[...]... want an answer to is: Is branding worth it for us? After all, we’re not baked beans…’ Whatever your starting point, it’s bothering you… Branding is one of the most misunderstood of modern business activities Too many think a brand is the sum of the effort put into advertising effort So what if you don’t advertise? No brand? Saddest of all the misunderstandings is that which dismisses branding as unworkable... This mistakes brands for consumer goods – a big mistake Perhaps the greatest opportunities for winning competitive advantage through branding lie not in FMCG, but in retail, B2B and service environments This book will provide you with an understanding of what brands can do for your business and how a brand can become one of your most valuable assets without having to cost a fortune It will show you how. .. good 2 í Defining the brand you feel good about the choice you have just made the brand promotes and nurtures the brand learns The virtuous circle of a good brand the brand is positioned the brand helps you to make your choice Figure PI.1 the brand knows what makes you feel good The virtuous circle of a good brand advertising campaign, but without the injection of an idea, is not a brand – it’s a heavily... charge, the more precise your positioning, so the more you leave yourself open to changing times Rather than simply aspiring to the highest level, it is more sensible to recognize what level is realistic for your brand and your resources, and then to excel at that level Determining what is realistic is not easy; the factors that contribute to the level of emotional charge that a brand might reach are... Defining the brand Working inside your head… the majority of what you could relate would be subjective rather than objective, you will more likely be able to discuss the ‘emotional charge’ of the brand, and how it impacts on you, than its specific attributes Try it with your favourite brand Write down six or so things – how many facts, how many emotions? What such an exercise makes clear is that the brand. .. important This was safety with a purpose – the car would protect your family In the end it is this emotional projection, or what we might call the ‘emotional charge’ of the brand, that gives Volvo its brand image and its brand value, not a list of cold statistics about crash tests or safety records Brands that elicit emotional responses were able to command premiums for longer The brand was a route not only... this is not always the wisest ambition For one thing, sustaining a brand image at the level of a social expression is an expensive activity and requires a continuity of credibility over a long period Entry costs are always George the ‘dude’ – building conformity behind Hofmeister 18 í Defining the brand Finding and securing your brand s level: • brand activity • customer interaction high, but they rise... admit to it) only shows that some brands work on much higher levels of emotional charge and that some people are prepared to lie, even to themselves, to reach those levels The brand as a promise of performance in use The importance of keeping your promises If a brand makes a promise of performance then it must be able to prove it Often the proof is in the longevity of the brand, but this can be a problem,... Getting your brand to work harder, to ensure that it makes its proper mark, isn’t just about money Indeed, money may be the least of your problems Getting brands to work on small budgets is more than possible; it is the norm Hearing a professor of marketing say that branding was a waste of time unless you have £10 million to spend was one of the impulses behind the writing of this book Good branding... times Managing this evolution is the essence of good brand management Managing the changing purpose of brands is the essence of good marketing Promises, promises From brash promises… … to the USP Born in the 19th century as marks of authenticity in a new world of mass production, brands bowled into the 20th century like brash teenagers, full of bravado and promises As consumers grew more brand literate’ . alt="" HOW COME YOUR BRAND ISN’T WORKING HARD ENOUGH ? i ii This page intentionally left blank PETER CHEVERTON HOW COME YOUR BRAND ISN’T WORKING HARD ENOUGH ? THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO BRAND MANAGEMENT First. a model for discussing brands 10 Finding your level 17 The virtuous circle 23 Brand evolution and brand definition 25 3 The brand as a personality 29 Who is your brand? 31 4 The brand as a mark. all the misunderstandings is that which dismisses branding as unworkable in anything but a FMCG (fast- moving consumer goods) business. This mistakes brands for consumer goods – a big mistake.