In the previous instalment we talked about the basics of the Brand-concept. We also touched upon the definition of a Charismatic brand. Now as we have seen many have toiled hard to reach this conjecture ; but only a few can be said to have achieved it. So what is the big secret to elevating your product’s brand to this status?[/b]
[/b]
There are many ways we can go about it. Let us start with the most basic one.[/b]
[/b]
1. [/b]Differentiating your product from the others : this is one of the most important aspects of building a brand. Psychologists and neurologists have concurred that our brain has the tendency to sort out information that is all too alike to give us an optimized point-of-view. We are circuited as to filter out all the twins and triplets – for example. The solution is easy to sound . They just tip us to be different but being different is a long story that needs a beginning , rise, fall and climax. You can’t just wake up one day and say : “Hey , I am feeling different and so will be my product from now on”.[/b]
[/b]
Marketing today is all about creating tribes. You have to pitch your product in terms of its – features (what it is ) , benefits (what is does) , Experience (what does it feel like) , Identification ( who are you). [/b]
[/b]
For example , the moment we think of computers ; HP and Dell come to mind , when we are pondering over Driving : Maruti is what invades our minds first. These brands have done something that has made us think of them when we think about the type of products they are selling. That thing is called FOCUS. [/b]
[/b]
By FOCUS , what we mean to say is that you should be very clear about three things in your entire marketing campaign :[/b]
a) [/b]Who are you ?[/b]
b) [/b]What do you do?[/b]
c) [/b]Why does it matter in the bigger scheme of things ?[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
If you are not able to answer these instantly , the moment they are put up in front of you – then you campaign lacks focus. You should reinvent you strategy, put on a few lenses and build it from bottom up. Like the way Egyptians built the pyramid. One brick at a time.[/b]
[/b]
Ill focussed brands result in the loss of a lot of time and money. For example if Maruti which is a family car maker were to lose its focus, it will market itself as a general car maker which even produces some SUVs. But the fact of the matter is that its niche lies in the making of cars for the perusal of small families and putting that aside may be disastrous in the long run.[/b]
[/b]
On the same note as we talked about – losing focus may eventually lead to you creating Bad Brand extensions. These are essentially the result of chasing short-term profits-after observing current trends I the market ; forgoing long term appreciation. On the other hand a Good Brand Extension revitalizes the brand by adding to its focus,[/b]
[/b]
2. [/b]Collaboration : Collaboration has been a part of businesses from times unknown. It is also an important part of the branding process. There are various collaborative models available in he books that one might grow old turning the pages. Some of the few prominent ones are :[/b]
[/b]
a) [/b]The one-stop-shop[/b] : Is a uni-nodal system where every aspect of branding is handled by a single Black Box-esque system- which is provided with the input of resources and the output is your brand. The pros of this system are that , it is overtly simplified and easy to manage ; while the cons present themselves in the inability of the manager to pick the teams and little to no control –mid process.[/b]
b) [/b]The brand Agency :[/b] this tactic is used by the firm to hire many branding consultancies at the same time to handle the various nuances of building and developing a brand. Here you have the option of picking the best in each field significantly rising abov the first category. You have full control over piking the teams and the best in the business are provide to be consistent with their approach. But then again there arises the issue of little to no control – mid-process.[/b]
c) [/b]The integrative marketing system[/b] : provides us with a hub-&-spoke structure where every team is centrally monitored by the Parent company ; yet the system is internally open and enjoys the same degree of motion as the brand agency. Here all the shortcomings of the previous systems come undone. But something that they had ; this loses out. That is ease of access. The system will take a while to used to and in case of a broken spoke – it will take a while to get it back up.[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
There are many ways we can go about it. Let us start with the most basic one.[/b]
[/b]
1. [/b]Differentiating your product from the others : this is one of the most important aspects of building a brand. Psychologists and neurologists have concurred that our brain has the tendency to sort out information that is all too alike to give us an optimized point-of-view. We are circuited as to filter out all the twins and triplets – for example. The solution is easy to sound . They just tip us to be different but being different is a long story that needs a beginning , rise, fall and climax. You can’t just wake up one day and say : “Hey , I am feeling different and so will be my product from now on”.[/b]
[/b]
Marketing today is all about creating tribes. You have to pitch your product in terms of its – features (what it is ) , benefits (what is does) , Experience (what does it feel like) , Identification ( who are you). [/b]
[/b]
For example , the moment we think of computers ; HP and Dell come to mind , when we are pondering over Driving : Maruti is what invades our minds first. These brands have done something that has made us think of them when we think about the type of products they are selling. That thing is called FOCUS. [/b]
[/b]
By FOCUS , what we mean to say is that you should be very clear about three things in your entire marketing campaign :[/b]
a) [/b]Who are you ?[/b]
b) [/b]What do you do?[/b]
c) [/b]Why does it matter in the bigger scheme of things ?[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
If you are not able to answer these instantly , the moment they are put up in front of you – then you campaign lacks focus. You should reinvent you strategy, put on a few lenses and build it from bottom up. Like the way Egyptians built the pyramid. One brick at a time.[/b]
[/b]
Ill focussed brands result in the loss of a lot of time and money. For example if Maruti which is a family car maker were to lose its focus, it will market itself as a general car maker which even produces some SUVs. But the fact of the matter is that its niche lies in the making of cars for the perusal of small families and putting that aside may be disastrous in the long run.[/b]
[/b]
On the same note as we talked about – losing focus may eventually lead to you creating Bad Brand extensions. These are essentially the result of chasing short-term profits-after observing current trends I the market ; forgoing long term appreciation. On the other hand a Good Brand Extension revitalizes the brand by adding to its focus,[/b]
[/b]
2. [/b]Collaboration : Collaboration has been a part of businesses from times unknown. It is also an important part of the branding process. There are various collaborative models available in he books that one might grow old turning the pages. Some of the few prominent ones are :[/b]
[/b]
a) [/b]The one-stop-shop[/b] : Is a uni-nodal system where every aspect of branding is handled by a single Black Box-esque system- which is provided with the input of resources and the output is your brand. The pros of this system are that , it is overtly simplified and easy to manage ; while the cons present themselves in the inability of the manager to pick the teams and little to no control –mid process.[/b]
b) [/b]The brand Agency :[/b] this tactic is used by the firm to hire many branding consultancies at the same time to handle the various nuances of building and developing a brand. Here you have the option of picking the best in each field significantly rising abov the first category. You have full control over piking the teams and the best in the business are provide to be consistent with their approach. But then again there arises the issue of little to no control – mid-process.[/b]
c) [/b]The integrative marketing system[/b] : provides us with a hub-&-spoke structure where every team is centrally monitored by the Parent company ; yet the system is internally open and enjoys the same degree of motion as the brand agency. Here all the shortcomings of the previous systems come undone. But something that they had ; this loses out. That is ease of access. The system will take a while to used to and in case of a broken spoke – it will take a while to get it back up.[/b]
[/b]
[/b]
[/b]