A brand is what it means to you
By Saurabh Parmar Founder & CEO, Brandlogist Communications In almost every conversation we have with a client or a potential one, the word ‘brand’ comes up. But what’s interesting is I see the interpretation vary. Remember, I am talking about marketers here. I don’t think there is a right or wrong but the definition of what a brand is has evolved in this digital age. For me, a brand has never been a logo or a fancy tagline, neither is it a vision or mission statement. At the end of the day, it’s a dynamic entity which lives what it says, it evolves from where it is, it understands from its customers’ needs and wants. It means a lot of those things which are probably taught in brand identity classes — the colours, the shape of the logo, the guidelines, the thought behind the brand name, etc. Yet, I truly believe this has always been about something more — how people perceive the brand. Think about brands like Apple, Vodafone or Dominos. What do you see? What do you feel? The answer depends on who you ask. The logo, tagline, marketing campaign, product remain the same, but people’s interpretation of it defines the brand for them and to an extent their social circle. This is more so in today’s world, where customers are directly interacting with brands via social media, where there are more brands making more noise via marketing, and technology is changing proximity and interactions between human beings themselves. As a result, the dynamic nature of a brand is all the more obvious. I like brand X, let’s say, a restaurant. But if the food was bad the last time or whether the waiter was rude or the service slow, all those things impact brand perception. But it doesn’t take a direct interaction always, does it? Friends who have been raving about a product or place, a Zomato review or a review in HT, or your friends having already liked this new place on Facebook — all these live interactions influence our brand perception over time. So what should a brand do? A lot, but for me, these six things stand out : 1. Remember that brand building does not happen on day 1; it keeps happening till the day you exist and if you are fortunate or maybe unfortunate enough, people will have opinions even after you cease to exist. So be open to constant evolution. 2. Having said that, like any human being, the way you talk and interact may evolve, but you remain mostly true to your core beliefs. The same goes for brands. 3. Brands are often afraid of taking a stand and having an opinion. We believe that’s not the way to go. Great brands stand for something and they also stand against something. 4. An often heard statement is ‘Great brands need to be larger than life’. I tend to differ, more so in today’s day and age of a cluttered market with enough brands shouting their greatness. 5. Brands need to be true to life. They are based on a customer’s needs and aspirations, and need not look down from a pedestal or exaggerate their own identity, which makes it hard for a customer to trust them. For instance, how many men believe that by spraying a deo, women will start swarming around then. Brands have failed to go beyond this thought, for years. 6. Great brands focus on transparency — to their customer,their employees and other stakeholders. An interesting example is an ad for McDonald’s Canada, which answered a customer’s question, “Why does your food look different in the advertising than what is in the store?” by actually demonstrating a product shoot. They do not look at advertising as a means to display but as a means to communicate. And that brand-consumer interaction does not happen in silos but in an environmental and cultural context. Feedback: Saurabh@brandlogist.com
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