Brand Development

There's been a lot of buzz about branding the last few years. It's been heralded as the silver bullet of business. Unfortunately, just what "branding" is has remained a mystery to most. Even supposed experts have differing opinions on just what branding is and what actions the expression "branding" encompasses. Essentially branding and the process of brand development all boil down to this one idea: Run your business through the eyes of your customers.

To most of your customers, your company is a black box. They can't see inside your company. They don't have the opportunity to watch the day to day operations, the choices that are made, the quality of the assembly line or the moral of the employees. The only thing they see is the result of your work: your product and the way it is presented.

What is a Brand?
A brand is something that identifies a product in the market place. It's what keeps a product or service from being a commodity. This is where some confusion sets in. People often mistake their company name or logo as their brand. The company name and logo are just short-hand notation for the brand. The brand is a much bigger concept. The brand is the overall rational and emotional state that consumers identify with your product/service/company. Every customer touch point affects the brand. The quality of the product, the quality of service, the advertising, the coverage in the media... all of these experiences translate into the consumers' perception of the company. This is the brand.

It's entirely possible that the perception of a brand will vary widely from person to person. Just imagine how two different people might feel about the WalMart brand for example.

The important concept here is that the brand isn't just a logo or packaging. While these things can certainly have an impact on the brand, it's exceedingly important to think of the brand as something more intrinsic to your business. While your customers don't see every aspect of your business, those parts that they do see add up to your brand. "Branding" is the process of nurturing those perceptions. Developing the brand means making business decisions that will have a positive impact on customer perception, not just on the bottom line.