Saturday 16 November 2013

You will surely find where your brand scores and where it lacks.

A Brand is not just a name or a catchy phrase attached to a product or a series or a collection. It is an emotional thread that ties your customers mind and heart to your product. Brand touches the emotions of the reader and directly gives him the vision of your product.
Lets take some examples. Here are three words, what products immediately come to your mind?
COKE
DAVIDSON
IBM
DO we need a reality check. No!
90% of the people must have come across a Soft drink, A Bike and Computer. This is the power of these brands. They have attached you to a product so much so that even in your sleep if you are muttered these words in your ear you will dream of these products. We have formed an emotional attachment with these products.
Some may argue, “These are world famous…”, Well they were not world famous when they started. They gradually reached their peak of brand recognition.
The other thought is many brands started in the same period why aren’t they so famous. Well That’s what we will be looking into here.
Always remember……Product Makes the Brand……. And not the other way round. Having gala publicity of a bad product will never gain a brand popularity. BUT, having a great product backed with strategic promotion and advertising can make the brand popular.
There are certain points to remember while building a brand.
1.  Always know what your UNIQUE SELLING POINT is. What keeps you different and better than your competitors? What Quality of your product makes your customers select your product before your competitors ? What is it that relates to your product that appeals to the buyer more than any other brand ? YOU NEED TO BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC ABOUT IT. Don’t just say “OUR QUALITY IS GREAT…” Justify it to the customer. E.g. nano technology by Simpolo is a USP of their new product line.
2.  Learn to highlight the brand with the right message. Message should be understood by the buyer. At times the Advertisement is great but it does not convey message. It leaves the buyer confused and it harms the brand. PLEASE SPEND ON GOOD CONCEPT DESIGNERS. It is worth the money. They will get Concept in place, get a good copy writer and a good graphic designer to unify all aspects of your brand. e.g. What comes to your mind when I say, “Chutkiyon mein chipkaye….” One of the best products and brands India has produced, Feviquick. It has elements of STICKING with chipkaye, and quickly so with CHutkiyon mein…GET MY MESSAGE ??????? GET THE MESSAGE RIGHT……..
3.  The message should have feeling in them. They should touch the heart and the mind both. If you miss one of them, better not publish. So we still recommend, get a Concept designer. Make him feel the product and the USP and the message you want to convey before he jumpstarts onto the exercise.
The kind of feeling a brand evokes dictates the kind of relationship it will have with it consumers. Many a times, strong feelings remain long after the message fades.
4. Assume nothing. Question everything, including yourself, and your experience. Knowledge is relative. In a fast changing society, yesterday's information becomes tomorrow's liability.
You are only as good as the stuff you are aware you don't know. Start from a position of ignorance and learn as you go. It will open your minds to things you'd never ever have considered.

5.  Do not feel in love with the message right away. Test it in small group of people to know whether they understand the message. At times it is worth spending a small amount on a Market survey exercise to see whether common people (NOT YOUR FRIENDS, THEY WILL GIVE ONLY GOOD FEEDBACK) understand and take a liking to it. NOTE BOTH POINTS… UNDERSTAND… …and take LIKING to it. This gives us evidence of the comprehensive nature of the brand.
6. CHOOSE THE RIGHT MEDIA. It is not always what your competitor does or which media he uses. It is more what your readers are seeing more. TV is great, yes, but mostly out of reach. TV can be worthwhile if you have a yearly budget. And a BIG Budget. People also read magazines and papers. Best way to find the right media is to see WHAT YOUR BUYERS ARE SEEING. Look through your buyers’ eyes not what you feel.
7. A branded experience is greater than any message, no matter how compelling. Experiences create memories. And our lives are nothing but a tapestry of memories strung along the nerves in our brains.
The more happy memories one person owns in another person's life, the stronger their relationship. The same holds true for brands. What comes to your mind when you think of your first love? How you first touched her finger, them slyly slipped your hand into hers? Your first fight? Your first awkward attempt to make up with her? You know what I'm talking about here.

Kindly note that these are guidelines to make your mind more informed on Brand building through advertisement. This is not the final word on it. There are many other ideas that we will be rolling out in every issue that we come across.

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