What Is a Brand and Why Should You Want One?

You’ve heard the term, maybe as background noise as you took the myriad steps required to create and run your company: “branding.” You’ll see it here as one of the services 101 Management, Inc., offers. But what is “branding,” and why should you want it?

There are actually two aspects of branding: (1) the name and logo of your company and, (2) your company’s reputation. Both are intertwined and both are critical to the success of your enterprise. They are what the world sees when it sees you, and it’s a kind of shorthand that tells prospective buyers what to expect.

Think of the Energizer Bunny. It keeps going and going and going, right? This was an ingenious combination of visual logo and slogan: a child’s toy that requires batteries, and those batteries outlast all of its competitors’ as the voice-over in the ad intones the “going and going” message. That branding was so successful that the phrase “Energizer Bunny” has entered the language as a symbol for people who just don’t give up. Think of what that single image has been worth in marketing dollars to the Energizer people. The return on investment (ROI) over the years has been incalculable.

There’s a downside to branding, too. Think Wells Fargo. Think Takata airbags. Think Samsung’s exploding phones and—even more recently—exploding washing machines. These firms’ brands have all taken a hit in the last few months, to put it mildly. Now each is scrambling to re-brand their brands, so to speak, in the public’s mind.

A great brand doesn’t happen by accident. It can be thought of as the essence of your company, and must be reflected in every aspect of your operations, from your website and logo to the way you and your staff interact with your customers. It takes time to develop and must be carefully thought out.

“Quality is Job One.” “Think different.” “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.” By the way, on that last one, have you ever noticed the white arrow incorporated into the FedEx logo? Many people don’t even see it until it’s pointed out to them, but it’s another example of genius branding. The subliminal message: FedEx is on the move.

A good brand will make you seem familiar to those with whom you do business; will convey at a glance what your business is about; and, most important, it implies a promise from you to your customers: “We promise to deliver quality products or services in this area. We promise that we’ll outperform our competition. We promise that you will be so satisfied that you’ll want to remember us, tell your friends about us, and return to us for follow-on business.”

And when you deliver on that promised quality, if your brand is memorable you’ll make it easy for your repeat customers to find you again. Our expert branding and web design team stands ready to help you create a powerful, memorable brand for your business, one that communicates your message and sticks in people’s minds.