Be different, be nimble, and be understandable with your brand proposition.
Over these 15 years of experience with Marketing and Brands, I have learned that value is built daily, permeating the entire ecosystem, from business to communication. For this reason, I focused my work on provoking and challenging brands to discover their purposes, as I understand that the positive impact this generates on the world is a high-value drive.
“To me, marketing is about values. This is a very complicated world, and it’s a very noisy world. And we’re not going to get the chance to get people to remember much about us. No company is. So we have to be really clear about what we want them to know about us.” - Steve Jobs
The concept of brand image — the current view of the customers about a brand, has become essential because it is related to the positioning of a company. From this perspective, the term brand equity is conceived in marketing as the value that positively influences the way the customer thinks, feels, and acts to the brand. A brand equity measure is equivalent to how much more the customer is willing to pay for the branded product or service. In this regard, it is not only addressed the brand image but the value that the brand brings to the consumer, related to its attributes, whether tangible or not.
With that in mind, here are five tips to reach the best results in building your brand value:
1. Don’t be afraid to be different
In the world full of so many similar products, being unconventional makes the difference. However, being different doesn’t mean abandon your entire brand strategy. On the contrary, marketers need to think of ways they can differ from the norm while staying true to the company’s value proposition.
2. Have a strong brand proposition
Every organization has a purpose — to increase profit and make more money. However, the brands that can verbalize their mission beyond the financial incentive are the ones that deliver an excellent customer experience and stand out in the marketplace.
3. Ask the right questions
- How can we, as brand managers, make people’s lives better?
- Do our customers really believe that we care?
- Do we build a significant difference?
4. Help marketing empowers the entire organization
The world where somebody sets a direction and tells everybody what to do — that way is over. If marketers can clearly define the brand purpose, then they can help other divisions better understand how that purpose applies to their roles.
5. Remember, great people build great brands
When most marketers think of brand advocates, they tend to think of passionately loyal customers; however, that marketers shouldn’t forget the employees — “Your employees are your greatest advocates.”
Which brands can you remember now that deliver on their promise? Like people, brands have personalities and must show coherence and consistency to create a transparent relationship with their audience.
Andre Havro, MBA