BRAND & CORPORAT E IDENT IT Y

MANAGEMENT

• Determine the difference between a brand and corporate identity

• Recognize the need for branding especially in the service industry

• Identify what can be branded and types of brands

• Appreciate the challenges associated with branding services

• Identify a simple approach to branding and managing the corporate

identity of a firm

Session 1: Difference between Branding and Corporate Identity

Session 2: What can be branded

Why brand?

Types of brands

Branding services

Session 3: Building your Brand…Managing your Corporate

Identity

D IFFERENCE BET WEEN BRAND ING AND CORPORAT E IDENT I T Y S E S S I O N O N E

• We are living in an age of brands. These days no one asks for:

– Toothpaste, they ask for Pepsodent or Colgate

– Washing powder, they ask for Omo or Ariel

– Margarine, they ask for Blue Band

– Cocoa beverage, they ask for Milo or ‘This Way’

• So does it mean that a brand is the name of the product or

service a company provides?

What is a brand?

• A brand is not a logo

• A logo is...

– A symbol of the brand

– The graphical representation of everything that embodies the brand

• A brand is not a name

– A name represents a brand

• A brand is a feeling about a product , service, expertise, company,

person etc.

• A brand is also an expectation... an expectation of?

– Trustworthy behavior

– Quality

– Excellent experience etc.

• A brand is identified by a name, logo, or symbol that evokes in customers a perception of added value for which they will pay a premium price.

• If you had the resources, which of these products and services would you patronize? And why?

• The name, term, sign, symbol, or design or a combination

of them is used to identify the brand and to differentiate

the products and services of that brand from those of

their competitors.

– They are used to show customers that this product is different

from the products of another manufacturer.

• Branding therefore defines an emotional relationship

between customers and a firm or business.

– This is dictated by the audience.

– It is your reputation in the marketplace, and it translates as a

promise to customers.

• Branding is created not only by how you promote and

define yourself, but also the way others define and view

you as an organization

Overall, branding is

an emotional response

• Customers get emotionally attached or connected to a firm or business

and its products and services through branding.

– Eg. Some people only wear shirts made by:

– Eg. Some people are emotionally attached to:

Why? Are there

not other

equally good

designer shirts?

They cannot explain why,

but they will not drink

other cola drinks like

Pepsi or Africola etc.

• The concept of corporate identity is

similar to that of our own personal

identity. It refers to the specifics that

differentiate us from others

– It is our personality and character that

maintains our individuality

– We express it through how we behave,

speak, and even what we wear

• Some marketing experts regard corporate identity as the core of an

organization's existence, made up of its

– history

– beliefs

– philosophy

– technology

– people,

– its ethical and cultural values and

– strategies.

• In fact just the same way in which most of the above describe an

individual’s personal identity

• A corporate identity or corporate image is

therefore

– the manner in which a firm or business presents itself

to the public or the general image a business projects

in the minds of customers, investors and employees

• It is the manifestation of the products, services, values,

culture, beliefs etc. that the company represents

• Identifying the difference between the two concepts is quite complex

as they are both interconnected.

– Corporate Identity is “the overall image of a business entity in the

minds of the public, such as customers, investors, and employees”.

– Branding is “the perception of stakeholders of the firm in relation to

their experience with the firm”.

• For example, BMW can be your first car, but it is the brand (experience)

that will decide whether it will be your life long choice.

• The lived experience of the brand is therefore very important.

– Does the brand deliver on its promises?

• So…

– While corporate identity is about projecting an overall image of a

business entity in the minds of the public, branding is related

to emotion, trust, and reliability in the minds of customers.

• Branding is about how people feel and think about the

company or simply how they perceive the organization.

• Branding can evoke various emotions such as confidence, trust,

happiness, anger, etc.

• Corporate identity is, to a very large extent, achieved through

the brand-building techniques and marketing strategies of a

company.

- W H AT C A N B E B R A N D E D - W H Y B R A N D ? - T Y P E S O F B R A N D S - B R A N D I N G S E RV I C E S S E S S I O N T WO

1. Physical good – Toyota cars, Coca Cola

2. Service – Visa card service

3. A store – Shoprite, Game,

4. A person – Nelson Mandela

5. A place - The city of Paris

6. A business - Barclays bank

7. An organization - The Red Cross

8. A school – Ashesi University

• Because…

– Products and services have become so similar that it is difficult to

distinguish them by their quality, efficacy, reliability, assurance and

care. Brands therefore add emotion and trust to these products

and services, thereby providing differentiating clues that simplify

consumers’ choices.

• These added emotions and trust help create a relationship between

brands and consumers, which ensures that consumers are loyal to the

brands

• Brands also create aspirational lifestyles. Eg. What are the differences in the

perceived lifestyles of someone who drives a Jaguar and someone who drives

a Toyota.

– Associating oneself with a brand therefore transfers these perceived lifestyles

onto consumers ie. people aspire to have those kinds of lifestyles or such

perceptions about themselves and so they acquire the brand

• This combination of emotions, relationships and aspirations allows companies

who own the brands to charge relatively high prices for their products and

services, which otherwise are barely distinguishable from others which many

be just like theirs.

Product Brands

• Product brand involves giving each product in a portfolio its own unique brand name.

• This contrasts with corporate branding in which the products in a product line are given a single overarching brand name.

• The advantage of individual branding is that each product has an image and identity that is unique.

• This facilitates the positioning of each product, by allowing a firm to position its brands differently. Eg Unilever products

• Corporate brand (umbrella brand ) is the practice of using a company’s name as a product brand name. It is an attempt to use corporate brand equity to create product brand recognition. Dangote, for example, the word "Dangote" is included on all products.

Corporate Brands

• Service Brands- Involves delivering service which involves personal contact. E.g. hotels, banks, travel agents, advertising agencies

Service brands

• These are brands that are online based. The Internet is a medium that presents new challenges for brand owners. E.g. Amazon.com

E-Brands

Nation Brands

• New ways of thinking lead to countries being positioned as tourist destinations, enhancing status of goods and services produced, and aiding under-developed countries eg. Kenya is a tourist destination

Cause brands

• Attempting to attract customers by associating a company with a cause or purpose that potential customers would find beneficial to their personal goals or in line with their values. This might be a percentage contribution of company sales to charitable organizations or donations to nature and wildlife preservation activities.

Government Brands

• Governments and political parties often have strong brands as they are centered on passionately held core values.Branding is important in both securing votes and in international diplomacy

• Although essentially, branding products and services are similar,

branding a service poses challenges greater than branding a product.

• Services are intangible and each customer experience is unique, thus

making it harder to brand because each experience is a unique

encounter between employee and customer.

– Even a small number of bad customer experiences can severely damage

your brand and service reputation.

• This is especially true for smaller businesses in smaller communities where

word of mouth spreads more easily.

• Services are usually indistinguishable from one business to another

therefore it is difficult to establish uniqueness because technology has

made it easier for competitors to copy your successes.

• Services often address complex, multiple need-buying situations.

Inconsistency in the service process is inherent because people delivering

services are unique.

• Branding through traditional marketing is either supported or countered

by real-time consumer experiences and the word-of-mouth messages

they carry.

– In services, consumer experience plays a huge role in determining excellence

and this experience can vary from one employee to another.

• Given the challenges discussed, branding is important to services

because

– it gives tangibility to the intangible.

– Brand symbols can be used to convert the abstract nature of services

into more concrete forms.

– Branding helps make services more understandable – Example: Banking,

Airlines etc. it serves as a differentiator for consumers

• Given the branding challenges you are likely to face as a

service oriented business, incorporating proactive

strategies related to the unique elements in the service

marketing mix is a good strategy.

– Remember the marketing mix for services includes

people, process and physical evidence

– This is explained

People

• People define a service and customers make judgments about service provision and delivery based on the people representing your organization

• This is because people are one of the few elements of the service that customers can see and interact with

Process

• The speed, efficiency and accuracy with which the service is delivered

• All services need to be underpinned by clearly defined and efficient processes.

• This will avoid confusion and promote consistent service from any employee.

Physical evidence

• Physical evidence is about where the service is being delivered from

• For example if you walk into a restaurant you expect a clean and friendly environment, if the restaurant is smelly or dirty, customers are likely to walk out even before they have received the service.

• So some of the strategies which can be used to counter

the challenges of branding services, based on these 3 P’s

are:

– Hire top quality people,

– Train them for consistent, quality service,

– Promote the value of your people.

– Emphasize the aspects of your service process that benefits your

customers. Eg. Unique bank emphasizes its quick delivery of loans to

customers – in 48 hours

– Provide physical evidence to validate your brand – Neat and modern

physical environment, consistent use of company colours etc. Many

service companies also use testimonials from customers.

BU ILD ING YOUR BRAND…MANAG ING YOUR CORPORAT E IDENT I T Y S E S S I O N 3

• Brand building involves all the activities that are necessary to create

and nurture a brand into a healthy cash flow stream after it is

launched.

• Brand building is a process …

– It does not happen overnight. It requires

• Making key decisions about your products, services and company

• Assessing your target audience and

• Using a mix of both tangible and intangible elements of branding to define

and promote a strong brand

What are

tangible and

intangible

elements?

• A brand comprises 2 key attributes

Tangible attributes -Elements of a brand that have physical dimensions or are discernible by the senses ie. product, packaging, symbols such as logos, graphics, colors, shapes and smells and sounds such as music, jingles and voice

Intangible attributes -Elements that have no physical dimensions or are not discernible by the senses. These relate to the specific promise, quality, positioning and emotion the brand evokes

• For product brands the tangibles are

– the product itself, the packaging, the price, etc.

• For service brands, the tangibles have to do with

– the customer experience - the physical environment, interface with

employees, overall satisfaction, etc.

• For product, service and corporate brands, the intangibles are the

same and refer to

– the emotional connections derived as a result of experience, identity,

communication and people.

• Brand building therefore involves managing the tangible and intangible

aspects of the brand.

– Tangible aspects are thus developed – ie. logo, taglines, brochures,

packaging, company colours etc.

– Intangibles are also managed via the manipulation of brand identity, brand

communication/marketing and people skills.

• A seven step brand building process is outlined for discussion.

• There are two parts to brand building

Build the brand

• Brand name

• Target audience

• Qualities and benefits

• Brand logo & tagline

• Etc.

Communicate the brand

• Marketing

• Innovation

Step 1 : Determine your brand’s target audience

• The foundation for building a brand, is

1. Determine the target audience that you will be

focusing on.

– After all, you can’t be everything to everyone. So keep in mind

who exactly you are trying to reach so you can tailor your

message to meet their specific needs.

2. Be specific.

– Determine detailed behaviors and lifestyles of your target audience eg.

• SME owners

• Artisans

• Cooperatives

• University students

– Have a clear picture of your target audience, then create a brand identity

that they can understand and relate to.

• Before you can build a brand that your target audience trusts, you

need to know what value your business provides. The mission

statement basically defines a purpose for existing. It will shape every

other aspect of your brand building.

– What is your mission?

– Craft a clear expression of what your company is most passionate about.

• Everything from your logo to your tagline, voice, message and

personality should reflect that mission.

• Don’t imitate exactly what the big brands are doing in the banking

industry. But, you should be aware of what they do well (or where

they fail).

– The goal is to differentiate from the competition so as to easily convince

a customer to purchase from you and not them!

• Research your main competitors. Study how they have effectively, and

ineffectively built their brand.

– Are they consistent with their message and visual identity across board?

– What is the quality of their products or services?

– Do people rave about their services?

• Identify what you offer, that no one else is offering.

• Focus on the qualities and benefits that make your company, product

or service unique. It could be

– more authentic and transparent customer service,

– a better way to support productivity, or

– helping save money with a more affordable option.

Eg. Unique bank, a loan in 48 hours

• If you know exactly who your target audience is , give them a reason

to choose your brand over another.

• The most basic and arguably the most important piece of brand building, is

the creation of your brand logo and tagline.

• The logo and tagline will appear on everything that relates to your brand. It

will become your calling card, and the visual recognition of your promise.

Well known taglines in Ghana

– Eg. Vodafone – Power to You

– MTN – Everywhere you go

– Milo – Food drink of future champions etc.

• Be willing to invest the time and money to create something

exceptional. You’ll be putting the logo on everything, to reinforce the visual

identity of your brand.

– Ensure consistency for any future application of the logo and associated colours.

’

• Your voice is dependent on your company mission, audience, and

industry. Your business voice is how you communicate with your

customers, and how they respond to you.

• A business voice could be:

– professional

– friendly

– service-oriented

– promotional

– conversational

– informative, etc.

• Choose a brand voice that makes sense and resonates with your

target customers.

• When brand building, tell customers who you are.

– Use the business voice you have chosen.

– Your message should be intricately associated with your brand, and

conveyed in 1-2 sentences.

– It goes beyond your logo and tagline to define the key aspects of who

you are, what you offer, and why people should care.

• A brand message is an opportunity to communicate on a human level,

making a direct emotional connection with your consumers.

– What this means, is that the language you use should be understood

immediately while striking an emotional chord.

• Make it simple and clear.

• Most importantly: when crafting a message, address not what your

product can do…but why it is important to your customer.

– Eg. Promoting Made in Ghana

• CLASS ACTIVITY SESSION: FINDING YOUR BRAND’S

PERSONALITY

• (Refer to sheet 1)

• Brand marketing influences the decisions of a variety of customers. It

is most effective for developing repeat business, as any customer’s

perception of a brand is going to be largely informed by their previous

experience(s) with that brand.

– For customers, the company’s brand represents instant knowledge of

that company. For example:

• A coffee customer knows that Nescafe has gone through several levels of

testing and quality control, and is one of the best tasting coffee in this part

of the world.

• A movie-loving parent will assume that a Disney movie is going to be family-

friendly.

• In each instance, a customer’s awareness of a company’s brand saves

them time and energy in investigating the company. This makes it

easier for them to decide about purchasing that company’s product

and/or services.

• How do customers become aware of brands?

– Through

– BRAND MARKETING

• Brand marketing is therefore the process of marketing a company’s

products and services in a way that supports the brand and helps

consumers understand the mission of the company.

• Brand marketing also involves working to increase customers’

awareness of your brand and reputation. This involves communicating

– what the company does and

– how well it does it, and

– providing a way to bring that information to customers’ minds in an

instant

• This instant aspect might be communicated through

– a logo that appears on all company material—product packaging,

company website, business cards and stationery, e-mail address, and (for

slogans) phone answering system. Eg. Vodafone – Power to you

• As a company there is the need to do the following as part of brand

marketing:

– Integrate your brand into every aspect of your business

– Your brand should be visible and reflected in everything that your

customer sees (and doesn’t see).

• The brand name/logo should be ubiquitous, so that customers associate the

company and its reputation with every product and service that company

provides.

– If a client walks into your office, your brand should be on display

both in the environment and with personal interactions.

– Anything tangible–from business cards, to advertisements, to packaging ie

brochures etc. –need the stamp of your logo.

– When you design your website: incorporate your voice, message, and

personality into content.

• Apart from using the conventional marketing channels to make your

brand known, employees are the best advocates to market your

brand.

• No one knows (or should know) the brand better than those who

represent the company. Management and staff therefore have the

responsibility to spread the word. To effectively do this,

– Ensure that new employees hired are a culture fit and can align with the

mission, vision, and values of your brand.

– Ensure that all staff know everything about the brand and what it stands

for. This includes the brand message, benefits and offerings, brand voice

and personality, brand mission etc. This needs to be done through

constant training, particularly since yours is a service, a lot of emphasis

needs to be placed on ensuring consistency in service delivery across the

company, notwithstanding who provides the service.

• Another group of brand advocates that can be effectively harnessed

by the company - LOYAL CUSTOMERS

• Who is your advocate???

– A person who publicly supports or recommends you

– Someone who speaks, or argues in your favor

• Give your loyal customers a voice.

• Encourage them to bring new customers by giving them a reward – discount etc.

• Give them excellent service so that they can spread the good word about you

• Actively engage your Customers as your Advocates!

• Brand marketing is also as much about product or service quality as it

is about communication. Poor product or service quality will affect a

customer’s perception of a brand far more than good quality can.

– There must therefore be constant effort to eliminate bottlenecks in

service delivery because dissatisfied customers more readily spread the

word than satisfied customers do

• This attention to quality must extend to every aspect of the

company’s interaction. Ie.

– with customers - face to face, on the telephone

– on the company website etc.

• With brand marketing, consistency is key!

• Once you’ve chosen a voice, use it for every piece of content you

create.

• Unless you decide to change your brand into something that is more

effective based on customer response, consistency is critical

• Don’t constantly change your branding. The inconsistency will

confuse your customers, and make long-term brand building more

difficult.

• A corporate identity or corporate image is the manner which

a corporation, firm or business presents themselves to the public,

such as customers and investors as well as employees.

• This identity is projected using a variety of tangible and intangible

components as described…

Tangibles Intangibles

Goods and services Corporate and staff policies

Physical environment (sales

outlets)

Ideals and beliefs of corporate

staff

Communication media:

adverts, promotions,

literature….

Culture of the company and

location of company ie. office site

eg. World Trade Centre, Accra vrs

Okaishie

Name/Logo Media reports

Packaging & Labeling

Employees

• A number of elements come into play in managing corporate identity.

We will focus on three key elements

Corporate visual

identity

Corporate colours

Media

• Corporate visual identity expresses the values and ambitions of an

organization, its business, and its characteristics. It comprises all the

symbols and graphical elements that express the essence of an

organization.

• It is by far the most visible and tangible asset in the armoury of tools

used by many organisations in their interaction with the outside world

• The corporate visual identity provides an organization with visibility and

"recognizability“

– It is of vital importance that people know that the organization exists and

remember its name and core business at the right time.

– Employees need to have knowledge of the corporate visual identity of their

organization – not only the general reasons for using the corporate visual

identity, such as its role in enhancing the visibility and recognizability of the

organization, but also aspects of the story behind the corporate visual

identity.

• Corporate colours

• Corporate/ company colours are one of the most instantly

recognizable elements of a corporate visual identity and promote a

strong non-verbal message on the company's behalf.

• Examples of corporate colours:

– Red for Coca-Cola,

– Red and white for Vodafon Ghana

– Blue and white for Barclays

– Yellow for MTN Ghana etc.

• Media

• The role of the media in business has increased as a result of increase

in the use of technology. The media has a huge effect on the formation

of corporate identity by reinforcing a company's image and reputation

in the minds of customers

• Many companies pro-actively choose to create media attention and

use it as a tool for building and strengthening their visual identity. Ie.

– Radio, TV, internet, social media, print media, distribution of flyers etc.

1. Sudio Sudarsan - What Is Branding?

2. Yodhia Antariksa - Brand Strategy

3. Heidi Cohen - Actionable Marketing 101, Branding

4. Sonia Chopra Gregory - 11 Simple Steps for a Successful Brand

Building Process