Set the Bar High
When you’re in the business of creating brands the bar needs to be set high.That doesn’t mean that the brand should be high end. Creating a brand from the ground up is essentially comprised of many different “conscious marketing” decisions that are made. Those decisions are made regardless of the value of the brand…or rather the perceptual value of the brand. Whether you’re branding an economy line of products or an exclusive prestige line of products, a set of decisions need to be taken. We’ve all heard the saying it’s good enough. But is it really?
When adding in a layer of branding, good enough is never good enough. It just doesn’t cut it.
Those Not So Little Marketing Decisions
So what are these marketing decisions that need to happen. Well the first one, is identifying the market opportunity. Is there an opportunity to create a brand? Is there a need? We won’t get into whether it’s lucrative in this article. The premise today is to provide the context of creating brands, the decisions that make them a brand, and why every little nuance matters.
Next, key decisions need to be made about the brand identity and its core representation.This is no easy task and should be taken seriously. This includes what the brand’s mission, vision, values, and unique selling proposition are (USP). This takes us to the very next important decision; how and who do we define as our core target market? Who are the ideal customers? What are their demographics? At this stage, all types of decisions need to be made. Who are they? Where do they live? What do they do? What are their psychographics, needs, and preferences? Where to they go? To provide context, an economy line of household products might target budget-conscious families, while a prestige skincare line might target affluent, health-conscious consumers.
How Does Your Brand Walk the Talk?
This process involves creating essential brand identity assets, such as a brand position and key messaging, and then integrating all these decisions to develop a cohesive brand persona. What is your brand’s tone, style and social voice? And let’s not forget the brand logo and colours.
None of these elements when creating brands should be taken lightly or at face value. In today’s speed of business, and in the world of social communications last only for a nano second. It’s easy not to consider the implications of ‘just doing it’. To take leaps instead of steps, it’s easy to say it’s good enough. I’m here to implore you not to!
By meticulously making each of these decisions, you will ensure that your brand is not just good enough, but exceptional; and that’s how you resonate deeply with your target audience and stand the test of time.