Concerning powerful brand managment , there is one mntra:
Once you've developed and defined a relevant brand, you must begin building the brand with employees, customers, prospects, partners, etc. through CONSISTENT execution. Repetition is key to the success of the branding process.
It's easy to falter "just this one time," because you're busy, or because you think your effort will only be used or viewed internally. Faltering, however, will make the fact that you have a good brand completely irrelevant. No one, including your employees, will ever really know or remember what your brand is, unless it is the same every time they are exposed to it. Without consistency, brand awareness becomes impossible to achieve, no matter how much money you spend on marketing. And your good brand identity—that you spent so much time defining—begins to look more schizophrenic with every falter.
A brand is a mixture of attributes, tangible and intangible,
symbolized by a trademark, which if managed properly, creates
value and infl uence. “Value” has different interpretations: from a
marketing or consumer perspective it is the promise and delivery
of an experience; from a business perspective it is the security of
future earnings; from a legal perspective it is a separate piece of
intellectual property.
The principles of effective branding are;
1. The brand continuously delivers benefi ts that meet and exceed
customer expectation in the following ways: quality of service
or product, customer-driven design, making lives more
effi cient or enjoyable, meeting a previously unmet need and
innovation (e.g., Target Stores).
2. The brand is relevant to defi ned audiences through rigorous
segmentation, tailored messaging, a unique proposition, and
creative execution (e.g., AT&T).
3. The brand’s pricing captures the customer’s perception of
value by striving for a premium cost, linking pricing to intan-
gible benefi ts, and communicating exclusivity (e.g., Starbucks).
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4. The brand is differentiated, ownable, and credible. The
positioning is creative and strategic. The promise made is
the promise delivered. The brand remains fresh and exciting
through constant evolution (e.g., MINI)
5. The brand is constant yet fl exible. There is a70/30 principle
for global branding. This rule of thumb dictates that70% of
the brand must remain absolutely consistent and30% is given
fl exibility. Consistency drives recognition, so the core meaning
of the brand cannot be changed. However, fl exibility gives the
brand room to evolve (e.g., Marriott Hotels).
6. The brand architecture is clean, clear, and intuitive. This
ensures synergy between brands—leveraging equity across
the branded portfolio. A guiding principle in brand architec-
ture is to think like your customer. How do your customers
see your brand segmentation? This should be an externally
looking exercise (e.g., GE).
7.The brand is understood by all employees and acts as the
central organizing principle. Employees’ behavior must
be aligned with the brand and managed and rewarded as
such. Employees are engaged in evolving the brand
(e.g., Disney).
8. The brand is managed as a long-term asset. The drivers of
value are measured and managed as strategic assets.
Decisions are guided by value contribution (e.g., Samsung).
