Unit 5

1. How to Build a Strong Brand

want to learn how to build a strong brand?

The difference between a generic (or unbranded) product or service and branded
one is that the former is purchased strictly for rational reasons (e.g., acceptable
quality, reasonable price) and the latter is purchased also for emotional reasons
(e.g., makes me feel good, shows that I’m savvy). And because of the additional
emotional reasons underlying brand purchases, brands can command a higher
price than identical but unbranded products and services. As a result, most
entrepreneurs and organizations seek to build brands.

Step 1: Discover/Develop Your Brand Purpose

Remember that brands are purchased for emotional reasons. There are many
different options to choose from for any given product or service, and people
want to buy brands that align with their beliefs, perceptions and motivations
because it feels right to them. Simon Sinek describes it this way: “People don’t
buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”
Strong, successful brands have a defined purpose; a set of defined values, a
philosophy, a guiding principle and/or a mantra that appeals to those who share
these. Fundamental questions to ask yourself in the context of building your
new brand should include things like:
Why am I (are we) here?
How is my brand different?
Why would/should people care about my brand?
These are vision/mission kinds of questions and transcend detailed features and
benefits of your product or service, but they are critical in giving your target
audience(s) reason to buy your brand over similar products and/or services.
Step 2: Know Your Competitors
Gaining an understanding of what your competitors are doing and saying in the
marketplace is important as you are building your brand, and will continue to
stay important over the life of your brand. In order to differentiate yourself
effectively from those competitors, you need to know what perceptions they
own in the minds of your target audience(s).
An easy and effective way to organize the strengths and weaknesses of your
competitors’ perceptions uses a model of perceptions like this one:
Evaluation of their messaging, reviews/social media comments made by
customers as well as primary opinion research among their customers will
provide you with a “received view” and indication of what brand strategy each
of your competitors is pursuing.

Step 3: Determine Your Primary and Secondary Target Audiences

Branding is inherently about focus and having a differentiated point of view and
purpose. Generic or unbranded products and services are, by definition,
undifferentiated and compete largely on functional variables like price and
availability. Therefore, you must identify your ideal target audience (and the
next tier or two out from ideal) based on steps 1 and 2 above. Mindset plays an
important role here, because you are looking for people who like and share in
the “why” of your brand.

It is helpful to go through the

exercise of developing customer profiles, or personas, that bring to life whom
you are targeting. Start by identifying demographic variables like age, sex,
education and profession and then layer in psycho-social variables like hobbies,
motivators, favorite brands, personality traits, life philosophy, etc. Here’s an
example of such a profile.
Use your customer personas to guide your brand messaging and marketing
efforts going forward.
Step 4: Build Out Your Brand Strategy
To give guidance and structure to your brand, it helps to have a strategic brand
platform that articulates your brand’s vision and mission, how you want to
differentiate your brand from competitors and the perceptions you want to own
in your target audience’s minds. Putting these in writing and having everyone
understand and agree is critical to building and maintaining a strong brand. Here
is an example of a brand platform:

Five Psycho-Sensory Brand-Building Tools

Psycho-Sensory Brand-Building Tools Psycho-sensory brand-building tools are
an essential element in determining the success of your brand. Think about...
READ MORE
Step 5: Develop A Compelling Brand Narrative/Story
Storytelling is powerful because it has been the primary method of connecting
people with ideas and knowledge since time immemorial. Stories do more than
communicate, they build familiarity and trust. They elicit emotion. And, they
are surprisingly efficient at conveying complex and abstract ideas. People
understand stories easily and remember them better than general or abstracted
information. People retell stories more readily and easily than reciting other
learned information. Accordingly, the strongest and most successful brands are
good at telling compelling and interesting stories that bestow meaning and
relevance upon those brands.
In our experience, using one or more stories to explain the value, purpose and/or
exceptionalism of your brand is essential to greater brand success.
In the case of our brand, prospects may or may not remember the description of
Six Degrees as a psycho-sensory brand-building agency that applies findings
from psychology, neuroscience and behavioral economics about how people
process information/make decisions and then applies proven sensory
techniques to trigger the desired perceptions and emotions in the minds of each
specific target audience across all marketing materials.

But, what we hear people remember

about us are the stories of our work. Like how our approach enabled Viagra to
reduce the taboo around erectile dysfunction and bring ED treatment into
medical and public discourse, helping to create a billion-dollar brand in the
process.

Step 6: Create a Brand Identity

Once the brand story has been crafted, it’s time to build an identity for your new
brand or refresh the identity of your existing brand. This includes name, logo
and brand voice. Make sure to share the brand strategy with whoever is
designing your new brand identity and develop a creative brief that provides
further guidance to the creative development process, including examples you
admire as well as creative directions you would find counterproductive if not
objectionable. You should expect at least three different directions, first in black
and white. Once you have narrowed down your overall design choice, decide
further details like color and font.
Developing your brand identity should be an iterative process, but it is
important not to get hung up on details. It is unrealistic to expect an “ah-ha,
that’s the one” moment when you see brand identity concepts. A brand identity
is a starting point, an empty vessel, and the strength and value of the brand will
depend on what perceptions and associations you imbue it with over time.
Consider how people may have felt about names and identities like Starbucks
and Nike BEFORE they were household names imbued with loads of meaning
through products, experiences and marketing.
Step 7: Live The Brand
Finally, it’s not enough to develop a new brand identity and expect that it will
become great without a whole lot of effort. A brand is akin to reputation: It
takes a long time to build up … and it can be damaged in an instant.
Accordingly, you are always working on brand equity. The image someone has
of your brand is the mental average of their last brand experience or impression
and their most extreme one (good or bad).
To be successful, you must “live” the brand. That means you must authentically
embody the brand strategy in everything you do. New employees must be
trained on the brand. Partners must understand and contribute to the brand
image. Interactions with customers must be consistent with the brand’s values,
promise and pillars over the short term as well as the long term. Brand building
is a life-long activity, because once you stop, you are essentially “milking” the
equity from the brand.
Brand-building is a specialized activity. But more than that, it is a mindset. If
you are uncertain of where to get started or how to carry on, or you would just
like some support along the way to ensure you are doing everything you can to
improve your brand, consider engaging with a branding agency. They will bring
additional thinking, tools and techniques to further enrich your brand’s image
and value in the marketplace.

2. Managing brand in digital era

In today's digital age, social media plays a crucial role in brand management.
With millions of people spending hours on social platforms every day, it is
essential for businesses to establish a strong presence and effectively manage
their brand on these platforms. In this section, we will explore the importance of
social media branding and share some tips on how to do it effectively.

1. Be Consistent: Consistency is key when it comes to branding on social

media. Your brand should have a cohesive and recognizable image across
all platforms. Use the same logo, color scheme, and tone of voice to
create a consistent brand identity that resonates with your target audience.
2. Know Your Audience: Understanding your target audience is crucial for
effective social media branding. Conduct research to identify their
demographics, preferences, and interests. This knowledge will help you
tailor your content and engagement strategies to better connect with your
audience and build a loyal following.
3. Engage and Interact: Social media is a two-way street. It's not just about
broadcasting your brand messages; it's also about engaging with your
 audience. Respond to comments, answer questions, and participate in
conversations related to your industry. Show that you genuinely care
about your audience's opinions and feedback.
4. Craft Compelling Content: To stand out in the crowded social media
landscape, you need to create compelling and shareable content. Use a
mix of visually appealing images, engaging videos, and informative blog
posts to capture your audience's attention. Make sure your content aligns
with your brand's values and resonates with your target audience.
5. Use Influencers: Collaborating with social media influencers can
significantly boost your brand's reach and credibility. Find influencers
who align with your brand values and have a genuine connection with
your target audience. Partner with them to create sponsored content or
host giveaways to increase brand awareness and engagement.
6. Track and Analyze: Monitoring the performance of your social media
7. campaigns is essential for effective brand management. Use analytics
tools to track key metrics such as reach, engagement, and conversions.
Analyze the data to identify what works and what doesn't, and make
informed decisions to continually improve your social media branding
efforts.
8. Stay Updated: Social media platforms are constantly evolving, and so
should your branding strategies. Stay updated with the latest trends and
features on social media. Embrace new platforms and technologies that
resonate with your target audience. Adapt your strategies to accommodate
changing consumer behaviors and preferences.
9. In conclusion, social media branding is an essential aspect of effective
brand management in the digital age. By being consistent, understanding
your audience, engaging with them, creating compelling content,
leveraging influencers, tracking analytics, and staying updated, you can
successfully manage and grow your brand's presence on social media
platforms. Embrace the power of social media and watch your brand
flourish in the digital world.Title: Monitoring and Responding: Keeping
Tabs on Your Brand in the Digital Age
10.In this digital age, effective brand management goes beyond just creating
a strong online presence. It's equally important to monitor and respond to
what people are saying about your brand. With the power of social media
and online platforms, opinions about your brand can spread like wildfire
and significantly impact your reputation. In this section, we'll explore the
importance of monitoring online conversations and provide tips on how
to respond effectively.

3. Contemporary scene: storytelling internet and social media

Storytelling, when done well, can move people to take action. The way we tell
stories has evolved drastically over time. We constantly find new methods for
preserving and sharing our stories.
The newest place to tell stories is the Internet. And like with any other medium,
telling stories online is a very powerful tool for communicating your message.
Online storytelling help us engage and captivate website visitors.

A. Storytelling Through Text

 While contemporary web technologies allow for all different kinds of
content presentation, text is still one of the most common methods for
telling stories on the Internet.
 Textual content can be very effective, and sometimes it’s the only option
that makes sense or is practical. Written stories (like blog posts, essays,
articles, and e-books) are generally easier to produce compared to other
methods such as video and audio.
 However, people only read between 20-28% of the words on a web
page on average.
 By publishing stories in your blog, you have the opportunity to really
engage and connect with your readers.
 Example goruck they constantly add stories of buyers

B. Storytelling Through Visuals

 Still images can tell stories.
 A picture is worth a thousand words as the adage goes.
 Visuals are very efficient in conveying a story because our brains can
process them 60,000 times faster than text. You can write a whole lot of
text to explain how your product works, how it makes people feel, and
where they can use it.
 Or you can show a couple of pictures of real people using your product.
Images can tell stories and, at the same time, they leave a lot of room for
personal interpretation.
 Three main types of visuals can be used as Web content for storytelling:
1. Web images in your content (such as photos, sketches, illustrations,
graphs, and charts)
2. Background images
3. Infographics

C. Storytelling Through Animated Interaction

One aspect of good storytelling is entertainment. When people are entertained,
they will be more likely to listen to your story. Good stories are fun, scary,
heartwarming, and so forth. They appeal to our emotions.
With animated interactions, you can give your visitors such as gift. I already
discussed how people love visual stories. Animations take your visuals a step
further by adding motion to them.
Once you’ve got people hooked, they’ll continue browsing your site to find out
how the story continues. This is also an extremely positive effect of storytelling
in general: It makes us curious and eager to find out what happens next. One
technique for animating your content is through the use of parallax scrolling.

4. Brand Amplification
Brand amplification done right makes lasting first impressions on your
customers and keeps people thinking about your brand long after you make that
great first impression.
Brands generally do ( brand amplification is, why it’s so important, how to
amplify your brand with billboards, and how to measure your brand
amplification.)

Let’s face it: these days, people who engage with a brand are looking for more
than just industry-leading services and products. They’re looking for brands that
share similar values and promote those values genuinely.
Why? Because it’s easier for a prospective customer to connect with (and trust)
an organization that lives out its values authentically. Brand amplification
communicates the heart of your brand by highlighting its values, stories, and
core message.
Think about what makes your brand stand out from its competitors, what makes
it unique, and why what it does is meaningful. These insights are the stepping
stones to successfully amplifying your brand. The more insights you have into
the core of your brand, the easier you can convey authentic, compelling stories
to your audience.
By now you may be wondering, “Do I really need brand amplification to be
competitive?” If you want to build an experience that’s consistent across your
customer touch-points, then the answer is a resounding “Yes!”
A well-thought-out, articulated strategy for your brand benefits more than just
your audience. The most effective brand strategies give your staff members and
third-party agencies a brand hierarchy that lets them establish consistency
across customer touch-points. From the typeface on your website’s landing page
to the logo you use on all your products, articulated brand strategies impact all
your key assets.
Above all, though, brand amplification defines the type of business you want to
build. It identifies the type of people you want to employ, the values you stand
behind, and, of course, the values you adamantly oppose.
Now that you know a little bit more about brand amplification and why it’s so
important to have, it’s time to dig into the nitty-gritty of actually amplifying
your brand: let’s dive into some ways you can amplify your brand using
billboards.

How To Amplify Your Brand With Billboards

In today’s hyperconnected world, it’s true that ads on social media tend to
dominate the marketing landscape. The popularity that social media ads enjoy
may lead some to believe that billboards are no longer a viable form of
marketing – this couldn’t be farther from the truth!
Whereas social media ads are often complex and sometimes vague and
ambiguous, billboards are reliably straightforward and simple. There are plenty
of ways to build a billboard campaign that’s effective and impactful, but we’ve
picked a few tips that you simply can’t go without when using billboards for
brand amplification.

1. Keep Things Simple

When designing a billboard, it can be tempting to cram as much info as possible
onto your billboard. After all, you’ve got a lot to say about your brand, right? As
great as it is to be passionate about your messages and values, though, too much
content on one billboard can make it tough to distill your brand down into a
single image.
Rather than include as much content as possible, it’s best for your billboard to
concisely convey what your brand can do for its customers. What do you have
that your target audience may be searching for? Is there info you think may
intrigue someone to find out more about what you offer? These are the
questions to keep in mind when building out your first billboards – just
remember to keep everything as simple as possible.

2. Use Geography To Your Advantage

When it comes to getting your billboards in front of more interested eyes,
geography is your best friend. You’ll want to determine your target audience’s
most common locations and habits so that you can get more eyes on it quickly.
If your target audience is mostly in a smaller geographical area, you may also
want to consider using locally relevant billboards to get impactful results.
Thinking of running a billboard campaign to target an audience with this image
 5. Use Digital Billboards For More Dynamic Marketing
As much as we love the simplicity and reliability that traditional billboards
offer, there’s something to be said about the flexibility that digital billboards
provide. Digital billboards let your marketers make things more dynamic since
they can run different designs during different times of the day. Want to display
one design during the early morning and another after the sun sets? Digital
billboards have you covered.
Digital boards are particularly handy if you’re still tinkering with brand logos
and product images. You can take a couple of risks using different designs
without having to double down on a single board design that’s tied to your
marketing budget.

Measuring Your Brand Amplification

Don’t forget that once you’ve taken the above tips to heart, you’ll want to start
measuring how successful your brand amplification is. We recommend that you
keep an eye on spikes and dips in your website traffic, the number of shares and
comments you get on your social channels, and increases in customer phone
calls. You can use tools like Google Analytics to monitor the bounce rates on
your website’s pages and Facebook to monitor your audience engagement and
tie that engagement to recent posts you’ve shared.
Successful brand amplification doesn’t happen overnight; realistically, you can
expect to spend at least a couple of months settling into a rhythm and locking
down a brand voice you like. Once you find your groove, however, we
guarantee that you’ll begin building trust and recognition among your target
audience!

5.Brand ethics
Brand ethics refers to a company's moral principles and values that guide its
actions. It's crucial because ethical behavior builds trust, fosters loyalty, and
contributes to a positive impact on society, aligning business success with social
responsibility.

In simple words, an ethical brand leaves behind a legacy of values, strategies

and actions that can be perceived as morally right and ethical.
An ethical brand doesn’t harm people, animals or the environment, and it
contributes to the society responsibly, positively, and in a sustainable way.

statistics say that about 13% of customers are willing to pay up to 50% more to
companies they see as positively contributing to nature and society.

Additionally, GlobeNewswire claims that ethical practices are the second-

highest reason for consumers returning to a brand after product quality.

As a marketer, these statistics are critical for you and showcase why you should
adopt this branding practice to make your brand survive in such a competitive
era. However, many other aspects make ethical branding a critical branding
practice.
ETHICAL ISSUES IN BRANDING
Branding is what your business needs to break through the clutter and grab your
ideal customer’s attention. It’s what transforms first-time buyers into lifetime
customers and turns an indifferent audience into brand evangelists. It’s what
you need to stand out, make an impact and take your business to the next level.

Branding can help you establish a theme and reputation for your business or
product, and well-branded items are easily recognized by consumers. But when
a branding strategy is unethical — or is perceived as unethical by consumers —
it can backfire, resulting in significant negative publicity for your business. In
some cases, unethical branding can even subject you to a lawsuit.
Trademarks and Copyrights

Statutory protection of trademark is administered by the Controller General of

Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, a government agency that reports to the
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), under the Ministry of
Commerce and Industry.

The Indian government provides an online tool to search for registered

trademarks. This is available on the website of the Controller General of Patents
Designs and Trademarks, under the Department of Industrial Policy &
Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

A trademark offers legal protection to logos and identifying marks, while

copyrights afford protection to creative works fixed in a tangible form, such as
records, books, or movies. When establishing the materials associated with
branding your product, check to make sure none of the images you use are
copyrighted, and never use someone else’s images, movies or writing.
Copyright holders don’t have to register their items or publish a copyright
symbol to be afforded copyright protection, so don’t take someone else’s item
even if you don’t think it’s copyrighted. Likewise, verify that no one has
registered a trademark for the logo or design mark you want to use in branding.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has a free trademark search tool you can
use to ensure no one else is using the logo you want to use.

Dishonesty

While you might consider an over-the-top claim to simply be hyperbole,

consumers are more likely to see it as lying. Marketers sometimes brand their
products as “the best,” “the safest” or “the most scientifically sound,” but these
claims must be true. Likewise, logos or images that imply a product will do
something it won’t or that create a brand reputation that is false are prohibited.

False advertising is a civil offense, and consumers can sue when advertising is
false, misleading or dangerous. The Competition Commission of India
investigates claims of false advertising and may levy fines against companies
involved in the practice.

Example : Akshay kumar controversy during covid when ad Featuring Kumar

holding a bottle of Chyawanprash, the ad claimed that just two teaspoons of
chyawanprash daily was enough to ward off the virus. The copy for the ad read:
"According to clinical study conducted across 5 centres, Dabur Chyawanprash
helps in protection against COVID-19."

Marketing to Children

Many parents view all marketing toward children as suspect because it can alter
a child’s opinions, viewpoints and self-image. Advertisers should tread
carefully when establishing branding strategies and avoid tactics that will be
annoying to parents. Offensive images, branding a product as something
children can do to annoy their parents or siblings and branding a product as
something for problem children can all prove problematic. Misleading branding
strategies are also a problem and are often investigated more intensively when
they involve children.

The FTC can heavily penalize false marketing to children. Marketers who use
sexualized branding tactics — such as creating a lingerie brand for young girls
— could be slapped with fines and negative publicity. Avoid branding strategies
that encourage children to eat unhealthy foods, such as branding a snack as
healthy or as a replacement for a wholesome meal. In her book “Can’t Buy My
Love,” advertising expert Jean Kilbourne advises against marketing to children
under the age of 8, as they might be unable to critically evaluate marketing
claims.

Controversial Branding

Controversial branding strategies can draw attention to your company if they’re

lighthearted and unoffensive. But when companies cross the line into offensive
advertising, they could lose business, incur negative publicity or be sued. Avoid
branding strategies that capitalize on stereotypes, racism or sexism, as well as
advertisements that encourage or endorse criminal or unethical behaveior.

The brand was accused of "defacing" the Hindu festival of Diwali by naming its
festive collection Jashn-e-Riwaaz (celebration of tradition). It eventually
withdrew the promo after backlash from right-wing groups.

We can't call Durga Puja as Durga Jashan. Neither you can call the Diwali
celebration as Jashan e Rewaz. It's not a Mughal festival. Even the Muslims
might object if you call Eid as Jashan e Riwaz or “Jashn-E Qurbani”. Because it
has never been expressed in that way. let people respect respective sentiment
and let Diwali remain Diwali only not Jashan e Riwaz. Fabindia has given the
Ad ahead of Diwali, so people will perceive it to be Diwali related Ad. Let it
respect the sentiment of the majority Indians. People deserve to be treated with
respect

Examples

Apple has been criticized for its unethical practices, it’s now going green with a
goal of becoming 100% carbon neutral by 2030. Apple took six major
sustainability initiatives to achieve the goal:

 Reducing the use of carbon materials

 Using renewable energy in all of its stores, offices and data centers
 Using low carbon aluminum to produce components of their MacBooks
 Launched the China Clean Energy Fund and invested $300 million
towards the cause

Starbucks
Reduced the use of conflict minerals such as tin, tungsten and
tantalumStarbucks is one of the most popular coffee shops globally that is
committed to 100% sustainably sourced coffee. They use a method called
C.A.F.E (Coffee and Farmer Equity Practice) to optimize their sourcing.

They always ensure each step of the coffee-making process is done ethically.
The criteria set by Starbucks for ethical sourcing have now become the industry
norm. Starbucks works with over 170,000 farmers and generates billions of
dollars in revenue each year.

What Is Ethical Branding?

Brand is a simple but very confused word with multiple meanings. The
American Marketing Association defines a brand as: a name, term, sign,
symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods or
services of one seller or group of sellers and differentiate them from those of
competitors (Kotler, 2003). A brand may have many other meanings depending
on the role it plays, the value it has and more importantly, to whom it is related.
To brand owners, a brand is mainly a differentiation device: the living memory
and the future of its products (Kapferer, 1997). To brand users, a brand may
create an emotional bond with them which turns the brand into an icon. In the
most developed role, brands represent not only the products or services a
company provides but the firm itself, the brand is the company and brands
become a synonym of the company’s policy (Goodyear 1996; de Chernatony
and McDonald, 2003). A brand is no longer just the interface between the 2
company and its customers; to whom and to the general public, it is the face of
the company. Branding is a key function in marketing that means much
more than just giving a product a name. Branding at corporate level is
essentially about developing and managing the relationship between the
organisation and its various stakeholders as well as the general public.
Should branding be ethical? It might seem that the answer is obvious: most
companies would answer yes. However, it would be more difficult to find a
universal agreement on what ethical branding is. Ethics refers to moral rules or
principles of behaviour for deciding what is right and wrong. These principles
are not always easy to define as a) it is often difficult to distinguish between
ethics and legality; b) ethical values vary between individuals and organisations,
and between different cultures; and they are changing over time. Ethics is a very
complex subject. Marketing ethics is but a subset of business ethics which itself
is a subset of ethics (Martin, 1985). Research on marketing ethics has so far
been confined to general marketing issues, such as product safety, pricing,
advertising and marketing research (Laczniak, 1993; Simith, 1995 and Murphy,
1999); little attention has been paid to branding. No business ethics books have
been found to have reference to branding while leading branding texts have
made no reference to ethics (Aaker, 1991; Kapferer, 1997; Keller, 1998 and de
Chernatony and McDonald, 2003). A brand may be amoral, but there are ethical
issues in branding. Ethical branding, as a subset of ethical marketing, relates to
certain moral principles that define right and wrong behaviour in branding
decisions. A brand needs to be evaluated not just by the economic or financial
criteria but also by the moral ones. An ethical brand should not harm public
good; instead it should contribute to or help promote public good.