They call it branding- I call it brand suicide
May 19, 2008
Most advertising being done today doesn’t actually result in a positive return on investment (ROI). Rather than admit failure, the person placing the ad seeks to justify it by calling it branding. “It was a powerful branding campaign” they say. Clever move. How do you quantify the value of something like a brand? You don’t. It’s not easily measured.
Branding is important. Recognizable brands can charge twice as much as their non-branded competitors for the same product or service. That’s called brand equity. The reason that can happen is because Brands have a relationship with their market. They have made themselves liked and trusted. Which brings me to my brand suicide point.
How can you create a positive brand relationship with your market if you are constantly interrupting them with ads that offer no real value to them? What starts off as slightly annoying becomes outright rejection. And when the time comes when they might actually need what it is that you are selling, they have built up a conscious or unconscious distaste for you. That is brand suicide sold to you as a “powerful branding campaign.”
Positive branding comes from giving people what they want, how they want, when they want; before they even know they want it. You can only achieve that sort of precision through online marketing that puts real knowledge in your customers hands. Turning your sales message into a teaching message is going to create familiarity, trust and a higher perceived value. All trademarks of a strong brand.
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