The Edge

Branding

Some people mistakenly believe that a brand’s success depends on a clever, compelling advertising campaign. Such promotion is vital, but another consideration matters more to marketing professionals: What do consumers think about their brand, and what makes it special to them? Successful products and services benefit from powerful advertising and other branding activities, as well.

A brand is the meaning consumers attribute to the name of a product or service. Branding is embedding that specific idea in the minds of consumers. It includes the brand’s marketing messages, logo, packaging, where and how it is sold, its tweet references and Facebook “likes,” its placement in movies and everything else that communicates a message to consumers. Marketers who understand what type of branding works best for their specific goods have a competitive advantage. Brands must always fulfill their promises, which in the consumer’s mind are stated or implied in stories they’ve heard about the brand. Marketers must create “brand drivers” – that is, “a simple, sticky set of words or a phrase” – that best communicate a brand’s message.

Branding encompasses your company...