The Power of Brands (Consolation Prize Winning Essay in the Altina Contest, The Examiner 2016)
If only Shakespeare knew “What’s in a name?”…there would be an answer to this rhetorical question.
Name given to any person, place or thing stands as a unique identity and because of its distinct features, it builds
recognition and recall. Brands are all about these, they become an identity which is memorable - it could be good, bad or ugly. They have a personality, a distinguishing character and n imagery. Brands play a very important role
between reality and perception, what values they stand for and how we perceive them to be.
Just like how we want to be noticed, pampered and treated royally, brands need attention and care, too. Visibility and trust are key factors to a brand’s survival, and they become part and parcel of our everyday lives. Brands have found a home in our hearts and minds, and have to constantly meet up to our expectations to retain the position they have earned and fought for. Brands promote themselves as symbols or catchy lines to attract attention and keep evolving and growing with us, adapting to the era and society we live in.
It’s a hard fact that traditional brands need to reinvent themselves to cater to the younger audiences, slowly
narrowing down to a more personalised, customised touch. Investments in buying a brand is huge, usage and
displaying brands invite appreciation. Branding is promoting, advertising, marketing to create a set of loyalists and set new trends in society. But they are bound within the social, cultural and national norms due to exposures in public
domain. International brands had to first suit to the Indian consumers’ needs in order to gain acceptance like a
newly-wed bride has to adjust to her new family. Both have to keep innovating, building a rapport to gain confidence and support of the other members.
In hard core marketing terms, ‘Branding’ is one of the most valuable assets, a company possesses, and it takes years to build credibility but in no time it can lose value. Now because of the social media boom, it takes no longer than just a few seconds to make or break a brand. In a world filled with clutter and confusion, brands have to compete with other fellow brands else they die off very soon. It reminded us of Darwin’s theory of ‘Survival of the
fittest’.
Brands have been exemplary, the credibility and the brand image of a spiritual guru have led to the success of an Indian growing FMCG, brands have become generic with product categories, and travelled across globally. Heritage brands have created nostalgia in our hearts and some of these have iconic reminiscences. Brands have become part of history, and turned into stories of successes and failures. Brands are reminders that they still exist in our world of plenty, conversing with us that they can fulfil our needs and wants. Demand creation for a particular brand has also created ‘super brand wars’ to thrive under cut throat competition and political strongholds.
Technology has brought in more opportunities as well as challenges for ‘brands’. To be more precise, time, money, energy, convenience, value for the price paid, service and feedback are all very important when it comes to a brand. It’s all about publicity through word-of-mouth and is based on liking, preferences and recommendations, like a game of ‘passing the parcel’. Brands have a major objective to deliver what it promises and change based on the market
dynamics. In all probability, the total best experience with the brand is what makes brand even more powerful, they play on our minds, and from followers we then become slaves to them. Brands are built on honesty and simplicity where they receive the love of the crowd, but as they gain a considerable amount of market share, they turn
game-changers. Power isn’t driven by rules, they break and override them. Powerful brands demand a
premium, they move towards the top of the pyramid and want to be more niche and get richer. The game can get dirtier, but brands that win our hearts are the ones that power hasn’t corrupted.
Whether it was Marlboro cutting costs or Coca-Cola striving to be number one, or even Steve Jobs’s efforts to uplift the ‘Forbidden Fruit’ – Apple; brands have witnessed rejection and have been able to empower people as their own family. They made a comeback like the ‘lost sheep’ and ‘the prodigal son’, with all the possible emotional strategies that struck the right chord with their once-upon-a-time ardent fans. And so, it is rightly said ‘Brands have the power to empower’.
Name given to any person, place or thing stands as a unique identity and because of its distinct features, it builds
recognition and recall. Brands are all about these, they become an identity which is memorable - it could be good, bad or ugly. They have a personality, a distinguishing character and n imagery. Brands play a very important role
between reality and perception, what values they stand for and how we perceive them to be.
Just like how we want to be noticed, pampered and treated royally, brands need attention and care, too. Visibility and trust are key factors to a brand’s survival, and they become part and parcel of our everyday lives. Brands have found a home in our hearts and minds, and have to constantly meet up to our expectations to retain the position they have earned and fought for. Brands promote themselves as symbols or catchy lines to attract attention and keep evolving and growing with us, adapting to the era and society we live in.
It’s a hard fact that traditional brands need to reinvent themselves to cater to the younger audiences, slowly
narrowing down to a more personalised, customised touch. Investments in buying a brand is huge, usage and
displaying brands invite appreciation. Branding is promoting, advertising, marketing to create a set of loyalists and set new trends in society. But they are bound within the social, cultural and national norms due to exposures in public
domain. International brands had to first suit to the Indian consumers’ needs in order to gain acceptance like a
newly-wed bride has to adjust to her new family. Both have to keep innovating, building a rapport to gain confidence and support of the other members.
In hard core marketing terms, ‘Branding’ is one of the most valuable assets, a company possesses, and it takes years to build credibility but in no time it can lose value. Now because of the social media boom, it takes no longer than just a few seconds to make or break a brand. In a world filled with clutter and confusion, brands have to compete with other fellow brands else they die off very soon. It reminded us of Darwin’s theory of ‘Survival of the
fittest’.
Brands have been exemplary, the credibility and the brand image of a spiritual guru have led to the success of an Indian growing FMCG, brands have become generic with product categories, and travelled across globally. Heritage brands have created nostalgia in our hearts and some of these have iconic reminiscences. Brands have become part of history, and turned into stories of successes and failures. Brands are reminders that they still exist in our world of plenty, conversing with us that they can fulfil our needs and wants. Demand creation for a particular brand has also created ‘super brand wars’ to thrive under cut throat competition and political strongholds.
Technology has brought in more opportunities as well as challenges for ‘brands’. To be more precise, time, money, energy, convenience, value for the price paid, service and feedback are all very important when it comes to a brand. It’s all about publicity through word-of-mouth and is based on liking, preferences and recommendations, like a game of ‘passing the parcel’. Brands have a major objective to deliver what it promises and change based on the market
dynamics. In all probability, the total best experience with the brand is what makes brand even more powerful, they play on our minds, and from followers we then become slaves to them. Brands are built on honesty and simplicity where they receive the love of the crowd, but as they gain a considerable amount of market share, they turn
game-changers. Power isn’t driven by rules, they break and override them. Powerful brands demand a
premium, they move towards the top of the pyramid and want to be more niche and get richer. The game can get dirtier, but brands that win our hearts are the ones that power hasn’t corrupted.
Whether it was Marlboro cutting costs or Coca-Cola striving to be number one, or even Steve Jobs’s efforts to uplift the ‘Forbidden Fruit’ – Apple; brands have witnessed rejection and have been able to empower people as their own family. They made a comeback like the ‘lost sheep’ and ‘the prodigal son’, with all the possible emotional strategies that struck the right chord with their once-upon-a-time ardent fans. And so, it is rightly said ‘Brands have the power to empower’.
Well written article on branding! Had Shakespeare been around, he would have learned the answer to his question "what's in a name"? This article lucidly brings out the all important point - There's power in A Name!
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