So, you want to build

What is it that makes a brand great?

In this short read, Rob gives us some headline thoughts on the importance of company branding, why this is important and what you may want to consider.

Why bother developing a brand?

A good product at the right price will sell whatever the brand – right? Not necessarily.

The real reason why developing a good brand is important lies in the simple truth that Unique Selling Points (USP’s) are becoming difficult to achieve, or possibly, do not exist at all anymore; so another reason is needed for a person to buy your product or service.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, ‘this chap has lost his marbles’. But think about it. Name one USP that exists in any product or service that you use. Take your mobile phone; what feature does your phone have that others don’t. You might say that the camera is the best, or the screen resolution is second to none…but you will always get people arguing the point. Their phone has a great camera and the phone’s screen is really vivid. Clear service or product differentiation is getting harder to deliver. And, even if you can generate a USP, pretty soon after you have delivered it, the competition catches up and the advantage is lost. So, basing a business on a USP advantage is not a good idea.

And that’s where a respected and familiar brand is essential…

A good brand fosters loyalty and allegiance…they become members of your ‘club’. Once you have this then the need for constantly creating USP’s is negated. You still need to have a competitive product/service, but its success is more to do with creating a set of values that your target audience can relate to, rather than relying on USP’s or price.