BRAND.

What is BRAND?..  

http://www.businessdictionary.com  

Unique design, sign, symbol, words, or a combination of these, employed in creating an image that identifies a product and differentiates it from its competitors. Over time, this image becomes associated with a level of credibility, quality, and satisfaction in the consumer's mind . Thus brands help harried consumers in crowded and complex marketplace, by standing for certain benefits and value. Legal name for a brand is trademark and, when it identifies or represents a firm, it is called a brand name.

A Brand is a Promise: 3 great examples of strong brands that make strong promises

By Bill Marsh Jr

What’s a Brand Promise?

A brand promise is what the company commits to the people who interact with it. It’s not a description of what a company does in a literal sense. It’s a description of the company’s character. 

To some extent, it’s a mission; it’s how the company creates and delivers value. Also, it’s the feeling the company conveys to its stakeholders. Two restaurants, for example, may have similar menus, but provide different atmospheres, different associations, and different customer experiences based on their brand promises.

To illustrate, here are the brand promises from three highly successful, world-wide brands:

The NFL: “To be the premier sports and entertainment brand that brings people together, 
                    connecting them socially and emotionally like no other.”

Coca-Cola: “To inspire moments of optimism and uplift.”

Virgin: “To be genuine, fun, contemporary, and different in everything we do at a reasonable price.”

Interesting. In none of the above cases does the brand promise describe what these companies do or provide. The NFL’s brand promise says nothing about football. Coca-Cola doesn’t talk about providing the best soft drinks in the world. And Virgin’s promise goes a lot farther than seating passengers in airplanes. Good brand promises, like these, talk about what these companies promise to be for you, the consumer.

Are you keeping your Brand Promise?

by Andrew Ley.

Little Venn diagram that will help us quickly identify where our  Brand Promise is being matched by the Brand Experience.

 

The diagram uses these three areas:

Aspirations:  How do you want your Brand to be perceived?

Audience:     The Audience is everybody outside of your Brand. This includes – but is not limited   
                       to existing and potential customers, suppliers and competitors.

Agents:         Your agents are the people within your brand. This could include you, your staff       
                       and  any contractors or freelancers who may work for you.

By discovering the Audience and Agent’s opinions of your brand, and plotting them in relation to your Aspiration, you can quickly and easily see how well you are keeping your Brand Promise, and where you are failing to live up to expectations.

If you find all three areas converge in the middle then well done. If not, you’re going to need to adjust some of your business practices to compensate.