Almost every business has a trading name, from the smallest market trader to the largest multi-national corporation. Only a minority of those businesses however, have what could be classed as a ‘brand’ or a ‘brand name’. A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol, color combination or slogan. The word branding began simply as a way to tell one person's cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp. A legally protected brand name is called a trademark.
The word brand has continued to evolve to encompass identity - it affects the personality of a product, company or service. A concept brand is a brand that is associated with an abstract concept, like breast cancer awareness or environmentalism, rather than a specific product, service, or business. In consumer based marketing branding plays a vital role.
To succeed in branding one must understand the needs and wants of your customers and prospects. It can be done by integrating brand strategies through company at every point of public contact. Brand resides within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which one can influence, and some that one cannot. A strong brand is invaluable as the battle for customers intensifies day by day. It's important to spend time investing in researching, defining, and building your brand. After all, brand is the source of a promise to consumer. It's a foundational piece in marketing communication.
2. BRANDING
The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.
Therefore it makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting target market to choose over the competition, but it is about getting prospects to see as the