What’s a Brand?

This is a complicated question in today’s market. Brands used to be owned by the companies that produced the product or service. The company could do as it wished — change a logo, alter a recipe, tap a new audience.

Today, things are much more complicated. Fans and loyal customers feel an ownership stake in the brand and exercise that right often. They let their opinions be known and it’s difficult to change out anything about the brand without input, or comments, from this group.

But what exactly is a brand? And why does your printed promotional item need to be consistent with it?

 

What Is a Product Brand?

At its most basic level a product brand is the name or label a product or service is produced under. But it’s much more than that. Your customers see your brand as a promise. It becomes your marketing reputation and has larger implications associated with it. For instance, Nike has become associated with fitness and personal running quests. They’ve done this through their product and the peripherals surrounding it like its fitness app and large number of branded promotional items. What if Nike decided producing running shoes was too limiting and they wanted to reach a broader audience? In doing so they opted to create a Nike recliner, that way couch potatoes could enjoy the Nike brand as well. While lots of companies diversify, this is an extreme stretch for the brand and will, most likely, begin alienating the true fan base.

This “diversification” could be a great April Fool’s joke on social media, but not a great investment in the brand.

Today, fans and loyal customers own the product brand as much as the company that created it. With word-of-mouth marketing being one of the most believable and action-inspiring marketing types out there, what people say about you is quickly becoming your brand. That’s why it’s essential to be a part of the conversations that are occurring about your product line.

Your business brand is no longer your possession and your loyal fans will be the first to remind you if you’re not being true to it.