Your brand is one of the most valuable elements of your business.
Your brand establishes your tone and identity in the marketplace, and is a key factor in differentiating you from your competitors.
Therefore, it’s important to get it right so that it resonates with customers and helps you develop positive and ongoing relationships with them.
With this in mind, let’s get back to basics and discuss everything to do with branding.
Welcome to “Brand 101” – A marketing introduction.
What is a Brand?
A brand is a name, term, symbol, design or a combination of these used by an organisation to identify it as unique from others. It acts as an identity and signal, communicating many messages to the market.
Your brand’s positioning comes from the way the market views and connects with this brand. The strength of this bond and the value that customers place on a brand is known as brand equity.
What are the elements of a Brand?
Brand elements are all of the components that make up a brand, such as the name, design, slogan and so on, whereas a brand name is the part of a brand that is made up of words, letters and/or numbers and can be spoken or written.
Secondary associations of a brand are all the related elements, such as celebrity endorsements and product reviews.
A trademark, commonly associated with a brand, is the legal registration and recognition of an entire brand by an organisation that prevents the incorrect and unauthorised replication or utilisation of it.
Brand Equity
As mentioned above, the value customers place in a brand is known as a measure of brand equity. This value grows in stages:
(1) Salience: this is general awareness of a brand by the market. Your marketing strategy at this level should focus on determining who the brand is.
(2) Imagery and performance are the visual association and product behaviour of a brand that communicate the features of what a brand is to the market. At this level, the marketing strategy is focused on the meaning of the brand and what it is.
(3) Feelings and judgements refer to the critical analysis and emotional connections that brand has with the market, which communicate the personality of the brand. At this point, marketing strategy is focused on response and what it is about the brand that customers find appealing.
(4) The pinnacle of brand equity is known as brand resonance. At this point, the brand has a relationship with the customer and spurs a certain behaviour in response to the brand. Marketing strategy here is about fostering brand loyalty by focusing on what the brand is worth to a customer.
Brand Development
There are two main approaches to developing a brand.
An organisation can utilise a high budget and spend a lot of money to heavily communicate messages and increase awareness, or approach with a low budget, and instead, rely on other communication, such as word-of-mouth and very obvious brand names.
Depending on the approach above, the brand name can lie on a spectrum from:
(1) Fictitious- such as Sony or Apple. The name is so obscure that it requires specifically teaching the market about what the product behind the brand is or does.
(2) Associative- names that allude slightly to their product’s function, but are conjured up on top.
(3) Suggestive- brand names that are semi-descriptive but a slight play on words.
(4) Descriptive- such as Quick Copy or Pizza Hut. These names are more obvious
Obviously, the more fictitious end of the spectrum has the advantage of being unique and therefore easier to legally protect, however an organisation much teach the market about themselves (which may not always be a negative).
The descriptive side offers a far more descriptive and obvious name that signal the right kind of image when a customer hears it, however because they are so run-of-the-mill, it can be difficult to be unique and tricky to legally protect.
The goal of brand development is to increase brand equity so that the market pays attention and values a brand enough to generate popularity and sales. A good brand is strong, favourable, compatible with the product, unique and memorable.
Logos
A logo is the visual brand element or a brand, and can either be used with or without the name, depending on the knowledge of the target market. Logos can enhance or hinder and image, which is why it’s important for an organisation to ensure it matches the brand well.
Brand Association
There are several other brand elements that partner with a brand and impact on brand image and brand equity. These can be secondary associations, and include:
(1) The organisation itself and its branding (such as Nestle’s Purina pet care sub-brand)
(2) The country of origin and its connotations (such as Italian wine or Swiss watches)
(3) Distribution channels (sold in nice stores, or particular outlets)
(4) Co-branding with other brands
(5) Characters (licencing and mascots)
(6) Celebrity endorsements
(7) Events and sponsorship associations
(8) Third-party sources (such as awards and product reviews)
(9) An associated slogan or jingle (to add more information or increase recall).
All of these elements impact on how the market values and sees a brand.
Brand Extension
Once a brand is in a market, an organisation may choose to extend its use. There are four types of brand extension methods.
(1) Line Extension: where the product category and brand is already in existence (such as adding flavours or colours)
(2) Brand Extension: New category, but an existing brand
(3) Multi-branding: Existing category but new brand (Toyota and Lexus cars)
(4) New Brand: New product category and brand name
How Can Melotti Media Help You?
To engage your customer and achieve ongoing business success today, you need quality copywriting and consistent content. However, we understand that this is easier said than done.
You’re time poor and spread thin, and writing isn’t your expertise. So, focus on what really matters, while we take care of all of your copywriting and content marketing needs!
For more information or to speak to a quality copywriter to get the results your business deserves, contact me now at enquire@melottimedia.com.au.
I can sharpen your words to achieve your goals, today!
Christopher Melotti
Melotti Media Copywriting and Message Marketing Bureau
www.melottimedia.com.au
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