As markets become crowded, the task of building strong brands becomes harder. The reality is that consumers of today are surrounded by the cacophony of brand messaging and advertising clutter. With dynamically changing markets, products that continue to evolve, and competition that increases almost every day, how do brands stand apart and successfully build that strong recall factor in the minds of their consumer? This is where brand positioning comes into play.

What is brand positioning?

Brand positioning is the process of placing your brand in the minds of your consumers. It is the summation of what the brand does in conjunction with what the target audience is. Positioning takes into account competitive assessment. It helps prospective customers make sense of the brand and, to then, assume a distinctive place in their mind.

Brand positioning helps in shaping consumer preferences. An effective brand positioning strategy drives what makes the brand favourable, credible, and different in the mind of the customer. It is brand positioning that helps the consumer, remember that Tesla combines luxury with environmental consciousness, Colgate is the protective toothpaste, Coca-Cola brings happiness, Woodlands is for the great outdoors, Rolls Royce stands for bespoke design and customization, Nike is the attitude for an athletic lifestyle… the list goes on. Positioning essentially influences the consumers’ perception of the brand and ensures that the brand occupies a specific space in their minds.

Brand positioning is the organic outcome of all that brand marketing and communication does. It gets built only over a period of time. Brand positioning is not what a brand says about the product but more about how the consumers perceive it. It is about making the consumer understand the Value Proposition in a manner that they can relate to it. Strong positioning thus has to convey authentic, differentiated/ unique, credible, believable, and sustainable values that the brand can bring into the lives of their target audience.

Why brand positioning matters

Because brand positioning impacts how you want the customers to perceive your brand, it must carefully align with the Purpose of the brand. All the brand marketing and communication messaging is a means to motivate the customer to become loyal to the brand.

1. Establishing meaningful difference

Consumers today face constant mar-comm bombardment from several channels multiple times a day. Creating an ownable image, a singular differentiation in the minds of the customer, especially when product level differentiation is hard, becomes an important benefit. With trust levels in brands, products, and institutions at an all-time low, it becomes challenging for brands to capture the mindshare of the customers in a meaningful way.

While earlier brand positioning could be based on the functional merit of the brand, today it is more about establishing a meaningful difference in their minds to influence purchasing decisions. Functional superiority can only assist positioning to a point. It works mostly in the absence of direct competition. However, the average customer today sees hundreds of brands offering identical functions with indiscernible features. Functionality thus has to drive meaningful difference and positioning helps in achieving that.

2. Creating a market niche

In their book, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Al Ries and Jack Trout talk of the law of the first. This law says that the first one to the market establishes their market dominance. But what happens if you are not the first one? The positioning strategy then has to explore creatively where they can be the first. It could be by evaluating the target demographic and assessing their behaviours, mindsets, values, needs, interests, fears, frustrations, joys, and dreams and evaluating how those have shifted. Or it could be by creating an uncontested market by expanding the boundaries of the existing industry. For example, in the edible oil industry Sundrop oil is positioned for light cooking, Saffola is for heart health, Fortune works for homely comfort food. The same product, cooking oil, gets positioned differently creating a nice market for the brands.

3. Remove brand indifference

The consumers of today are smart. At the same time owing to information bombardment, attention spans have reduced significantly. And when attention spans reduce, indifference to brand messaging increases. Apt brand positioning helps in aligning the brand messaging with what the audience wants and needs while making it clear, concise, and focused. This influence that positioning has on brand’s storytelling, communication, and messaging, impacts how customers perceive the brand’s performance. It helps in removing indifference towards the brand.

4. Anchors external and internal customers

Brand positioning matters not only to influence the external customers but also the internal customers (the employees) of the brand. In order to deliver great results employees must be invested in the mission and vision. Since the brand positioning is born out of the core Purpose of the company, this drives a singular alignment of effort across all the employees too. When they do so, they work towards creating superior brand experiences. Such an invested employee will push the boundaries to make a customer happy. With clear brand positioning, sales and marketing teams also gain greater business clarity. This helps them channelize the sales funnel more effectively and tackle customers more effectively.

5. Guides decision making

Since brand positioning facilitates a brand’s recall, it helps in guiding buying decisions. It establishes a relevant connection of the consumer’s need with your brand’s offering. Clear positioning successfully reduces the cognitive load that goes into searching and evaluating brands that address a particular consumer need. Walmart, for example, changed its “always low prices” slogan to “Save Money. Live Better” to attract their target audience with a promise of high quality that did not come at a high price. On similar lines, Big Bazaar positioned itself by saying “isse sasta aur behtar aur kahin nahin”- indicating to the customer that if they needed the cheapest and good quality goods such as groceries and staples, all they had to do was head to the nearest outlet.

6. Premium enablement

Position a brand clearly and you will be able to command a premium. Ever wonder why the same garment such as a pair of jeans is priced so differently? Armani jeans are priced way higher than a GAP and a GAP is priced higher than a Levi’s. This happens only because they market to a specific demographic with whom those values resonate. With such an alignment it becomes easier to associate an aspirational value with a brand when needed and command a premium.

In Conclusion

Much like those other marketing staples, purpose, and promise, positioning too emerges from emotion. It is this emotion that helps people connect with the brand. Owing to the impact that right positioning can have on a brand’s life story, positioning is not a marketing du jour, to be looked at in passing. Unless brands have effective positioning in place they will not be able to map a sustainable business plan and guide marketing strategies and initiatives. Positioning is that magic pill that helps brands determine “what your customers think of you” and guide them to “what you want them to think of you as”.

Looking for help in developing a strong Positioning for your brand in the minds of your customers? Write to us at info@lokusdesign.com.

When carefully defined, taglines and slogans can reinforce your brand’s value proposition and provide a reason for your audience to connect with your message. In fact, many brands are recalled by their taglines and not by their names – it is the tagline or slogan that influences their perception in the market and helps consumers identify the service or product that they provide. Here are some reasons why taglines and slogans really matter:

They facilitate top of the mind Brand recall:

Good taglines are memorable and provide top of the mind recall and salience for the brand. It makes differentiation/comparison/ evaluation easier and helps consumers with the purchase process and decision. Good taglines become a very critical piece of the brand identity- customers tend to remember well-crafted taglines- even better than the brand names. This helps in clearer understanding and positioning of the brand in the hearts and the minds of customers. It also attracts attention and delivers an accurate picture of what your Brand is all about.

L’Oréal’s slogan “Because You’re Worth It” was launched in 1973 and has proven to be timeless. The message is all about what the woman thinks – her self-confidence, her decision, her style. Today, these four words clearly showcase what the brand represents; an astonishing 80% of women recognize and respond to this positive phrase and powerful sentiment. What makes the tagline even more powerful (and beautiful) is that L’Oréal uses it all across its operations – “in its philanthropy, its products, and its thoughtful celebration of women”.

They clearly highlight your Brand’s Value Proposition/ Promise:

If you’re thinking “My brand doesn’t need a tagline,” or, “Taglines are of no use”, you are mistaken. Although some great companies do just fine without one, a tagline helps communicate your brand promise in a clear, concise, and memorable way. The tagline also serves as a constant reminder to your customers as well as your employees of what your Brand seeks to stand for in the hearts and the minds of its customers. And in that it reinforces your brand’s identity.

Take FedEx for instance. Their tagline “The World on Time” showcases exactly what FedEx can do – deliver packages on time! And that’s not all. A tagline as powerful as this evokes an emotional response; when customers read or hear the tagline, they realize that FedEx chooses punctuality over everything else. Through its tagline, FedEx conveys it understands how important time is for its customers (and hence for itself) and ensures their package, their message, and their “world” is delivered on time.

Amul, with its “The Taste of India” tagline brought about a paradigm shift in the Indian retail market. The tagline highlights the commitment of the brand in taking quality food products to every individual in this vast nation; products the common man could never afford. By making non-essential items such as chocolate and ice-cream available to the aam aadmi, AMUL ensures its products reach every rural corner of the country and “The Taste of India” reflects this value proposition accurately.

They can help in unifying all Brand Communication:

Good taglines and slogans can effectively anchor and act as a start point of all marketing communications and campaigns. Since companies market their products using a variety of channels including billboards, print, email, mobile, and social media advertising, a strong tagline or slogan binds all the elements of the campaign together. This creates a strong brand recall in customers’ minds. If your social media posts are fun and exciting, but your product packaging plain and boring, you risk sending mixed signals that will only confuse your consumers and leave them feeling your brand can’t be trusted. A tagline or slogan can be used not just for advertising purposes, but also on promotional items such as bags or caps or t-shirts and even on the actual product packaging. The end result? Familiarity, consistency, and hence trust across channels, products, advertisements, and consumer groups.

Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ is one of the simplest and most powerful slogans of all times – a slogan that was coined in the year 1988 and exudes strength and drive even today. And their consistency has certainly paid off; reports suggest that the slogan enabled Nike to increase the share of their sport-shoe business from 18% to 43%, ($877 million to $9.2 billion in worldwide sales) in the first ten years!

To sum it up…

Whether you’re a big company or small, a well-thought-out tagline or slogan can surely make your business. Although in the grand scheme of branding, crafting a tagline is becoming more commonplace and almost trivial, especially in a digital world where attention spans have shortened and screens have become pocket-sized. But ignoring the importance of taglines would be a huge mistake. As we have shown, they play a very important role in letting consumers quickly and efficiently sum up what you are all about. They capture the true essence of your brand’s promise in a few words. They conjure up positive images of your brand. They aid in brand recall. And they ensure brand consistency. And that, like Boost, is the secret of their energy!

Looking to craft an effective tagline for your brand? Write to us on info@lokusdesign.com.

Anyone who has ever thought about creating a company, and pretty much all brand managers and product owners here, can empathize, just how difficult it is to devise a name that is unique as well as descriptive. Among the most important tasks for the marketing team is to coin a brand name that would reflect the essence of the brand and fit seamlessly into the core ethos of the company as well. The name must be pleasing and provide a distinguishing identity amongst the ocean of other brands in the market. Not an easy task, right?

When you look out at some iconic brands, have you ever thought about how and why did the team behind it settle on that particular name for their company or product? The trust is that the best brand names have stories behind them. They mean something specific when viewed in the context of that story. They form a connection with their target audience on the basis of a shared acceptance of the story, the context, and the meaning.

Though, there are a number of brands out there that have created a niche for themselves, here are a few of our favorites names that are distinctive and have a story to tell too.

Amul

Amul is the largest company run and managed by a co-operative society. Amul is a Sanskrit word which means priceless. The company is based in Anand in Gujarat. The word Amul is an acronym and stands for Anand Milk Union Limited. It’s either a happy accident or a careful synchronization of serendipity that the acronym means so much in the context of all that the brand represents. This iconic brand stands for giving the common farmer, especially the rural women, access to economic freedom, by being part of the “White Revolution.” Individually each farmer may stand for little, but once they come together in a co-operative the collective strength is tremendous -priceless even! Of course, the product they focus on, milk, is an embodiment of purity and goodness. And who can put a price on that?

Google

The largest search engine in the world had an accidental christening. Its founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin looked for registering websites with the name Googol, which is the digit 1 followed by 100 zeroes. But, they inadvertently searched for google.com. The domain was available and quickly registered and google.com came into being. The reference to the massive number was anything but accidental though. The number represents at the basic level, the number of web pages the engine trawls through to find a response to the questions of searches. The number also represents the staggering number of search results the engine could throw up if put to the test. But, in essence, the name represents the unbound potential of the internet and the freeing up of opportunity for those of us using it. The sky is the limit with Google.

Apple

Your favorite phone brand has quite the story attached to it of how its name was coined! The brand, right from the days of the early iMac Personal Computer, represented accessibility and ease of use. It was designed with a sense of simplicity and approachability in an age when computers were something that only scientists or mathematicians used. At one level, Steve Jobs wanted to add an element of fun to the brand name. But at another, much deeper, level he wanted to distance himself from the intimidating aura surrounding the use of computers. The product promised to be a computer for the masses and even for school children. Hence, a common, everyday Apple was chosen as a name as also an elegant but simple logo. For sure, this simple brand name worked remarkably well for Jobs at the time -and has stayed impactful since.

SKYPE

How do you communicate with folks in another office, or city, or country? Would you like to see them while you do that? Would you turn to Skype? That name has an interesting back story too -and one that is so self-explanatory that it’s always been the right call. The name Skype was derived from “Sky peer-to-peer,” as in, a way to connect individual people together one on one, from the “sky” wirelessly. This semi-technical term was then shortened to “Skyper.” Eventually the r got dropped (as sometimes our Skype calls do) and we were left with a clear, concise, descriptive, and super-smart brand name -Skype.

Micromax

It’s commendable that an Indian mobile phone manufacturer, Micromax, has established itself in such a competitive market. The brand has a loyal user-base and a slew of products the market appreciates. In the early days when the competition was the high-end phones, i.e. the iPhones, BlackBerrys, and Samsungs of the world, Micromax’s USP was budget-friendly smartphones. Micromax subtly made its presence felt. The company and the brand were all about affordability -but not at the cost of functionality or style. They promised to deliver a smartphone experience but at prices that young India could access. The name was a smart way to communicate that value – the “Micro” represents the price point and the “Max” represents the utility. This potent mix has stood the brand in good stead even as market dynamics have changed with the advent of newer brands.

Are you buzzed with these stories too? Do they offer inspiration to you as you go about devising a brand name for your product too? Perhaps you need some help as you go about doing so -if so then reach out to us at info@lokusdesign.com. We have many more stories like these -and a bunch of trued and trusted methodologies to help you craft your own winning brand story!

Photo credit: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire URN:15614686 (Press Association via AP Images)

In the hospitality world, if you can’t keep up, there are plenty of contenders waiting in line to take your place in the hearts and minds of your consumers. The digital consumer of today is more empowered than ever and unafraid to rustle a few feathers with a devastating Yelp review. It is up to the brands to implement strategies that will serve the tide of demanding customers. So, what can you do to ensure the best customer journey and experience? First, effective Branding, because it’s the very first impression of your establishment. Branding gives a new customer a reason to sit down and order something from your menu. To avoid getting lost in the crowd, here are a few pitfalls in Restaurant/ Hotel Branding to avoid.

Pitfall 1: Not revitalising your Brand to keep pace with the changing times

It’s okay to rely on those loyal patrons that have been enriching your business for years, but today it helps to adopt a unique brand voice so that you make a lasting impact and customers come back for more. Remember, you may be iconic to the generation that you served and grew with, so your older customers will always have a reason to come back, but what about new customers? Your clientele isn’t immortal, so you will have to do something to attract new customers, branding is a key part of this. It could be something as simple as revamping your menus to incorporate some colour and typography, instead of the same old, laminated printouts you’ve been using for generations. Go for a contemporary way to showcase your history and heritage and showcase your story.

From the tubby, winky chef to the iconic golden arches that are signature to outlets across the globe, Mc Donald’s is a great example of logos done right. Back in the 1940’s the original founders of Mc Donald’s were revolutionaries who introduced the concept of fast food for the first time. So for the first eight years, the logo reflected their one of a kind, ‘Speeder Service System’ with the tubby chef who looked like he was in a rush to get somewhere. Once the fast food concept spread and competitors began entering the market, the McDonald brothers brought in a sign maker to design the logo while incorporating the two golden arches which held the structure of their building up. Later, after Ray Kroc acquired the company, the golden arches remained as the brand’s corporate identity. Over the next few decades, the brand continued to revamp and tweak the logo so as to keep with the times, however, the elements remain the same- the iconic, golden arches. This goes to prove that you don’t have to let go of everything about your logo, an update that appeals to the modern masses will do just fine.

Pitfall 2: Not standing for anything

In today’s hyper-connected, digital age of awareness and social responsibility, consumers are looking to connect more than consume. Customers are becoming more conscious about the brands they choose to support, especially the segment with a higher spending power because they have a larger number of options open to them. If you don’t stand for something, you have no purpose. If you have no purpose, well, it’s basically downhill from there! So remember to define your purpose as a brand and reflect that in your branding. If you’re a vegan restaurant, you stand for the environment and the planet, make sure that your branding represents that. If you’re into Keto foods only, you’re into the business of human health, make sure that you convey that through its branding. If you feel like you don’t know what your brand stands for, or you’ve never given it adequate thought, take the time to step back and reflect on that. Introspect about your business and what it means to you, this will help you in creating a base for your brand which you can then build every other strategy on. With restaurants and hotels, customers experience their brand from the moment they enter into the establishment to the moment they exit it. Good branding ensures a consistent experience throughout and gives the customer a reason to emotionally connect with them, thus increasing the chances of them returning.

Pitfall 3: Not telling a story

Behrouz Biryani does one thing, but they do it well! They only offer biryanis and a few signature kebabs, but their branding is top notch. Enticing visuals of aromatic biryanis are brought to life with the rich voice of actor, Raza Murad to create an experience that coaxes you to order some biryani within minutes of watching the commercial. Everything about the brand, from its rich website with regal imagery to their black and gold packaging containing food that’s fit for kings, tells a story. The story is about the origins of biryani and the inspiration that drives the brand and everything about their offerings are in total synch. So if you’re looking to brand or rebrand, your first step is finding your inner voice as a brand and telling a story to represent this.

Pitfall 4: Devaluing your Brand

If you don’t want to attract the bargain hunters, stop thinking like one. Your branding should never be focused on discounts and bargains because you will only attract the kind of customer who prefers quantity over quality, those who are not loyal. An excessive focus on discounts and offers devalues your brand and that is just bad for business. Have pride in who you are and what you offer and highlight your uniqueness instead of relying on discounts to attract customers.

Pitfall 5: Larger than life Branding

No, a huge hoarding stating that you have the “Best Steak in Town”, isn’t going to do much to set you apart from the competition, or define you as a brand. Today’s digital consumer is more aware than ever and has learned to tune “marketing” out. The consumer will perceive your claims as a desperate attempt to grab attention, and this does very little to create a lasting impression. You will get lost in the crowd. Also, remember that a statement like “Best Kebabs in Town” is nothing but an opinion, you may have the best kebabs in town, but that’s YOUR perspective, your customers may feel otherwise!

Pitfall 6: Ignoring the science of colours

Ever thought about why some of the biggest players in the food industry use so much red and yellow in their branding? From KFC to Mc Donald’s and even Subway, if you think this is a coincidence, think again! Colours impact our subconscious in fascinating ways, some create a sense of warmth, while others stimulate your appetite, and some can create a sense of happiness and comfort. So while considering the psychology behind colour, select your colour schemes based on what you wish to project. Colours such as blue and purple have a calm and serene effect. Studies have concluded that blue even lowers the blood temperature and heart rate, so they’re great options for hotels. Colours such as red, orange and yellow are appetite stimulants, and green is associated with nature, so if you’re a health-focused establishment, incorporating a little green could go a long way.

Take a moment to look around the vast ocean of brands that surrounds us today. It is easy to distinguish the established ones from those still struggling. Why is it that some of these brands are successful and the rest still only finding their footing? There are some brands that naturally generate a feeling of trust with their customers. Look at some of the most successful brands across the globe, be it Apple, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Shell, Toyota, BMW… one common denominator across all of them is that all these brands communicate a clear promise to their customers. And then they work really hard to deliver on it.

What is brand promise?

Brands, like each of us, need a reason to exist. This reason for existence is the purpose of the brand. While brand purpose answers ‘why’ a brand exists, brand promise emerges from ‘how’ a brand seeks to fulfil its purpose…

Brand Promise is the value that your brand is committed to consistently create and deliver to its customers. It clearly highlights all the tangible & intangible benefits one can derive over his/ her engagement with your brand across multiple touch points. It sets clear expectations of performance in the minds of the customers. As such, it illustrates how the Brand, given its Purpose, satisfies the perceived needs of its customers.

Promises are to be delivered…

Since promises build the foundation of trust if you cannot deliver what you promise you lose credibility instantly and move towards the path of irrelevance. So while you need to be courageous when defining your brand promise, you need to also assess if you can keep your promise – Every. Single. Time.

Ever wondered why McDonald’s manages to thrive, even at the posh Avenue des Champs Elysée in Paris, France? Because MacDonald’s manages to deliver on its brand promise of an inexpensive, consistent, and familiar meal that can be delivered fast in a clean environment. Subway, on the other hand, made a promise of providing healthy food to their customers. It positioned itself as the healthier alternative to unhealthy junk food. All was well until people realized that eating a load of carbs in the form of bread and ingesting a load of preservatives in the form of the cold cuts was not healthy. Subway was seen as unable to deliver to their brand promise and this hurt their ability to become a part of the ongoing healthy-eating revolution worldwide.

When a brand has an unclear brand promise, it also becomes difficult for it to resonate across the length and breadth of the organization. If the stakeholders are not committed to the promise or do not understand it then how can we expect the same from the consumer? In a Harvard Business Review article, ‘Why Strategy Execution Unravels’, the authors state “a breakdown in trust and the inability to coordinate across functions and units are the biggest drivers of failed execution.” Clearly, the brand promise has to be accepted wholeheartedly within the organization. It is only then that you’ll be able to consistently deliver on it.

Why a clear Brand Promise Matters…

For brands, a clear promise highlights the specific customer needs they fulfil and the specific customer pain points they resolve. In that it clarifies how a brand intends to add value to the lives of its customers. A well thought out promise also give brands a clear direction for product development, featuring, and marketing communication. This helps brands focus all marketing investments for better return on investment.

For customers, a clear Brand promise aids purchase decision-making as it gives a pointed answer to the question, ‘what’s in it for me?’. This also helps in creating a clear product differentiation in the minds of the customer which helps them evaluate one brand vis-à-vis the other.

In Conclusion

A brand promise should not be confused with a brand theme or a marketing slogan. It is something personal between a company and its customers, and the basis of this relationship is the capability of the brand to deliver on its promise. Fail here, and your customers will begin to wonder what you really stand for and if your credibility can be, or rather, should be trusted. It, therefore, becomes crucial to be intentional in what you promise to your customers and committed to delivering on this promise. Therein lies the ‘secret’ for developing a great, trusted brand.

Looking to clarify your Brand’s Promise? Write to us at info@lokusdesign.com.

Have you ever wondered about the lifespan of a brand? Do they all last the same? Or they swing from ‘a flash in the pan’ time span and ‘they lived on and on’? Does the principle of ‘well-begun is half-done’ hold true here? A close look at the history of branding makes it crystal clear: most brands fail. Reports suggest that 96% of businesses fail within 10 years of inception. Disheartening it may sound, but the way forward need not be!

Can we draw up a list of do’s and don’ts to ensure your brand succeeds? Is it about time? Or space? Omission or commission? Claim and performance are what finally lead to your brand image. A strong brand will go a long way to help you conquer the highs and lows of the market, the changing industry regulations, the frequent technological advances, and the fluctuating demands of customers.

Here are 7 branding pitfalls to avoid, especially if you are in the F&B industry:

1. Lacking a clear brand promise: Brands that lack brand promise weaken their standing. Since the relationship between brand and customer is based on trust, sticking to your brand promise is important for establishing a pact with them that ensures consistent service. But most of all, it should be kept – every time. The brand promise is paramount in all dealings with the customer, delivering on all touch points: who you are, what you do and also how you are different from others. McDonald’s is a successful brand today because it delivers on its brand promise: when customers see the Golden Arches, they know they can expect simple food with great service and value.

2. Not differentiating your brand: In the competitive F&B domain, being unique is imperative. Ensure that you are able to project the real differentiation beyond your product offering: highlight strengths that are unique to your brand and the special services you offer. A constant reinvention, recharging, revitalisation will go a long way in setting your business apart. Wine manufacturer Sula scores high on differentiation; consumers can enjoy a trip through the vineyards, visit the winery, and set a peek into the winemaking process.  

3. Blindly following trends: Trending is the name of the game today, and our attention is constantly entrapped by a hashtag, an Instagram story and the like. What is important to remember is that these waves come and go. But none of them are permanent, none last forever. Focus your energy on crafting your own unique story and tell it your way, regardless of what everyone else is doing. With revenue in chocolate spreads amounting to $2,121 million in 2018, if you are targeting the health-conscious customer with low-fat, low-sugar waffles, it won’t be a good idea to showcase your product with high-calorie chocolate spreads in your advertisements.

4. Not staying relevant: Like time and tide, the fast pace of the industry waits for no one. Would that mean your brand has to embrace every new technology or social media platform? No, certainly not! The goal for any brand should be relevance — and in order to remain relevant, you must be nimble, dynamic and aware of current trends. If you have the ability to evolve alongside the shifting perceptions of your customers, industry trends and technology advances or risk, the chance of becoming irrelevant is unlikely. With the demand for vegan and vegetarian food increasing, it might make sense for restaurants to offer organic and ‘farm-to-table’ items on the menu and meet the needs of customers trying to include more vegan food into their meals.

5. Not focusing on core values: A rock-solid company culture backed by a brand’s core values will ensure internal misalignment, which can be a common and major problem, never arises. If your brand is misaligned internally, your frontline employees will not relate to or believe in your brand’s purpose. The result will be a pattern of poor behavior will affect customer experience, which in turn will affect the company’s bottom line. AMUL’s strategy of branding through advertising and campaigns have helped them establish a strong place in peoples’ minds – founded in 1946, the brand still sticks to its core values.

6. Not telling an effective branding story: With a plethora of marketing and advertising campaigns flooding the market and staring the customer in the face, it is important to be able to rise above the commonplace! Your brand can either be part of the white noise that constitutes the background of your customers’ experience, or you can command their attention with a brand story that is relevant, meaningful, compelling and unique. Of immense importance is that your brand story articulates your brand vision clearly.

7. Not thinking glocally: The world is more and more diverse, and ignorance or ethnocentricity should never become your bane. The best way to welcome customers from myriad backgrounds is to use branding techniques that all your customers can relate to. Practice cultural sensitivity, be inclusive, respect feedback from all and do you research when venturing into unknown territories. As consumers become more and more finicky about where their food comes from, Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees source their own supplies, subject to compliance with the brand’s specifications.

Branding Tips for Success

Each year, there are a variety of opportunities for growing F&B companies to excel. But staying on top of changing customer needs, designing new packaging, and employing the latest technology is essential in a competitive marketplace. No matter how big or small your brand is, building a credible identity is essential as it is one of the first steps along the path to success. Ensuring you have clarity of the basics will allow you to steer clear of avoidable errors and take a significant amount of stress out. The value of a good brand is quite simply, beyond measure. So, make sure to avoid these pitfalls and witness your brand’s success all along.

Looking for help on branding your F&B business? Write to us at info@lokusdesign.com.

Your business plans are in place, the product is taking shape nicely, the top management is champing at the bit, especially the sales and marketing folks are eager to start talking about what you have to offer. Except there’s one thing missing – the perfect name for your brand. The name you choose can either emphasize the value you espouse or distance you from it. A good name is critical both from business and branding perspectives. Do you know? Google was launched as BackRub in 1996. “Google it” has become a common verb now, we can’t even imagine the alternative! Clearly, there’s a lot in a name!

Different Types of Brand Names

Coining a name for your brand is not easy. If you want to name your brand after something common in the English language, chances are you’re no longer left with much choice. However, there are other options:

• Use the founder’s name (Tata)
• Describe what you do (Bharat Petroleum)
• Choose a lexical name that includes puns, compound words or phrases (Dunkin’ Donuts)
• Use an acronym (AMUL)
• Just make up a word (Xerox)
• Use an evocative name that doesn’t map literally but metamorphically (Nike)
• Or take a word out of context and hope it resonates with the world (Apple).

But what goes into this decision when there are no easy options?

Points to Consider:

With millions of brands springing to life every day across the world, the process of coining a name for your brand is becoming more challenging, to say the least. In a web-driven world, reports suggest that there are over 860 million domain names registered worldwide, and some experts believe that over 99.9% of words from the English dictionary are already registered – what names are you left with then? Here are some points to consider.

1. The brand name should align with the overall brand identity and personality. There’s no denying that coining the perfect name is a daunting task. After all, the name needs to perfectly represent your vision, your brand’s purpose, and culture – and all this has to be done in just one or two words!

2. The brand name should be easy to understand and relate to for the target customer/ markets. The name you choose should make sense to the largest slice of customers you are looking to address. And, the name you build must be relevant to all the customers you define.

• Is your brand name easy to recall?
• How many times do you have to hear it before you remember it?
• What does the word look like in print? Does it look as good as it sounds?

Do you know? When the founder of Sony Corporation – Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo – decided to use the acronym Totsuko for his company, he realized Americans had a tough time pronouncing the name. That’s when the name Sony was chosen – a mix of the words sonus or sound and sonny or a slang used to describe a young boy, which the founder considered himself to be.

3. The brand name should be unique, ownable, and a correct fit in its product categories.

• Does it fit across product categories while telling its own unique story to consumers?
• Is it unique and ownable in its categories? Does it generate a fair amount of curiosity?

4. The brand name should be good to sound/ good to say. Remember – you have only one chance to make a really good first impression. Stick to shorter words with fewer syllables and a catchy flow. These are more likely to gain traction with your target audience.

• Does your name sound good over the phone and in person?
• When you say the name aloud, do you think it will echo for years to come?
• Is there a chance the name will be mispronounced or misspelled?

5. While choosing a name that’s unique, easy to pronounce, good to hear etc. is important, what’s just as important is for your brand name to comply with the various applicable IPR laws and legal mandates.

• Research the applicable laws and mandates for your type of company and the geography you operate in. You don’t want to sound like another brand or to convey something objectionable in a part of the world that may be crucial for your business.
• Ensure compliance to protect your reputation, image and brand identity.

Final Thoughts

When Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet,” he was probably unaware of the branding impact a poor name would have. Today a strong, memorable brand name that rings with the inner “purpose” of the brand has become the essential first step in establishing the identity of the brand. The pitfalls of picking an inapt name are many. If confusion is the first reaction your name evokes then you’re in a bad place. The right name sets the stage for the customer’s resonance with the values of the brand and all that it represents. The right name conveys to the right customers, who you are, what you do, and where you fit (or don’t fit) in their life. Naming your brand is that key element of your strategy that can define the future trajectory of your business. And no amount of name-calling will change that!

Looking for help on naming your brand? Write to us at info@lokusdesign.com.

~Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself~ Coco Chanel

Trends come and go, the weather changes from sunny to snow, time changes from 1 to 4, but the one thing that never changes is the desire to be beautiful. Brands in the booming personal care space have to constantly innovate in order to offer beautiful products to make people look and feel beautiful. Staying relevant and offering products that meet the needs of consumers has always been in style. And no, you do not need Jennifer Lawrence or Aishwarya Rai to endorse your brand to succeed; all you need is to follow certain best practices – practices that you believe in, practices that support your brand’s purpose. Do that and see how your brand shines.

The evidence of their eyes

Nobody will believe that you can make them look great if your own product doesn’t look the part too. We live in an ever-increasingly visual world. Use every opportunity to broadcast your belief in the inner beauty of your product across people’s consciousness. They must know that whatever you’re offering is true to your brand’s purpose, that you have the expertise to do it and that your efforts are born out of a genuine desire to make consumers look better and feel better. Johnson & Johnson, with its “So Much More” global campaign, is “paving the way in baby care by advancing research on the importance of multi-sensorial experiences in happy, healthy baby development; it aims to enhance bath time rituals to stimulate baby’s senses and provide parents an opportunity to nurture baby’s ability to learn, think, love and grow”. J & J cares, and their consumers know it.

But natural (and organic)

The global natural and organic personal care market has been growing at a rapid pace; Persistence Market Research projects it to be valued at $21 billion by the end of 2024. Consumers are driving a clear trend toward sustainable living that includes buying local, organic products, with a passion for authenticity. Personal care brands that use chemicals and adulterated ingredients fast falling out of fashion. Consumers today are choosing products that are aligned with their own values. They seek information on the origin of products, what the environmental impact is, and who they are buying from. In India, Forest Essentials, a traditional personal care brand, maintains the highest standards of purity, authenticity, and quality as each product is handmade using traditional methods. The discerning consumer buys into that vision too.

But Stay Simple

The greatest brands are often the simplest to understand and appreciate. These are brands that are easy to use and that make consumer’s lives easier. Achieving success with your personal care brand doesn’t require you to use complex or elaborate branding techniques. What you need is simplicity. It is simplicity that brings clarity. The idea is to make simple promises and deliver on them. Align your customer experience with your messaging for real impact. Take Dove’s promise for example. Dove is helping 40 million people build self-esteem and positive body confidence. They unambiguously say, “Dove believes that beauty is not one dimensional; it is not defined by your age, the shape or size of your body, the color of your skin or your hair – it’s feeling like the best version of yourself. Authentic. Unique. Real.” As an aside, that message could apply to brands too!

Package it Right

Packaging your product carefully is essential to put the right message across. This is the vehicle for all that you want to convey about the brand. The signs, symbols, colors, shapes, and even textures should convey the intended message – a message that resonates with the consumer. Your packaging should convey and emphasize your core values and purpose. Pick a method of packaging that is reflective of what your brand is about. The Body Shop’s latest packaging aligns with its ambition to be the world’s most ethical and sustainable business; 58% of its packaging is sourced from non-fossil fuel derived materials and all of the company’s clear plastic bottles are made with 25% recycled materials.

Get Social

You might be creating beautiful products, but are you showcasing them to your audience in their medium of choice? In a world of Facebook and Instagram and online shopping, people are hungry for new experiences, and products that make them feel great about themselves. Make the most of social media – share your product story, the reason for building the product, your efforts in creating the product, the techniques used and the benefits it will offer to the consumer. A carefully crafted social media campaign will allow you to connect with your audience in a place they consider “personal”! And if you are lucky, they might even share their positive experiences on social media. Nivea, for instance, is very hands-on when it comes to social media marketing; they actively reach out to people tweeting about skin problems and offer tips and product suggestions that will help overcome their problems. Isn’t that great?

Experience Unmatched Success

Although a big name and attractive packaging will compel people to try your product once, but for them to become brand loyalists, they need to love what they buy. In an ever-increasing competitive environment, you need to make sure you are standing out from the crowd; create a memorable and appealing brand that is true to your purpose. Get creative; unravel your consumer’s essential needs and drive your branding efforts towards providing real value. Beauty, after all, is not just skin deep; it is a lot more than that!

For more on how your Brand can capitalize on these emerging trends, write to us at info@lokusdesign.com.