Know-How Exchange : Branding

Well, the classic is New Coke, Coke Classic.

You may wish to come at this from another perspective.

It sounds like what you need is an internal branding program to go in front of your marketing effort. Make an internal brand around aligned execution.

And, with your new visuals, you can dramatize what affect you are after without going into the softer details that folks like, say, sales people, have no patience for.

You can also get some customer reactions to your new brand identity, either with data or rich media like video, and let the customer tell your story.

It sounds like you are doing it right. Good luck to you.

Hi

I would probably start by asking "what is a brand made of?" and let people do a lot of work on that. Since you pointed they have a "show me" culture, they will probably appreciate the experience of "showing themselves" :-)

Then I think the classic example of New Coke could be a good starting point. But that's an obvious one.

If you focus on what composes a brand, besides perception, colour, lettering, etc you will come up with words like acceptance, reputation, etc. An then you will have many more examples: Consulting firms that vanished, airline companies, Banks, Governments, politicians, etc.

Branding is not just for firms. It applies to lots of other things.

Regards
Antonio

This is an example of product branding, not company branding, but the classic failure in that category was the Chevy Nova, because No Va means, doesn't go in Spanish.

The classic way that I've seen advertisers make your point is to put up a slide of logos of companies with strong brands and weak brands, and ask people to tell you which logos they recognize, and which they have positive perceptions of. This really gets people thinking about what brand is, and the success or failure of these brands in creating positive association in their minds.

A very good example is General Motors (Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Chevy) - Once distinctive brands, a policy of brand decentralization ended with each division broadening the scope of its brand and ending up with confusing unexceptional mess -- "expensive Chevrolets and cheap Cadillacs."

But brands lose their way for a variety of reasons. I can recommend The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al & Laura Ries for full descriptions of the pitfalls of branding along with many losers and winners.

Let me clarify one point: A product or company name is not necessarily a brand. A name becomes a brand when it is able to successfully differentiate a product in the mind of the consumer. The act of branding is designed to take that product (worthy of branding let us hope) and dedicate resources toward creating the desired image and differentiation and establishing it in the minds of consumers.

Now an assumption: I do assume you have developed all this for a product brand, and this is not a corporate identity makeover. Why? Because in naming and branding a product, there is less “culture” involved – the need for employee buy-in is less of an issue. Here’s why:

In naming a product, even in creating a visual identity and naming architecture for it, the issue of employee acceptance most often revolves around graphically representing the logo correctly, following usage guidelines, and adhering to a set of approved messages. Rarely does product naming require cultural shifts or deep employee understanding.

But corporate identity is different and often involves cultural changes that require, even demand, employee acceptance, attitude, and action adjustments. After all, if corporate identity is “done right,” it is about identity -- mission and values, behavior, attitude, and not just a visual color palette and logomark.

While it always would be better for employees to buy into and understand the value of the brand in influencing buying behavior (particularly as that is QUITE important to the company’s bottom line), very often what really needs to be understood is this: The brand is an asset of the company like a building or a car – but more important and long lasting. Respect it. Take care of it. Don’t distort or diminish it.

While we could go much further and debate brand philosophy, I believe this gives you a balanced overview and input.

MCDONALDS HAS A NEW TAG LINE BECAUSE OF RESENT PROBLEMS OF UNHEALTHY FOOD PERCEPTIONS

"LOVIN IT" IS A RESPONSE TO THIER CONSUMERS LOSING THIER WAY