Victor Edozien's Review on Brand-Building

Part of every company's major goal in expanding its influence and increasing its profitability is the task of developing brand-building strategies. The brand-name, whether of a specific product, service or the company itself, identities for the public the value of the thing it represents. People look for quality, dependability and durability in things they buy or business relationships they enter into. Once a firm establishes a trusted brand-name, customers are not far behind in supporting it.

What essential principles are involved in brand-building? What steps does one take to attract customers to your product?

Here are a few tips:

1. What the brand represents

Every brand must highlight its worth to the final user or consumer. Food products are relatively easier to sell compared to other things (such as shoes or shirts) because people eat more often than they need to do other things. But with so many other shops selling food, your brand has to mean more than food. More than the hamburger or the yogurt you sell, you must also tell people that they are eating for health as well as immediate and wholesome satisfaction.

Brand-building, therefore, involves incorporating the essence of the product or company in the way it is presented, delivered and, ultimately, enjoyed or utilized by the consumer. The whole process of creating the brand from the very beginning, to the preparation and up to the final use of the product must become one undivided action in the mind of the company. Only then can the consumer also experience the same dedication to excellence involved in the entire cycle. And, as a result, people will want to re-experience the same process over and over again. One tasty, healthful yogurt deserves another and another!

2. How the brand stands out

Making a difference has become a personal as well as a corporate objective that we take for granted even when people or things actually do it. Yes, we take notice for a while. Then we move on to the next new thing.

This makes brand-building difficult because you have to really come out with something truly unique and outstanding in order to sustain the interest and patronage of consumers.

Nevertheless, once you have decided to go into business and propose a brand, it must not be an exact imitation of what is already available. Something in your brand must stand out for the brand to make an impact in the highly volatile world out there.

3. How to present your brand 

Apart from the value of the brand and its unique qualities, how you expose it to the consumers will determine its life in the marketplace. Technology now allows almost everyone to sell a product over at Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. Accessibility is no longer a problem. You only need to get a piece of the action by squeezing in your brand into each and every corner of these social-media places.

Nothing, however, takes the place of direct selling, especially for certain products that require some demonstrations or explanations, such as food supplements or juicers. Still, that does not stop people from buying certain products which they may be familiar with. Hence, the importance of defining and presenting the gist of what your brand really is to as many people as you can. However way you do it, do it as often as you can.

4. How to maintain brand quality

As we mentioned earlier, keeping the interest of consumers for your brand is a tall task. We have had our share of brands that did not stay for long because they were more like fads or flash-in-the-pan items having no durable value and use.

However, one need not despair if your original brand dwindles in the process. You can always re-evaluate and adjust according to the needs of the market. The two most popular soft-drinks used to have "cola" always attached their names. Eventually, they dropped that word and used only the first. The more catchy name, plus the fact that people already knew what they were, made them even more popular.

Of course, some phenomenal products owe a lot to mega-promotional campaigns using celebrities and other gimmicks to keep people's attention alive. To a certain degree, anyone can do that without spending so much. Viral videos and social-media networking can take the place of high-budget marketing plans.

Creativity counts a lot in the building of a brand. Countless people and companies have done it and reaped great success. It takes only some ingenuity and a lot of courage to make your own brand shine among the rest. Asaba Group Holdings believes that with the right innovative management skills, any individual or company can survive and progress in the continually- growing and diversifying global economy. 

Mr. Victor Edozien has been Chief Executive Officer and President of SET Enterprises, Inc. since August 2012. Mr. Edozien is the founder/Managing Principal of The Asaba Group, Inc., a strategy consulting/private equity holding company and is a veteran of the US Army. He has been in the automotive business for over 15 years and operates other automotive businesses under AG-Manufacturing Inc. (an affiliate of The Asaba Group) with locations in Harbor Beach, MI, Rochelle, IL, and Wetumpka, AL.