Why are Brands important let's take a Look at one of the best brands in the World Coca-Cola the total market value Of the company is around 175 billion Dollars but one asset in particular Makes up about 75 billion of that and It's not the secret recipe it's the Brand S are both a strategic as well as a Financial asset a strong brand creates Customer loyalty and that increases the Value of your company value which can Grow if you continue to invest in the Brand There are many other benefits of Brands Brands allow you to set higher prices For your products and services people Associate higher quality to branded Products and they'll pay more than for a Generic version even when the two Products are identical why because they Trust the Branded product more Brands make and keep their promises Once your product is branded you Typically earn a higher market share While lowering your cost of sales loyal Customers don't need to be marketed to As much With an established brand it's easier to Launch new products when consumers see The Brand's logo on a new product they Instantly associate the brand promise to That new product from day one There are other benefits of Brands than

Just the marketing advantages For example studies show that companies With great brands have lower employee Turnover Popular brands help companies recruit The most talented and passionate Employees Brands create status and esteem for your Company in the minds of Industry leaders Community leaders the media and Financial markets like Wall Street But despite all these benefits it may Not make sense for you to create a brand There are certain business situations Where it would be a waste of money For example in completely new markets Where there are very few if any Customers you'd be smarter to invest Your resources in growing awareness and Interest in the category first If you're already the market leader with Most of the market share Creating a brand probably won't pay off If you're in a highly fragmented Industry with hundreds or even thousands Of small competitors a brand may not be Able to reach enough customers to make It worthwhile If you're a business is such that you Have only a handful of customers perhaps Even one customer like the government Branding won't do much So take a look at your situation before You jump right into it but if your

Business depends on creating loyal Repeat customers a strong brand is the Surest way to do it The Branding process has five steps First we have to define the brand and Everything that goes into it A brand is a promise so we have to Clearly Define what that promise is and The core values behind it Think of the values as the DNA of the Brand at this step we also Define how The brand links to your overall business And other brands that you may have Brands don't exist in isolation so we Have to give them a home so to speak Somewhere in your portfolio we also have To Define what are called brand drivers Brand drivers Define how the core values Will be manifested into the marketing Mix or key business processes that Support the brand It's all the things associated with a Brand that help you translate its value Into actions The next step of The Branding process is To position the brand essentially we are Shaping how customers think about the Brand we identify who those customers Are what benefits they seek from your Products and services and what they Currently believe about those products And services versus the competition At this step we're making the direct Link between the product's value

Proposition and the brand promise Once you define the brand promise and How it's positioned in the marketplace You need to express the brand Imagine the brand as a person a person Needs a name a personality and an Identity in terms of what they look like You do the same for brands At this step we create brand names and Logos to help customers easily recognize The brand and remember the promise that It delivers At this stage it's time to build Awareness of the brand and put it to Work for you we do that by communicating It and we do that both internally to our Own organization as well as externally To the market Why internally Your employees and Distributors play a Critical role in delivering the promise They create and deliver products and Services that deliver benefits that Customers expect given the promise the Brand has made Keeping a brand strong means we have to Communicate continuously and most Importantly consistently to reinforce The promise in people's minds if you Don't Brands lose their value And that leads us to the final step of The brand building process measure You'll want to measure the value of the Brand or what we call Brand equity it's

What you accrue when you develop promote And deliver an authentic brand promise As brand Equity increases company value Increases you also measure the Brand's Performance Is it living up to the promise and is it Doing what you expected it to for your Business The brand building process takes time And money but if you do it right you'll Create strong healthy brands that make Your business more successful Let's start building a brand First we have to identify the values of The brand Remember that a brand is a promise and Underneath that promise must be a Supporting set of values they're like a Foundation underneath a home for example If I make a promise to you it's because I believe certain things are important Otherwise I wouldn't make the promise The same is true of brands that we Create in marketing Think of brand values as the key Behaviors or virtues of the brand that Need to be expressed consistently day in And day out Taken together these values form the Essence or theme of the brand they're Like a belief system of the brand Determining the brand values starts by Understanding the overall marketing Strategy of your business

What kind of products and services do You offer What are the key trends and new Opportunities in your markets who are Your customers and who are your Competitors Given that what is your overall value Proposition in the marketplace You've got to have a solid marketing Strategy before you can build a solid Branding strategy the two are closely Linked for this course I'm going to use A hypothetical company that wants to Create a brand for one of its new Products let's assume we're in the watch Business We're coming out with a new line of Smart watches that integrate with other Tech products like smartphones let's say That our strategy is to create a watch Ideally suited for families But not just families in general we are Targeting the parents specifically we Want to position our watch as the ideal Watch for moms and dads For now let's call it the parent watch Remember that's the name of the brand Not necessarily the name of the product Itself Now given our marketing strategy we want To create a brand that delivers this Promise of being the ideal watch for Parents we start by identifying the key Values that this new brand must have for

This promise to have any meaning to it So I start by listing beliefs that People might have about parents For example parents are special Being a parent is an important role in The life of many moms and dads being a Parent is hard work Parents do everything they can to help Their families By creating this list I'm looking for One or a collection of some of these to Shape and form the main theme of my new Brand I want to create a sentence that conveys What the brand is all about Let's try this the parent watch Celebrates Parenthood by helping parents Be the very best they can be I like this it's aspirational it's Linked directly to my strategy And it has a strong emotional appeal We can always revise and fine-tune this Later but for now let's stick with this As the core purpose of the parent watch Brand both why it exists and what it Believes Take a look at the brands you have now Or the brand you want to create Ask yourself these questions What is the belief system underneath Those brands Is it linked to your marketing strategy Is it clear what this brand stands for Now and what it wants to be in the

Future Building a strong Foundation is the Crucial first step to bring your brand To life A Brand's values form the foundation of The brand but now on top of that Foundation you need to build more about The definition of the brand Think of it as expanding and stretching It out you do that by creating brand Drivers brand drivers are more detailed And descriptive aspects of the brand They come in different forms They could be attributes of the brand Itself they could be functional or Emotional benefits that the brand Delivers They could be self-expressive benefits In other words what the customer is Saying about themselves when they Consume the brand To create brand drivers make an Exhaustive list of phrases or sentences About the brand that stretch the Brand's Core purpose don't worry too much about The wording of these and don't try to Filter them later on you'll group them Into similar categories and that's where You'll edit them to get the most Relevant brand drivers Let's go back to our case study a new Brand for a smart watch that's ideal for Moms and dads we call it the parent Watch

Its core value is the parent watch Celebrates Parenthood by helping parents Be the very best they can be Given that what else might this new Brand be about Let's start with the list we had already Parent watch believes that parents are Special being a parent may be the most Important role in a person's life Being a parent is hard work Parents do everything they can to help Their families Let's create more by asking ourselves What else goes into being a great parent Let's write these from the parents point Of view Parent watch helps me do the Impossible By balancing tasks and getting it all Done in the day It helps me protect my family It helps me perform my duties at home Work and everywhere else It helps me stay connected to my kids It helps me teach my kids important life Lessons It makes it fun to be a mom or dad Wearing parent watch tells the world That I care about my family Above All Else You see what's going on here We're creating a list of specific things That are important to our target Audience Then we take those and turn them into

Attributes of the brand itself or a Benefit that the brand delivers When you do this for your brand you Should have several dozen of these Try to create as long a list as possible Then group into categories such as Functional benefits the basic job that The product does Emotional benefits how a product makes a Consumer feel Economic benefits how a product saves Time and money Self-expressive benefits how a product Makes us appear to others Other types of benefits such as benefits To society or to the environment Now once they're grouped into categories We look for ways to refine or combine Them into a more coherent list For example these two drivers Parent watch helps me do the Impossible By balancing tasks and getting it all Done in a day And Parent watch helps me perform my duties At home work and everywhere else It seems similar Perhaps I could tighten these up into One phrase such as Parent watch helps me balance multiple Tasks at work home and everywhere else Brand drivers put more meaning into the Brand we call them drivers because these Are the ideas that you use to express

And communicate what your brand is all About So what is it that you actually brand Well that's kind of a trick question you Don't brand things rather you create a Brand with its core promise and list of Associations as we did in the last two Videos Then you attach something to that brand Promise like a product or a company name By attaching that product or a company Name to the brand your customers Associated with the brand Now I know that may seem like a subtle Point but here's why I make it don't Think of branding like taking an iron And burning it onto the side of a Product or its package like Cowboys do When they brand livestock that's the Single most common mistake people make When doing branding they think you can Just slap a logo and a clever name on The side of a product and voila here's My new brand To be a Savvy branding professional you Want to avoid this mistake and instead Follow a disciplined step-by-step Process with a set of tools to create And manage your Brands that's what this Course is all about Now once you've created the core brand Promise and list of associations the Correct question to ask is what kinds of Things can I attach to the brand

The answer may surprise you We've already mentioned products inside This bottle is fizzy Brown water with The syrupy sweet taste when we associate It with the Coca-Cola brand the consumer Memorizes this Association for future Reference every time a consumer drinks What's inside here they instantly recall The brand promise and subconsciously Think to themselves promise made Promise kept that's why we sometimes Call a brand a locus of emotions it's All the emotions inside that are Triggered by a brand that Define it a Brand is a memory jogger a shortcut so To speak To make that memory jogging a bit easier We give the brand a certain look and Sometimes a name when you wrap that name And that look around the product Consumers have a much easier time making That connection Maybe that's why it feels like we are Branding a product like using a branding Iron on livestock It's not only products that can be Branded You might want to Brand just one feature Of that product Hertz the car rental Company brands its Gold Club an Exclusive club for loyal customers you Can also brand a single ingredient Within the product my favorite example Is when Intel created the now iconic

Intel Inside brand most people have no Idea what the Intel thing actually did Or how it worked it didn't matter as Long as the computer they were about to Buy had Intel Inside they were satisfied Promise made promise kept if your Product has a unique technology Especially if it's something you own Perhaps with patents you can also Associate it with a brand Toyota for example branded its hybrid Synergy drive as part of its Fleet of Eco-friendly cars Can you brand services Absolutely a service is the same as a Product in that they are both benefit Delivery vehicles Google for example offers a wide range Of services that are branded In fact an entire company can be branded Take Starbucks for example You can also create a string of brands For example Amazon Kindle delivers books using Whispernet technology a branded company A product and Technology all in one You may be thinking hey wait a minute What if you take this too far That's a good question if you're not Careful you may end up with what I call Brand chaos where your brand too many Things in a way that might confuse the Customer To avoid that take a look at your

Current brands or Brands you want to Create then try to identify well you've Actually branded a product a feature and So on Good brand builders then start to think About how these different brands exist Together to deliver value for the Customer Brands need a home a place to live They not only need a place to live but You also need to determine the Relationship the brand has with other Brands in that home you do this by Creating a brand architecture Think of architecture the same as you Would when building a house The architect decides how many rooms You'll have Where they're situated in the overall Structure of the home and the role of Each room bathroom kitchen and so on To create a brand architecture we do the Same thing Now there are many formats and models For this but here's a general way to Think about your options when building a Brand architecture First you could create what's called a House of Brands each brand stands on its Own and has no relationship with the Others Consumers know the names of the brands But they don't know the name of the Company that owns them in other words

They don't know the name of the house Itself your company but just the rooms Inside The Proctor and Gamble company is Probably the best example of this it Owns many familiar brands that we use Every day like Crest toothpaste Tide Laundry detergent and Febreze But most consumers won't know that PNG Owns these brands or that these brands Are owned by the same company At the other end of the spectrum is the Branded house in this approach the Company is the brand all products and Services within that company are Associated with that single company Brand but they themselves don't exist as A brand When you think about a company like Caterpillar your mind conjures up images Of tractors and heavy equipment but you Probably can't think of a product brand Within caterpillar it's what we call a Master brand because it governs over all The company's products and services BMW is another great example Now in between these two architectures Is a third choice called a blended house Think of it as a mix of the two a little Bit of a master brand with a few Individual Brands connected to it a good Example is Marriott International the Hospitality company It has a strong Master brand Marriott

Along with 18 sub Brands like Courtyard And Residence Inn It's a nice approach because consumers Associate many good qualities with the Marriott name but then each Hotel Property has its own brand promise for Specific market segments when you Combine these with the master brand Courtyard by Marriott consumers Instantly understand that unique promise Pretty cool So which approach is best Well it depends on your strategy the Branded house approach is more cost Effective because you're spending money To build one single brand But this limits where you can expand It'd be strange if caterpillar wanted to Go into the food business for example A house of Brands is expensive because You have to build each brand from Scratch but then you have total freedom To go into any new market without Affecting the other brands PNG for Example can expand into just about Anything Many companies use the Blended approach To give themselves The Best of Both Worlds Building the brand architecture helps Customers understand your Brands the way You want them to and that's a real Advantage to building brand equity Brands can take on a life of their own

Almost to the point where they seem like A person And just like us they can have their own Unique personality Our final step in the defined stage of The brand building process is to create This personality or what we call a brand Persona given the Brand's promise you Give the brand a set of human-like Characteristics that your customers Would expect from someone who keeps This Promise Now why does this matter Well your target audience will better Understand your brand if they can Associate it with or think of it as a Human being Brands with a personality stand out more We tend to like them more and most Importantly we want to maintain a Relationship with it in marketing that's A huge Advantage because that Relationship causes customers to be more Loyal and that's what valuable brands do To create a brand Persona you have to Create a list of personality traits that Shape the overall personality of our Brand Now various researchers in the field of Marketing have studied brand Personalities to find out what kinds of Traits might be available to use One of the most recognized in this field Is Dr Jennifer Acker in her classic

Research report titled dimensions of Brand personality She outlines a framework of personality Traits that Brands can take on The five core dimensions are sincerity Excitement Competence Sophistication and ruggedness Now within each of these are more Detailed traits for example under Sincerity we would find down to earth Honest genuine and friendly Now these traits are further broken down Into sub traits For example under the trade friendly we Would find the sub traits of warm happy Cheerful and caring Now out of this long list of dozens of Personality traits our goal is to select A handful that create this unique brand Persona let's go back to our case study The parent watch Let's take a look at our core value The parent watch celebrates Parenthood By helping moms and dads be the very Best they can be You also want to look at your long list Of brand drivers Taken together Ask yourself If parent watch was a person how would You describe its personality I selected the following traits Family oriented caring

Intelligent reliable Strong wholesome Spirited and of course fun Now keep in mind that these are not Intended to be the traits of an ideal Super mom or dad Rather these are the traits of a brand That helps parents become the ideal Super mom or dad Do you see the difference Your brand may have traits that are Similar to your target audiences what's Most important is that the brand has Traits consistent with someone who would Make and keep its promise That makes the brand more trusted and Authentic Speaking about the anticity and Trust Where your customers believe these Traits just because you picked them from A list They will as long as you carefully Selected them to Define someone else Besides the brand That someone else is you and perhaps Your colleagues the people who Ultimately make and keep the promise Authentic brands or those that reflect The characteristics of the people who Deliver value to the marketplace now That's great brand building Foreign Is only the first step of the brand Building process

At this point the brand is still an Empty vessel Empty because you haven't made or kept Any promises to customers Remember that a brand is a promise kept Over and over to a target audience to The point that they believe and trust it Trust builds loyalty And that is your next step to identify The specific customers that you want Your brand to be relevant to For that we use a marketing technique Called segmentation Segmentation means dividing the market Of potential customers into similar Groupings There are four ways to do it Demographic segmentation focuses on Physical characteristics of customers Like gender age their height and weight Even hair color It's a very useful way to segment Especially if your Brand's promise Delivers on something related to a Customer characteristic if you're Marketing a shampoo for redheads for Example then you'd want to group your Customers by hair color Closely related to demographic Segmentation is Geographic Use this approach when you want to group People by where they live or where they Work it can also include things like Where they go for certain activities or

Where they just hang out If your brand promise is related to that Location this way of grouping customers Makes the most sense Next is behavioral segmentation here we Focus on things that potential customers Do or how they behave It includes things like purchase Behavior Lifestyles and things like how Customers use a product Once again it's the right way to segment Customers if your brand delivers Something of value related to this Behavior For example people who want to drive Fast are going to appreciate brands that Promise speed Finally is attitudinal segmentation this Is what goes on in the customer's head About the benefits they seek grouping Customers by their needs or benefits They're looking for is extremely Powerful because it gets right to the Core of your Brand's promise For example if you're building a new Brand for an automobile you'd want to Group customers around benefits such as Fuel economy luxury Eco-friendly or status Selecting the right segmentation Approach is critical because it helps You with the next two steps of the brand Building process Express and communicate Branding is about making and keeping a

Promise over and over to the point where Consumers trust you and they become Loyal What do you promise and when do you Promise it You answer these questions by analyzing Your potential customers when people buy Products and services they're buying a Collection of benefits you can Categorize these benefits into three Types Functional benefits refer to a product's Physical performance for example when Buying a car functional benefits include Size of the engine Passenger seating or how the car handles Economic benefits are related to saving Money or Saving Time with the car Economic benefits would include the Miles per gallon annual maintenance cost Or the car's reliability Finally our emotional benefits these are Related to the psychological feelings You get when using a product For a car it would include things like Status or self-esteem Customers buy things for a mix of these Benefits but some are more important Than others if you know what's most Important to them you can appeal to that Need when deciding on your brand promise You can also raise this sense of Importance they place on another factor And focus your brand on that instead

You also want to understand the steps Customers take when buying something That will help you shape the overall Experience they have with your brand and Decide the best point to make the Promise Typically those steps are as follows First is need recognition phase this is Where customers realize that they want Something The next step is information search Once Customers feel a need to have something They start gathering information about Solutions for that need Once a customer gathers the information They go to the next step which is to Evaluate the alternatives Customers make choices based on what Features are most important and which Brand does the best job in delivering Those features it's critical that you Communicate your Brand's promise at this Point Eventually the customer will narrow Their choices down to one brand and go To the purchase phase Finally is the post purchase Behavior Phase once customers start using the Product or service they compare the Results with their expectations did the Brand deliver on the promise how did the Product make them feel when they used it This phase is also critical because Customers will form opinions about your

Brand and share their experiences good Or bad with other customers Great brand builders know they have a Role to play in each step of the Customer buying process they know where These steps take place when they take Place and who's involved with these Insights you're ready to develop an Effective brand experience Perhaps the most central idea in all of Marketing is that of positioning a Company's value proposition is the Single-minded claim that it makes to Change the customer's mind and cause Them to do something That something could be to buy a product Or to try a product or to pay a certain Price or to visit a website or just to Think about your brand and its benefits In a certain way How you position your product in the Market will ultimately determine the Overall promise you make to create your Brand Now let's make a distinction here in a Marketing plan you create a value Proposition that is the central piece of Your marketing strategy So how does that relate to Brand Positioning are they the same well not Necessarily but they're closely related The brand promise is essentially your Overall value proposition it's a broad Definitive statement of the bundle of

Benefits to customers by the brand it's A clear articulation of precisely what It is that gives the brand an edge over Competitors Think of brand positioning as the Long-term strategic positioning your Marketing strategy value proposition is More like a short-term tactical Positioning Let's do an example to see this Connection Using our case study of the parent watch We know that our overall brand Positioning is The parent watch celebrates Parenthood By helping moms and dads be the very Best they can be Now by Design we've set that at a pretty High level But what if you're about to launch a new Product or perhaps just introduce a new Feature on an existing product for that You need a more tactical short-term Positioning For example let's assume our parent Watch has a new feature that allows us To SMS people automatically moms or dads Can use it to create reminders for their Kids that come directly from them via Text messaging I'm not sure kids would Like it but I bet parents would So how do we position this new feature For ideas on that you go back to your Brand drivers

Recall that brand drivers are more Detailed in descriptive aspects of the Brand So let's look over our list created in Chapter two Now here's one that might work Parent watch helps me stay connected to My kids nice Our new SMS feature becomes a credible Reason to believe this value proposition And therein lies the connection between Brand strategy and marketing strategy Think of these value propositions Designed around your brand drivers as Rtbs or reasons to believe for the Overall brand strategy Promises made Promises Kept So take a look at your Brands what Features and benefits of your products And services are you emphasizing in your Marketing strategy Then look at your brand drivers to find The ones that connect best to those Benefits that helps your target audience Believe the brand is doing its job well And can be trusted to do it in the Future At this point in the brand building Process you've defined the brand in Terms of its values drivers and persona You've positioned the brand in the Market and linked it to your marketing Strategy now you're ready to move into The next phase which is how you express

The brand To do that you create a name a visual Look and feel for the brand and you Create a total customer experience for The target audience when they encounter The brand in this video I'll review the Important considerations you make when Naming the brand The name you select for your brand Should do the following reflect the Values and purpose of the brand Create an association with the Brand's Persona be easy to say Be unique and memorable Now before coming up with names you need To consider what it is that you're Branding a company a product or a Service a feature within that product or Service or perhaps a technology How do all your Brands fit together in Other words what is your brand Architecture which we covered in chapter Two Let's do an example with our case study For this example I need to create a Hypothetical company that I'll call the California watch company It makes a variety of watches in these Categories Luxury high-end watches Sport watches for running biking and so On Smart watches for technology lovers and Family lifestyle watches

My brand architecture is House of Brands So these four categories of watches are Branded independently of each other and Not connected with the main company name Let's focus on our new line of family Lifestyle watches beginning with our First entry into the market the parent Watch helping moms and dads be the very Best they can be My product is a smart watch that Connects with a customer's smartphone So it can do a lot of things My strategy is to offer one model of Watch but in different styles and colors Customers can load different functions Into the watch depending on the ages of Their children apps for babies Toddlers And so on pretty cool watch Do you remember the Brand's persona one Of the traits was intelligent that seems To fit So given the tight connection between my Brand and the product that delivers on The promise I'd be smart to name my Product the same as my brand in this Case That makes the most sense for my target Audience once they understand my Brand's Promise they'll associate that promise With the watch itself if I name it the Same Otherwise they might get confused the Name parent watch is connected to the Values and purpose it's Unique and easy

To say and it seems to fit my Brand's Personality The name strikes me as strong reliable But at the same time fun I like it There are times though when it makes Sense to come up with a name that is Completely new with no literal meaning The name Sony is a completely made up Name The name Apple also has no connection With the company's products and services In that case you have to select the name Then communicate the name in its Associated values and purpose so that People start to make the connection It's usually harder and more expensive To do but it can yield a powerful brand Name that sticks in the minds of Consumers and that's an effective way to Create and keep customers The look and feel of the brand is what Consumers see when they encounter it It's like a visual identity system a way For customers to instantly recognize When the brand is present To create the visual identity of the Brand you'll need the following elements First you'll want some type of Distinctive logo or symbol a logo can Take many forms It can be an object that represents your Brand a good example is the Apple logo It can be an abstract symbol like the Nike Swoosh

Or it can be a word Mark which is the Words of your company or brand name set In a specific way The Google logo is considered a word Mark To create a logo it's best to hire the Services of a professional graphic Designer The designer will need to know the brand Values the core promise the brand Drivers the Persona and of course the Brand name Taken together these elements will help The designer create a graphic look that Matches what the brand stands for Once the logo is created you'll need to Have your designer create different Versions of it we call these logo Lockups while your master logo should Always be rendered consistently you need Variations of it for different Placements and usage For example you may need color and black And white variations Or you may need versions for small Spaces like a business card or a large Version for the side of a building Your designer should also create a color Palette for the brand Some of these colors are used for the Logo itself but you should also have Complementary colors that can be used Along with the logo these complementary Colors might be used in advertising or

Perhaps in product packaging or even Used for the product itself Your designer should also help you Select specific typefaces for the brand A distinctive font helps strengthen the Identity of the brand Along with the fonts you should also Have standard typographic treatments Your typographic identity should include Specific ways of handling key types of Texts such as headlines or how you write URL addresses Your brand identity should include a Consistent style for images all photos And images used with the brand logo Should have a consistent look and feel Image guidelines should also Define when And how certain types of images are used Will you use photography or Illustrations or both Will they be black and white or color Nike for example relies on large Close-up high contrast images to capture Attention and create a distinctive feel Finally you want to define a consistent Tone for the way you say things it's Like creating a voice for the brand This applies to everything from Headlines in a printed to the tone of a Press release Outline the specific language and words That can be used For example should the tone be formal or More conversational

That depends of course on your Brand's Persona So take a look at the brands you manage And check to see that each of these Elements are in sync with your overall Brand Essence these elements must work Together in harmony to create a winning Brand identity Thank you When your customers buy your products And services they go through a distinct Set of steps sort of a process we call It the customer experience or sometimes The brand experience when it's related To a brand Each step of the experience is called a Touch point where you can figuratively Speaking touch the customer and Reinforce the brand promise this forms a Tighter more loyal relationship with the Customer The first step is to define the touch Points for the typical customer First is need recognition this is where The customers realize they want Something the next step is information Search where they gather information From a wide variety of sources this is a Critical step because this is when a Customer is most receptive to your brand Message Once a customer gathers information they Evaluate the Alternatives based on what Features are most important and which

Brand does the best job in delivering Those features Eventually they go to the purchase phase Where they actually buy the product Now you might think that the buying Process ends here with the final Purchase but there's one last step Called the post purchase Behavior phase Once customers start using the product They compare the results with their Expectations did the product work as Expected How did the product make them feel when They used it what do they say to others About their experience Once we Define the touch points we go Back to our list of brand drivers our Goal is to select a driver from the list That we can emphasize at each touch Point We have to decide where the touch Point Happens when it happens and what to say To the customer that relates to that Brand driver Now it's a bit tricky but it's a key Ingredient of successful brand building Let's try it with our case study the Parent watch For the need recognition step I want to Use the driver Being a parent may be the most important Role in a person's life I'll use this driver in my advertising Because of the strong emotional message

Within it For information search and evaluate the Alternatives I'm going to emphasize all The benefits of the parent watch like Protecting my family stay connected to My kids and so on I'll do this on the Brand's website When customers buy the product I'll Emphasize that parents are special We'll create a store environment and a Shopping experience that makes moms and Dads feel great about being a parent And finally in the post purchase phase I'll drive home the message wearing Parent watch tells the world that I care About my family Above All Else Perhaps I'll do this with text messages Directly to the parent watch or perhaps Follow up with Direct Mail I want to reinforce that the customer Made a smart choice Great marketers know they have a role to Play in each step of the customer Experience they know where these steps Take place when they take place and Who's involved with these insights You're ready to communicate the brand to The marketplace Branding is all about making and keeping A promise as a brand Builder you're the One who makes the promise but who keeps It is it the product service Well if so then who is it that stands Behind your products and services it's

Your employees and partners like Distributors who keep the promise Brand delivery boils down to people and If they don't understand the brand They're likely to struggle trying to Keep that promise employees have to Believe in the brand and live it every Time they come in contact with a Customer In this video let me share with you some Ways to effectively communicate your Brand internally There are two parts to this first you Have to train your team and then you Need to consistently reinforce it Otherwise people stop believing that the Brand is important When you develop training programs about The brand you should consider developing Different programs for different types Of employees front line employees for Example deal with customers every day The training program for them will be Much different than for people back at Headquarters including your senior Executives Ideally every employee is trained new Ones and especially old ones existing Employees might have to change their Mindset a lot to embrace and believe in The brand Take an airline next time you fly watch The airline's employees Listen to what they say imagine how

Training on the brand would be different For Pilots flight attendants baggage Handlers as well as reservation agents Who sell tickets Every job and every contact with Customers is different so the training Should match that So what do you train Employees need to know the brand promise How it links to the company's values The drivers customers will experience When they encounter the brand The brand identity including look and Feel The name and of course the persona Most importantly they need to know how They should think feel and act What words come out of their mouths what Actions do they take to deliver the Promise You have to help them make that bridge From the brand promise to their actions Or they won't be able to truly live the Brand Training is important but it's not Enough you must reinforce it to keep the Brand closely tied to the culture of the Company First of all make sure the brand Identity is visible throughout the Company Later I'll talk about how to create Branded spaces like your company's front Lobby as a way to reinforce the brand

Every time the employee walks through it They're reminded of the brand Most companies appoint a brand champion And a team of brand ambassadors these Are the influential company employees Who represent what the brand stands for They can help others understand how Their words and deeds link to the brand And its drivers Speaking of employees many companies Focus on hiring the right people from The very start Given the characteristics of the brand What characteristics of potential Employees would best align with the Brand your Human Resources partner may Be able to help you with that Perhaps the best way to reinforce the Brand internally is to do a great job Delivering on the promise externally When employees say that the company Consistently lives up to its promises Even in tough times it strengthens their Resolve and commitment to the brand So take a look at how your company Communicates internally to its employees Good brand builders look for these Everyday opportunities to reinforce the Brand One of the most important steps in the Brand building process is to create a Brand book just as the name implies the Brand book is the complete story of the Brand and all the elements that go into

It it establishes strict guidelines on Every aspect of how a company's brand Will be managed this affects everything From how the logo can be used the look Of your website how social media is used Advertising product design and so on A basic brand book should include an Overview of brand values the core Promise the drivers and persona Logo specifications and examples of how To use it Logo lockups for different uses The color palette Font styles Typography Image and photography guidelines And writing style and the tone of voice Now a good brand book is a reference Document to help employees and your Marketing agencies execute the brand Properly that's why it's sometimes Called a style guide You might also include things like Brochure guidelines Specifications for signage and Outdoor Advertising Design layouts for print and web-based Projects your store design Social media guidelines Even your letterhead and business card Design Now be sure to include visual or written Examples of each of these the more Detailed information you include in the

Brand book The more helpful it'll be to Make sure the brand is managed Consistently While these guidelines are important a Great brand book goes even further it Could be used to train your entire team It could help employees understand the Brand's Essence it could be created in a Way that inspires people to believe in The brand it might include stories about The brand and how it served its Customers It could outline brand goals and how it Links to the company's overall strategy A brand book can help employees know What it means to live the brand day in And day out great branding is about Making and keeping promises in a Consistent way a brand book is an Essential tool to help you do just that A very important component of branding Is the product or service that you put In the marketplace they need to do their Jobs in delivering the benefits that Were promised now keep in mind they're Not the only things that have to live up To the Brand's promise every touch point In the customer experience can Potentially play a role but it's usually The products or services that are the Focal point of your branding effort That means you must teach the people who Create your products and services about The brand

Take a look at your current products you May notice perhaps the most common Problem when getting into brand building The benefits that your products deliver Currently are not the same ones promised By the brand Oops In other words there's a gap between Product performance and the brand and it Can happen in two ways your product may Be under featured or it may be over Featured here's how to find out make a List of all the key features on your Product or service Then for each feature write down the Main benefit that the feature delivers Remember that benefits come in different Forms functional economic emotional Self-expressive and so on Then with that list of benefits take out Your long list of brand drivers for each Benefit try to connect it with at least One of the drivers ask yourself does the Benefit link to or somehow support any One of the brand drivers Let's do a quick example with our case Study the parent watch Let's imagine the watch has an app that Automatically sends SMS text messages to Kids to remind them to do their homework I can scan down the list of our brand Drivers and yes I see two on the list That seem to connect with this feature Parent watch helps me stay connected to

My kids And the other driver that fits it is This Parents do everything they can to help Their families Now if you find that many of your Features and benefits do not connect to Your brand drivers you have a problem Your product is over featured with Unrelated benefits and this will confuse Your customers in this case you need to Go back to your development team and Start creating a new version of the Product that closes this Gap You may find that the features and Benefits on the product only cover a Small number of drivers once again you Have a gap that needs to be closed and You do that with new product development Take a look at your product development Pipeline and do the same analysis you May be able to collaborate with your Development team to modify these Products now to be more aligned with the Brand promise If so those products will do a better Job at keeping the promise that the Brand has made Now don't forget that when I say the Word product the same applies to any Service that you offer in the Marketplace A well-developed brand informs how your Products and services will perform what

They look like and how they deliver and Experience consistent with the Brand's Essence To make a promise you have to Communicate it the key is to select Those communication channels that are Most consistent with the essence of the Brand it's authentic persona a simple Framework for this is answering the Questions who what why where and how First you have to decide on why you want To communicate are you telling the Market your overall strategic brand Positioning the core brand promise Or are you building tactical awareness Around some new feature or benefit of The product If so this type of campaign would link Directly to your Tactical marketing Positioning During the positioning step of the brand Building process we answered the next Question who that of course is your Target audience you identify the Specific customers that you want your Brand message to be relevant to you Group your customers using one of four Segmentation approaches demographic Geographic Behavioral or attitudinal The one you use depends on what you're About to communicate if it's a new Feature you may want to use behavioral Segmentation if it's about an emotional Benefit of your brand attitudinal is

Likely the best choice Narrowing your target audience makes Your Communications campaign more Efficient Next is what you're communicating and For that you need to refer to your long List of brand drivers the brand drivers Give ideas about the specific message You want to include in the Communications Pick the brand driver that is best Suited for what you're announcing to the Market and the target audience you've Selected Using brand drivers this way in all your Communications reinforces the brand Promise and it builds brand equity Where you communicate depends on several Factors remember the customer experience Touch points and the steps of the buying Process in chapter four Select which step is most relevant to The brand driver and what you're Announcing to the market you may want to Reach the target audience in their homes Places of work during leisure time or Perhaps online the entire customer Experience gives you many options And finally is how you communicate the Media channel you select depends on the Target audience how many of them you Want to reach the complexity of the Message you're sending And how frequently they need to hear the

Message marketers have a wide choice of Traditional media including television Radio print advertising outdoor Billboards and digital medium which Includes social media websites and Mobile channels Each type of media has advantages and Disadvantages TV commercials for example Can reach millions of people but it's Expensive Billboards on the other hand Are not that expensive but they're Limited in what they can achieve it'd be Hard to explain how to use a complicated Product in a billboard Whichever Channel you use be sure to Refer to your brand book to make sure All the design elements and tone of the Communication are on brand Social media is an essential part of any Brand building effort no matter what Business you're in consumers expect a Way to learn about your products and Share their experiences with others Online social media is a powerful way to Communicate your value proposition and Enhance your brand The most valuable and respected brands In the world use digital channels for Brand building Coca-Cola for example Uses Facebook Twitter Instagram Tumblr And other channels and these are all Integrated around its main social Platform a website called Coke Journey According to Coke its mission is to

Inspire moments of optimism and Happiness and build our brands To use digital channels effectively Follow these guidelines First make sure all the sites have a Common look and feel they don't have to Be identical in their design but they Must adhere to the standards defined in Your brand book that means all logos Trademarks colors font Styles and Typography are exactly per standard Otherwise you may confuse customers if a Social media site doesn't look like the Brand Second be sure all Sites use the same Voice of the brand the tone and style of Writing should be consistent with the Brand's personality Third be sure to Define who can and Cannot post things to the various social Media sites it's essential they be Properly trained on the brand and how to Communicate the Brand's values and how To comply with the company's social Media policies Finally be sure to specify the role of Each social media site Overall they exist to support the core Brand promise But individually they might each have a Different role and for that you need to Refer to your list of brand drivers each Social media site is Another Touch point In the customer experience and just as

You do with your other touch points you Can link each social media touch point To a different brand driver Let's do an example with our case study The parent watch Our overall brand promise is The parent watch celebrates Parenthood By helping moms and dads be the very Best they can be But I'm going to create my Brand's Facebook page to be all about this brand Driver How busy parents do The Impossible by Balancing tasks and getting it all done In a day It'll be full of helpful tips on all the Things parents do The Brand's Twitter feed will be about High profile moms and dads and their Successes The Pinterest board on the other hand Will be full of inspirational quotes About parents and how important they are To their families I'll also create a mobile campaign where Moms and dads can opt in to receive Helpful tips on teaching their kids Important life lessons pretty cool So take a look at your digital channels Make sure they adhere to the brand book That they have a specific role tied to a Brand driver and that they are properly Managed taken together social media Sites create a community of brand loyal

Customers who interact with each other And with your company That's the foundation for a strong Customer relationship The packaging around your product is Another great way to communicate your Brand and build equity it's one touch Point within the total customer Experience but packaging is such an Important touch point because it may be The first physical encounter your Customer has with the brand It may also be the last physical Encounter they have right before they Buy the product it's that last 10 Seconds right before the consumer Decides to buy that makes it so Important to get the design of your Packaging right As a brand Builder you'll want to work Closely with your internal or external Design team and you'll need to give them Guidance on these three factors First what is the functional role of the Packaging A products packaging can do a lot of Work it can protect the product that's Inside while it's in the store or Warehouse while it's being shipped as Well as when the products in your Customers home or work location The packaging can explain important Information about how to use the product Or any warnings that might apply it

Could explain how to store or care for The product what ingredients are inside Or the price of the product the Packaging might have other roles such as Making the product easy to find in a Store serving as a gift box or being Easy to dispose of or recycle Next you need to decide the key brand And promotional messages to go on the Packaging Take a look at your value proposition And reasons to believe also take a look At your list of brand drivers and review The functional economic and emotional Benefits that the packaging may be able To convey Use the packaging to reinforce your Positioning and the brand promise Here's an example from Coca-Cola look at The various images on the can A beach ball sunglasses surfboard Barbecue grill I get it Coke means fun At the beach That brand driver is communicated very Nicely by this simple and clever design Ly you need to give guidance around the Design of the packaging and for this Take a look at your brand book The packaging most likely will have the Brand name and tagline it should have The Brand's visual identity including Logos and color schemes but also look at The brand Persona what are the Personality traits of the brand and how

Can the packaging be designed to embody These traits For example take a look at this Packaging from Gatorade even the bottle Itself looks like the distinctive G in The word Gatorade very clever Take a look at your current product Packaging and compare it to the Guidelines in your brand book is the Packaging living up to all the Expectations of the brand Could your packaging take on more Responsibility in the customer Experience Great packaging is much more than a Slick protective wrapper around your Product packaging design offers a unique Opportunity in both a consumer and Business to business markets to Influence customers and brand Perceptions Leverage to its fullest it can work hard To create and maintain long-term brand Loyalty To keep your Brands healthy you need to Measure their performance on several Factors first what is the basic Awareness of the brand you need to Conduct market research to measure the Percentage of people that recognize the Brand when shown the logo or hear the Name of the brand Basic awareness is especially important Within your target audience so be sure

To direct your marketing research Efforts to those specific customers After basic awareness you also want to Measure how well the target audience Understands the brand Can they tell you what the brand stands For Do they understand its distinctive Qualities and characteristics What do they associate the brand with And how closely does it match with your Core promise and brand drivers you may Have very broad awareness of the brand But if customers aren't understanding it The right way then you need to go back And either sharpen the drivers or Communicate your brand more effectively Finally you want to measure how well the Brand is creating customer loyalty and For this you measure customer retention Rates or repeat purchases or you might Measure How likely they are to recommend The brand to others if you find yourself Slipping in Customer Loyalty It could be a sign of several things First the brand may be losing its Relevance it might not be delivering Benefits that are important anymore to The customer Or the brand lacks differentiation the Degree to which customers perceive the Brand to have a differentiated Positioning distinctive from the Competition

Or finally it could be a problem with Consistency in terms of how well the Brand delivers across all the touch Points if you're inconsistent in keeping The promise people lose trust Now these are all the external factors That you measure out in the marketplace You should also measure a few key Internal indicators For example measure the clarity that Employees have about what the brand Stands for and its values and Positioning How well do your employees understand The target audience customer insights And brand drivers your employees are the Ones who keep the promise so they have To have a clear understanding of it be Sure to measure the commitment your Company has to the brand in terms of how Much support it gets Is it getting its share of the budgets And Investments needed to keep it strong Our key individuals devoting enough time To it versus other brands or programs Finally try to assess how well protected The brand is are other companies Infringing on your trademarks or designs Are others taking unfair advantage of Your brand by violating your patents or Proprietary methods and materials Hey you've invested a lot to create and Manage the brand so it's essential that You keep others from diluting it

Measurement is important if you measure These factors routinely you'll be able To spot Trends and head off any problems With your brand before they happen Measuring brand performance is not Enough you've got to actively manage the Health of the brand and keep brand Equity growing But things in the world around you Change and if you're not prepared your Branding strategy May derail and you end Up losing ground in the marketplace Sometimes those unexpected events happen Internally the priorities in any Organization are constantly shifting a Change in leadership a new acquisition a Change in strategy Or perhaps a sudden downturn in Financial results might impact your Branding efforts a lot Disruptions can occur externally as well New competitors emerge new regulations Or legal actions might affect your Ability to Market a product a bad Customer experience or a product recall May be going viral on social media sites Consumer Trends change and all of these Things might affect your ability to Address the brand from moving forward So here are some tips to help you cope With these types of challenges and Manage your Brands effectively First all brands should have a brand Steward which is the single individual

Responsible for managing brand Compliance within an organization Everything from product development to Brand identity What often happens in a company is that Employees drift away from the brand Standards they're not doing it Intentionally but they might create a New version of the logo or color palette To fit what they need at that moment in Time A brand Steward watches over the Organization and Reigns in any Initiatives that aren't in compliance That's why many companies have the CEO Or other senior officer of the company Serve as the brand steward Along with brand stewards you need brand Champions people to represent the brand Throughout the organization and there Should be one from each cross-functional Department of the company not just Marketing these brand Champions form a Committee that should hold regular brand Review meetings they have the job of Reviewing brand performance measures and Recommending ways to improve performance The committee should review and update The brand drivers cutting out the ones That are less relevant and creating new Ones that better reflect the trends in The Market at least once a year the Brand Champions should conduct a brand Audit how is the brand performing on all

Measures both internally and externally What trends are encouraging and which Ones cause some concern Finally the brand team is responsible For reinforcing and energizing the Company around the brand and everything It stands for Creating branded spaces in your company Lobby or corporate training rooms is a Great way to do this Events and employee activities that Celebrate brand performance get people To see how committed management is to The brand and it helps clarify the Brand's essence Brands are both a financial and a Strategic asset they deserve all the Time and attention managing them as you Would any other critical asset of the Business Foreign