Brand Management Strategy To Build Customers

Posted by jpattonon on March 27th, 2019

You know these global brands the minute you see them: Disney, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Google, etc. The sight of their logos or advertising or products evokes particular emotions. It’s not just that these brands provide a particular product or service you enjoy, they are part of your world and emotional landscape comprising parts of your everyday life.

The great, iconic brands are not built overnight. They take years and years to build with a successful brand management strategy. It usually starts with a unique product or service that people enjoy, and then the company continues to introduce more and more products and services. With Disney, it’s the never-ending stream of movies and entertainment experiences that keep consumers coming back for more. Or with Coca-Cola, it’s the company’s trademark soda that some consumers just can’t live without day after day.

Differentiation

One of the most effective brand strategies is differentiation. This is where a company through patent or trademark is able to carve out a niche in the marketplace that is unique to them. It is a space that they can play in, bringing in products and services that consumers can’t wait to get their hands on such as an Apple iPhone or a Microsoft Xbox. To be successful, these companies know they need to ask and answer the question of what makes them different in the sense of better innovation, experience, and value. And then they hit this message over and over again, helping to differentiate themselves to their customers as to how they are better than the competition and the logical choice is to purchase their products.

Once the product and service are identified, then comes the creative and graphics work of product name, colors, fonts, logo, visual images, lifestyle integration, packaging, social media appearance and influence, and of course advertising. And then, ideally, this is all captured in a simple, short slogan. For McDonald's the slogan is “I’m Loving It.” For KFC the slogan is “Finger-Lickin' Good.” For Subway the slogan is “Eat Fresh.”

Built around each slogan is a wealth of brand assets that reinforce the message of these slogans. With web, TV, and radio ads music is known as a jingle are added so you don’t need to visually see the logo or brand materials, and you still know the brand and feel the emotions you associate with the company’s product or services.

Company as a Brand

Often, for heritage companies, the company has been around for decades and the company itself becomes a brand such as in the case of Proctor and Gamble or Ford. These companies have a host of products, but through years and years of brand management, the company is so well known that its reputation lends credibility to the products and this helps to sell.