A BRAND
In the world of building corporate brands, I have come to
realize that a brand embodies the characteristics of a great leader. The brand to
some extent is a mirror reflection of its leaders. Over my 25+ years in
building brands I have witnessed the raise and fall of brands based on the
leadership at the helm. Strong, well-known brands, that have been around for a
long time, such as a Coke or Nike, have banked a brand equity reserve. These
brands can survive a change in leadership and in some cases can overcome poor
leadership during that leaders rein. A smaller brand does not have that luxury
and may experience a different outcome. A small company with the longevity of 25
years in their business category can still come crashing to its demise within a
short time period as a result of poor leadership and poor choices for the
business.
A brand is ever changing, living and breathing, always
evolving with the consumers needs and wants. The road map for growing the brand is
the mission and vision of the brands leadership who is navigating across the
open roadways of the consumer marketplace.
Recently, there was a pole in the Consumer Products Group on LinkedIn, a discussion formed around the make-up of a great leader. What is in their DNA that makes them great? It really got me thinking; the same qualities apply to a great brand. Here are some of the resulting characteristics and qualities reflective of both a great leader and a great brand:
- Visionary
- Inspires
- Integrity
- Authentic
- Motivating
- Strategic
- Passionate
- Responsible
- Courageous
- Flexible
- Credible
- Trustworthy
- Respectful
- Clear message and communication
- Listens to needs and wants
The bottom line, why do some brands fail? The number one
reason is, leadership. Followed by
the inability to effectively and clearly communicate the companies or product mission
and vision across all channels of communication. In order for a brand to grow,
its messages, both internal and external, must speak with a unified voice. Brands succeed because they connect on
a deeper, fundamental level and engage the consumer on a “feeling” level. A
brand succeeds when people intertwine it into everyday life. A brands success is
based on integrating the brand essence, its key ingredient into business decisions.
A brand that is true on all levels has unlimited potential.
BRANDING
To improve a brands success it is important to have effective,
synergistic communication across all marketing, advertising, Internet,
packaging, public relations and social media platforms, including internal
communication to staff and suppliers. The brands message and communication
should be transparent and authentic. The brand message, tone and feeling should
be infused into every communication piece both printed and verbal. Again, in
order for a brand to grow, its messages, both internal and external, must speak
with a common voice. The sum of
these components equal branding.
Branding touches all consumer senses on a conscious and
subconscious level, sight, sound, smell and touch. In a recent article that I
co-authored with Brain Wagner, co-founder of PTIS, for Packaging World we touch on the consumer buying experience, the
brand and the subconscious mind. This same multi-sensory experience applies to
all areas of a branding. It is important to keep this in mind as you are
building your brand.
In summation, a successful brand melds:
- Great Leadership
- Clear Vision-Mission
- Synergistic
Communication
- Engaging-Connecting with the Consumer
Q: What does branding mean to you? What qualities do you think make a brand great in today’s marketplace?
