If there are people in the world who are not exposed to advertising, then they live where there is no means of delivering information in any form. This is a place where there is no Internet, newspapers, radio, where posters are not printed and boards are not. Somewhere such islands were lost in large oceans with warm waters. The rest of the population knows global brands.
Brand and branding
By creating a company, giving a name to a trademark or a specific group of products, a brand is potentially created. That is, a brand is the name under which a product or service is produced. Branding is a marketing process of launching and conducting events aimed at the systematic formation, development of demand and popularity of a product (brand) among consumers.
The English word brend literally translates as "brand", "brand". Therefore, the interpretation of the word "branding" may have several variations depending on how a person draws an analogy with the Russian version of the translation.
You can brand almost everything: the name of the actor, brand of water, vehicle, goods. The branding of the company is carried out with the aim of creating trust not only in the brand, but in the complex of goods produced under the auspices of one brand. But in this case there are reputational risks. If the image of the company or any product is damaged, the entire line of manufactured goods or services will suffer. A brand is first of all an image that was once laid down and infallible over the entire segment of a product’s existence.
The main purpose of branding is to create the popularity of a brand, a brand in the environment of the target audience, for which an offer, product or service was created. This is the common goal of any marketing campaign in developing the goals of all events.
The task of branding is to cover the entire target audience and the formation of stable preferences for the brand, product, service. The implementation of the main task is time-consuming and depends on the advertising campaign, which is developed for the goals and objectives of each stage of the implementation of the marketing plan.
Tools and concepts
Branding of goods is a necessary measure for a successful business. Before planning to launch products on the market, marketers determine the target audience of consumers (CA). The latter is determined on the basis of several concepts: for whom the product will be intended and who will be its buyer. At a first approximation, the purpose of the goods is determined: for the end consumer, for business partners, for government agencies. Further gradation of CA occurs according to the characteristics inherent in the group of consumers to which the product is oriented. For the final target audience, gender, age, financial situation and so on are determined.
Definition of target audience is the most important part of marketing activities for branding a product / service. Incorrectly setting priorities at this stage, it will be necessary to adjust the marketing strategy as problems with sales and popularity accumulate. Most often you have to start with the first step. And this negatively affects the brand. Branding is the process of identifying brand value for the target audience and imposing its image on the preferences of customers.
In order not to be mistaken at this stage, focus groups are created from people of the main target audience, where brand attributes are tested. A group usually consists of 10-15 people, which gives a basic slice of perception. There may be several groups. It depends on the size of the project. If the company intends to produce regional goods, 2-3 focus groups are enough, if the project has national features, focus groups are created in each region to get the most representative picture with minimal error of results.
Complex marketing activities
A brand is not an established concept tied to a specific product.How many times have metamorphoses of long-known brands been observed! They have existed on the market for more than a dozen years, but they are constantly changing, expanding their areas of influence, finding new trading niches or simply drawing up a new advertising message or logo. At any stage, a brand needs a set of measures to launch, maintain or rebrand.
Branding Tools
Nothing happens by itself. Creating branding requires certain steps and the use of marketing tools to successfully promote and popularize the market. The package of measures includes:
- brand name development - naming;
- brand description;
- identification of value characteristics for the target audience of consumers - positioning;
- differentiation of product attributes in the same category as competitors' products - detuning;
- visual design of the brand (packaging, writing, advertising message, etc.);
- promotion in a competitive environment, increasing the degree of brand recognition and popularity;
- advertising campaign and ongoing advertising support.
Brand management concept
Any company can market several products, each of which will be a brand. There are millions of companies in the world with a portfolio of brands, each of which receives a separate marketing strategy, different target audiences, development prospects and advertising campaigns. Branding is a necessary measure for individualizing a product and combining its image with the needs of the target audience.
A description of the fundamental attributes of the brand is created for each brand - a brand book. The document systematizes the brand philosophy, values, mission. The main objective of a brand book is to fix the main provisions: communication channels with the consumer, the main messages to the target audience, the possibilities and ways of using the brand.
What branding is for
Branding is an opportunity, a product’s potential, revealed through marketing and enhanced with image value. If you created your first computer in the garage or baked cookies in a small oven in your own kitchen, this does not mean that everything will remain so. Marketing, combined with a product offering and an active advertising campaign, will bring your brand to new horizons in a few years.
