Firstly, before even creating a brand or sustaining a brand, we need to recognize the importance of branding. It is imperative that we realize that brands are typically a company’s biggest asset and the bigger the asset, the bigger the company.

If we look at surveys of top brands, the top brands are associated with top ranking companies whether in terms of sales and or profitability. Examples are like Nike swoosh, the Coca-Cola lettering, the McDonalds golden arches.

Secondly, we further need to understand that to creating a brand is not just designing a unique logo/picture, but to endorse a business philosophy that runs through every vein of the company.

That brand/philosophy will differentiate the company from the competitors, encourage loyalty from your employees and existing customers, attract new customers, enable us to expand into new products, markets and territories and most importantly, enable us to charge a premium for our company’s product or service leading to more profit and company expansion which add value to the shareholders coffers.

We therefore need to know:

·      what sort of qualities and strengths do we automatically want our brand to call to mind – what does it represent?;

·      what do we want that brand to say about us as  individual?  Take a moment and think about the emotions some of the most iconic brands evoke – Nike’s Just Do It slogan is a perfect example.

·      ensure that aspiring and ambitious is fine but there should not overstatement and overreaching which is likely to create negative impressions when the reality does not live up to the façade. 

·      We need to ask ourselves the following questions at any given time :-are our  brand clear, credible, constant, relevant, and   desirable and

·      Last but not least, it’s imperative to convey the importance and strategy to the rest of your staff and not just those involved in marketing. In my earlier article, it is mentioned that the staff is the best ambassador of the brand. The employees/staff are the one that can better convey it to the customers. 

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