Branding- What Exactly Is In A Name

One of my favorite pastimes is to assess the strategies companies use to market their products. I spot and pick at the workings of the campaign. Often I come across some peculiar strategies that defy common sense. For example, some time ago I was exploring the aisles of a sporting goods store when right there in the kayaking section I saw something that caused me to quake in my boots�

I saw� a Bic� kayak. There was, as conspicuous as anything, the Bic� logo� you know the one, the tiny ball headed guy holding a pen� proudly placed on the top of the boat (or is that "yak." Are kayaks really boats?).

I later found out that Bic� Sport was founded around 1979 to sell less costly surf boards. When 1997 came around they had produced 1,000,000 surf boards. I didn't know there was that high of a demand for surf boards.

Bic� Sport has a great website that is solely dedicated to equipment for water sports. Apparently the brand means "economic quality." Raise your hand if you thought Bic� meant "cheap pens."

Nearly all studies of major corporations on the topic of brand illustrate that a brand has the most success if it only represents a single meaning. I tend to believe this report and have demonstrated the principle within my own companies. However we must understand two fundamental myths concerning branding.

Myth one. The brand has to symbolize one product only. Your brand meaning should be laser concentrated in terms of its meaning, yet wide enough to be put on many products that will boost the sales volume of your company. For instance, if Tide� meant, "It gets the dirt out when nothing else can." Then some of your products could include Tide� vacuums and industrial cleaning equipment/chemicals. Tide� is an exceptionally successful of laundry detergent. They have allowed their brand to remain pure and concentrated on cleaning clothes. Businesses like Proctor and Gamble and Johnson and Johnson spin out a number of single product brands, which is a tactic I favor.

Myth two. The whole world understands what your brand means. In reality, the markets of the world are vastly fragmented. Every little niche is a community within itself with its own publications, opinion leaders, and trade associations. Seeing that our lives have become so high paced and we have so little time, men and women are very selective when deciding what to pay attention to. In most cases, each community is fairly ignorant of the other communities. Contrast the farming community versus the football player community. Or, even more explicitly, the ranch cowboy community verses the rodeo cowboy community. What does this mean?� a single brand may have multiple meanings in different communities.

I wouldn't suggest distorting your brand name meanings. I support the option of really focusing the meaning of your brand name so that it can encompass a broad range of products.

NOTE: Use of this article requires links to be intact.

Rod Alan Richardson is dedicated to teaching people to succeed in free enterprise through Business Training Training. He also offers a free Leadership Training Newsletter.