When Product becomes Brand

Let's admit it, we love to discover brands... or we don't (like Maggi!!!). we begin each day sipping a certain brand of coffee, showering with specific brand of body-wash, eating a particular brand of chips. nothing gets between us and our brands.

We are emotionally connected to our brands. And we come by this brand dependence naturally. Brands make people do things. They command people to think & buy, to want & do. They motivate people to consider & choose. The feelings a brand generates is somewhat seductive. the commitment to a long-term relationship with a brand, filled with loyalty & trust. Why else would you, as a brand driven customer, spend money for a cup of coffee you too easily can brew at home? BRAND- they articulate what you anticipate & experience, they simplify what you receive & remember. Everyday, as a consumer, we make buying decisions based on the reputation sealed in a company's brand. We consider whether we trust a brand, believe in a brand, agree with a brand, & we remember what we choose.

Brand is not build in a day or in a month. Product--to--> Brand is a journey, journey where you as an employee is first customer (internal branding)---> then your channel partner who plays extremely important role to pick your product and place it in the market, & then to help him, to get consumer identified with your product, all marketing programs and activities play the role. As you consider lessons of brand, you need to look at brand as shorthand for choice. A shortcut to action. A brand that does not lead to a choice - the right choice - may entertain but it will not succeed. it will not make a difference to the business. And brand is all about a customer making the choice a business needs.

A brand is beyond strategy. It is a language all its own, rooted in customer choice. Brand trains you to buy. It teaches you what to buy, how to buy, when to buy. So, the young marketers making enormous programs & running lot of activities to make their product a Brand should know how they are touching the consumer, what is bringing a memorable experience, & as business, most important, how much & how frequently it is driving revenue.

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Isha