The Essence of Branding and communication:

(By, Ganesh Raj, Founder, Smart Consulting)

A Brand is an identity / recognition derived over a period of time through chara
cteristics of the product and the advertising and promotional efforts made to bu
ild the brand. It is also an intangible asset for a company developed over a per
iod of time. The contributing factors to the recognition of a brand (either a pr
oduct or a company) are, the quality of the product, utility of the product, the
potential the product has in the market.
Companies generally follow two strategies in developing a brand.
1. At the launch of the product the companies invest hugely on Marketing, Advert
isement, promotions.
2. Companies follow strong sales and distribution channel and take time to devel
op the product as a brand.
Developing a product and positioning the product in the market so that the consu
mers identify the brand by its utility is an essential point to be considered wh
ile developing a new product and branding the product.
The necessary characteristics that go into the branding of a product are the ta
rget markets including the size, region, and segment of the consumers (either B2
B or B2C), the utility it has to the consumers, any differentiating factors and
of course the quality.
Brand Communication either through advertisements or promotional activities shou
ld be specific and clear in communicating the product characteristics. Effective
communication ensures clarity about the product and reduces the efforts require
d to establish the brand. The characteristics of the product and positioning the
product in the market need to be in tune with each other.
The activities carried out such as Advertisements including - news papers and ma
gazines, television, Radio & hoardings, Promotions, Exhibitions, Packaging shoul
d be in tune and complementary in nature to efficiently manage the resources. Th
e locations, segments, demographics, timing and cycle of the branding activities
have to be well defined. As and when there is an improvement in the product or
significant developments in a company / business it is important to carry out ma
rketing activities to leverage the goodwill of the developments and the improvem
ents in the company or the product.
Companies invest hugely in branding the products released in the market from tim
e to time. Companies carry out marketing, advertising and promotions, exhibition
s on the branding. Hence it is necessary to constantly monitor the returns recei
ved on investments. The constant monitoring of the returns will help the brandin
g activities to be carried out with increased efficiency.

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