Moving From A Company To A Brand

by Paul Gerben , March 13, 2009

The difference between a company and a brand can be summed up by saying a brand simply has a distinct image associated with the company, which is carried consistently throughout all things associated with the business. It is recognized immediately, even without the product or service being mentioned in an ad, brochure or Web site.

Great branding means that a company physically stands out from the competition. Take, for example, a product as basic as bottled water. No matter who makes it, it is still only water. With no ingredients and a simple plastic bottle, water manages to be the No. 1-selling beverage today.

The same beverage that you can get for absolutely free right out of your tap is packaged and advertised under many different brands. At the store, a consumer decides which one to buy usually based only on the appearance of the packaging and design of the bottle; overall, based on aesthetics. Simply put, more intriguing packaging encourages the consumer to believe that this product is actually of better quality.

Image is everything, no matter what your business may be. If branded correctly, a product or service will be much more attention-grabbing, thus creating new business opportunities, customers and revenue. Most companies think that by economizing on this crucial step of business building, they will still be able to succeed if they have a good product or service to offer.

Unfortunately, such great businesses can lose out on numerous opportunities if their branding is not up to par with what they may offer. Great branding is great design -- everything from a logo to all marketing materials, packaging, online content and promotional materials.

In branding, consistency is key: You cannot build a Web site in one color scheme and make your brochures, packaging, and business cards in another one. It shows a mixed message to the consumer, and prevents the "sticking" effect that consistent branding creates.

When all materials associated with the product or brand look like they are all part of the same family, you know your branding is on point. When consumers can see just a color scheme or a symbol and know exactly what company is being represented, a brand is born.

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Am D from AMD Research & Marketing LLC, March 13, 2009 at 8:56 a.m.
When it comes to branding, be sure to take it “several” steps further than just your collateral, website, etc.! Ensure all facets of the company are positioned to be viewed by other businesses or consumers as one. This includes a very integral part we often overlook, people. The people factor may be neglected because of the time, effort, planning or the training needed to make certain the branding “message” is conveyed to employees. The key is to include them in the branding efforts so they may properly pass on the branding message by incorporating it into their daily communications, verbal statements about the company or daily interactions, internally or externally. Continuity in branding is no easy task, the resources needed immense, but the rewards enormous! Just remember who is communicating your branding message and make sure the receiver is being given the correct information.
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Christopher Payne-taylor from sAY-So, March 13, 2009 at 11:21 a.m.

Branding is not just making a company's product or service intriguing or attractive. That is a component of it, yes, but only the top end piece, the proverbial icing on cake.

What lies underneath are the keys to all great branding, what I term the 3D's -- the ability to 1) define where a company or product lives in its own particular market landscape, 2) differentiate itself and/or its offerings from those which are similar, and 3) develop a clear and compelling identity that is unmistakably its own.

Coca-Cola, for instance, understands perhaps better than any other soft drink brand, where they live in their very crowded landscape. They are the "classic" soft drink brand. Based on that positioning, the company has established its primary product differentiation, especially from chief rival, Pepsi. They are the "alpha drink," while Pepsi has always been cast as the "youth-centric challenger" in the mold of its most memorable campaign, "the brand new Pepsi generation." Based on a combination of those 2D's, Coca-Cola has built a truly iconic identity.

Yes, Coca-Cola's cans are intriguing and attractive; they've spend hundreds of millions to create just the right shade of red. They did it, though, not just to leverage great design or build consistency, but to articulate the underlying branding work of defining who they are, differentiating themselves from their competition, and developing an identity that is emblematic of America's cultural zeitgeist.

That's why there is a big difference between Paris Hilton and the thousands of wannabee pop-tarts vying for her kind of media attention. Another iteration of the sexy, airheaded blonde is not a brand. Paris, one the other hand, the "American socialite, celebutante, heiress, model, media personality, singer and occasional actress" as Wikipedia defines her, most certainly is.

Christopher Payne-Taylor | Andover, MA