It is often forgotten that the most valuable asset that any business has is its brand, this fact can be confirmed by taking notice of the businesses with strong, consistent and meaningful brands that have not only survived but thrived during the recession that we are starting to emerge from.

The main purpose of a brand is to establish a sense of loyalty and preference over a period of time, and to give the consumer something that they can trust, inspire to and depend on.

‘It is vitally important that your brand stands out from the crowd for all the right reasons and does not become engulfed in a sea of mediocrity and sameness. It should be clear, compelling and with a purpose. Your brand should communicate what you have to offer, not just in a monetary sense but what you can offer to society as a whole. Many people would prefer to build a relationship with your brand (company) based on your ethics and what you believe in’. commented Howard Brand Cialis Kent.

It is common to see businesses over complicate branding when in most cases it is far more Viagra Professional effective to go back to basics and simply give the consumer what they are looking for.

A perfect example of keeping it simple is the 2009 T-Mobile ‘Life’s for sharing’ television ad campaign which featured 13,500 people singing the Beatles classic, Hey Jude in Trafalgar Square. This was a tremendous success for the telecoms company and you couldn’t really get any more basic than that. The reason the ad was so successful was because it was a multi sensory experience for the consumer.

It is vital that brands engage with their target audience through the various marketing channels with as many of the five senses as possible, i.e. hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste which in turn will make them far more effective, meaningful and memorable.

Brand is everything that your customer and prospective customer think, feel, say, hear, read, watch, imagine, suspect and even hope about your product, service or business.

Anchora Solutions recently worked on a brand evaluation and communication project with Irish courier company Nightline which involved a rebrand, van livery, advertising, PR and web design which has resulted in regular comments that the ‘Nightline vans are everywhere’ – ironically the number of vans has not increased since the rebrand but awareness of Nightline has cheap viagra online without prescription intensified demonstrating the importance of strong, consistent and impactful brand communications across different channels.

Consumers are desperately searching for stability. Even more so because of the current economic climate and if a company is able to show, through their branding, that they have kept the promises that they have made in the past, they will be the brand that people trust and will turn to again and again, safe in the knowledge that they are and always will be in good hands.

A great example of this is Ikea. They have clearly demonstrated that their whole business is centred around its values such as sustainability and conservation which in turn reflects the values of its customers.

‘As a business owner, you are the guardian of your brand. You should be aware of what is required to make your brand stand out from the crowd. If you have not already done so it is vital that you re-evaluate your brand, what it stands for and how it communicates to its various audiences but more importantly understand the need to get your brand out there as soon as possible to maximise the amazing opportunities that are awaiting companies in these exciting times ahead of us’ concluded Howard Kent

Author Bio: Howard Kent is based in Ireland with over 30 years experience in sales, marketing and business consultancy primarily in the services sector. Director of Anchora Solutions – who provide support, facilitation and advice to SME’s to improve their profitability and performance. www.anchorasolutions.com

Category: Business/Corporate
Keywords: Marketing, Branding, Communication, Strategic Planning, Facilitation, Coaching, Advertising, Senses. Consultancy, Brand Assets, Brand Evaluation. Brand Audit.