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Branding and exports
So what is branding?
Branding can be defined as “a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies your product as different from those of the competitors”. Branding helps customers recognise a product or put another way, branding is what people think of when they see or hear your company or product name. Consider Coca Cola. Not only are the Coca Cola and Coke brands universally recognisable, but even the shape of the traditional Coke bottle is a familiar symbol around the world today.
What a brand communicates
A brand may also communicate certain features and benefits of a product. The Coke brand immediately identifies the product as a refreshing cool drink with a particular taste. You know that if you drink Coke you will be able to quench your thirst – this is a benefit of Coke. Branding thus provides a degree of reassurance when customers buy the branded product. They know they are buying a product with pedigree and with a level of quality built in to it. This lowers their risk in buying the product – they know what they are going to get, unlike with an unknown or unbranded product, where the customer may not be sure of the product’s suitability or quality. When you brand your product, you are attaching a ‘personality’ to the product that customers can form attitudes and feelings about. This contributes to creating an opinion about the product which, if positive, contributes to brand loyalty.
Strong branding helps differentiate the product from its competitors thus providing a strong competitive advantage for the product. A value can be attached to this differentiation which allows your company to demand a premium price for the branded product. Once you have established a brand, it becomes easier to add other items to your product line, enabling your customer to trade up or down along your product line.
It is clear from the above, that branding is an important step in developing a winning product for both the local and international markets. In the export market, where you are one supplier amongst many thousands, you may ask yourself how will you be able to successfully brand your product? Is it possible to do? Will it not cost too much? What is the process involved?
The components of branding
The components that contribute to your branding identity include the following
- Your company name
- Your company logo
- Your tag line or slogan
- Your letterhead and forms
- Your signage
- The design of your marketing materials
- Your website
- Your advertising
- The way your staff dresses
These are all visual cues that your prospects and clients receive when they come in contact with you. They are all important and they all should be carefully maintained.
Branding and exporting
The answer is simple; branding is just as important in the export market as it is in the international market. It may take longer and cost you more, but you can build your brand slowly over time. The effort that you put into branding will pay itself back eventually. Focusing on your branding will translate into a more focused and committed marketing effort. After all, branding forces you to think about your product design, manufacturing processes, packaging and labelling, quality, service, and image.
The branding process
The branding process can be outlined in eight steps:
Step 1: Undertake a marketing analysis in order to identify your key selling point
Step 2: Translate your key selling point into the ‘big idea’
Step 3: Obtain the ‘buy-in’ of your staff
Step 4: Create your brand and design your logo based on the ‘big idea’
Step 5: Support your brand with a compelling customer experience
Step 6: Build customer loyalty in your brand
Step 7: Track the performance of your brand
Step 8: Build on your brand and exploit your brand equity
Who can help you with your branding?
There are only a few specialist branding companies in South Africa, although branding advice is often provided by a specialist marketing or advertising consultancy. The following are branding companies that you may want to consider using:
Additional reading
- Visit the Brand Architect blog, written by branding Guru Patrick Collins. An interesting website about branding with a lot of useful links to branding companies, designers and advertising agencies.
- Visit MarketingWeb, South Africa’s premier website about marketing. This section focuses specifically on branding and offers and whole lot of additional articles on various aspects of branding.
- Your branding strategy - Another useful article on branding worth reading
Cant, et al, 2006. Marketing Management, Juta, Kenilworth.
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