When most think of the term Branding they often associate it with the function of Marketing or in some cases a traditional branding iron and a cattle ranch. When they think of the term brand, generally an image or a symbol such as a logo, or a tagline come to mind. In fact, none of these associations are truly accurate. This is one of the most confused issues in business today, but knowing the difference can translate to exponential growth in your industry. Marketing vs. Branding Marketing is the act of communicating or disseminating the message you want your audience to perceive as your brand. Marketing is about ‘getting a message to market’ using a plethora of creative vehicles to leverage it locally, nationally and/or world-wide (e.g. electronic or print advertisements, PR, tradeshows, websites, networking, collateral pieces, videos, Twitter messages, Facebook posts, blogs, etc.). Marketing is executed in ‘event’ scenarios, generally from 3 to 18 month cycles that start and end with expected metrics and analysis that help prepare for the next ‘event’ campaign. Brand-ing, on the other hand, is the process of first defining what the message is representing and then creating ways to live and be congruent to the message of your brand. You can think of your brand message as delivering a specific PERCEPTION. What is the PERCEPTION you want your brand to evoke in the minds of your market? When your message isn’t clearly defined with consistent, supporting processes in place that reflect and affirm it, then your marketing dollars will be wasted and squander valuable budgets in the process. This happens when your brand doesn’t walk your brand talk, meaning your marketing is saying one thing (making a perceptual promise) and the experience is ‘other’ than what is perceived. The process of building your brand starts at the internal level of the business, (i.e. how your employees/culture cultivates the message and ultimately serves the client) not in an external focused marketing advertisement. It is a function of identifying your brand’s Dimensional Nucleic Assets (your DNA) so that you can then build on those detailed attributes that make you distinctive. Hence, our advice…? Stop marketing , at least for now. And, start brand-ing. Your challenge: Make a conscious effort to get crystal clear on a specific message you want to convey to your customers and train and empower your staff to deliver it relentlessly. Think about all the facets of your business; from your values and behaviors, your brand promise, to how you deliver your products and services. All of these are integral to morphing a good brand into a great brand! To show up in a conscious way that builds and sustains your brand, three key attributes must be in place: Consistency, Distinctiveness, and Engaging . Consistency = Trust Brand CONSISTENCY is showing up the same way every time, walking the talk and being true to your brand promise. Why is ‘consistency’ so important to sustaining your successful brand? What it boils down to is one simple word: Trust. Consistency builds Trust, Trust creates History, History forms Traditions, and Traditions become Rituals. – Martin Lindstrom, author of Brand Sense Becoming a brand ‘ritual’ like Starbucks, Harley Davidson, Apple, and Google became possible because of their relentless focus on the consistency of their brands’ deliverables, visuals, and experiences. Think about how you show up consistently within the many facets of your business…from how you answer the phone, to what customers see, hear, taste, touch, smell and intuit must be congruent with your brand’s promise, day in and day out. Oprah is the “Queen” of consistency. Thirty million people+ totally trust her. One initiative through Oprah’s Angel Network generated $12.1M in donations for children in South Africa. No one would donate that kind of money if they did not trust Oprah and expect that she would consistently follow through on her promise. Carving Out Your Distinctiveness. What is the one word you ‘own’ in the minds eye of your market that distinguishes your brand from others? This is one of the hardest questions to answer if you haven’t done the work to discover your own DNA. But it can also be one of the most insightful and thought-provoking exercises in building branded perceptions around that one word. Brand DISTINCTION means you stand out uniquely and unequivocally different than your competition both internally and externally while being congruent with your Brand Promise. FedEx literally ‘owns’ OVERNIGHT in the market space of the shipping industry. What makes FedEx so distinctive in their industry is their “unrelenting commitment” to deliver overnight requests. UPS, DHL, or USPS are harder to categorize what word represents their brand. Google ‘owns’ EMPOWERMENT (customer control) in the browser market space, and hence, has transformed the experience of internet searches – delivering on its promise of innovation. Apple continues to ‘own’ INNOVATIVE in the computing space, and finally, Disney ‘owns’ FANTASY in the theme park industry. They have carved out a specific ‘way of being’ and elevated their distinction. What word does your brand want to own? Being ENGAGING is MEMORABLE! Engaging brands enlist, equip, and empower stakeholders through traditional and emerging tools (i.e. email, 800, chat, social media, etc.) which build and sustain community advocacy for the brand. How is your brand engaging your customers? How does it engage your employees? Check out how Harley Davidson is pointedly going after the female market by creating powerful dialogue and community-building platforms through their website and social media. Notice how Tom’s Shoes has built an extremely loyal following through their website by enlisting and equipping their customers and employees to deliver on the brand promise “for every pair of shoes sold, a pair will be given to those in need.” Stop being a commodity and start creating meaning behind what your brand stands for, and engage, first and foremost, your most valuable assets – your employees! Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For are primarily on that list because of their internal attention to the teams of employees that make it all happen. Consequently, these companies are among the strongest and economically healthiest in the nation. So, Stop Marketing (for now) and Start Branding! Make sure your brand’s DNA speaks to your desired perception and is ‘messaged’ with clarity which helps your customers understand what ONE word your brand ‘owns’ in the market. Enlist, equip and empower every employee to understand and live your brand’s DNA through their unique talents and expertise – help them understand how they contribute to the brand’s success. Assess your current customer touch-points and capitalize on creating CONSISTENT, DISTINCTIVE, and ENGAGING customer experiences. You can do this through personal interaction as well as through powerful social media tools that enhance the experience. Get creative! So, build the PERCEPTION/Brand you want to become ingrained in the minds of your stakeholders (customers/employees/vendors, etc.). That is the first critical step to building out your actions and behaviors so they are congruent with whom you say you want to be. Creating and living the brand message cannot be overemphasized. Unfortunately most businesses go straight to the marketing function prior to identifying their unique Brand DNA. Approach your brand in a conscious, strategic and holistic way to show up consistently, distinctively, and engaging in every way! Now go, spread your DNA! Suzanne Tulien is Principal and co-Founder of The Brand Ascension Group, a multi-faceted consulting and training firm specializing brand perception. View her full profile here .
