>baba rant - ranting & raving about stuff

Just when brands and products need marketing the most — in a downturn — many budgets are cut. This is an age-old problem, about which Barry Silverstein elaborates in the March 24 issue of brandchannel.com. He writes, in part: “A recession can weed out weaker brands of lower quality and therefore make category leaders even stronger. At the same time, value-based brands can increase brand strength because they present the consumer with a familiar name at a reasonable price. Also, during a sluggish economy trusted store brands can appeal to budgeting consumers who previously purchased a more expensive brand name product… A brand marketing paradox is that expenditures are often slashed in recessionary times, so brands risk becoming less visible. This is not the best strategy. Harvard Business School professor John Quelch… says: ‘Instead of cutting the market research budget, you need to know more than ever how consumers are redefining value and responding to the recession.’ Quelch also points out: ‘It is well documented that brands that increase advertising during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve market share and return on investment at lower cost than during good economic times.’ Of course, a company’s management must have a strong enough stomach to follow a contrarian’s strategy and invest funds in brand marketing when other expenses must be controlled.”

http://www.brandchannel.com

The challenge for most b-to-b companies is to elevate and transform the brand into a true competitive advantage. In developing a strategy for b-to-b brand building, there are five key steps to keep in mind:

• Structure your brand for a clear, unified expression. Many companies allow far too many departments, such as human resources, investor relations, public relations and marketing, to express their brands. The result is inconsistent, conflicting expressions of a brand that muddle the competitive landscape. To avoid the noise and confusion and to create a disciplined, broad approach to brand building, coordinate its expression through an on-staff brand champion. This person’s task is to make sure all the company’s uses and expressions of a brand agree, generating an unstoppable cumulative impact and a clear difference in customers’ minds.
• Strip away confusing elements in your brand. Over time, a brand’s external impression can sprout new benefits and features tacked on by individual sales representatives. You need to take a hard look at the impression your brand makes, decide on one or two things to stand for, and throw the others out.
• Find a meaningful difference, not demands that a clear, simple differentiation be articulated. Brands that stand for something have a huge advantage in attention and conversion.
• Mine your current customer base. Let your most committed customers show you what that essential differentiation is. Effective b-to-b branding demands that you capture what’s setting you apart for them. Get close to them, pick their brains and research the causes of a high level of satisfaction. You will identify assets you never knew you had that are working hard for you every day; all you have to do is find inspiring ways to communicate them.
• Embrace the future of your brand. Each massive change in the b-to-b sales environment creates unprecedented opportunities. 

Branding is a way of articulating the core values of a corporation and marketers need to focus on the way a brand gets brought to life tangibly, where it really lives.

Take a look around. What do you see?  What are your values and are you marketing them and bringing them to life? 

Don’t just push the envelope; throw it off the table.  Start with your story (Is it compelling?), modify your packaging (Is it different?), reconsider your brand name (Is it memorable?), adjust your attitude (Seemingly rare?) and experience (Like none other?).  These are just a few places to look. Creativity will land your brand. Conformity will kill it.Always protect the integrity of who your brand is, but then build relationships by creatively expressing your essence (purpose, position, personality, promise) and then create lasting loyalty with your confident distinction. 

Five steps to get it right:

• If it scares you, get excited. 
• If peers say, “Are you out of your mind?” say, “Yes!” 
• If your industry starts gossiping, send them a thank-you note. 
• If no one’s done it before, move faster. 
• If you think your brand distinction is your quality product or extra caring staff, read this article again.