|
November 2008
BRANDING…Ouch that burns!
I first started my agency in Knoxville, Tennessee. The
market is a small one with around 650,000 people, which
ranks in the nation’s Top 65 markets. It is the essence of a
small town with a slightly bigger feel. People value
relationships and that is truly what I’ve built my business
around. When I first started the agency, it was essentially
an ad shop which focused on managing a client’s advertising
efforts. A few years into the venture, I switched my focus
to brand-building. Mine was the first agency in the area to
focus on branding, which meant that I had some explaining to
do. I remember the first prospect’s response when I
explained that TrueVision Marketing was now BrandVision
Marketing. The name change was made to reflect a new,
all-encompassing focus on branding. Her response was, “Ouch,
I bet that’s going to burn!” I explained that it should and
then, for good measure, quickly reassured her that the
process did not involve a cattle prod.
My previous focus had been exclusively on advertising.
However, branding involves much more than advertising. Mass
media promotion is merely one way that a brand is
communicated to the public. Yes, all marketing
communications provide a touch point between consumer and
company. However, advertising is merely one among many.
Actually, the branding process starts long before
advertising is undertaken. A brand is not advertising or a
logo or a sign. Those serve as components of the brand. Yes,
a television commercial is part of that equation; as is
signage, a website, a brochure or the customer’s first trip
to the store, etc. However, a brand extends beyond these. It
is the overall connection a consumer has with a company and
is based on a compilation of interactions and experiences.
Branding is the big picture. The others provide small slices
of the pie.
At the heart of brand vision is one word: relationship. The
brand image held by a consumer for your company is the
compilation of every interaction between the customer and
company. Every thought toward a company and every point of
contact provide an opportunity to enhance that relationship
or detract from it. Each interaction provides an ebb and
flow for building the relationship that is ultimately your
brand. Every interface, whether it is face-to-face or
through a website, print ad, or a friend sharing an
experience, provides a note to file in the mental file
tabbed with your brand in the mind of the consumer. Humans
are creatures of segmentation. We break things down into
categories. It helps us sift through and manage data. If the
brand-building effort is working, the consumer will
establish a mental manila file of sorts in her mind tabbed
with your company’s name. Each contact or interaction with
the brand will result in new information added to that file.
It’s as if each experience provides one more piece of paper
to file in the manila folders of the mind. In time, the
folder will grow. It is your hope as a marketer that when
the consumer opens that mental folder, it exudes with
positive impressions.
Each touch point is important. Make no mistake. From the
look of your facilities and the way customers are greeted to
the navigability of your website and the messages relayed in
your TV ads, each point of contact is valued. However, one
touch point outshines all others: Employees. Brands are
built from the inside…out. They are built through a
company’s employees. After all, it’s ludicrous to pump money
into building a brand identity that your business clearly
does not reflect. Employees are the brand’s ambassadors.
They are the front line reflections of the brand’s values
and ideas. If employees do not mirror the brand, everything
else will eventually crumble.
For example, you could spend thousands of dollars of
advertising your credit union as a “service-driven
institution where relationship matters”. But if a
prospective member responds to that advertising and
experiences indifference then money is lost and your brand
is damaged. At least it is damaged in the mind of that
potential customer, who adds a few negative comments to the
ole mental manila in his mind. Unfortunately, they will most
likely share that experience with others, forcing several
folders to thicken with negative comments. Therefore, it’s
easy to see that employees are truly a brand’s ambassadors
and an invaluable part of the branding process. Every
interaction will result in filling that folder.
(CONTINUED NEXT MONTH).
© BrandVision Marketing.
2008. Matthew Scott Trueblood. All rights reserved.
TO READ ARCHIVED SET
YOUR SIGHTS ARTICLES CLICK HERE!
|
Call BrandVision Marketing Today! |
(865) 531-5874
STrueblood@brandvisionmarketing.com
Home About Us Services Brand-Building Set Your Sights About the BrandPoll
Take the BrandPoll
Our Philosophy Compassion Initiative Contact Us
Inquiry Center |
