Image Patrol » Branding

What is Branding?

admin — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:19:43 +0000

The word brand is derived from Old English meaning, “burning stick”. The ancient Egyptians used livestock branding as early as 2700 BC as a theft deterrent, as stolen animals could then be readily identifiable. Around the 10th century merchants marked simple linear designs to prove ownership of goods that were missing due to shipwrecks, pirates, or other mishaps. They were also useful for the tracking of goods by people who were illiterate.

The concept of branding in the 21stcentury grew out of the packaged goods industry, and the branding philosophy has come to include much more than just creating a way to recognize a product or an organization. Branding in the new millennium is used to create an emotional
attachment to products and organizations. As a result the stakes involved in launching, maintaining, and evolving a brand are much higher today in the global economy, than they were in the past.

According to the American Marketing Association (AMA), a brand is a “name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of oneseller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competition.” Thus, whenever a marketer creates a new name, logo, or symbol for a new product, he or she has created a brand.

Branding Digital in Today’s World.

admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:56:43 +0000

The incredible acceleration in digital technology over the past few years has not changed the rules of building a powerful brand. Rather, the proliferation of digital tools and tactics has magnified everything marketers know to be true about creating and managing great brands.

• We know that gaining significant insight about what consumers think and feel is essential to smart branding. Digital technology magnifies what consumers are saying about brands. More than this, it enables us to see what they’re actually doing. Digital tools allow us to monitor consumer behavior.

• We know that establishing something that differentiates our brands from others in the category in a relevant way is essential to smart branding. Digital technology enables us to see very clearly what the competition’s up to, how and why consumers compare one brand to another and how our brands stand up.

• We know that delivering on a brand promise is essential to smart branding. Digital technology allows consumers to let the world know in an instant whether (or not) a brand has met their expectations. Digital tools let them magnify, amplify and share their opinions.

• We know that creating branded experiences that are engaging, creative and memorable is essential to smart branding. Digital technology is inherently interactive, thereby making it possible to engage consumers in more memorable and compelling ways than ever before.

ImagePatrol can help you with smart ideas when using digital technology to do smart branding

http://www.slideshare.net/chriss/digital-branding-presentation

The Power of the Visual Brand

admin — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:08:32 +0000

Whether you actively control it or not, you already have a brand. Your customers and prospects associate positive and negative attributes to your brand. The positive attributes are part of the reason you’re successful. Your inability to build on the positive attributes, or change the negative ones, can impact your bottom line.

Your brand is your promise to the customer. It is reflected and reinforced in your logo, your marketing materials, your product and service, your advertising and through your people.

Your challenge is to drive that promise in a positive way through every part of your business communications. When you’re successful in integrating your brand promise,
you also succeed in differentiating your brand and raising its value.

Today, brands can do much more than command a premium price. Properly cared for, a brand can be a global symbol that adds credibility, attracts attention and influences purchase decisions. A strong brand can give existing and prospective customers a reason to trust your company and your product.

A brand is one of the most valuable assets a company can own. It is the driving force behind your business and should be continually influenced by it through an effective brand and marketing strategy.

Who are you?

admin — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:36:05 +0000

Can you answer these questions? Can your customers?

Who are you?
What makes you different?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Why should people buy from you?
When your name is mentioned, what do people immediately think of?
What is your promise to them?
Can you live up to that promise?