Marketing Warriors

admin 15 November 2008 Marketing Tips 397 views No Comment Print This Post  Email This Post

Branding is the process of using logos, taglines, and marketing to get your product or service to become a household name. we all know how branding works even if we don’t know that we do. But, is branding a plus for your business or a liability?

When you think of certain products, a picture begins to form in your head. Take, for instance, Nike. “Just do it” comes to mind. That is the result of product branding. Now, if you hear a brand name and it conjures up an image of poor customer service the last time you called, that is also a result of branding but a negative one. There are different ways we can brand ourselves out there, but the question you need to ask yourself is, “Who am I and who do I want to be?”

“My bologna has a first name…”

When I was young, I used to walk around singing that song and Never forgot it. How is that for branding?

The big corporations are so big because their marketing included making their products a household name. They found a product or service that everyone could use and made it indispensible through creative advertising and marketing. Such as commercials and informercials that play over and over so you know them by heart. Everywhere anyone looked, they saw something that represented the brand so the product was fresh in their mind.

In this world, a new product is developed practically every day. Inventors and businesspeople are looking for the next big “thing” to hit the market. All you have to do is look at companies like Nike, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and Disney to know that if you can sell one product reliably, others will follow.

The Internet, a Whole New World . . .

And now, with the Internet, the average person can become a household name and brand themselves to the point, they end up on television and known all over the world. If you followed the election, even if you weren’t on the Internet, you probably saw “Obama girl” on CNN or one of the news channels out there during the election. And she didn’t even do her own singing! Yet, millions saw her videos and know her as Obama girl.

Friend or Foe?

So is branding a good or bad thing? Well, people are more likely to buy from you if they can associate your product with a positive brand. When none of your products have a branded reputation, it is a toss up. Customers could pick you or someone else depending on what kind of mood they are in that day. That is not the kind of business we want to do.

Branding is a total package for any business and that includes small or home-based businesses. Giving poor customer service for a product that people will use does not inspire loyalty. Using a logo that doesn’t really say much about your product and won’t steer people to your business, no matter how great a product it might be. Compatibility and consistency are important when it comes to branding.

On the downside, if even one customer gives you a bad report, it could label your brand with a negative name. When using branding the business name, logo, stationery, customer service, marketing tools, and finished product have to coincide with your company’s mission and ideals. Wanting to be known as the “best organic soap on the market” will go down the tubes if you start using additives when demand gets too high.

Branding can be a business’ best friend if done right. Customers will sing your praises to others and business will increase. On the other hand, let a part of the branding strategy get lax and it could spell disaster for the product and your reputation.

Okay, so the Obama girl video was probably a favorite for Brad, but this one appealed to me, as a female more . . . as it did for millions and spread virally. Both videos were perfect examples of branding themselves, getting their names out there and appealing to so many.