Kay Robinson: BBB Report

Despite unrest in markets, advertising spending worldwide is forecast to reach $600 billion this year, a 20 percent increase from 2006.

Corporations like Proctor & Gamble ($5.2 billion), AT&T ($3.2 billion) and General Motors Corp. ($3.0 billion) spend billions to cultivate and protect their brand — and with good reason.

A brand helps differentiate a company from competitors, build loyalty among customers and solidify credibility. Cultivating an image and position isn’t just for large corporations. The Better Business Bureau offers advice for small business owners on gaining an edge through branding.

According to BusinessWeek/Interbrand’s 2007 ranking of the 100 Best Global Brands, the value of the Coca-Cola brand — which ranked number one — was $65 billion. That’s the value of its brand and doesn’t include assets or sales. Coca-Cola makes drinks but the positive images that pop into our heads are the result of the cultivation and communication of its brand.

Consumers develop an image of a company and its products. That image must represent something special. Ultimately, consumers evaluate brands and businesses on trust — can they trust that they’ll get what they paid for, or that the company will stand behind its brand promise.

BBB is offering advice to small business owners on developing, refining and enforcing their company’s DNA through a brand strategy.

Define the company. Define the business and craft a desired image — how consumers will come to know the business. Perhaps focuse on timely service, low-prices, or being environmentally friendly. A brand can encompass more than one idea — such as personal service at a great value — but too many concepts may be hard to deliver and confuse the public.

Identify the customer. The owner needs to consider the clientele being targeted. Is the customer younger or older, tech savvy or computer illiterate, NASCAR lovers or polo players? Once the customers are identified, consider what is important to them and base the brand around these ideals.

Consider the competition. Think about the brand of your competition and how to capitalize on the differences to reach a different customer base. Differentiation can include being the “green” company or the “young upstart” with fresh ideas.

Get a second opinion. After developing an idea for the brand, owners should share their thoughts with employees, management and loyal customers to make sure the branding concepts are easy to understand, unique and can be delivered.

Use buzzwords. When crafting language to support the brand, such as a tagline or Web site and advertising text, consider strong buzzwords that resonate with customers. Use the Internet to search for keywords and research other companies’ branding efforts to find which words worked for them. BBB cautions against using trendy terms. Look for strong, timeless words that will outlive current fads.

Consider aesthetics. Develop positive images to bring the brand language to life and help communicate the company’s personality. Developing a logo is key. Consider the types of fonts and colors that will complement the words and support the brand image.

Employee training. Effectively communicating a brand takes the whole company — from the board room to mail room. Success of the brand rests on delivering results. Employees play a key role in this aspect of branding. A brand is reinforced, or damaged, depending on how the staff carries itself and treats customers. Employees must communicate the brand in day-to-day operations.

Emphasize the logo. A logo plays an important role. The Nike swoosh and McDonald’s golden arches are logos that identify the company. The logo should support the brand and appear on everything the customer will see, including advertising, business cards, signs and e-mails.

Maintain consistency. After branding or re-branding, it’s easy to fall asleep and not maintain the brand and brand compliance. Be continually aware of the use of language, fonts, colors and images to ensure that all support and reinforce the brand in minds of consumers.

For more on developing and maintaining customer satisfaction and other practices in management, go to www.bbb.org

Kay Robinson is president of the Better Business of Central East Texas, serving 19 counties.

Kay Robinson
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