Brand Identity is a promise. Whether that promise involves product quality, service, price or some other variable, this helps grow a strong brand identity. This strong brand identity can place a business above its competition all by itself. But having a brand that’s strong takes time, money and effort to grow. It’s not as easy as just creating a logo or writing a tagline. Brand identity is the reason you give your customer to pick you instead of your competition. Successful re-branding involves “evolution,” not “revolution.” You must make an impact on upon your existing customers that your new brand is just a new and improved version of the same you. It’s vital to not get too extreme with a re-branding effort because you could end up destroying delicate emotional ties and customer loyalty. Having a brand identity that resonates with your market is imperative, but not at the expense of the people within your company. They need to not only get it, but also be your brand’s most ardent ambassadors. Do your employees believe in your company? Do they feel like they have a vested stake in its success? Companies with solid brand identities can say yes to these questions. Can yours? If not, here’s some things you can do: 1. Get every aspect of your company on the same page. Get all your departments talking to each other and understanding each other. 2. Give everyone a common understanding of the company, its mission and their part in it. They should feel like they have ownership-even if they don’t. 3. Reinforce brand values and behaviors. Constantly promote these fundamentals until they’re second nature. Your employees will ultimately determine your success or failure. You, as leadership, must earn it. But once you do, you’ll have a company that is full of happy, motivated successful brand ambassadors.
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This is part of a 12 Chapter complimentary ebook on branding that will be made available in mid February.

Why Brand?

Posted: 17th January 2010 by admin in Advertising, Branding
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Why Brand?

Branding is a marketing technique that has the potential to elevate your business to the top. It involves helping your customers to form a recognizable association with you. Link your business with a design, logo, slogan, and/or color and observe the positive results.

Brands create a feeling of familiarity. If customers have seen your logo, insignia, or company name, they are more likely to continue to select your product or service. Also, they are more apt to suggest them to others. Referrals through word of mouth can be an extremely powerful form of advertising.

A brand helps possible customers remember your business. People may know little about your philosophy or reputation. However, if they can recognize your brand, the chances are greater that they will do business with you. Branding creates memory in the mind of the public.

When the public remembers your brand and familiarizes themselves and others with it, they will come back. Customers are more likely to remain devoted to your business and are apt to buy further products or services from you based on the brand of the initial product with which they had success.

People are willing to pay more for products or services that they highly regard. This means that customers are likely to pass up cheaper prices with competitors if your brand has made a positive impression on them. If clients believe in your product, they will pay for it.

When you have distinguished your business through branding, the marketing has the capability of becoming so profound, that little else is necessary. Developing your brand takes time and effort, but after it has been solidified, and after customers have had the chance to identify with it, your sales can increase naturally.

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This is part of a 12 Chapter complimentary ebook on branding that will be made available in mid February.

Impact Of Colors In Ads

Posted: 8th January 2010 by admin in Advertising
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Human brain receives signals faster through eyes rather than ears. Visual appearance is supposed to be more appealing when compared to any other senses, no matter what the medium of presentation is. So, there are methods by which one can increase the visual appeal. Other senses facilitate visual appeal, and are also important to concentrate on.

Typical example is color when accompanied with audio, and writing. According to a study, big budget companies spend billions in the color market research, which helps in product and packaging development. Color, along with content, helps to pertain the interest of the visitor and makes him/her surf the website longer. A colorful article will make the reader read it till the end. Color makes things look more amiable.

Colors are known to influence the behavior of a person. Like blue color is said to have a relaxing effect. Red represents passion and love. A dating website can have red as the background color. Fast food restaurants have bright picture of food beautifully decorated pasted on the walls. This tempts the taste buds of the customer and the customer pounces on the food, eats and leaves quickly. And this is exactly the reaction expected.

Light effects can also be used to play with the mind of the on-looker. Advertisements, especially for food products, have strategically placed lights. The light effects trigger the hormones in the brain, which increases the hunger. If the same is placed in a slightly dim light, it won’t be equally tempting.

Countries around the world have different cultures that relate a color to an occasion or emotion. Climatic conditions also attribute to this. Like in America, people relate black to death and where as in Asia, white is related to death. People living near the equator like warm colors and people living nearer to the poles like cold colors.

It’s a must for an advertiser to have the knowledge about the colors and what they refer too. Black stands for elegance, sophistication, seduction and mystery. White stands for peace, pure, clean, mild and youthful. Gold stands for prestige, luxury and elite. Silver stands for prestige, scientific and cold. Yellow stands for warmth, happiness and cheer. Orange stands for warmth, playfulness, and vibrant. Red stands for love, excitement, strength, passion, and danger. Pink stands for nurture, sweet, soft, and security. Green stands for nature, fresh, fertility and abundance. Blue stands for cool, trust, belonging and reliability. And lastly Purple stands for spiritual, royalty, and dignity.

From the advertiser’s point of view, we can conclude that colors can determine the shopping habits of customers. Black, blue, red and orange attract impulsive buyers. Smart shoppers are attracted to pink, light blue and navy blue colors. Companies use colors in logo, advertisement, etc., to pass the right message to the customer. Wal-Mart advertise has a navy blue background and its catch line is “We sell for less”, which means smart customers are their goal. Mercedes has a silver logo, true to its class.

Before designing an advertisement, the targeted customers should be recognized and the advertisers shouldn’t use the colors that are their personal favorites but according to the ad campaign. Advertisement for children should have bright and vibrant colors. Yellow, red, blue and green, which are the primary colors, are the colors, which attract the children, which is why parents buy those colors for their kids. These colors represent warmth, sweetness, trust, reliability, playfulness and security.

10 tips to keep your regulars coming back– and for picking up new ones along the way

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source: www.marketingcharts.com

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source: infoworld.com

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source: mediabuyerplanner.com

Though 64% of consumers say promotional offers dominate both the email and traditional mail they receive, only 41% view them as must-read communications and many even steer clear of a brand in protest of such irrelevant mailings, according to a study by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council and InfoPrint Solutions Company. Click here to read the rest of the story