Know-How Exchange : Branding

What makes a good brand? The most obvious factors would be price, revenue, recognition and reach.

Differentiation (Is your brand different, not just better? Does it stand out above competitive offerings, even to the extent of creating a whole new category?). Relevance (Is it a relevant offering in the marketplace? Is there a strong segment of people who want to purchase the product?). Esteem (What is the position it holds in the minds of customers and consumers? Are they proud to claim it as their brand of choice?). Knowledge (Who knows about the brand and what do they know about it?).

There are tons of brand studies out there. Professor David Aaker is one of many gurus in brand research, so check out his books. I believe he is at UC Berkeley. Also go to www.brandchannel.com for more resources. Good luck!

Good Brand is one that is recognised all across the world Such as McDonals, even if you are away from home in lets say Zimbabwe if you see the Magical M, it brings a sense of home. This is effective branding.
Research should include questioning people on what they think of when they hear a brand like Kleenex etc?

First, define the stakeholders. These would be consumers who have selected the product, doctors who have prescribed it, medical stores that have invested in stocks, then, within the company, the brand team, and ask them:

1. Why people buy this product in preference to other products?
2. Who are the most serious competitors?
3. Why the competing brands succeed.

Through these you will be able to arrive at what differentiates this brand from others, and that is the most critical thing you need to know about a brand. Even if you talk to just 3 people from each stakeholder group, you will be amazed at the rich data you get to define what the strength of this brand is and perhaps even ought to be.

Sure hope this helps. All the best!

You have to define 'strong' first. Is this market share, awareness, sales, profitability, ROI? What market are you considering? And what timescale are you looking at - last year, last 10 years etc?

Then look at the competitor set. Do a comparative study. What makes the brand you have looked at stronger than its competitors? It needn't be strict marketing criteria - it could be patent, financial backing and scale, distribution relationships, promotion, reputation among experts etc.

Then look at how this position was established. Was it luck or hard work? And how was the brand plotted to become strong? What did they have to get right and focus on?