They think of the shoes they think of Phil Knight. When people think of Nike, they maybe think of the swoosh. At a certain point, it’s what you do with it in terms of the packaging, marketing and public persona. While it may technically fit the definition, that kind of make-work activity does little for the bottom line.Alexander Isley, creative director of Connecticut-based Alexander Isley, Inc., makes the point about paying lip service to the process when he says that, “It’s (branding) more than just a name. Previously known as positioning, branding can sometimes fail to take into account the abstract creative elements that are critical to a winning strategy, not just the mostly visual content that’s the main component of a branded product or service.In our trickle-down marketing world, sooner or later the corner deli ends up extending it’s brand simply by changing the hand-printed sign in the window to include cold beer.
If there are 10 different widgets the consumer might buy and you make one flavor, successful branding means that when a widget is needed yours is the one they’ll pick based on recognition. Lets look at a basic branding checklist to see what’s involved.Branding is the process of identifying your product to anyone who might be riding by. But if nine-figure check writing isn’t in your product’s promotional future, there’s still plenty of hope. Magical things happen when you put $220 million a year behind marketing something.” Magical things indeed.
The task is to be memorable, acceptable and versatile, a task involving a little left brain and a lot of right. The chain’s also known for Hooters Air.While anyone can come up with a logo, a qualified design stands out on the page, screen or billboard because it’s unique. Uh, yummm? You’ll need it, after a bucket of greasy wings and a pitcher of beer right before the marathon. And this one’s home-grown: Hooters Energy Drink. (The Donald) Trump Steaks. Consider this short list of flops: Precious Moments caskets.
You recognize the brand and accept its implicit promise to fulfill your product need.It wasn’t all that long ago when retailer Target was just another discounter selling in the shadow of Sears and K-Mart. In both examples you’re fulfilling a number of abstract motivators involving style, value, self-image, utility, etc. It’s both corporate and product, so it doesn’t matter if you’re after basketball shoes or a warm-up jacket — just look for the swoosh. For example, Proctor & Gamble, the planet’s most prolific marketer, promotes countless brands, from Tide to Charmin to Duracell to Crest.Or like the example above, Nike’s swoosh leaves no room for confusion. A short list of target marketing channels includes retail, direct, print, event, mobile and web.Products and the companies that make them may look interchangeable, but strategy will determine approach.
From the corporate colors (orange and black) to the various visual elements beginning with the bar and shield, Harley’s profited mightily from brand extension and in so doing was a Wall Street darling for a good while. Ignore their direction and you’re no longer on their shelves.For the powersports market, there’s no brand more ubiquitous than Harley-Davidson. At the same time Target makes it clear that their job isn’t to build your brand, just offer it to the shopper. Now their highly successful red and white brand epitomizes the sheer power properly promoted design elements have to sway consumers.Behind the scenes, though, is a strict reseller discipline that rewards manufacturers’ individual brand efforts with front of the store push.
As the current crop of Viagra ads show, linking "Viva, Viagra" to a Softail may not be the image that’ll sell in tomorrow’s dealership.
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