the point of view that my role in advertising is a glorified filer. I have to ensure that my target audience has my brand (e.g. a McDonald’s Burger) filed right at the front of the fast food part of the restaurant section that sits in their brain. By keeping it so front of mind, you can be sure that there will only ever be one winner when your consumer is faced with the perennial Whopper Vs Big Mac choice.”
Your feelings about a company or product or service can be shaped by just word of mouth: the rule that says one unhappy customer tells twenty to thirty people. But a brand, as we have noted, is not just about that ‘mental shelf space’ or ‘brand perception’ built up by advertising or word of mouth. It is the sum of all experiences from first hearing about the product to purchase to repeat purchase to customer service etc. It is created from a series of experiences, from every interaction over the lifetime of the relationship with each adding to or subtracting from the ‘brand experience.
Can smaller companies create a successful brand?
Well, they need to do so whether they know it or not – because of the ‘brand experience’ phenomenon. As just noted, every interaction over the lifetime of the relationship is what creates the brand with each adding to or subtracting from the ‘brand experience’.
Patrick Hanlon, CEO of branding company Thinktopia suggests seven “pieces of primal code” that go into making a great brand:
? the creation story – where you come from is as important for people to know as what you believe
? the creed – defining, understanding and communicating your mission to employees and customers
? the icon – graphic or other