Does every company need to brand itself and its products?
| Answer: Frankly, the answer to this question depends on whether or not you want customers to identify your product with something they will remember. Brands are nothing more than a set of associations that, if properly communicated, will result in potential customers associating a message with the product. A good example is Intel. Prior to launching their Pentium campaign back in the early 90's, their microprocessors were known by a number and letter (e.g., 386 or x86). This meant little to most people other than numbers. The Pentium name, communicated to mean performance and compatibility, now meant something to people. Realize that the microprocessor is embedded inside a product, so now people really knew about something that literally meant nothing to them before and was invisible. This was not the first time this had been done (Stainmaster and Teflon are other examples), but the point remains the same. A brand name can communicate something important to customers even if they can't see the product or if, in reality, the products are commodities (like bananas, cranberries, and chickens which all have been successfully branded). |
More resources related to Branding and Positioning
-
Lawson Abinanti, B2B marketing and messaging strategy consultant, offers tips for positioning a B2B brand, and urges marketers to be "ruthless" by focusing on ideal buyers instead of diverting resources to one-off sales.
-
Too many executives pursue a branding campaign when it is positioning that is required.
-
With the right strategy in place, webinars can generate high-quality leads and drastically increase revenue. But they—and you—can't do any of that if you can't get people to register and attend.
-
Everyone has a website stuffed with content ranging from the important to the useless. But marketing initiatives aimed at a highly targeted audience require their own space and identity if they are to succeed. When you use the Web as your vehicle for your campaign, the obvious solution is a video-campaign microsite.
-
iPhone Debut Rivals Harry Potter Mania... But Will It Last? (Or, Why the iPhone Is Not a Phone)
ArticleDoes the hype of the iPhone equal runaway success? Is the game already won? Or will there be an equal and opposite reaction when possibility and excitement about the future gives way to reality, and inevitable issues arise with service, availability, bugs in functionality and unfulfilled expectations?
-
Consumers are beginning to take environmental impact into consideration in purchase decisions. Businesses that demonstrate environmental responsibility have the opportunity to contribute favorably to their images while aligning themselves with the preferences of their customers. To get the full value out of green practices over time, companies need to let the public know what they are doing and why it matters.
-
Eigen values are what marketers use when we're doing our best work. Once we view everything that our brand does through the prism of eigen-value standards, it changes how we launch our websites, train our customer-service people, and hire our employees. Want to see how an eigen value plays out in real life? Look at Vibram and its FiveFingers shoe.
-
Corporate rebranding is intricate and time-consuming; but with the mergers, acquisitions, and ownership changes of the current dynamic business environment, it's a necessary endeavor. Avoid these pitfalls and use this checklist to ensure uniform, integrated distribution of your new brand/name.
-
Behind every successful product, service, or brand lies a powerful concept. Do you have one? Learn what it takes to craft a winning marketing concept, and why having one is critical to the success of your business.
-
A rebrand requires a compelling vision that can be understood and articulated by all—starting with your company's leadership and employees. After all, if they haven't bought into the rebrand and the philosophy behind it, why in the world would anyone else?
-
You bit the bullet and decided to hire a naming firm for your next branding initiative. You researched and you vetted, and you picked a firm that feels like a good match. A lot is riding on this. So now what?
-
Avenue CEO Bob Domenz discusses brand activation and engagement for B2B organizations.
-
Like living things, brands pass through life cycles. Marketing approaches that worked well when a company was in its growth phase may not work later in its life. Learn how the four stages of a brand's life dictate its marketing needs.
-
Is Your Brand Message on Mute?
ArticleIs your brand's message getting lost in today's data deluge? Learn how to maintain a consistent brand voice, and how to ensure your messaging cuts through the data noise.
-
Here are some real-life examples of how an account-based marketing and selling approach on LinkedIn can drive not just reach and awareness but also demand and revenue.
-
Baffled. Enthralled. Amused. Maybe insulted. Those are just a few reactions you might experience when encountering a nail polish name. Whatever the emotion, top marketing executives agree the name is nearly as important as the color. That can be true for other products as well. Here's a high-level look at a naming project—along with naming tips and techniques that might prove useful for brand managers and marketing execs.
-
Strong branding is now crucial in B2B—especially since digital transformation has accelerated. Here's how to navigate current market shifts and develop a strong B2B brand.
-
How to Authentically Brand Yourself in a Digital World: Eric Yaverbaum on Marketing Smarts [Podcast]
PodcastAre you ready to take a journey through trust, reciprocity, reputation, and strategy? In this episode, George B. Thomas and Eric Yaverbaum uncover a matrix of words, tips, and wisdom for building a successful brand in the digital world.
-
Marketers know how important differentiation is to brand identity. Sally Hogshead goes even further by saying that trying to be better than your competitors is a discouraging slog: The only thing you can control is your difference, so you have to turn that into your specialty.
-
Your website often makes your brand's very first impression. To make sure it's a good one, conduct a thorough brand audit. Here's how.
