Branding in today's age

Thousands and thousands of brands today are looking to create their mark and become another 'Apple'. The basics of building a brand remain the same.

Every brand needs to answer 3 specific questions:

1) Who am I?

2) What do I stand for?

3) How do I Behave?

A brand need not be a product, it can be a person, an event, a blog or anything else. Brands are all about identity. A brand is something that people identify with, in a particular way. 

So, there is Colgate and Pepsodent that we understand are germ-killing toothpastes, while Sensodyne addresses the sensitivity in our teeth. The way Sensodyne positions itself is way different than the other toothpastes. Close-up stands for a fresh breath while Meswak, Dabur Babool, Dabur Red, Vicco are positioned as Ayurvedic toothpastes.

Branding would mean positioning your product as one that caters to some need. Unless you are a Steve Jobs, who purely creates the need for his product, you would certainly like to announce the utility of your product. This utility is nothing but information as to how the product offered is important for the customer; how he/she can benefit from its use and what is the purpose that the product serves.

There are millions of brands out there. They fight each day to position themselves well. To be appealing to the customer and to win over their competitors. We have seen many of these brands over the years. Some of them have positioned themselves so strongly that we now know their tag lines and jingles by heart. 

So, first and foremost, a brand needs to pronounce its name. Out and Loud. Unless this is done, it will be lost in the crowd. 

Next, a brand must say what it stands for. The same product could cater to multiple needs and what is the one thing or need that I cater to, the best. Then, this could become the brand's character. 

Behavior is critical and important in today's world as customers are well aware and willing to judge a brand by the way it behaves. So, if a brand is promoting itself as an eco-friendly one, consumers would doubt it if they offered plastic bags to take home the products. 

The brand endorsers and their behavior is also critical when it comes to how the consumers perceive the brand. It is very important that the brand ambassador has a public image in-line with the brand's behavior.