Brand management begins with having a thorough knowledge of the term “brand”. Brand
management begins with having a thorough knowledge of the term “brand”. Brand management
includes managing the tangible and intangible characteristics of brand. In case of product brands,
the tangibles include the product itself, price, packaging, etc. While in case of service brands, the
tangibles include the customers’ experience. The intangibles include emotional connections with the
product / service.
Branding is assembling of various marketing mix medium into a whole so as to give you an identity. It is
nothing but capturing your customers mind with your brand name. It gives an image of an experienced,
huge and reliable business.
It is all about capturing the niche market for your product / service and about creating a confidence in the
current and prospective customers’ minds that you are the unique solution to their problem.
The aim of branding is to convey brand message vividly, create customer loyalty, persuade the buyer for
the product, and establish an emotional connectivity with the customers. Branding forms customer
perceptions about the product. It should raise customer expectations about the product. The primary aim
of branding is to create differentiation.
Strong brands reduce customers’ perceived monetary, social and safety risks in buying goods/services.
The customers can better imagine the intangible goods with the help of brand name. Strong brand
organisations have a high market share. The brand should be given good support so that it can sustain
itself in long run. It is essential to manage all brands and build brand equity over a period of time. Here
comes importance and usefulness of brand management. Brand management helps in building a
corporate image. A brand manager has to oversee overall brand performance. A successful brand can
only be created if the brand management system is competent.
Brand is not branding
The difference between brand and branding is that one is a marketing tool and the other is an action.
Perhaps the biggest mix up I hear in business is the use of brand and branding as interchangeable
words. Some people also call advertising branding (it’s not even close). Branding is about defining, while
advertising is about promoting.
The fact that many graphic designers don’t know what branding is or how to accurately describe it,
makes matters worse, particularly because businesspeople expect them to know. Some designers use
brand and branding interchangeably, reinforcing confusion instead of providing clarity.
What is branding?
Branding is the act of creating a brand. The process involves positioning your company or product in the
market (carving out your own place), devising brand strategy (how you will reach your goals), creating
your name (your verbal identity), designing corporate identity or product identity (your visual identity),
writing brand messaging (verbal and written tone), and setting brand standards (how you keep your
brand consistent and strong).
When branding (also called brand development) is completed, most businesses (when they’ve worked
with an experienced professional) will not have to undertake the branding process for roughly 10-20 or
more years. In the life of a 50-year business, branding the company occurs only 2-3 times total.
When a company’s brand becomes outdated in 20 years, then you may once again need to take on the
branding process. If you create new products or launch new companies, you get to enjoy the exciting
process of branding on a more frequent basis.
Once the branding process is completed, the word ‘branding’ has no continuing relationship to your
brand.
What is your brand?
Your brand is the result of the branding effort. Your brand describes who you are and what you do by use
of visual identity, verbal dialog and tone of actions. It is utilized for virtually all of your marketing
communications. It is how people identify, know and remember you.
