Apart from writing on branding (nothing more than attempting to preach what I practice!) I get a kick from evangelizing the 'branding from within' idea. Though it seems easy in retrospect, branding can be painstaking work. The realities of a branding project go beyond the pretty logo and cool web site, a lovely tag line, and some drop-dead ads. As a Marcom person I do all of the above, but that still isn't even scratching the surface of what the branding game is all about. No one likes to hear that research has to precede a lot of the action. Customer demographics are changing rapidly as do their media habits and, consequently, their attention span. Branding in a fragmented, mobile world is not the same as it was even 5 years ago.
It's easy to point out to Zippo , Bajaj, O2, or Nokia as examples of good branding across the globe. It's different when one has to start from scratch, or --worse-- reposition/redesign a week, poorly defined brand.
Truth be told, branding was the art / science of the mass-production / mass media / mass consumption age. In this everything-is-customized age the concept of 'mass' is obsolete. (If you missed Businessweek's "Vanishing mass market" story, stop, and read that first!) Branding is not the one-sight, one-sound, one-sell straightjacket. Just ask McDonald's, that is connecting with its customers by taking branding into areas outside of the restaurant experience. Branding isn't simply about placing your logo in the most unthinkable places. It is about being relevant to the audience you are attempting to reach.
Harley Davidson famously stated that "we're competing against conservatories and swimming pools, not other bikes." Meaning a Harley's brand value is in 'recreation' not transportation. Which brings me to my famous queston:
"What business are you reallly in?" Seems like a dumb question on the face of it, when someone introduces you to his/her facility, where it is pretty obvious what they 'do' there. I visit Einstein's Bagels with my 3-year old daughter on Sunday mornings, not for the bagels so much as the coffee. She enjoys a cinnamon twist, personally brought to her by the manager who just loves kids. What biz are they in? Is Amazon in the book business? I don't think so! They seem to be in the online catalog & mall business. (see a previous comment). Is a bank in the 'money' business? Is the Fedex (actually Fedex-Kinkos) in the package delivery business? or is that the print business? They also offer teleconferencing! They have been busy rebranding, as you can see here.
There is a good case study of Pitney Bowes, a company that needed desperately to lose it's 'postage meter' brand image, and communicate its real business --as a solutions provider in the document management business. PB's rebranding campaign worked only after they got their employees to play a part in it.
Most brand experts focus on the external branding, spending very little time on setting the brand on fire from within.
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