Branding is Everything
By Denis A. Baldwin

I'm sure you've heard is said that there's a lot to a name. That's the essence of brand marketing.

Branding can be anything as simple as a word in a simple font to an elaborate picture that is unique and officially recognized as your company's masthead. No matter what the brand is, there are some simple rules to follow to create, retain and make sure of branding within your organization.

Your brand should speak volumes about your company. Take Nike for example. Nike's swoosh is one of the world's most known brands. Something as simple as that brush stroke can mean anything from the swiftness of the clients using Nike shoes or the simple nature of it's clothing lines or the asthetic balance of a large swoop leading to a long trailing swoosh. Any of these things describe how Nike does business and the branding they use is a good embodiment of this idea.

Your brand should be easily identifiable. Everyone know who the gold arches belong to. What about the Chevy Bowtie? How about the above mentioned Nike swoosh? Even as outline art, any of these are easily identified to their parent company because they are unique, consistent and universally known. Any brand CAN have this power. Does yours?

Your brand should invoke emotion. Remember what I was saying earlier about Nike's swoosh and the meaning it conveys? Every one of those meanings is built on an emotion of excitement. What do you feel when you see a Coca Cola logo? Graceful, isn't it? Reminds you of summertime and relaxed days drinking soda, doesn't it? That's the emotional response we get and the association we make when it comes to this logo and others. Emotion causes commotion!

Your brand should have staying power. Will people remember your company in a century like they remember General Electric or AT&T or IBM? Does your branded image have the staying power it needs?


Now that you know a bit about branding and why it's important, take a close look at your own company and what your brand means. Do you see the elements listed above in your brand? Has your brand stood the test of time? Do people recognize your brand?

Tune in next time where I'll be discussing social booking/bookmarketing and how you and your brand can make a big splash on the internet with these services.