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You may have heard something about ‘branding’ with regard to marketing, but perhaps you’ve wondered what meaning exactly.
Sometimes it's better to elucidate something in reference to something else. That’s what i'm getting to do – so first i will be able to start with ‘positioning’. you furthermore may may have heard that term, but also didn't really know what it meant. ‘Positioning’ may be a marketing term meaning to require a product or service and “position” it within the mind of your prospects/clients by comparing it with or against something already familiar in their minds. Al Reis and Howard Geltzer first published a book about it within the 1970’s.
To give you a thought of positioning, take Avis. Hertz hire car already had first place within the market. By being first place, they preempted that position. Everyone knew that they were #1. So, Avis, to urge any recognition in the least , had to position themselves with Hertz, but actually couldn’t take their spot. does one recall what they did? you bought it – “Avis. We try harder.” By positioning themselves because the best second runner up, they were ready to maximize a bigger portion of that market.
Some people think branding is like positioning, but it's different. the most difference is that positioning may be a fluid concept. In other words, you'll position yourself at different times in several markets as various things . Branding is more set in stone- it’s a hard-core recognition factor.
To give you a far better idea, the opposite day one among my subordinates saw a cup of mine with red circles thereon . He said it seemed like a ‘Target’ cup. that's branding. That red target logo is branded therein person’s mind. He saw it and immediately thought of the supermarket .
However, Target is positioned differently – it’s chain with good style. Some people even ask it as ‘Targé’ – that's positioning. It positions the shop with some hoity-toity posh boutique but everyone knows it’s right there with Walmart price wise. Good position.
Branding is more about the subsequent of rules because if you don’t follow those rules, things don’t look an equivalent and other people won’t remember you. What if you changed your body periodically – I mean really changed your body. “Oh, today, i feel I’ll be Asian – straight black hair, slanted eyes” – but yesterday you were Caucasian; how does one expect anyone to recollect who you're once they see you on the street? it's quite an equivalent . once you put out your marketing pieces, you would like to make an identical look and feel in order that people remember you. And you would like that similar look and feel on every thing you set out.
The good thing is that you simply get to form the rules…colors an equivalent , sort of lettering an equivalent , logo etc. And there's some flexibility as long as you follow the principles . You can’t go too far out of bounds, but you'll change some things within the frame of what others can still recognize.
There was an actual study done by GE (General Electric). They acknowledged that it only takes 22% of their logo for people to acknowledge . Only 20% of their logo must be seen before people recognize it.
So, it kind of is just like the Western concept of branding your cattle – ensuring people recognize what's yours.
Remember I said ‘the same look and feel’? Well, the opposite side of branding is what it causes you to feel about it. Chevrolet wont to say it had been America’s vehicle – baseball, hotdogs, pie and Chevrolet. Now it's “like a rock”. that creates you are feeling a particular way about it. It still is in line with the old idea about Chevrolet. Americanism = loyalty = dependable = Chevrolet. That song that comes on is their brand. Being America’s vehicle is their position. Both offer you a particular feel.
Branding in your marketing has got to cause you to feel something. A technology company can’t have an old style font font – you would possibly not think they were very far advanced.
Take PostcardMania. our colours , bold style font and humorous quips offer you the sensation that we are happy and lively. We confirm that our prospects and customers get that very same feeling whenever they see our mail, emails, packages, logo, etc.. Therefore it's important to seem an equivalent whenever .
Take a cleaner for instance . His postcards, packaging, hangers, etc. got to have his logo, colors and font all the time all an equivalent - on everything. That way when people receive his postcards within the mail, they appear for what specials that he has because they already like him and have him identified in their mind as something they're conversant in . If he's constantly changing what he seems like , once they get his postcard they don’t know whether or not they are watching his specials or what some cleaner generally is offering. If they're already conversant in him, they're presumably getting to pause and appearance at what he has got to say.
Branding is simply just like the old coat of arms that families wont to have connected with their name. it might instill respect, fear, and wealth - whatever. Likewise, a country’s flag gets people to feel a particular way about their country. Heck, Stalin even used branding! He used an equivalent picture to portray who he was to his people - i'm this, I am this, i'm this – he wanted them to think a particular thing. It’s really not a replacement idea – I’m trying to urge you to ascertain it's been around for quite a while .
At PostcardMania, we would like people to acknowledge that we all know the way to get their attention – bright colors, loud type – shows that we all know what we’re talking about in terms of selling . But ‘Postcard Marketing Experts’ is our positioning. Does that make sense? you'll see how the 2 tie in together. One is our position and one is our brand. We’re hoping to make a sense of being expert, the simplest within the business, etc., but also friendly and straightforward to confront.
Think about what message you would like to portray. What does one want recipients of your promotion to believe you? What image of your company does one want to place out there? that's your brand. When people see you continually together thing, they start to expect an equivalent from you and that they get wont to you.
Remember when Pepsi came out with clear Pepsi? People freaked out. They didn’t want to drink it. it had been a flop. It wasn’t what they were wont to – so it didn’t even taste an equivalent to them.
Branding in marketing is recognition – color, font and logo – keep it an equivalent .
If you'll get them to recollect what it's you're selling, the more likely they're going to are available and obtain it…if not, you're counting on drive by traffic and are wasting your money in marketing. And don’t forget this vital marketing truth – if you’re only getting to promote merely just one occasion then branding isn't getting to assist you . Branding is merely for marketers that already understand the concept of repetition.
(For more information on repetition and the way this works in marketing, read “What the Heck may be a Campaign and Why do i want One” by Joy Gendusa at www.postcardmania.com.)