How Does Branding Work?

What is a Brand? What Does Branding Mean? How Brands Work

In addition to the definition that “A brand is nothing more than a special promise made to a customer, and the relationship that exists between the two through communication,” I offer some additional ideas about branding.

• You can consider a brand as the idea or image people have in mind when thinking about specific products of a company, both in a practical (e.g. “the shoe is light-weight”) and emotional way (e.g. “the shoe makes me feel powerful”). (Andrivet, 2015).
• I add to the idea that “Brands transform products and services into something larger than the product itself”
  • “Branding is the process of giving a meaning to specific products by creating and shaping a brand in consumers’ minds. It is a strategy designed by companies to help people to quickly identify their products and organization, and give them a reason to choose their products over the competition’s, by clarifying what this particular brand is and is not.” (Wright, 2016)
• Branding is important for the following reasons, according to Amanda Wright of The Branding Journal (2016):
  • It helps people identify and recognize your products and organization
  • It’s what makes your company different from the competition
  • Branding helps you connect with customers emotionally
  • It help consumers know what to expect by making your products easy to choose
  • Branding is the best strategy to attract top quality talent
  • It helps you build trust with many different stakeholders
  • It allows you to stay clear with your organization’s strategy and stay focused
  • Building your brand helps you grow your business
• Small businesses with stellar branding examples from Karla Cook (2017):
  • Folklorious, accessories boutique
    • “incorporated excerpts of classic artwork, illustrated design, and photography with modern graphic elements and typography. The end result is an eclectic, stylish, and truly unique brand identity.”
  • Zonzo Estate, winery, restaurant and popular wedding destination
    • “The redesign is surprisingly modernistic for a rustic winery. The work is centered around a versatile, floating-letter logo that looks classic in gold foil, and youthful and fresh when printed in outline on a menu cover.”
  • Notel, a hotel
    • “The name and logo explicitly express the idea that this is ‘not a hotel’, with a subtle nod to the slashed ‘no symbol’. Celebrating the best of Melbourne, reframing both high and low culture, Self-titled created the brand positioning — ‘reflecting and reframing Melbourne’. This helped inform the reflective surfaces, cut-out logo and a website design which reveals and reframes layers of content.”

References (APA)

Andrivet, Marion. (2015). What is branding? The Branding Journal. Retrieved from http://www.thebrandingjournal.com/2015/10/what-is-branding-definition/

Cook, Karla. (20 February, 2017). 15 inspiring examples of small business branding. Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/inspiring-examples-of-small-business-branding#sm.000018ibcw97s8fsptz4i7lscuih4

Wright, Amanda. (2016). Why is branding so important for your business? The Branding Journal. Retrieved from http://www.thebrandingjournal.com/2016/06/why-is-branding-important-business/