How to understand the concept of branding
We live in an era of branding. People create personal companies with their own logos, companies strive to create brands around their products. But few people can say what this word is, what it means, what it consists of, and why business needs it. At the initial stage, some executives are only worried about the appearance of the logo and office, and then they wonder why they have to buy Instagram followers to promote their brand on social networks.
Designers and SMM specialists are often approached for a name, logo, corporate identity, thinking that in this way you can create something unique and working. In fact, everything is much more complicated.
A negligent attitude towards your business causes many problems, such as the inability to find your audience, the need to invest a lot of money in promoting the company’s social media (for example, buy real Instagram followers every month). This negatively affects the financial position of the company.
A brand is an image in the consumer’s head that creates value for which he is willing to pay more.
In order to understand what an image in the head is, it is enough to recall any name of a popular company. If you think about the name of a company, such as Nike or Coca-Cola, you first of all remember not the sensations from using their products, but the emotions that you get from advertising, from a situation (a holiday or a sporting event).
These can be completely unexpected stories related to low-quality service, or a high price, or, on the contrary, a pleasant experience of interacting with the product. All this ultimately forms the image that lives in your head. The name and logo are just a part that allows you to open these memories in your head.
The value of our philosophy is the benefit in any of its embodiments. In our understanding, benefit is the best solution to consumer issues. Tasks can lie both in the functional plane (it is faster to get there, it is more convenient to order), and in the emotional plane (to feel more confident, to feel more significant). Even if you are selling the same product as everyone else at the same price, you have the opportunity to show your best side, for example, through quality design. In this case, you satisfy the aesthetic need, which also brings tremendous value to the consumer.
The importance of choosing a strategy
Before building a brand, you need to decide on your strength, namely the benefits that you give to the consumer. Further, on the basis of each point of contact, you need to convey this benefit, building a strong, coherent image that will ultimately carry value. This whole process is called branding.
Branding is a process from design to brand management at all stages of the life cycle. Image and value are laid down at the strategy stage. Strategy is a general outline of the formation of an image and added value, how you are going to get from point A to point B.