WHY BRANDING IS MISUNDERSTOOD

Branding has become a common term that is more often utilized in the creative industry. However, many people have gaps in their knowledge and understanding of what branding is and what it is not.

In simple terms, branding can be defined as the art of creating an identity for a product/service or a company. It is a whole package of distinct features such as logo, name, colours, symbol, letters, promotions, etc.

The process of branding primarily involves creating and establishing a brand name. A brand name is a specific name given to a product, service, or concept.

However, branding has more to do other than choosing a name, logo, and design elements.

Here are a few insights into the reasons for inaccurate ideas associated with branding.

● Branding is not the same as marketing & advertising

While examining the competitor's marketing strategies, business owners might feel that the changes those players brought to the strategies are the only factors that power their brand and led to their success. Considering branding just as marketing is one of the most common mistakes people make.

In the shift to an increased number of digital marketing channels, most marketing functions don’t have qualified marketers who can understand the distinct concepts of marketing and brand management. There is a need for uphill marketers who specialize in brand strategy.

Branding is not a thing that is depicted in a tagline or an ad campaign. Such elements are only a visual identification of the brand, while branding is the personality of a business. It’s a powerful tool that makes people choose your product, even if they are provided with other alternatives of the same quality.

● Branding is not just providing a logo or a name

Most people associate branding with a website, a tagline, a logo, or even a brochure. Consider an example of a company selling some specific products getting their name’s font style, colour, or other elements changed. Many people misunderstand this process as ‘rebranding’, as design elements are slightly or heavily altered. Well, this can be considered as a part of the rebranding process. However, rebranding is not just confined to changing the design elements.

● Branding is an intangible asset

In the real sense, a brand is something we cannot touch or see. It is an identity perceived by the people, which means the perceptions, thoughts, and feelings that a business firm creates in the minds of people about that business’s product, services, and the business itself.

Different people can have different perceptions. The process of branding can be simple as well as complex, it depends on various factors. However, it is certain that branding is a multilayered process that includes intangible results. These factors can make it difficult for people to understand what branding really is.

● The term ‘branding’ is often overused or misused

As mentioned earlier, many businesses say they brand their business, but actually, in reality, they might be bringing changes to their marketing strategies. This can create misconceptions among the customers or the audience.

Such firms don’t recognize that branding is the total sum of everything that they do. For perfect branding strategies, a company must also need to convey what its goals are like, how they are different, and what they can contribute.

Many board members and directors of most companies come up through sales, finances, or human resources. Most of them lack brand expertise and are probably overconfident in this area of business.

● The importance of branding is miscommunicated

Business owners are always concerned if branding adds any value to their business. This is mostly because they might have been misinformed or do not have proper knowledge of branding.

Many people may also assume that branding does not provide a quick return on investment, so it is not an essential strategy. They are forgetting the fact that a well-designed brand is a long-term asset that adds real value to a business.

● Branding strategies are communicated poorly

Many consulting firms offer great branding strategies that help companies establish their position. However, there are still firms that view branding as a commodity and offer strategies that are difficult to understand or set unrealistic goals. In such cases, people will misunderstand that the process of branding is so complicated and inaccessible.

There is another misconception that branding is only suited for big companies. This is because some of the most popular and most talked about brands are large, renowned corporates. Actually, the reality is all about how well the companies use branding for their growth and development.

● Branding is totally or partially in the hands of your clients

Business firms of all sizes might bring several changes to their websites, marketing strategies, and design elements with an expectation to give a new life to the brand. In reality, the business does not own the brands, the customers do.

Whatever promotional strategies are adopted, customers play as a major contributor that makes or breaks a brand. This is the reason why most popular brands survive for an infinitely long time even if their products go downhill for a short period. Those firms have already earned the trust of customers and dominated as powerful brands in the market. Brands get developed by everything, including every touch they make with their customers.

The world of branding is evolving day by day. No matter, what the size of the business is, branding is an essential strategy for business promotion. Companies shall not limit thinking to the power and potential of a brand.

Branding agencies can help companies establish their place in their industry in a way that they prefer to be perceived by the targets. This ensures further brand development and effective business promotions.