SIX THINGS EVERY CEO NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT BRANDING TO BETTER MANAGE THE HUMAN SIDE OF BUSINESS
By Jane Cavalier
We live in an upside world where the old rules no longer apply. Many call it a VUCA world—volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Mass consumerism has been replaced by a new consumption paradigm as people are driven by new essentialism where things matter less and relationships, experiences, and self-being dominate all. In this new world, workers are restless, customers fickle, investors skittish, and the public has an appetite to cancel.
In order to rally everyone together to stand behind a company and its path during all the ups and downs, leaders need to draw upon emotions as rationality will not carry the day. Tey have one tool at their disposal to do this delicate work—the brand.
Although often associated with marketing, brands are actually cultural icons that symbolically carry meaning. In just a nanosecond, they evoke common immediate meaning and emotions across all people. Tink BMW, John Deere, Chanel, Apple, and American Express. In a world where everything is uncertain, brands can be trusted to stand true.
Now, if you don’t have a brand, you can build one. Anyone can. It takes commitment to people, to tell their story, and represent their interests with your brand, not your own. If you create a brand that represents the highest common denominator between your people (customers, employees, investors) and your products/ services, then you can forge an enduring powerful partnership that will yield surprising dividends for your business. It all begins with understanding the basics of what a brand really means for a business.
Although often associated with marketing, brands are actually cultural icons
that symbolically carry meaning. In just a nanosecond, they evoke common, mmediate meaning and emotions across all people.
122 TPI Turf News November/December 2023
A Brand Resides in the Mind, Not in a Logo
Although expressed in a logo and a tagline, a brand is actually a mental construct that gets into the mind and lives in the memory of people. Branding is the process of creating “the brand” in the minds of people. It is typically done by creating things and experiences that “express” the brand such as marketing materials and product design.
Brands also live in the culture. Powerful brands like Nike have become social concepts and exist in the culture where they continually give people cues and establish the brand as a part of society.
Brands Set Meaning
Brands give meaning to products. Is an anti-lock braking system (ABS) a breakthrough in performance (BMW) or safety (Volvo)? Tat depends on the brand. Te brand is a mental lens that provides immediate meaning. A Snickers bar is a snack. Tiffany means luxury taste and quality. Apple is about unleashing creativity while IBM is about improving productivity. Te brand provides context which tells people why a product is important to them.
Brands Carry Emotional Power
Like great art, brands are designed to elicit a response, both emotional and rational. Like art, they can enchant and often captivate people, which creates desire. Marlboro was the first filter-tipped cigarette and was initially launched as a woman’s cigarette which failed. Te same product was re-branded as the ultimate masculine smoke and with the swagger of the Marlboro man remains one of the most powerful brands in the world. Powerful brands are mythologies that evoke emotions that swell to desire.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148
