Branding

The term 'brand' can apply to both the organisation as a whole, and to its products and services. As individual characteristics differ significantly between products or organisations, it is this differentiation that enables consumers to decide which of the brand's 'features' appeal more favourably to them.

To establish this 'brand', the stakeholders responsible for this decision must take into account numerous product/organisational factors, how this will be measured and accepted by the target audience. Ultimately the way a 'brand' presents itself to a consumer is of course part of the communication stage, but long before the organisation makes the product, or even itself visible, the brand must go through the strategic planning phase.

We all readily accept without question that the Porsche brand stands for performance, efficiency, style and exclusivity, in the same way, we accept that a low cost brand such as a supermarket 'own label' product provides most, if not all of the characteristics of a known brand. As consumers' when we think of a 'brand', we immediately start to conjure up the values that are synonymous with that product or organisation from what we have learnt, or what we have felt. Yet before a 'brand' can be developed it must go through the strategic planning phase where finance, operations and marketing must agree what, if any, limiting factors are likely to have an impact on the brands price.

If we are to consider 'branding' a business, these same issues should be considered. After all successful marketing is matching the communication messages that customers receive, with the experience too. Imagine for example, comparing several brands before taking the decision to trial, and being enticed by the business that answered all your initial questions courteously and which appeared on the surface to deliver what it promised, only to be seriously let down by the subsequent experience. What damage to the brand is likely to occur from such an experience?