Over the years I have seen some brands fall and some rise. Reasons for the positive part of this assertion can’t be farfetched from the abilities of brand builders to effectively create an appealing perception for their brands in the mind of consumers. This is however created not merely through product identification and creation alone, but through an all-round creation and development of meaningful brand elements. What then are brand elements?

Brand Elements are brand equity drivers. They are those ‘trademarkable’ devices that identify and differentiate the brand in the market place. They are chosen to build as much brand equity as possible and to enhance the brand knowledge and association. The test of the brand building-ability of these elements is what consumers would think or feel about your product if the brand elements were all they knew. To build a strong brand you have to build powerful elements that will in turn build a powerful perception for your product in the customer’s mind.

Brand elements basically consist of the following:

• Brand Name, Logo, slogan or unique positioning statement, quality, character, symbols, jingles, package, etc.

The above mentioned brand elements help the consumer grasp what the brand stands for and what differentiate it from the rest in its category. To choose a meaningful brand element you have to consider the following paradigms.

• Memorability: are the brand elements Memorable? This has to do with how easily the brand element can be recalled and recognized during and after purchase by the consumers. Some of the thriving brands in the world today (Coca-Cola, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, etc.) have taken advantage of short, sensory and memorable brand names.
• Expressibility: Is it Expressive? This has to do with the suggestibility and credibility of the element in relations to the brand category. Does the element suggest something about a product ingredient or type of person who might use the brand? Or what the brand stands for. (Think Coca-Cola, Kleenex, etc.)
• Amiability: Aesthetically how alluring is the brand element? Is it visually or verbally likeable? Does it project a likeable image? Does the element sparks up interest at contact with consumers and prospects?
• Simplicity: Is the brand element easy enough to project the brand? Is it easily understandable to customer and prospects?
• Visibility: how visible are the elements? A brand element should be visible enough for the customers and prospects.

Adjustability: Is the element adaptable or can be updated?(Mobil gasoline stations once used to feature Pegasus, by dropping the flying horse and designing a simple logotype with blue letters and a red O, Mobil greatly increased the visibility of its stations).

• Protectibility: Uniqueness and authenticity plays a vital role here. How legally protectable is the brand element? How competitively protectable? Names that become synonymous with products categories such as- Maggi, Mclean, Indomie, Xerox, etc. all retain their trademark rights so as not to become generic, though they’ve all at one time or the other fall victim of being used to describe a category due to their being first in their respective categories.

Brand elements and its associations is what give the brand (product) meaning in the consumer’s mind. Understanding how human mind works plays a cogent role in choosing and developing brand elements that will create a favourable perception.

Brand elements plays vital role in building brands. It enhances consumers’ decision in choosing products to use. For this reason, brand elements should be easy to recall, refreshed, recognized, convincing and inherently descriptive at contact with consumers. The likability and appeal of a brand element also play vital role in awareness and associations leading to the brand equity.

N.B. The author of this piece seun Adeogun is a brand specialist in Lagos

Branding is no doubt an essential part in business growth and development in recent times. Many businesses have been able to surmount tough market challenges as a result of the application of branding concepts. Many are still in the process of creating valuable perception in the mind of their prospects and buyers with the use of branding. Nonetheless individuals and nations are not left out in this process.

Branding is as a concept is designed to differentiate your product from all the other products in the same market category with your product.

The differences created can be said to be:

• Tangible –this emanates from the functional value derived from products by consumers.
• Intangible –this emanates from the rational, symbolic or emotional values held in the mind of your consumers.

In recent times, it is assumed that most products and services are bought and not sold. The basic factor that greatly facilitates this process is Branding. Branding pre-sells the product or service to the user.

Singularity, identification and perception play vital roles in the process of branding. The singularity in identification creates a first-hand impression and perception in the mind of your buyers and prospects.

As the commercial markets for products and services are being saturated daily with new entries. Branding therefore calls for attention if you desire to stay in business or have a market share. It must be noted that branding is basically done to get your prospects to see your products or services as the only one that provides solution to their problems.

Benefits of Branding Your Business

Internal Benefits :It helps fine tune your business strategy and offerings as well as ensure adequate return on investments.

External Benefits: Branding help connect your customers and prospects to your offerings emotionally, increases customer loyalty and Improve your product perception and performances.

Power Points for Building Strong Brands

• Identify a need and create a market for that need.
• Create a strong brand identity
• Develop your offerings to become an essentially strong and highly demanded need.
• Define and focus your offerings on meeting that need you have identified, never fall into the gamut of being eager to branch off or extend your offerings so soon.
• Generate publicity through your brand offering. What people say about your brand is more powerful than what you say about it yourself.
• Be consistent and have a quality strategy for service credibility
• Keep re-enforcing the brand with advertisement
• Never stop researching for brand innovation and reinvention to fit with the market dynamics.
• Open a viable communication for resonance and feedback. Connect with your customers emotions. Online presence should not be left out in this process.
• Have a social investment initiative to re-inforce the brand positioning.
• Have a long term perspective and an effective management process for performance revaluation.

Author: Seun Adeogun is a brand specialist in Lagos Nigeria

Someone says the spelling above is not right but that is the title of a film I watched. So pardon the title spelling. Those who are close to me know I am not a huge fan of movie and films. When I take the chance to watch one it must be that I am fascinated by the title (which I presume can teach me something new).

I am a huge fan of anything that can spur me on to pursue excellence as well as increase my value. So when I saw the title I felt it may contain some nuggets that will help me achieve my goal. One of the hidden challenges I have and which some keen observers of our community will have noticed is that my writing style is not at the best level.

I keep struggling with this each new day and sometime I am embarrassed with my post or structure in other piece I have done. Interestingly, when others give me their materials to read all my senses are always alive. So I wonder why I could not apply that to myself. If I must be honest, sometimes this discourages me from writing a post here as I knew some international readers may judge my brand with this shortcoming.

So one of the reasons that attracted me to the film was what I can learn in my pursuit of happiness with regards to my writing style. The storyline is about a young man (Chris Gardner) who had a disordered childhood. He never had the opportunity of meeting his father until he was twenty eight. This young man decision was to be a role model for his young boy but unfortunately his marriage was threaten by poverty to the extent that his wife could no longer endure and she left. He went through hard times but he eventually made the glorious limelight he desired. So some of the personal branding lessons I learnt from the film are:

Have a goal: Whatever circumstance you find your brand today should not determine where it can possibly be. A written goal, dream of a better future will keep the energy inside the brand to glow. Without a goal and dream, there will be no life inside the brand. Each time Chris goes out, he dreamt and saw how he could become better as he saw others leading enviable life.

Trash excuse: everyone has a ton of excuses that can stop them from achieving their goals. Chris dreamt of becoming a certified stock broker/dealer despite huge financial burden. He could not pay his house rent and was sent packing. He has to sleep in ‘free Dorms’ where light will be off at a regulated time. Despite this he would light candles to read.

Take calculated risk: despite the fact that Chris did not have money, he went ahead to enrol for the job of his dream and started reading at any available opportunity.

Develop confidence in your capability and brand: never allow the situation to determine your confidence level. When Chris’s wife left because she could not go ahead with him, and his house owner ejected him, Chris’s confidence level did not drop. The height of this that really touched me was that he was ejected and detained in police custody a night before his job interview. Chris never allowed this to affect his performance at the interview panel. Imagine someone leaving police custody without shower and moved straight to interview panel?

Hold on, be consistence and damn present circumstance: Chris’s life showed a high level of consistency, persistence in his dream. He works his ‘ass off’. Nothing could discourage him from moving ahead. Though once a while he shed tears in the midnight when he thinks about his situation that seems not to have expiry date.

Enjoy the moment: You do not have to wait till major breakthrough comes before you celebrate yourself. Live each day at a time. The first day Chris made an income of two hundred and fifty dollars he took his son and they went to sleep in a hotel room instead of sleeping in a Dorm they were used to. He and his son had fun. From this story I am learning to be happy with myself, my writing style even though it is not near what I desire. I will keep improving till I get there but be happy with the moment. Do you have anything to share? Transparency, honesty and sharing keep life going. Over to you, Use the comment section.

We know most brands are yet to recover from the recession. Most brands’ corporate social responsibilities have suffered a lot of setback because of this. Not only in our climes but I do believe everywhere. The last two years has increased the level of financial stress for Nongovernmental organizations that rely on funding from donor organizations to continue their impacts. As an individual, I do not believe every philanthropic gesture must be in check. Checks are good but in the absence of check something else can still be offered to sincere organizations that are really doing the work.

In a conference we held in February 2010, A multinational (GSK PLC) could not offer money but gave product-drinks –that helped in no small way. MTN Nigeria was able to help out with a check that also helped. We salute these great organizations for being there.

 The essence of this article is based on my personal believe that everyone, brand can give something no matter how small to make a difference in a cause they believe in. Oprah Winfrey once said “I don’t think you ever stop giving. I really don’t. I think it’s an on-going process. And it’s not just about being able to write a check. It’s being able to touch somebody’s life.

In a recent edition of personal branding Magazine (that was just released), I am so happy that the issue of philanthropy is given a major story status. I have come to the conclusion (I stand to be corrected) that only brand that does not know its value will say it has nothing to offer. For instance it takes energy, commitment and dedication to give out free information. That is a form of giving. Many write and sell articles on the net .I am not condemning that act though.

So I strongly believe corporate brands can give through several means. Most corporate brands have experts who can coach, mentor the young ones in schools and colleges. Most can afford to print a few thousands of writing materials, text books and distribute them freely. Most corporate, personal brands can organize competitions among the youths that will project their strong believe in a cause. Most can have a library within their head office where external audience can read, borrow books from. It cost nothing or less to go to orphanage homes and give motivational lectures.

It also cost less to go to remands homes and give reconstructive lessons to some wayward children. What about the Managing Director of a great conglomerate who has sound integrity and can explain how he gets there organizes a three hour session for selected start up entrepreneurs twice or thrice a year in their corporate headquarters’ conference room to avoid incurring cost?

A major point that the Magazine above also stressed is the ability of individual, corporate brands to make their impacts viral through social media by asking your network to help promote the cause. I think most brands that do not do anything have nothing that ignites them. This may be as a result of lack of concern of someone up in the cadre. While we will allow our community to think about what ignites them, I love a quotation by Candance Cameron Bure (that the cover story centres on) when she said “I think that all of us have a responsibility and an obligation to be a voice for those that can’t be a voice for themselves.” If a brand cannot be anything for anybody, it means something is wrong somewhere. What is your brand doing to affect its community and what is the motive of such?

You do not need heavy checks to make impact even though that goes a long way to reach millions when judiciously used. When a brand makes impact with what it has, it can build trust, credibility, engagement, love, passion etc around its name. People watch what you are doing daily with what you have. Time to start with what you have.

Success is not mystical. When you apply the principles and follow through the process, there is a high tendency that you can achieve substantial result. Success is never achieved overnight. Ask those who have tasted real success. It took them several months of sleepless nights, commitment, passion and patience.

Most brands suffer from despair, but stand firm with courage. They realise that courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. Like everyone, I love it when it is fast and sure. But hey these words do not go together most times. So today it is my desire to discuss, share my little knowledge on some of the conditions that I know will guarantee your brand’s success any day anywhere.  

Comprehensible and quantifiable objective: No brand will succeed without a road plan. Every brand must see the end before it starts otherwise the challenges of the road will chase many brands to ground zero. So a clear comprehensive as well as quantifiable objective and goal is essential. Have you lost your brand’s objective? There is an opportunity to go back to the drawing board.

Deep insight of consumers’ psychology and behavioural patterns: Since the success of every brand is dependent on customers, brand must understand their sustainers’ psychological and behavioural patterns. The days of assumption and arm-chair researches are gone for go. Brand must go out to the warfront, at the point of desire and ability of their clients.

Learn to provoke, stir up and appeal to customers’ emotional bonding: people buy from those who stir them up of make them feel good and appreciated. Do not bore your customers. Add fun, be the brand that gives them hope and stir them up to reach their dreams.

Reach clients through their preferred medium: Brand does not make any headway by following selfish desires and enforcing that on its audience. Brand must look out for new media that appeals to its audience and follow that part.

Expose your brand’s relevance to clients through your creative stories: brand creative stories today is part of what ensure audience bonding with it your audience. Study and look around you, most channels are obvious for those who will look.

Let me conclude this with this quotation “No one has ever found success by doing the same things tomorrow that resulted in mediocrity today.”

Silence is golden is an age long cliché. I used to be a fan of this and I am still in love with it. But the events that are unfolding today require that a re examination of what used to be valid truths now require modifications or changes.

In the light of the age we find ourselves today, aimless silence is harmful. There is need to speak out your own side of the matter. It has been proven that being social today is far better than being dumb or silent. Every introvert brand needs to cultivate ability to mix with other brands, potential and actual customers. If you a keen observer, you should have noticed, everyone is talking; conversation is going on with or without your brand’s participation. If by chance, the conversation revolves around you and you are not there to present the complete version of the story, your brand will suffer in silence.

A Nigerian adage says ‘when you hear carry it, carry it and you keep silent, they will drop it at your doorstep/back yard’. The burden of bearing unnecessary loads as a result of keeping  silence may be greater than speaking out your mind. Someone asked me recently what if his brand does not have anything to say? Why trying to answer that question honestly, I stumbled on an article written by Chad levit on questions to ask about personal brand and I believe answering those 49 questions Levit asked in that article will give a brand enough things to say for weeks. In saying something, many feedbacks will be available to the brands to see more opportunities to promote, give value to the target audience.

But before your brand start talking, it will be great  to listen first, have  a strategic plan of what you are going to say and how, when, where to say what you intend to say. For corporate brand’s voice to be more effective, it will be great to get the top management buy-in. Also it is good to have a policy in place that will guide what to say. In addition to the above, honesty, transparence is important. It will be good to prepare for eventualities as there is no guarantee that everything will run smoothly without any hitch.

Brand need to build strong engagement that can help when there is a smoke. Being ready to be on top of breaking your own brand’s news as fast as possible is also essential.

So according to Chad Levit, let us examine some of the relevant things to say which may/will give your brand leverage. What makes you and your brand indispensable, what kind of value do you provide, your brand’s differentiation, expertise, why should anybody listen to you, what trends are shaping your industry presently, do you have success stories, have you contributed to any project achievement, how have you made life simple, bearable for others, what are you doing, do you have any social responsibility initiatives that have impacted lives, do you have photos of events you recently held? These and other questions when answered may give you and your brand a clue to what to say when you already have a plan. Can you share your experience?

Brand communication today has become so easy given the fact that there are several opportunities that are now made available to discerning individuals, brand owners who know what to do and where they are going. Needless to say is that media are channels that allow individuals to pass a message to a target audience with a view to get right feedback. Brand communication media therefore are channels that brands use to reach identified, target audience who are potential, actual or future customers of the brands.

 Brand communication today requires a consistent flow of conversation- not monologue- between the brand and its audience. The equalization of influence provided by the new and digital media allows every brand to have a say instead of being dumb. Brand communication today encourages that each brand becomes social instead of being dumb or silence. Brand communication in this age demands that each brand takes up its own funnel and pour out water of creative, compelling and engaging content that will enhance brand’s perception in the minds of brand’s target. Out of sight is now out of mind. Available media platforms today are enough to ensure brands are not out of sight except the brand chooses to remain so.

 Available media platforms offer untold opportunity to remain in the audience sight all years round. In a recent Forrester research on available media platforms (This result will be the foundation of this write up), many media platforms were identified. I will examine the research report below.

Owned media: These are media channels that are fully controlled by the brand and if I may add, they are used to exchange, share communication with the brand’s audience. Some of these media platforms include brand’s websites, mobile websites, blogs, twitter account, Facebook fan page etc. These platforms are built for a long term relationship with existing and potential audience and takes time to scale.  If I may add, this is where many brands especially in Africa miss it. They want an instance miracle from these platforms. The benefit of these media is in their cost effective, control, versatility, immediacy, niche audience.

Paid media: These are media brands pay for to use. It includes display ads, paid search, and sponsorship. The role of this is in shift in foundation to a catalyst form. Benefit of these includes immediacy, scale control. The disadvantage of this is declining credibility over time

Earned media:  These media make the customers the channel. These include Word Of Mouth, Buzz, viral. It is result of a well executed, well coordinated owned and paid media. These media are most credible, transparent and lives on. The only minus is that it can not be controlled by the brand. Having analyzed these, which of these media is your brand using. The combination of al sound great. Whichever way it goes, all of these increase, populate and shape brand’s perception. Can you share your experience in using these media? Use the comment section.

Change is a constant thing in life. Any brand that refuses to change on time with trend will discover too late that it is already in the graveyard. We are in the age of adaptation. A cursory look around will show signs of this. Before, many people cherished eating at home. Then they had enough time to cook their meals. Today the pressure on people’s time had opened opportunity for quick service restaurants to provide a stop gap in- between to help them out.

Despite these signs many big brands still cling to the old ways of doing marketing business. The need for adaptation has being nailed by this quotation: Adaptation means not clinging to fixed methods but changing appropriately according to events. We need to realize that in today’s business environment, success does not belong to the strongest of the species or the most intelligent, but those who subscribe early to change, adaptation before it is too late.

 The world is moving more rapidly, Holding to old strategies of doing business is becoming increasingly dangerous, poisonous. Technology keeps expanding and new discoveries are being made everyday. Brand’s strategists, communicators must ensure they are constantly overhauling their skills. Without adaptation, most brands will be lost in the sea of innovation. For many brands to survive today, such brands should be armed with these basic ingredients.

Change mindset/be open: It is not compulsory that we must absorb everything, but gateway to new discovery is a mind that is open and is willing to accommodate new ways of doing business. Never say never.

Plan/ strategize: when your brand is open to new ideas, it will see need to plan ahead. This will necessitate the need to plan for necessary changes or ignore them. This will also lead to strategy formation, deployment of troops ahead of the battle.

Act: never being stranded with inaction. Act on what you think will help build your brand for tomorrow. Begin to sell the idea to decision maker as an employee if you are hired for that purpose otherwise if you keep quiet, you may soon lose your job as a professional who does not know how to guide. That is why you are hired in the first instance. Does anyone has contrary opinion?

In a recent professional roundtable with few colleagues, we were discussing issue that relates to emotional engagement with brands that can likely have meaningful impacts on brand’s success. Some were of the opinion technology plays a great role in brand’s objective achievement. While we all agreed on this, the point of argument arose when some felt that technology should be given preference over social science in social marketing. I and some other felt that technology may be great but social interaction follows social behavioral pattern than high profile technology when it comes to social marketing. The reason is not far fetched, when the instrument of interaction becomes complicated through the use of high profile technology, the purpose of conversation is often defeated.

The above now forms the basis for this write up. Opinions are welcome from others who feel otherwise. Trend is changing at an alarming rate. To play the game, brand must understand the rules and adhere to them. Social media has increased the noise level on the web. To be seen today is a daunting task. The days of ‘build it and customers will come’ are gone for good. Many brands are failing in social marketing efforts today because they have hired technologists to do the work that requires social sciences assignment. The human element of social marketing is often ignored by high profile technology application.

While social media is helpful to any brand, over reliance on technology will harm the conversation spirit that social marketing aims to achieve. Social marketing promotes relationship over technology. It is focused on sharing helpful tips, connection, association, friendship, allegiance among real people. Many brands that concentrate on technical tools may live to see that it is becoming interestingly difficult for them to build strong engagement with their brands.

Brand must learn to humanize their social marketing tools to get the best in terms of returns on investment. The demand of today is that brand must listen before it pursues ego laundering through unnecessary use of complicated tools that can harm its objective. Anything short of this will break the back bone of conversation, relationship that social marketing represents. While there is no evil in the application of relevant technology which will enhance productivity and efficiency, over reliance on technology that will confuse the niche will not help brand as much.

For social marketing to be successful, find first what works with your niche in terms of easy accessibility, usage. Remove the cap of a traditional marketer and learn to become what makes you a partner in progress. Remember, social marketing that will be meaningful, interactive, promote solid relationship should concentrate on relieving the stress off the niche market. Reader’s opinions are welcome.

Internet has become a driving force for brand globalization. It has granted an increasing speed to the wheel of business transaction. That accounted for more brands embracing the internet. No brand exists today without a Google resume. Having established that there are several opportunities for brand to promote and build engagement on the internet without much cost and this also goes for website  hosting  too. Our discussion today will centred on one of these opportunities offered by the internet. The internet comes with a possibility of holding a webinar-this is called seminar on the internet- with various categories of audience while they remain at the confinement of their chosen locations. They must have internet access on their PC. Holding a webinar requires that the brand has a software that can help in this regard. Basically such softwares are free. Only that it requires a proper briefing of brand teams that will handle the webinar. Anyone who is interested can get the rudiment in few minutes. To begin with, what a brand needs is to first identify the target audience. Because the target audience will determine what the content of the entire webinar will look like. The target audience may be brand’s sales team in different locations or they can be customers who need update on brand’s product and services. The webinar may also target potentials. In this case the essence is to create awareness and sell advantages of partnering with the brand. Other things to take note of are the title of the webinar-must be appealing to target audience, the date has to be chosen with careful consideration for the target audience location. There is no need for holding a webinar without the target audience attendance. The brand needs to send invitation on time through phone calls, fax, emails and other means that can reach the audience.

In preparing also, send reminder, get your entire presentation ready before the deal date and if possible the brand’s team should have a rehearsal to be sure that everything is properly set. This will show professionalism on your part as well as increase brand perception. Remember first impression still counts. If you mess up the first time, you may not get the participants attention when next you call. Be careful also to use easy to understand technology for both your team as well as the participants. You must build excitement throughout the webinar otherwise you may not be able to sustain their interests, Be absolutely prepare for question time. In this regard, get all the props you need to be present before you go life. Be sure the main speaker is interesting and keep a smiling face all through. Do not forget to record the session also for those who can not make it. The recorded version can be sent to them. This add credibility. It also shows that the webinar was held as promised. After the webinar. Make sure you follow up on the decisions that were jointly reached.

The following benefits are accruable to a brand that annexes this method.

Time and cost saving: a webinar allows the brand to safe cost and time on getting all the participants in a physical location. It also helps to reach greater audience and generates lead from unsolicited audience who may have seen the advert on the internet. It helps to build brand as a resource for participants understanding of what the brand stands for. In conclusion, it helps build strong rapport, generates feedback for the brand from potential clients.