Fundamentals of Brand Building

How it started

▪ 200 to 300 years ago, Branding came

from the word Old Norse Brandr meaning
to ‘burn’

▪ owners stamped their cows to distinguish

 How it started cont’d
▪ 19th and 20th Industrial revolution gave
the concept a radical push

▪ Since WWII, there has been an explosion

of brands which has come to symbolize
the convergence of the world economies
on the demand-led model rather than the
command-led model
What is a brand

A singular idea
or concept that
you own inside
the mind of the
prospect

Al Ries
A brand is the differentiator of a product or
service from similar offerings
Market share is not
based on merit, but on
the power of the
brand in the mind.
- Al Ries
It involves leveraging
on the functional and
emotional attributes of
a brand in other to
build brand equity
So why the hype?
Value association
Pride
Differentiated from competition
Command premium price
Sell more (Substantiate market price)
Attract and retain stronger employees
Higher consumer followership
A practical example: BMW which has the tag line ‘the
ultimate driving machine’ as this is one thing
everyone experiences
What a brand is not
■ a trade mark – these are legal properties

■ a mission statement – this is a reminder

■ a logo or a slogan – these are your signatures

■ a product or a service – these are just the

tangibles

■ advertising – they deliver your messages

What a brand is
■ Point of view – branding is a strategic point of view, not a
select set of marketing activities
■ Customer value – branding is central to creating customer
value, not just sound bites and images
■ Competitive advantage – branding is a key tool for creating
and sustaining competitive advantage
■ Engineered – brand strategies must be “engineered” into
the strategic planning process
■ Meaning – brands get their identity from meanings.
Products and services are the blood of a brand. Your
organizational culture and standards for action are the
heartbeat.
■ Logic and emotion – branding is part science and part art
Types of brands
■ Product Brands
■ Service Brands
■ E-brands
■ Cause Brands
■ Nation Brands
■ Government Brands
■ Global Brands
■ Corporate Brands
Types of branding cont’d

■ Corporate brand (umbrella brand ) is the practice of using a

company's name as a product brand name. It is an attempt to use
corporate brand equity to create product brand recognition.
(Monolithic architecture)

■ Product brand involves giving each product in a portfolio its

own unique brand name. This contrasts with corporate branding
in which the products in a product line are given a single
overarching brand name. The advantage of individual branding
is that each product has an image and identity that is unique. This
facilitates the positioning of each product, by allowing a firm to
position its brands differently. (Stand alone architecture)
Cont’d
■ Service Brands- Involves delivering service which involves personal contact.
E.g. hotels, banks, travel agents, advertising agencies

■ Government brands-Governments and political parties often have strong

brands as they are centered on passionately held core values, Branding is
important in both securing votes and in international diplomacy- Digital India

■ Cause Brands – Attempting to attract customers by associating the company

with a cause or purpose that potential customers would find beneficial to their
personal goals or in line with their values. This might be a percentage
contribution of company sales to charitable organizations or donations to nature
and wildlife preservation councils. – P&G product sales contribution to education
Types of branding
■ Global Brands – uses single corporate brand name. These brands think
global but act local to have relevance- Rolex

■ E-Brands -.These are brands that are online based. The Internet is a
medium that presents new challenges for brand owners. E.g. Amazon.com

■ Nation brands - New ways of thinking lead to countries being positioned as

tourist destinations, enhancing status of goods and services produced, and
aiding under-developed countries. – Malaysia, Truly Asia
A 5 Step
Brand Building Process
Brand Assessment
Internal and external assessment

Consumer insight to determine the building blocks

by the brand

Identity points of differentiation

Brand Promise
Crafting the brand essence, brand story and brand
promise drawing on insight from the brand
assessment
Brand Blueprint
Creating visual representations (look and feel of
the brand)

Creating the physical and visual expressions, logo,

colours, by-line i.e. the brand identities
Brand Culturalization
Internal immersion

Creating a corporate culture around the brand by

aligning all members of staff with the Brand vision
and Essence
Brand Advantage
Leveraging the brand

Creating communication strategies and

channels to engage the Brand’s audience,
build, maintain and grow affinity, salience
and brand equity
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What is the importance of a
logo?
■ Logo is the most ubiquitous communication

It represents the I D E N T I T Y of the E N T I T Y

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Logo- the core values

■ Logo identifies the core values of the corporate brand – the

colour, the font, the visual mnemonic all project ethos of the
company
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■ The role of a logo is to provide

Visual identification and Recognition for a company or a brand

The 19th Century belonged to Trade Marks

The 20th Century belonged to Logos
The 21st Century must belong to ‘Identities’
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Identity of a logo…?

■ means
…

An idea inside the identity that is a summation of what the

company stands for
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■ If logos bond closely with the ‘brand’… and

If consumers bond closely with the ‘brand’

then they automatically bond closely with its logo

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Cont.

■ If a brand is trusted and regularly used by the consumers…

… the only way they can identify a genuine brand is through its
logo leading to…

… Growth in sales, Market share & Profits

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Famous Logos

■ McDonald’s “Golden Arches”

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McDonald’s Golden Arch

■Apair of stylized arches in 1950s that were

a part of the standard building design of
the McDonald’s hamburger restaurant in
Oak Brook, Illinois. When viewed from an
angle, the design was reminiscent of ‘M’
and was subsequently incorporated into
the company’s logo.
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Contd.

…the physical arches have been dropped, but

Golden Arches continue to stand for

McDonald’s
across the world
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Mercedes-Benz

■ Tristar
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Mercedes-Benz Tristar

Held at a perfect separation of 120 degrees within a circle, the

three pointed stars signify

land, sea, air –

the perfection of

German Engineering
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Nike ‘Swoosh’

■ In
1971 Phil Knight started Nike, he was
hoping to find a mark as recognizable as
Adidas stripes.
■ CarolineDavidson a student designed the
logo for mere $35.
■ Whatwas the rationale for designing
‘Swoosh’?
+
‘Swoosh’

■ Nike is a winged Goddess of victory. According to Greek

mythology, Nike sat at the side of Zeus, the ruler of the
Olympian pantheon of mount Olympus. The Nike ‘Swoosh’
embodies the spirit of winged Goddess
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Characteristics of a good Logo

■ Distinct

■ Visible

■ Universal

■ Timelessness
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Classification of Logos

Typographical Logos:
■ The play is only on Typefaces
■ Communication perfectly expressed
through fonts
■ Does not need symbols
e.g. Cartoon Network, CRY
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Classification of Logos

Typography-with-Symbols Logos
■ Types play a secondary role & symbols communicate everything

■ The symbols are formed using initials

e.g. Hewlett Packard HP

General Electric GE
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Classification of Logos

■ Symbols logos in the form of shapes

Geometrical

e.g. State Bank of India

Bank of Baroda

Citibank
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Classification of Logos: Natural
Two glasses of milk
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Cond.

Logos with Mascots

e.g.

Air India’s – Maharaja

Nirma- Nirma girl

Amul’s – Amul girl

McDonald’s - Ronald
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Do Logos matter to consumers?

Yes, most certainly it does. To consumers logo represents:

A sense of comfort, trust & genuineness about the brand

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Contd.

■ A brand personality comes alive through a logo

■ The consumer interacts with that brand personality and

experiences the brand not only physically but also mentally
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■ The logo is a tremendous positive stroke to many consumers

■ It is thus important to have a right kind of logos.

A good logo engineers positivism

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■ Any Questions Please?