Why we need to have a brand
WHY WE NEED TO HAVE A ‘BRAND’ (13-08-09)
For a long time the world had used various advertising methods to publicize a product, but with different products sprouting up everyday, and the bombarding of various media houses with one item or the other, it has almost become too cumbersome to listen to an advert. Nowadays it’s not the amount one spends on a commercial that counts it’s the ‘brand’ of the product that matters. People no longer buy things because of the adverts but because of the brand or the packaging. Branding and packaging starts from the human being or corporate body right up to the product. Before going into the importance of ‘Personal branding’ lets talk about branding of products. If you look at the top companies in the world, a lot of time, research, money and effort have gone into branding or looking for a brand. Mind you branding is not just a ‘logo’. A ‘logo symbol’ is a representation of something. The representation can be done using any technique, could be graphic, character, sound etc. when we talk of branding, its about attaching a sense of ownership. It’s a method of putting a symbol so that the product can be traced to its owner. If you take a logo without a brand nobody will know what the logo was for after all. Note this: a brand is so much bigger than a logo. Let me put it this way…’in 1915 Earl R. Dean of the Root Glass Company was given a task to design a bottle which could be recognized in the dark by touch, and even if it gets broken, someone could tell at first glance what it was. That bottle was Coca-Cola. If coca cola’s logo is taken away at a glance a lot of people will know that it is a coca-cola bottle. This is branding, not solely relying on the logo of a product.
Have you noticed how popcorn is so linked to cinemas now, in fact there have been cases were sales have dropped for the cinema when popcorns weren’t available. I personally look forward to going to the cinema because of the popcorn. This is a brand and very strong indeed. I urge you to take a survey and find out if you can actually find a cinema without a popcorn stand. If you do I bet you they will be almost bankrupt. As far back as 1973 Singapore airlines learnt about the power of branding and used it. They came up with the Singapore Girl. The Cabin crew had to be below 26 years. The staff uniform was made from the finest silk in a fabric design based on the patterns in the cabin décor. The staff was styled right down to their makeup. The flights attendances looked like the models used for their advert ‘the Singapore Girl. She not only had to look the brand but had to act as the brand as well. Singapore Airlines later introduced Stefan Floridian Waters. This Stefan Floridian Waters was an aroma specially designed for Singapore Airlines. Stefan Floridian Waters formed the scent in the air hostesses’ perfume; it was blended into the hot towels served before take off. The entire fleet of Singapore Airlines was infiltrated by the aroma. The aroma became a unique trademark for Singapore Airlines. The New-York based Condé Nast Traveler Magazine has named Singapore Airlines the best airline. Their food may not be different from the other airlines, the leg room is probably no better than any other airline that is ranked in the top twenty. This is what happens when we brand.
Let’s come down to Nigeria; the popular artist ‘Lagbaja’ has his mask as his brand. A few years back I saw an advert of one of his shows. He was going to unveil himself and if one wanted to see his face they were going to pay a ridiculous amount just to see his face. Lagbaja has created a personal brand and used it for his benefit. For about a year I worked in a photography outfit in Port Harcourt called ‘Proshot Studios’. Out of the 10 applicants, 8 of us wanted to work there because of the name, their brand. At that point, in Port Harcourt people could see a picture and know it was taken in ‘Proshot Studios’. They built a brand and that was what they. The customers didn’t care that they had to pay more for their pictures or that they had to queue up to take pictures, they continued coming in because of the brand. All photographers were taught to take pictures the same way and with the same kind of attitude. From the front desk officers to the photographers to the printers Proshots Studio was stuck to them like their second shadow. I have used all these examples and there are lots more to show you the importance and the strength of branding. Lets go now to personal branding…….
‘In one of my articles I talked about the importance of entrepreneurship in our society. In order to get there, to own your own organization you have to rebrand yourself. Unfortunately a lot of our youths have hip hop as their brands. You go into our schools and you see the boys dressing like 50cents or the girls like Beyoncé. Some times it’s even the Rastafarian brand that is copied. If you want to get into that door one has to be well dressed. You do not go for a bank interview looking like you just stepped out of the stage; you have to be properly dressed. My younger sister fresh out of university went for a bank interview. She wore a trouser suit and a pair of sandals. When she got into the interview room the first and only question she was asked was why didn’t she wear a shoe instead of a sandal. Human beings are prone to making judgment based on outward appearances’.
All con men have one thing in common; investing in their appearance and their packaging. They dress properly; they have well polished and fantastic shoes, maybe Armani suits, beautiful cars, lovely perfumes, well furnished offices and a good grasp of spoken English. 80% of the time they succeed because they have been well packaged, even they understand the power of branding. In order to get into that door we should be well packaged. Personal branding can start now. One doesn’t have to wait until he/she is out of the university or more mature, now is the time. Am not saying we must only have designer suits or do something bad to dress properly, No! There are places where good quality clothes can be found for very cheap prices. Just as we have ‘ Primark’ in London we have markets here where second hand clothes can be bought and of good quality too. Try and make a brand, try and package yourself. Someone once said.. ‘Looking good is good business’. You will be respected more when you are dressed properly. The door to the Governor’s office will be opened to you when you’re well dressed and packaged right.’
Someone once said; you are judged mostly by how you are dressed. So please youths, young adults drop the 50cents and the Beyoncé look and focus on personal branding. I leave you with this story….. ‘ a young man just got a job for an international firm, this young man was very unassuming and never saw the need for proper dressing. He will just try his best to look okay and that was it. One day he went for a seminar on ‘personal branding’ and decided to try it out starting with his presentation in two days. He woke up early, had a bath, unlike before he wouldn’t take the time to use a body lotion even though he had a dry skin, he used a body lotion. Wore a beautiful shirt he had just bought with a matching tie and a well ironed trouser he had taken his time to iron a night before. He polished his shoes for the first time in months and applied body spray and a little perfume. On leaving the house he looked well dressed, smelt nice and looked good. His confidence had already risen because of his appearance. After his presentation that day the Managing Director of the company told him congrats and didn’t fail to compliment his outfit. In fact there was a change. From being unassuming and almost forgotten in the company he was suddenly a star firstly because of his appearance secondly his presentation.
I could go on and on about branding but I leave you with these words; ‘personal branding takes a lot of time and patience, it’s not something that can be rushed. I urge you to build your brand starting from your appearance to your products. It will go a long way in years to come. Everybody needs a brand in whatever career he decides to take in life.
Information source: Brand Sense, by Martin Lindstrom. Published 2005 by Free Press., and the internet.
Ibifiri Mobolaji-Kamson
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com
