What is Branding? Or what branding is not.
I spent about four years of my adult life in Akure.
A good part of that timeline was as a radio presenter/journalist in the state’s biggest radio station. And if you are among journalists in any State in Nigeria, you would know that we know where to find the best beer, food, and …
If you don’t know the last one, I can’t help you.
But that is not where I am going with this article. There was a restaurant called Seebi along Akure/Ilesha expressway that did not have a signpost but was always filled with cars and people across the different echelons of the society. No “branding,” no signpost, but if you were looking for a place to eat great local food with Ogunfe “goat meat” and several other proteins that were properly dancing in different forms of peppered sauces, that was the place to go.
No “branding,” no packaging, but they are making sales.
It was not until recently that you started seeing prominent Ads or banners for Baba Ijebu kiosks. I am sure you have an idea of where you would most likely find an outlet, and most of the people who play Lotto in different areas, are not lost on where to play their best game of luck.
Two seemingly successful brands without the popular activities people associate with branding.
Now, let’s start our long discourse.
The word brand dates back to old Norse (an ancient north Germanic language that morphed into modern Scandinavian languages). It used to refer to a piece of burning wood and wasn’t used as a verb until late Middle English when it came to mean “mark permanently with iron,” and by the 17th century, it became a reference mark for ownership.
Keep this story in mind, as I would not dwell on it now and move to what Aviva Cantor describes as the Golden Age of Branding — a time where there are more ways than ever for businesses to carve out their niche in the marketplace and connect directly with their customers and fans.
What is Branding?
Let’s first start with what a brand is. According to the American marketing association, “A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller’s goods or service as distinct from those of other sellers.”
Then I love this definition by thebrandingjournal.com, “Branding is the process of giving a meaning to a specific organization, company, products or services by creating and shaping a brand in consumers’ minds. It is a strategy designed by organizations to help people to quickly identify and experience their brand, and give them a reason to choose their products over the competition’s, by clarifying what this particular brand is and is not “.
Are you still with me?
- So, with this, at least you understand that Branding is not “packaging.” As I have been in conversations where people think Branding is just a way to sell a poor product (while there may be a niche that caters to this, at the core, that is not what it is). It is not an effort to deceive people into buying a product they do not need (people can use it to achieve this secondarily sha 😂 ).
- Branding is not adding logo and copy to mugs/towels/Shirts and other merchandise.
- Branding is not starting up a business and looking to have the best packaging in the market, getting a logo, or doing any of those peripherals that may cost you money and still not help you build a solid brand.
- You can win in business and fail as a brand (depending on different factors). Hence, business success does not automatically convert to building a great brand.
I believe that at this point, we have made some progress. How do you look at Branding?
Fundamentally, Branding should tick three boxes: identity, recognition, and consistent messaging. While the “how” can change from time to time, depending on your exposure, budget, philosophy, or leanings, these core elements should be the “untouchables.”
If you miss out on them, you can do all the popular things associated with Branding and lose out. At the same time, an inexperienced business person in this area can unintentionally deploy a good grip on this core and cash out big time.
From the origin story: when something is burning or marked with burning — you can identify it (at least, you have an idea of what it is if na you burn am and you know your reason), you can immediately recognize it amid other things and every time you see it, especially in close-knit communities, you understand the shared meaning of such a marking. This is particularly true as it evolved into becoming an act to mark ownership
Same for that restaurant; people know it for what it does. They can recognize the difference it brings to the table in terms of quality food, and subconsciously, everyone who has visited has one message to consistently tell the world — come here, and enjoy life.
Let me do a brief on these elements:
Identity
A logo mark is the visual representation of an identity, but it is not the identity.
So, what comes to your mind when you see an Apple logo?
When you see a Nike swoosh on a sneaker, what do you expect? Can the right logo be on a fake product (does it mean the product has taken on the Nike Identity?)
Having a logo and a visual system (and the different elements)are just part of the things that help reinforce and improve scalability but are themselves not the identity.
Your identity is who you are, what you stand for, what people get to expect from you (in terms of what you do), why you do what you do, how you do what you do, and other essential elements that answer “What or who is this” for any brand. Yes, it would be best if you had the visuals, but to decide without getting the basics right would set you up for trouble.
So, yes, you do not need a logo to build a brand.
Recognition
If you do anything of value, you can only be the first, once.
And you can only claim the first sef when there is now a second. What I am saying before I confuse myself in this “fake deep 😂” is that if you are doing anything great, be rest assured that it is a matter of time before you become one of the options in the market.
Now, you can argue that you are the best option, but that’s where you need to prove that “this is you” in the midst of the many other options on the table and “why” more people should choose you in the face of different reasons to move on.
All efforts to ensure that people pick you or easily associate the things you are most proud of in your makeup to you at different times are integral in branding. Can we easily recognize you or your quality?
Now, you can achieve this with quality of work, great design, fantastic customer service, and a lot, but you can do these things and still lose out if you are not building sustainably.
Consistent Messaging.
Life is a consistent flow of shared meaning.
Money is what it is because a group of people thinks it is.
The value of art changes with the number of people who think it is what the artist thinks it is.
What is excellent and valuable continues to change from generation to generation.
To be a global brand, you need to understand how to contextualize your messaging to the prevailing shared meanings per time. To some, this is storytelling. Others? Content Marketing. It could be as simple as personal notes in packages or the writings on the walls of your offices or locations.
You have to consistently tell people who you are, what you do, and why it is good for them. When you get your messaging or storytelling right, your product finds a good ground to grow in the minds of the people you are targeting.
Messaging reinforces identity and recognition. These three elements go hand in hand depending on the understanding of the people deploying them
Where do we go from here?
Some people are lucky enough to find ways to interweave these elements without even understanding what they are, but what you don’t understand is harder to replicate. However, it is not impossible.
Some do not even get it right, as a business and as a brand.
However, if you get these basics right, it is easier to build a sustainable branding journey for your business as it scales — combining successful numbers with creating a compelling brand.
