Infusing Values into Brand

Infusing values into the brand so that the consumers perceive them steadfastly in the brand as such is a committed process which also requires that the values are perpetually reinforced through befitting actions and behavior on the part of the company.

Contrary to popular belief and rampant practice brands are not created just out of advertisements. Infusing and sustaining brand values call for good understanding of all the chosen brand values in the context of the competition and the impact every action of the company can have on it. Brand value accrual happens incrementally by the collective positive impact of the strategies, operations, communications and the attitude with which the business is carried out.

Brand value can be caused to surge with powerful programs; on launching new products, reinforcing demand drives and on market expansions. Overwhelming value that can arise out of vastly accepted strategic innovations can catapult a brand into altogether higher level. Nonetheless, all efforts of value creation should have their roots in the grasp, commitment and attitude of the top management, staff and also the channel partners for the value to come about, accrue and be sustained.

Management commitment, Convictions & Policies

A person is what his traits are. A brand cannot be different than the person who owns it. The fact is evident in brands belonging to proprietorships and also those of companies managed as such. In a corporate set up many people work with the brand's values in their effort to reinforce and or reset them which necessitates a process to manage brands.

That consumer centric branding is the ideal approach to be competitive is widely known. Yet brands, most of them, in reality fail to win consumer trust. A brand becomes also-ran owing to two broad reasons. One, ideal branding strategies are not considered as good marketing strategies in the short term, more so by companies which look to exploit flawed market conditions, owing to their deficiencies or just greed. And, two, inept branding efforts owing to flawed convictions, misreading of the market and bad understanding of the consumer psyche can only put a brand out of active competition, in time.

Often revitalizing a brand necessarily involves resetting brand's fundamentals by fixing flawed convictions, policies and approach. Even in professionally managed companies such fundamental flaws creep-in and remain elusive thereby hurting brand's competitiveness.

Staff

Like a person's character a brand's personality should arise from within from each of the staff, quite seamlessly and not just while in contact with consumers but should also show; in their work, in the decisions and in their thoughts.

Inculcating chosen brand traits into the thinking and work of the staff calls for more than just orientation and training programs. It requires a professional and participative brand management process in a way that suggestions flow from bottom-up with a sense of enthusiasm.

Companies with brands that suffer low reputation with the consumers also suffer as being a bad employer with many de-motivated and dissatisfied staff. And, quite a few causes happen to be common for low brand equity on both counts. Even in companies with famous brands there can be hidden negatives in HR policies and the approach that could be limiting brand equity in some way. In fact, a company can establish its HR in a way that its staff can become a source of great value for its brand.

Sales Channels

Extent of retail space and support in the market place is determined by the depth of reputation of the brand with the consumers. New and weak brands wrongly seek retail support at a cost and revenue disadvantage instead of making out a proposition with the brand. Those with such disadvantages can't become competitive unless they get even with competition. The task is one of rethinking about branding and to make out the case with that.

Even other channels for sales, including the emerging ones, which are also important, would need the power of competitive branding to be able to make good. All sales channels can bring about a positive charge on the brand equity if communications and actions in dealing with the consumers, particularly at the point of sales, can be effectively conditioned.

In an active competition situation keeping the trade stay stuck with the brand calls for proactive efforts. The task is about keeping up their spirits and morale pinned with the spirit and future of the brand - competitively.