Once the company’s vision, mission and values are in place and your target customers and target benefits are clearly defined, systematic brand building can begin. What does your brand offer? Experts speak of the “brand promise”. Can you clearly and vividly formulate your company’s brand promise spontaneously?
The brand promise of professional brand owners often goes far beyond the promise of functionality. Statements range from an increase in the quality of life to the identification and enhancement of the buyer’s personality. Manufacturers who achieve this can generate significantly more revenue from their products than the pure material value. With a good brand, you not only increase your earning power. Strong brands have a value of their own that can be sold. Brands are fungible. Who stands behind the brands as a shareholder is often less important than the brand itself. That’s why building strong brands is worthwhile, even if it requires a lot of work and takes time. With branding measures, you gradually influence the perception of your target customers. Success is therefore only achieved indirectly.
Example: Apple products are more expensive than products with the same functionality from other manufacturers. Apple has succeeded in establishing its brand in the premium price segment. Apple customers are aware that they are paying a premium that cannot be justified in material terms. They pay this premium primarily for the fact that it allows them to lead and display a certain lifestyle. The same applies to customers of Porsche, Louis Vuitton, Rolex and Armani, but also to Coca-Cola and Red Bull.
Branding works not only in business with consumers (B-to-C), but also in inter-business relationships (B-to-B).
Example: The German ERP provider SAP from Walldorf has achieved an enormously high global market share through branding. Even though SAP is not among the low-cost providers, many companies choose SAP because most others have chosen SAP. The teams in which the decision is made (buying centers) buy personal security: no one should be able to prove to them that they have chosen an outsider as their provider.
In any case, branding can create expectations in buyers for which they will pay extra.
What components do you need to brand your market services? Branding is about conveying the brand promise as memorably as possible. This is particularly successful when not only rational arguments are used, but emotions are also addressed. Your target customers should establish an emotional relationship with your brand; they should identify with your brand. Logos, claims and key visuals, which are used again and again in advertising and PR output, are suitable for this. For branding, it is also helpful to be able to show testimonials in your target markets. In the B-to-C environment, well-known personalities are often used as representatives: cool footballers or successful actors. Surveys among customers are also used: “90% of female customers would choose this product again”. In B-to-B environments, statements from customers are worth a lot: “By using the products of company X, we have become more successful.” Such statements, placed by PR build trust and build a positive image.
Do you have a coherent branding concept and do you implement it consistently? How much are your brands worth? Have you ever determined a company valuation ?