‘BRAIN ENGRAVING’
The BFT Branding Technique
It has been said that branding is not complicated, unless you take a course in it…then it’s really scary! BFT’s systems make the process very straightforward and uncomplicated. We enable all concerned to move ahead with confidence, authority and speed. We think of a Marketing Objective for a brand as being like a staircase. The ultimate goal for the brand is to reach the top landing. The current position of the brand might be half way up the staircase, or it might be on the floor at the base of the staircase. This is a particularly good analogy as the steps of the staircase are the stages to be taken to achieve the ultimate goal for the brand.
The terminology we use is intentionally non-technical because we are often dealing with human emotions and how an individual’s attitudes and perceptions shape their propensity to make a purchase decision.
When deciding to make a purchase, consumers (in every marketplace) initiate a Portfolio of Choices—a shortlist of brands they must check out. Therefore, from the point of view of brand recognition, branding an organization—whether it is sales oriented, service based or educational—is really the same as branding cattle on a ranch. The ‘brand’ must differentiate itself from all other similar brands in the marketplace—even if, to the outsider, all brands in the category look rather similar or are generic in nature.
Successful branding, must be based on the concept of singularity. BFT’s objective is to create a positive perception, in the minds of the identified target audience, that there is no other organization, product or service that is quite the same or as relevant to their needs and wants.
To reach the top of the staircase there must be an agreed long term Marketing Objective and, in turn, an understanding of how the set goals will be realistically accomplished. In order to fully understand how to achieve the aspirations for the brand, there must be a vision of how the brand will conduct itself when its objectives have been realized—in other words, what it is like at the top of the staircase. Then, only by fully understanding what the brand must achieve and the marketing route to take, can the gap be seen between where the brand is today and where it is planned to be in the future. Bridging that possible gap becomes far less scary when the overall marketing task is assessed in small component parts.
The successful creation of a brand will register a mental imprint on members of the identified target audience exactly as outlined in the Brand Strategy. It is the sum of all its tangible and intangible attributes. But it’s much more than just a logo and tagline.
The brand should be woven into every aspect of the organization and resonate through its promotion and service in every respect (often called ‘Living the brand’).
All promotion must characterize the brand’s qualities and be totally relevant to the brand’s benefits. In doing so, the brand becomes easily distinguished. It becomes etched in the identified target audience’s minds.
We call this ‘Brain Engraving’—creating and sustaining more than just top-of-mind awareness, but recall that prompts action. The brand message in all advertising and promotion must connect through emotion and confirm through reason.
A brand may be well-known…famous even…but its perceived relevancy to the target audience’s needs and wants takes it to the next crucial stage in its life cycle.
It is always much more expensive to acquire new customers than keep existing ones. Therefore, the bottom line of branding is to improve the organization’s gross profit, profit margins and return of marketing investment. A strong marketable brand maintains its position in its marketplace and counters short-term fluctuations. When positioned correctly a brand ‘says’ a great deal about an organization and often enables a higher price margin.
So “engraving” your brand onto the minds of the relevant target audience members has to be the correct route to follow. BFT achieves this by making your brand famous.
- When a brand is famous, it will be known.
- When a brand is known, it will be remembered.
- When a brand is remembered, it will build equity.
- When a brand builds equity, it will grow and resists challenges.
- When a brand resists challenges, its brand share and sales increase.
It has become famous.
BFT International is the branding, advertising and communication agency that makes brands famous.
It’s as simple as that!