What branding is

• The core purpose of branding is to distinguish a product or service from others so that it can be identified by consumers.
• Visually this may take the form of a brand name and logo or the visual appearance and style of the environment in which a service is provided. But brands are much more than that.
• A brand is the culmination of a user’s total experience with the product or service (or company) over time. That experience is made of a multitude of good, neutral and bad encounters, such as the way a service is delivered or a product performs, an advertising message, a press report, a telephone call, or a rapport with a sales assistant.
• The result is a combination of beliefs, attitudes, feelings and expectations that reside in the minds of the user, and that represent a storehouse of potential future business for the brand-owner.

Why people and organizations buy.......

• We buy products & services with benefits that meet our needs and wants, which can be physical, emotional & psychological.
• We don’t always buy rationally - we are very influenced by feelings, beliefs and habits.

.....and why branded products & services are more powerful than unbranded ones

• A branded product or service can meet customer needs better, by offering and delivering extra psychological and emotional benefits.
• A customer can have a relationship with a brand, involving feelings, beliefs and habits.

Marketing Thinking from GCM Marketing Ltd. provides consultancy, advice and practical help with marketing analysis, marketing research, business and marketing strategy, marketing plans, marketing communications, brands & positioning, from a base in Scotland. Copyright © 2004, 2005,2006.