Wednesday, August 03, 2005
"branding rules are very hard to learn"
I've discussed the issue of branding before. By no means have I exhausted the topic and I hope to dig deeper in later discussions. That said; I read an article today by a guy who I enjoy reading at eCommerceTimes. Naseem Javed wrote on July 27th an article titled, "A Final Word on Branding." I usually agree with him and I did a number of times in his article (commentary) but for the small business entrepreneur there will never be a final word on branding.
Branding is so very important for the small business. We strive constantly to create and nurture an identity for our business, and we do so with limited knowledge, and limited resources. Naseem usually writes with big business and big budgets in mind and unfortunately, that rarely applies to small business. He offers some great thoughts and ideas that I have read and thought would be of value to you. Take a look, let me know what you think.
Let's face it, these branding rules are very hard to learn and very difficult to apply because they require solid training and thorough skills. Simple, raw promotional skills backed by big budget fireworks are only "accidental branding" at play, where everyone becomes happy as long as there is some noise. In the recent past, this is how "high volume" or "intense" branding got the center stage. Today, in this budgetless environment, it is only a dream for most agencies to get such mega breaks.
U.S. businesses are still very much overdosed with over-branding. Massive turnover in the advertising and branding industry, compounded by the Internet , e-commerce and outsourcing , has created a large glut of branding consultants with too many faceless, nameless consulting services and Web sites.
The market is simply glutted. Western branding agencies are losing their grip by not producing world-class standards and are becoming a laughing stock by adopting, in a panic, monkey-see-monkey-do campaigns.
In reality, you definitely need proper branding today; the type is not the issue. However, first you must have something very good to offer. You also need highly specific and proven branding with highly tactical positioning skills, under proper corporate and brand name identity and image laws, rather than raw graphic and promotional tools.
Full article: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/44938.html
Sounds complicated doesn't it? It is, but branding your small business can be so over complicated that the importance is often overlooked or worse, the process procrastinated into oblivion. Oh sure, you can pay one of those big fancy branding firms to create a brand for your beloved business but wait, who knows your business as well as you? Who knows your products, your customers, your strategy or your personality as well as you do? These are all topics that would be covered by the branding firm, so why not take the time to give this some thought for yourself? Farming out the graphics and/or the color scheme is a long way from the thousands of dollars it would cost for a real branding company to do the job.
Branding is important to your business. It has value in and of itself if done properly. Many small businesses are purchased not so much for their inventory, location or market, but for their good name and you guessed it... their brand recognition. When innovating/renovating your small business look close at your brand, it's worth every moment of your attention.
Hey, here's an idea! Some companies sponsor huge retreats at fancy schmancy resorts to brainstorm company branding. This will work for you too! I happen to know a good travel agency who can put you on a beach for seven days so you can give your all important brand the time it deserves. (Chuckle... well I have to try... Carried Away Vacations is MY brand.) www.CarriedAwayVacations.com
Edited Thursday 01 Feb, 2007 3:14 pm
