What is Branding?
In general, brand is the idea or image that people have in their mind when thinking about a specific product or service of a company, in an emotional or practical way. The combination of the feelings that people develop in relation to the company or its product and the physical features that create a brand is triggered when exposed to the logo, the identify, the message that is communicated and let alone the name of the company. Branding is the above process of giving a meaning to a specific company or its products and services by creating and also shaping a brand in people’s’ mind. This strategy designed by companies as a way to be quickly identified by people and as a result gain them by clarifying what this specific brand is and what it is not, and also by giving them a reason to choose their products over the competitions. In branding, the key is to attract and retain loyal customers by delivering one or more products that are always aligned with what the brand promises.
Who is affected?
Branding initially affects consumers because a brand provides them with a decision-making-shortcut when feeling ambivalent about the exact same product from lots of different companies. Also, branding affects third-parties such as employees and shareholders. That happens because helping consumers to discriminate similar products, very successful branding strategies are adding to a company’s reputation as well. This is an advantage as it can affect a variety of people like customers, employees, investors, shareholders, and providers.
How can it be done?
There are lots of tools that companies use to create and shape a brand. A successful brand can be achieved through good pricing, product, and packaging design, advertising, and communications, in-store experience, sponsoring and partnerships and the virtual identity of the brand such as logo, site, and colors.
To understand what brand is, first you must understand that your brand exists neither in your public relations team nor in your marketing department. It only exists in your customers’ mind, as the overall impressions they have following the interactions with your company. Every interaction is determining because depending on what customers believe for your services or products, that idea will stay in their mind forever.
Keep in mind that every interaction with the consumers has to send them a message which must be pointing the right direction to support your brand strategy, as a brand exists only in your customer’s mind and the total impression is what your customer gets from your interactions.