Ever wonder what’s the fuss behind a name ? Have you ever asked your parents why they gave you the name you have ? Is there any meaning behind it all, besides identification ? I am willing to bet , your folks have a good story behind how they landed on that specific name for you. Maybe a story of how you came about into their lives , what you stand for or even one they hope for you to live out through your experiences. That is exactly what a name does for you. It’s more than just identification assigned to you , it creates a story where you are the center piece and life experiences unique to you i.e. ‘your Brand of Life’.
Similar is the journey of any company or organization offering products or services , they are but the brain child of the entrepreneurs , who gave it life. A ‘Brand’ doesn’t just sell products or services , they sell an ‘Emotion / Experience’ . One that the public knows , admires , remembers and prefers over a plethora of other options. For instance , Apple is more than just a smart phone or a tech company , Rolls Royce is more than just a car , Louis Vuitton is more than just a fashion designer, or how Jack Daniel’s is more than just whiskey. These brands have managed to achieve a Status in their industry , that very few may rival.
Who wouldn’t want such admiration ? Such loyalty can only lead to ‘greater gains’ and the language of Branding is what majority of the market speaks and listens to. So you may ask yourself , does it really make it into my priority list among things like product development or customer satisfaction ? or is it just some pretentious way elitist companies establish supremacy ? Branding is the catalyst that adds value to all other activities carried out by the organization. It is what establishes individuality to an organization and evokes a sense of relatability in the minds of it’s audience.
Here’s Seven more reasons why a strong Branding language speaks better to your target audience.
1)Greater Awareness –
‘Anonymity’ is often the cause of the death of many brilliant products and services. Brand awareness is the extent to which a potential customer is able to recognize or recall a brand under various conditions. Awareness doesn’t particularly mean that one must be able to recall all the specifics of the brand , but rather it’s the ability to recall distinct features or characteristic enough to differentiate between competitors or influence a purchase decision. For instance , what’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the following taglines :
a) …….. ” The best a man can get ! “
b) …….. ” Just do it ! “
c) …….. ” I’m lovin’ it ”
d) ……. ” Isko laga dala tho life Jingalala “
If you thought of ‘Gillette‘ ; ‘Nike‘ ; ‘McDonalds‘ and ‘Tata Play‘ respectively , then congratulations , this means your brand awareness is on point and the respective marketing teams may just be “GOATed“. If however you thought of something else , you probably have a dirty mind. Maybe just broaden your internet search a little more , have a Brain Brownie every now and then , after all it is the ultimate food for thought ! The point is a strong Branding language can help an organization shed it’s cloak of invisibility and make it more perceptive to the target audience.
2)Greater Trust –
Companies will move mountains to build trust in their brand of products and services. Apart from micro managing the quality of offering , they engage in various branding initiatives such as product demonstrations , featuring consumer testimonials , moneyback guarantees and other consumer engagement promotions all in an effort to earn their respect and loyalty. Trust in your brand not only ensures consumer loyalty , but also converts those customers into ‘Super Fans’ or ‘Brand Advocates’. We need only to turn to the entertainment industry to observe this , where content consumers become such big fans of the names that inspire them , they’d go to war to defend their choices if questioned about them. Be it Virat Kohli , Rajinikanth or even Marvel Comics , a brand’s fan base is one of the greatest drivers of it’s success. Public relations and the right branding language sets the tone of the message one puts out in the market , and enables their audience to judge it’s legitimacy before being consumers of the same.
3)Greater Promotions –
A strong branding language can enhance your promotional and advertising efforts. Companies usually take a tedious approach towards any promotional activities from choosing an appropriate brand ambassador , advertising campaigns , PR events or sponsorships. We all have our own personal favorites when it comes to the many ‘Amul‘ ad campaigns turning newsworthy facts into intelligent puns , or the quick wit of the ‘Mentos‘ adverts. Branding language and promotions can transcend a company to be almost synonymous to certain characteristics of it’s target audience. Take for example ‘Red Bull‘ that managed to capture majority of the market share with just a single SKU , rather than a product line of multiple energy drinks. Not many people realize that ‘Red Bull’ is infact a Marketing Agency , than energy drink manufacturer. With their hand in sponsoring multiple extreme sports promotions , the company has cemented it’s position as the drink of choice of “Adrenaline Junkies”.
4)Greater Goodwill –
Now branding is much more than a gimmick that people make it out to be , it in fact has some intrinsic value of its own. We all are somewhat familiar with the term – ‘Brand Value’ , to put it in a nutshell , it’s the value added to the company’s worth on account of its branded status. And no ! its not just some feel-good factor or some qualitative association with the organization , its a measurable valuation of the monetary benefits of the brand to an organization , also known as ‘Goodwill’. We often observe companies aligning themselves with debatable situations to earn favors with a subset of the general public. Take ‘Dior‘ for instance , who refused to drop Johnny Depp as it’s brand ambassador amid allegations of domestic violence , earning market share and respect from the court of public opinion , when the truth was eventually revealed. So it goes without saying that Branding can add , a much deeper value than a pseudo makeover for the organization’s image.
5)Greater Morals –
‘Brand Image’ is a persona that the public best resonates with and align themselves to qualities that best represents their own values. This image is mostly shaped by the morals , values , vision or mission of the entity. Branding helps give such a makeover to organizations , that wish to be seen in a certain way that best expresses their image. Take for example the mass exodus of brands from the Russian market , due to rising tensions with Ukraine and NATO. Having no clear branding language can often leave the market with a rather bland taste in their minds for your brand . And as a True Indian would know best , there’s absolutely nothing appetizing about a bland taste , it’s all about sugar , spice and everything nice !
6) Greater Market Positioning-
Market positioning is slightly different from Brand image , in that it is more competitive in nature. Brand positioning puts the focus on consumer’s taste and preferences , and dependability as compared to the competitor’s offering. Positioning is the construct by which an organization legitimizes it’s standards in the minds of its consumer. Essentially it’s the proposition which makes the brand be seen as favorable , unique or credible according to the consumer. The choices available to the public have really bought out the A-game in many promoters of competing companies in an industry. The rivalries brought about by this is a sheer spectacle to watch . Be it the campaigns of Pepsi vs. Coca-cola , Burger king vs. McDonalds , Zomato vs. Swiggy , or the infinite commercials of numerous cosmetics and cleaning detergents that are constantly trying to one up their competition through not so subtle messaging in their campaigns. So it’s pretty clear that branding language can be an effective tool in swaying the market to favor your products and services and further your growth over the competition, as well.
7)Greater Investment opportunities-
Having listed all the above potential gains that a strong branding language can bring you , perhaps the most important one is the added investment opportunities it brings in. Once a organization has reached it’s pinnacle through its initial investments , they enter a stage where they seek external funding to keep the growth engine in motion. And earning an investor’s trust is no easy task , many consider them to be rather shrewd to focus only on the numbers. But after all, they are pledging their own hard earned money while picking up the risk of returns on an idea that they may not be as passionate about as the entrepreneurs themselves. However ‘Valuation’ is something that all investors are interested to bite into , as it basically determines their return on investment. The story of the Twitter Takeover , best explains how branding can affect it’s share prices and investor’s trust.
So, these are just seven ways a strong branding language can best help your organization speak the market’s language and grow organically. The potential is truly limitless to what a creative approach to branding can do to any cause or business opportunity. If you wish to know more on how you can harness this power over the market and build the next big brand in your niche , reach out to the Mitty Gator or GatorGains Ventures. We are Business Enablers and a 360° Marketing Agency helping driven individuals, startups , businesses and NGOs achieve their desired traction goals trough targeted end-to-end solutions. Also drop a like and follow to the #GatorVerse that brings you this and many more ‘Brain Brownies‘ , be sure to stay hunger for more of ‘The Ultimate Food For Thought’ …
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