Corporate branding is almost a worldwide mantra in our society. Each corporation must make an unforgettable impact on the consumer if it is to survive. From the business cards to the invoices, from the Christmas cards to the signage, every item must appeal to the consumer’s senses and be unique enough to be set apart from the competition.
That is a tall order, and yet many companies have done it successfully. Probably 75 percent of the country calls facial tissues “kleenex”. In the south nearly any fizzy drink that you order at a truck stop will be called a “coke” even if it is pepsi, and Jell-o is more well known than fruit gelatin. Many more companies have become adept at corporate branding an secured the success of their company.
There are alot of tutorials on how to implement a program to do this. They all boil down to one thing. Your customer is your best advertisement. He is also the most low cost advertising you will ever do.
Make your loyal customers the ambassadors of your brand. Each customer will interact on a daily basis with myriads of consumers. The guy in the elevator, the waitress at the coffee shop, the desk guy at the cleaners….all of these people are being impacted by your strongest weapon, the consumer.
If your customers like the way you do business and what you offer they will gladly tell their friends. Entire corporate empires have been built by word of mouth.
One way to get your customers talking about your company is to somehow get the people they interact with to ask them questions. Tote bags and computer bags that have your business logo on them are great conversation starters. While you may spend a little more on them in the short term, when you compare a $40.00 tote bag to the cost of a television ad, radio spot, or even newspaper ad the cost becomes very minor.
This stylish computer and tote bag can be embroidered with your logo creating an advertisement for your company where ever your customer goes.
Corporate branding does not have to be difficult or expensive. Put your logo in your customers hands and watch your business grow.
Image:Morguefile
September 3rd, 2008 on 6:12 pm
The trick is to create a word or image that is unique enough to separate you from the rest of the herd. Kleenex is not a variation on the word tissue, nor is Hoover a version of the word Vacuum cleaner. I see so many companies going for the product type as part of the name. Lessons missed, I guess.
I’m also amazed at how many companies have a lame logo…something that looks like it was copied from a clip art disk. If you put it on a Christmas card or tote bag, and it looks like a dozen other logos, where is the branding? I saw this when I was just ordering holiday cards for a client’s company…so many of the card sites offered standard clip art to be used “as a logo!” (The site I went with, GNeil, did not — they expected original art work! One of the reasons I chose them!)
Anyhow, thanks for the reminder about branding…good article!