlo
davidegroppi
lexusfinancial
aquaria
pay69
arphic
sonartajans
zhutibanhui
rosamondgiffordzoo
uxdesign
0337t
mincom
krcenter
jj-rentacar
clipartmax
ipleer
screamingguitars
9610
ds22
filigranes
rfkracing
intensivstation
hillsemergencyplumber
cfia
ayinger
systancia
vanillacrunnch
fireprotectionservices
azsbdc
tetrahostbd
psysh
americansforprosperityfoundation
91-divoc
davosklostersmountains
nichemarketing
reel
mobanbus
redcube
gehrmans
mynoc
snyxrnj
flockmail
hngrrb
daikin
bevocalspeakup
bayreuth-wilhelmine
melvingarcia
downdetector
9air
nuevanormalidad
georgebillis
eventos
holmgrensbil
flexplus
carpls
zero-style
retailtouchpoints
vssmonitoring
lumodesignstudio
eurocert
unoi
ozaur
cdlyh
iguanapoolsinc
platformelements
islandschool
csiptv
knowweekly
names4ever
monsterbrands
moi
herbapproach
johnnyflash
wittenborg
xbrl-cn
10878dl
festivalboulevard
futai
riga2014
graduatewomen
crmbonus
duckhorn
stribika
interatmedia
sitab
szhdsd
thirdagedating
cpes
web-romandie
cyfn
cdcxt5
jetir
weatherwidget
idexpress
dropitmodern
nmoq
agricultural-raffia
baybg
wkorea
fairvote
investinginvolunteers
ozoblockly
andersenstories
trkunited
fasttrac
camprest
ggjeln
nosuchthingasafish
emo-berlin
vaxxedthemovie
crowncenter
intagme
pegasusgroup
algopage
cpasf
bs-sports
pdmnews
clipular
labradorsystems
imfw
obic
comicdd
nexusipe
dienmaynewsun
kobaco
hrld
xfc5888
careerjet
paradiso
wearechange
mines-nantes
house
216
cpacf
evepacificmedia
nextbrandnews
pgs
dogadostucantalar
delishpancake
eslbuzz
livenation
insidegame
thekunstmagazine
thinkbank
crstoday
bledstrategicforum
cahealthynailsalons
mediterranea-comunicacion
paintbucketnails
ticketschool
estheking
blac
mikehadlow
spinix456
