Authenticity is key to brand
Developing a strong brand always has its
place, but especially now. And the key question
should be - do we really attach the
correct value to our branding and shouldn't
we be doing more to differentiate ourselves
in the marketplace?
Even those who mock branding as something
ethereal need to remember the
power of brand to lift (and to depress) the
bottom line. Developing brand isn't an addon
to business development - it should be
the entire strategy. A poor brand will have a
negative effect on business growth, no
matter how big an organisation. At the same
time a strong brand will allow a smaller
player to punch well above their weight and
make the most of the allied disciplines -
marketing, advertising, PR and internal
communications.
Doors always open for a brand that is
respected, even in the most difficult of
times. And that's down to perhaps the key
element of a good brand: trust. A brand that
delivers authentic and consistent messages
while speaking honestly about an organisation's
business and values will be trusted. But what do honesty and authenticity of
brand actually mean?
Historically we may not have developed our
brands as far as the FMCG sector for
example, but a professional services context
is no different to any other in that brand is
all about presenting the character of an
organisation. The more genuine and professional
that character is, the greater the likelihood
of the convergence of reputation and
reality. An organisation that looks, feels, and
talks about being modern and innovative,
for example, and which can live out these
attributes in the flesh will quickly be recognised
for being not just honest, but for doing
something different even when the sales
messages and actual products are the same
as everyone else's.
Years ago all branding was down to
personal contact, customer care, and quality
of the first impression. Times haven't
changed all that much, but the world has
certainly grown more sophisticated. It is not
enough to allow your organisation's brand
to drift out there in a vacuum with the
potential to be attacked by third parties. You
have to take charge of every medium and
platform at your disposal and push each as
far as you can. Identifying your core brand
strengths and values may be hard enough in
the first place, but building that authentic
brand and promoting it through every thing
- and crucially every one - that represents
your business, is the hard part of the job.
But it is worth the effort. A strong brand is
to die for. A weak brand has the potential to
drag down and undermine even the biggest
of operators.
Placing an organisation's ethos and values -
it's corporate DNA if you like - on visible
display is scary for some senior people. But
it is our job as professionals in this sector to
tell our CEOs, managing partners and
boards that this is not just OK, but
absolutely the right approach to take.
Perry Buck
Committee member
PM Forum West Midlands
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