The other day I was introduced to a new potential client. We met for coffee in the afternoon and he spent about half an hour laying out his vision to expand his business and build a franchise system. He had very grand and aggressive plans and did realize that there was already a large player in the space he wanted to get into.
So my first series of questions probed him to think about how committed he was to developing and marketing a brand. Very quickly it was discovered that he wanted to be different and unique and build something that people would relate to but he had neither the financial ability nor the mental will to see the vision through.
Brand development and marketing is not an easy, nor is it an inexpensive task. The development of a brand requires development of identity, voice, values and strategy. All of these need to happen long before your company makes its first dollar or can be taken to the next level. Marketing of that brand can be even more time consuming and expensive depending on the market you are trying to either break into or own. To own a space takes vision and hard work. One of the two will not do it.
The larger the organization, the harder it is, because you have to transfer that vision to staff so they can champion your brand. Very quickly people will notice if your marketing says one thing and your brand is truly something else and abandon it. Regaining trust after people have brand disillusionment is even more expensive and much harder to achieve than building brand loyalty in the beginning.
In short you need to be truly committed to building your brand. Take the time to understand who you are, what you do, why you do it and the unique value you bring to the market place. Take the time to share that vision and build champions both internally and externally. The time and money that it takes will be well worth it and will truly Get YOU Noticed!
Here are two brands that work very hard to commit to and market their brands. . . Coca Cola and the Olympics
