Procter and Gamble finds that branding has slowly become the epicenter of every business’ efforts in a market where competition is tough. It is the job of the brand manager to safeguard the brand’s reputation and make sure that its voice reaches the media and the consumers.
What separates a good brand manager from those who are not?
Brand management requires the ability to take the lead, and be tech savvy, creative, and dedicated. You’ll know your brand management is not good enough when you notice the following signs:
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Your brand is too similar to another brand.
Before you start any project, be sure to ask yourself whether it will contribute to the brand’s differentiation strategy. 21st-century consumers are very particular with originality. Thus, you can rarely find a successful brand that is not known for its uniqueness.
It’s normal to look for inspiration from other brands. However, you must be able to leave something in the minds of the consumers that others have not been able to leave. Competition is fierce. If you can’t provide a reason for your target audience to choose your brand, then you will not be able to stand out.
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Your brand is not visually appealing.
You can’t deny it. Aesthetics greatly affects a brand’s reputation. After all, people purchase products with good packaging. This is always the case when they are choosing among lines of new products. However, when we talk about visual appeal, it’s not only limited to the product packaging. It also includes your web design, logo, and brick-and-mortar shop interior design.
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You lost focus on what your brand is really about.
A brand that aims to be many things at once will only end up achieving nothing. You can’t cater to every person’s needs. That’s why, you must focus on your target audience and try not to deviate from your original purpose.
You may be tempted to try a new strategy to compete with new brands. However, it will not do you any good. More often than not, loss of focus leads to brand failure. In fact, according to BrandUNIQ, when the maker of Blackberry smartphones, RIM, tried to compete with Apple head-on instead of optimizing their competitive advantage, they started losing customers instead of gaining them.
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Your brand message is too complicated.
People simply don’t have time to listen to overly long brand advertisements and promotions. If you want to make a good impression, do it within seconds. Focus on what is important and leave out those which do not really matter. Branding agency San Francisco can help you in creating clear and memorable brand message.
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Your brand is not consistent.
You can’t expect to gain any loyal customers when you don’t have a core brand message. Take for example Coca-cola. For years, they have taken the no.1 spot among all global brands. And for years, they stayed consistent with their core message– spreading the feeling of happiness. You’ll see it in their ads, their taglines, their design, etc.
Final Thoughts
In promoting your brand, don’t do it just because you have to. Do it because you have the passion to do so. Love your brand and live your brand’s core message. If you can’t do it, then there’s a good chance that your target market won’t be able to do it, too.