| Title : "THE POWER OF BEING THE BRAND (PART 1)".Business,E-Commerce,Internet Marketing THE POWER OF BEING THE BRAND (PART 1) - by Michelle van der Heyde Imagine a person, who has no company, no website, no physical brand other than their name. Now imagine this person to be a billionaire. Have you ever considered this idea? It is not really impossible, but it’s highly improbable, and for most people, that’s close enough. The power that branding has in the marketplace is almost immeasurable (regardless of whether the brand in question is a company or a living, breathing human being). Before we begin our detailed analysis of branding its enormous power, let’s first get clear on the terms “brand” and “branding”. No, this is not that cattle torture thing. WHAT IS A "BRAND"? [Partial Info by (allaboutbranding. com) (wikipedia.com)] Definition: “A brand includes a name, logo, slogan, and/or design scheme associated with a product or service. Brand recognition and other reactions are created by the use of the product or service and through the influence of advertising, design, and media commentary. A brand is a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to the product and serves to create associations and expectations around it. A brand often includes a logo, fonts, color schemes, symbols, and sound, which may be developed to represent implicit values, ideas, and even personality.” The definition (above) seems adequate, because your Brand is not merely your company name, logo, website, or advertisements. A brand is also what your customers, suppliers, investors, employees, business members and the public think, say, believe and champion about your company. It is not only what they are willing to pay for your brand and all products associated with it, but also the “emotional value connection” they associate with your brand. It is your “corporate reputation”. Because it is reputation, there are things that you can and cannot control. Some of the most successful people on the planet have decided to BE the brand, people like Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart and Donald Trump. Doing this has given them enormous advantages in the marketplace (which I’ll discuss with you later). It is probably not news that your brand is one of the most valuable assets of your company, if not the most valuable. Brands that are correctly built and promoted have immense financial value and power, and can command higher prices than their competitors, while keeping their customers loyal. WHAT IS "BRANDING”? [Partial Info by (allaboutbranding. com)] “Branding”, implies all the direct and indirect activities undertaken by a company to imprint and influence a “desired reputation” upon its customers. These specific activities will determine the perceptions of a company’s targeted and non-targeted audience. A company’s LEADERSHIP (meaning management and “the board”), is responsible for the management of these activities, to direct the development |
