Branding is one marketing concept that can be a bit vague and quickly confusing even for the marketing experts. Today, we will dive into what is branding and try to provide a clear answer in simple words and examples.
The understanding of branding begins with understanding what a product and brand is. In broad, a product is anything that you can offer to a market to satisfy a want or need. A product can be a physical good, a service, an experience, an event, a person, a place, property, an organization, an idea or information.
To illustrate how a product plays a role in defining branding, we take the example of water. Water is basically a liquid and transparent product required by consumers to quench thirst. However, different companies will find a way to convince consumers to purchase their bottled water instead of that of their competition.
A company is able to do this; by creating a brand.
Branding is the concept that influences how people perceive your brand, brings in new business, and increases your brand’s awareness. Therefore, a brand is the idea, image you create in the minds of your target audience when they think about your product or service both in its practicality and emotional appeal.
In that, the design of your logo, communication of your message, and visual representation will trigger the physical and emotional cues you intend for your consumers. Ten companies can have the same product, but the brand will always be unique.
A brand can then be narrowed down to a consumer’s gut feeling about a particular product or organization.
The aim of a brand is to attract and retain consumers and stakeholders. It does this through the delivery of a product that aligns with its promises. Making branding a very critical aspect to the successful sale of a product.
EKAR did a branding revamp for Bdelo, an FMCG company dedicated to baking the best tasting Maize tortillas. The product was however not performing as good as it tasted. https://ekarcommunications.com/portfolio/bdelo/
It took the changing of the product packaging, and extensive consumer research to come up with a visual identity for the maize tortillas that would easily attract its consumers. All these strategies trickled down to brainstorming for a brand strategy that communicates the needs of the consumer and the goals of the client. Bdelo witnessed a significant improvement in its sales.
A perusal of the above example from our brand portfolio, helps explain why branding is critically important. You need effective branding for recognition, increased business value, generation of new customers and the list goes on.
