You Can’t Fake a Brand
By Jeanne Frazer
As a speaker, I am always looking for things that people want to learn more about. As  economic times get tougher, people are analyzing their marketing closer to find how to make it work better. It all begins with branding and many times it comes back to re-branding or the need to tweak a brand.
I was hired a couple years ago to do a brand analysis for a firm that had been in business for a number of years and was trying to determine if a rebranding of the company was in order. Our initial analysis included interviews with current employees and a survey of current and past clients. In both cases, we worked to determine what made the company and its services unique—its unique sales proposition, or USP.
Brand development takes the company’s mission, goals and USP into account. The brand must be unique and represent your business or product. Successful brands take on their own lives. If you are lucky enough to travel abroad and you ask for a Coke in a restaurant, everyone is likely to know exactly what you want.
Unfortunately, sometimes companies lose focus of what makes them unique. In other cases, the customer’s view of the company or product is significantly different than how the business views itself. As the market changes and the business grows or shifts, the brand should be reviewed and adjusted to ensure future success.
Whether you are developing a new brand or tweaking your current brand, there are a few things you need to keep in mind:
• A brand is not just a logo. It conveys who you are graphically, in text, and in all human interactions.
• Your brand must be honest. If you represent yourself as a cutting edge technology firm, then you need to prove that with your products and through such things as attending (or better yet, speaking at) industry events about the future.
• Consistency counts. If your firm is heavily into sustainability, everything you do should reflect that. For example, if you host a meeting, attendees should expect to see recycle bins available for use.
• Your brand should resonate with your target audience.
• Look at every touch-point, from your website to your e-newsletter and TV and radio ads. Make sure your staff members are educated on how they represent the brand.
Unfortunately, when sales are slow, some firms will cast a wide net to try and get new business in the door. When you do that, you run the risk of stepping away from what you do well and what makes your firm unique. This can be a risk and can dilute or negatively impact the brand. The most successful firms do not try to be all things to all people.
Branding can be a complicated process, and brands do change over time. Take a critical look at your brand and see whether it represents “the real you.” Remember: you cannot fake a brand. For more information on branding speeches or to ask a question, please email us at info@theexpertspeakers.com or call 919.850.0605.
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