FOLLOW THE BRANDING HIGHWAY CODE

Your brand is everything that your customers and prospects think, feel, say, hear, read, watch, imagine, suspect and hope about your business. Your task is to keep topping up your audience’s memory bank with regular communications that maintain your place in their minds. Irrespective of your aim – market share or market growth, there are a set of guiding principles that apply…

Always have a plan
There is a common saying in business that a “bad plan is better than no plan at all”. Whilst I am inclined to agree with this thought, I maintain that in order for any business to truly measure success there must be a well-conceived business plan in place. The purpose of your marketing plan is to support the goals and aspirations of your business plan, which should include a series of measurable KPI’s at every stage. If you are clear about what you are aiming for it will be clear to your customers and prospects too.

It’s ‘still’ all about people
According to statistics 84 percent of advertising in the UK is not remembered. Why is this? Because nobody thought about the end user – the punter. You don’t have to endure meaningless TV commercials watching people and clouds, lack of understanding and imagination is everywhere in branding.

Keep it simple
Simple messages stay in minds. In crowded markets it’s difficult for a brand to find a unique place in the minds of many people. Craft a simple message that speaks to your audience in their language but stay true to your brand’s tone of voice. Borrowing a line from those amazing Volkswagen campaigns – ‘think small’. Less really is more when creating impact, communication and persuasion. Once you have defined your message, repeat it – obsessively.

Be original
Many brands seeking market growth fall at the first hurdle. They think that creating a campaign that looks and sounds very similar to that of the leading brand is a good idea. It is not. Consumers have already seen the leading brand’s campaign and will probably mistake yours for theirs. The message is clear, don’t follow the leader, be different.

Lead by example
There’s misconception within certain circles that leading brands don’t need to work as hard as the chasing pack. A brand leader must set the bar, which means constantly coming up with new creative experiences that leave the competition scrambling for relevance and additional budgets.

Channel your inner salesperson
Many people involved with brands would be horrified to be associated with sales. This is immediately evident by the irrelevant rubbish that many brands produce in the name of advertising.

Can a vehicle brand save the world? The answer is of course no. However, they should provide a brilliant product with reliable aftercare, at the right price and without doing any harm. Far better to accept this and focus on the desired outcome – a sale!

If your brand is struggling to pass the theory or practical, please get in touch: hello@gsbd.co.uk