BRAND REQUIRES A FOCUSSED IDEA
BRAND REQUIRES A FOCUSSED IDEA
Thursday, 15 January 2009 10:50
The most successful brands in the world are all built upon and focused on one single minded idea. Brand strategy is critical for developing and communicating this idea to all the different stakeholders in a uniform manner...
When a brand ends up meaning one thing to one group and another meaning to another group, then you end up with a schizophrenic brand. For example your brand should not mean one thing to your customers and another to your shareholders. Or mean one thing to your shareholders and another to stockbrokers on the stock exchange.
Furthermore, the media may be seeing your brand in a very different way from our vendors and suppliers. This means that whenever issues crop up between yourself and the trade, the media may not be able to see the situation clearly because they have a totally different point of view about your brand.
It is therefore important to periodically examine the consistency of meaning of your brand within the various target audiences, ensuring that the brand experience feels the same and does not break down from one touch point to another. An example of such touch points are in-store displays, catalogues, advertising, promotions and customer service.
A single razor sharp idea expressed simply and uniformly across all target audiences will resonate instantly and will not be in any danger of being misunderstood or misconstrued. This idea also works to differentiate your brand in homogenous or parity categories like banking, soap, petrol, toothpaste and stock broking.
This idea if well crafted by your communication agency can also become a political rallying cry within your organization, one that will ring true with everyone from the Receptionist to the Finance Director, to the Branch Manager in Nakuru. For a CEO this is a great advantage because when everyone knows what your brand stands for and where the company is going, leadership becomes much easier since you do not have to keep on explaining and clarifying.
Soon the brand idea will become a beacon and motivational force that will enlighten and drive your entire business strategy, becoming a living breathing mission statement. In fact when in doubt about a required business decision, refer to the brand idea and it will offer guidance on the best way forward.
The value of a focused brand idea to the long-term success of a company cannot be overemphasized, and managing the brand equity that comes with it must be a priority for every company in Kenya. A focused brand will gradually grow stronger over time and grow its consumer loyalty. Loyalty in itself will lead to increased profitability which will keep you shareholders happy.
The writer is the Chief Executive Officer of Interbrand Sampson East Africa, a strategic brand consultancy firm.
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