| Abstract: |
If the company has customers, they have a brand. Their best customers have
formed an image in the mind of what they are, what they do, and how they do
it. Everything they have ever done and everything their people ever did helped
to create the brand in their customer’s mind. Everything they do in the future
will influence how their brand is perceived. Their brand is a litmus test of
their business. If the company’s brand reflects the reality and potential of
their business, that’s a great measure of strength. They can travel wherever
their brand takes them. They can expand their brand and incest with
confidence. However if the brand is low-key, passive, misunderstood, or
undervalued, there’s a lot of work to be done. A weak brand is a liability in
any category, while a strong brand soars. They key to growing a strong brand
is to be clear about what a brand actually is. Usually product and brand are
thought to be synonymous and are often interchangeably used, as words.
However, there is a critical distinction between the two: “within every brand
there is a product, but not every product is a brand.” A brand is much more
than the logos and graphics, or other tangibles (though these are vitally
important). It takes more than financial resources to build a brand (insight
into human nature and imaginative creativity are more highly valued). Once a
brand is created the company cannot assume the hard work is done (the hard
work is just beginning). The simple, compelling fact is that their brand is
about the special relationships they have with people, and how they make those
relationships real. If the customers know the company and respect them and the
company responds to them in stimulating and constructive ways, they have the
basis of a great relationship. The company’s brand and their business are
inextricably linked. Every effort they make to attract customers and become
part of their lives grows their brand as it grows their business managing on a
brand platform (Human idea) is the most comprehensive, most powerful and most
productive way to move their business ahead. If they have a vision for their
business, they need to make it realize through their brand. |