Brand Building

One brick at a time, we build both big and small houses in the branding world. Here’s a glance at how a brand builds itself, making its presence felt in the increasing community of brand personalities that are strongly etched in the minds of the people. You will remember faces only if they are unique, smiling and pleasant. The brand you make of your business goals, will likewise have to be remembered in the market and in the minds. Your brand can only achieve this by deriving the emotional benefit from the masses.

1. Identifying the Target Market- Finding a window in the minds of the consumers is of primary concern. An ideal buyer profile is as stratified and narrowed as it goes.

   For eg.- A babycare brand which targets young Indian mothers might have to position themselves differently if they want to address the gap and target young Indian fathers instead. Here, not only the age and gender, but the location and profession of the father will also play a huge role.

2. Working out the USP’s of the Brand- In-depth data analysis and immersions of the existing market help in understanding market needs and working on crafting the business, keeping in mind what would resonate with the stakeholders in concern.

   For instance, when Tesla came up with an electric car, the economy and the environmental conditions clearly suggested that the world should be introduced to a sustainable and cost-effective alternative fuel to diesel and petrol.

3. Studying the Brand World- The marketing message of competitors, their brand language and colours, the verbal and visual communication style, are often similar. To stand out from one’s competitors the brand needs to understand and project its core differentiators in its messaging.

4. Framing the Brand Essence- The essence of the brand is the objective that the business takes on in the brand world. It may not come out in its external communication collaterals but it is the philosophy or the motto that the company thrives by.

   “Bringing Inspiration and Innovation to every athlete in the world” is the core strength and belief that drives Nike. Though this isn’t spelled out in their advertising collaterals, this thought is what they are motivated by. This is the brand promise delivered to the customers.

5. Positioning the brand- Studying the market competition and the USP’s of a brand gives way to a potentially strong brand positioning. The positioning statement of a brand resonates with the company’s values in the minds of the target mindset. After one has analyzed one’s own attributes and differentiators, understood what consumers want and the way competitors are positioning themselves.

   Amul, the cooperative brand of dairy products we swear by since years, positioned themselves as the ‘Taste of India’ and lived true to this essence of revolutionizing the story of milk production.

6. Crafting the Brand Personality- What are the attributes that a brand has? Creating a brand identity involves deciding the persona of the brand. Is your brand the Hero or the Outlaw? To assert the aura of a brand and determine brand behavior, it is important to live upto the attributes that you inherently possess. Further there can be a qualified analysis of the internal and external nature of the brand, listing down the culture, desire and the fears of the brand.

   The personality of the brand McDonald's is that of 'The Innocent' because it thrives on making others happy; happiness is the sole objective of the brand delighting kids with 'happy meals.'

7. Building the Brand Voice and the Brand Experience- What is a brand without an experience that it promises to offer? A brand is nothing without the effort it is trying to make to create a productive and memorable experience

   The Amazon Experience store was opened with the growing realization that more than half of the population like buying real time and the experience of shopping as a hands on one will never completely die out no matter how large a market share they can capture with e-commerce. Hence a technologically advanced experience store was opened where people didn't even have to worry about waiting at the cash register and could simply walk out of the shop with their purchase. As one picked up an item from the aisle it would be automatically added to their virtual cart and the amount deducted from their card.

   An experience of Disneyland and the look and feel of the brand is also such that even in a single Disney toy you buy or gift is captured the excitement of fantasy and magic.

8. Creating the Verbal and Visual Identity- Creating the brand identity of a business requires brand builders like us to work on the final implementation of the brand image, both visually an verbally. Being true to the brand essence and positioning, an intensive naming session is conducted followed by presentations which lead you through the development of the visual identity which doesn't include only the logo.

   The brand identity of a robust brand includes the tone of communication as well as the application of the brand voice and the look and feel of the brand in multiple applications of the larger brand world, developing noteworthy signature differentiators in the journey if possible.