Branding's Blog

What do you think when you see a picture of an apple that has been disfigured by a bite? Sure, it's the apple.inc logo. Companies that make superior products such as iPhone, Macbook and Mac OS. When you see a logo and you are triggered to remember a brand, then you can say that the branding of the company is successful. However, what is branding?

What is Branding?
Branding is the process of establishing characteristics and properties within and outside an offering to give a generic offering an identity that helps it to be recognized and differentiated in the marketplace.

Three points to note in this definition of branding are:

Define characteristics and properties within and outside the offer: While characteristics and properties are specific to the offer, they are not limited to within the offer. Facebook posts by the company also represent the brand.
To give identity: The main purpose of branding is to give identity to a generic product. His identity is very human-like; by name, voice, tonality, color, and sometimes even voice.
To make it recognized and make a difference: Another role of branding is to be unique. Unique branding makes the product more recognizable and differentiated in the competition pool.

Branding Elements
Branding is not limited to names and logos. It is a combination of characteristics and properties that has an effect on almost all of our senses to produce a uniform experience every time we come into contact with it.

Branding is made up of countless elements including:

Name: The name we use to identify the product.
Logo: A symbol or other design adopted by a business to identify its brand.
Color: The color that most businesses use in their marketing messages to describe or complement a brand.
Vision: The target group or purpose behind the brand that helps guide its activities and future.
Message: the value proposition of the brand that it conveys through the brand personality to define the brand's position.
Shape: Either a different form of offering or a form of packaging.
Scent: The distinct scent a user experiences before, during, or after he or she uses the offering.
Image: Uniform and distinct aesthetics used in marketing messages.
Voice: The voice used in marketing messages to strengthen your brand identity.

Types of Branding
Branding is not limited to products. Today we see many organizations, products, services, places and even people. Here are 4 types of brand recognition that you should know about â??

Product Branding
Product branding is one of the most common types of identity shaping where the offering is given an identity and personality to make it identifiable and distinguishable in the market. Although it is called product branding, it is not limited to existing products. Product introduction refers to the branding of any offering be it a product or a service.

An example of forming an effective product brand is as we discussed earlier, Apple.inc.

Another example of product branding when it comes to services is Game of Thrones. Similar to tangible branded products, this TV show has its own identity, characteristics and properties that set it apart from others.

Personal Branding
Personal branding is very common among politicians, celebrities, athletes, and others who have a special following. This type of imagery makes it easy for these people to create an image for themselves among their followers.

This brand image not only helps them in creating new business opportunities for themselves but also benefits the brands associated with them.

Michael Jordan is a perfect example of branding, as followers own his segment, not only able to benefit himself by launching his own clothing line but also benefiting Nike who partnered with him to launch the same.

Corporate Branding
The image of the organization is as important as the branding of the offerings it sells. Corporate branding gives the offering provides an identity and opens up new opportunities for him to easily expand his offering portfolio.

Corporate branding is also very important in recruiting because employees always want to work with companies with known brands.

PepsiCo is a good example of building a corporate identity. The company has several product lines in its product mix including Frito-Lay, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Lay's, Gatorade, Tropicana, etc. All of them are owned and operated by the parent brand â?? PepsiCo.

Geographic Branding
Geographic or regional branding is often used by the tourism industry which creates brands from geographic locations by assigning them certain characteristics and experiences to attract more visitors.

For example, Bali is the perfect destination to visit if you want to go to a beautiful island lined with warm beaches, white sand and lush green flora. This area is also marketed as the only place to see the Ngaben ceremony, or enjoy the beautiful sunset on its beaches.

Branding Example
There is a high chance that you are reading this article on branded devices, wear branded clothes, and live in branded areas. We agree that brands are everywhere. You as a person are also a brand.

But what makes a great brand? What separates a good brand from a bad one?

Well, here are three examples to help you understand the concept of building a brand image even more.

Coca-Cola
With an estimated brand value of $73.1 billion, Coca-Cola is one of the most valuable brands in the world. The company uses its identity building process so well that the word Coca-Cola is the second most understood word in the world, after OK.

The company started with product branding by naming its Coca-Cola soda, giving it a unique taste, color, bottle shape, and finally turning the product into an experience and product branding into a corporate identity.

McDonald
McDonald's stands out not only with its logo but also with other characteristics such as the Ronald McDonald mascot, sound branding, the same store design all over the world, and the uniformity of service provided in these stores.

Apple
If you prefix 'i' to any generic category, chances are people will think of it as an Apple product. That's Apple's great branding strategy. The company has positioned itself as a premium brand that comes with high standards and has a minimalist marketing approach.

Importance of Branding
Brand is the sum total of how a person perceives a particular organization. Branding shapes that perception. â?? Ashley Freidlin, CEO & Guild Founder

One should not overlook the importance of branding and building an identity. It has become a necessity for today's products, organizations and even people. There is no dearth of offers with similar properties and the only thing that separates a particular offering from the competition in such cases is the brand.

The process of building your identity should be one of the priorities before you launch a product in the market as it helps to:

Create an identity for the offering: Branding is what the product is known for in addition to the generic properties. It is the unique name, color, design and even psychological experience that makes the product identifiable in the market.
Create consumer preferences for offers: The market is full of offers with the same properties that often confuse the consumer as to what he should buy. The way in which consumers can deal with this problem is through leaning toward brands they know and trust. Popular brands are known to be a safer investment as opposed to risky ones and they provide consumer satisfaction for the utility they provide.
Create new assets and build value: The brand itself is an asset that can be sold separately. Wondering why Apple products cost twice as much as competitors selling products with the same configuration? This is a brand effect.
Build trust: Branding an offer creates a professional appearance for the offer. This includes labels and packaging that are well-strategised according to legal requirements and planned positioning. This increases its appeal because consumers trust the offer with a professional look.
Increase pride and satisfaction: Your company's brand or your offerings increase the pride and satisfaction of both your customers and employees. It symbolizes the company and its offerings and helps all those who relate to it to create a deeper connection with the brand.
Develop a marketing strategy: A marketing strategy without a brand will be nothing but waste because no one will identify the offering with. Branding is a core part of marketing because all marketing strategies are rooted in branding.