subject: Branson on Branding [print this page] Branson on Branding Branson on Branding
I recently read some very interesting branding tips from none other than the branding genius himself, Richard Branson. Branson begun by talking about his company Virgin - one of the top 20 most successful and famous brands in the world. Although it's one of the top 20 brands in the world, it's particularly special because it's one of the very few brands in the world that covers a vast range of business activities.
Virgin specialises in a wide collection of industry areas, something that barely any other globally successful businesses have set out to do others prefer to stick to what they know. Branson likes to have his fingers in lots of different pies trains, aeroplanes, mobile phones, media, internet, health care, just to name a few. One major advantage of this business plan is that Virgin have covered for all eventualities. They must be the most recession proof business aroundthey have no niche and cater for everyone. There is no danger of Branson putting all his eggs in one basket; he's too clever for that.
Q. So how did he do it? - A. He built a brand
Branson went on to explain how he sees Virgin, he sees it as the Virgin Experience' he and his team created the Virgin Brand' and then marketed it across a variety of different industry sectors. Branson aimed to build a versatile brand that people feel they can trust, whatever they are using it for. The consistent quality of service that they aim to provide in all areas of the company, has built up a respect for their brand and a following of consumers that are ready to jump on the bandwagon with every new venture - hence their monumental success.
Now this all sounds very easy build a brand, make millions of pounds and invest in lots of different areas of business. Done
Not quite..
What Branson was trying to demonstrate was that it all starts with your branding - your branding is the most crucial part of your business plan, it's where the magic happens.If you can start and build upon a successful brand then you're on your way. Branson defined branding as your promise to your customer, it tells them what they can expect from your products or services' and the foundation of your brand lies in your logo.
Branson argued that the most important thing to bear in mind when designing your logo and defining your brand is - honesty. There's always the danger of businesses thinking that they need to reflect a perfect and pristene corporate image, but if that's not really what you're about then you're sending a false message to your customer and they'll be undoubtedly disappointed by the reality of your brand.
With social media being so vibrant in businesses these days you can't escape the opinions and criticisms of clients and customers - creating a fancy logo or ad won't do you any favours if it conveys the wrong message about your company. The same people who see your logo are also the same people who can search for you on Twitter and monitor what people are saying about your brand - so make the brands image true to life. If you start by being honest in your logo and advertisements you are much more likely to attract the right clientele for your business, be consistent in your branding message and give people the service or product quality that they expect.
Some Branding Tips
1. Get a logo Showcase it everywhere
2. Write down your brand message be clear on what you want your businesses message to be and ensure that anyone who works for you has this message ingrained in everything they do
3. Create a voice for your company that reflects your brand and your message this tone needs to be consistently delivered by everyone and to everyone
4. Create a tagline that will capture the basic message of the brand in a short sentence and market it everywhere
5. Be consistent the most important message of all. In order to build any kind of brand you need to have a consistent level of service and a consistent message. Without consistency there is nothing to build.
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