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What are Your Brands?
Compiled and edited by Nadia Korths, ANCA Crafts Program Coordinator,
January 2009
(Please cite or acknowledge when using this material.)
What does Branding do?
Branding creates a consistent identity which reflects your values
"One of the most powerful benefits of branding is that it predisposes people to purchasing your product because you are a known entity.
One overpowering reason people do not make a purchase is the fear of the unknown - you are a risk to them because they do not know you and have never heard of you. If they have heard of you, you are a known entity and they feel safer in making a purchase. If you are a brand name with a number of "seals of approval," such as museum and gallery shows, awards and articles in the print media or television exposure, not only does your work become safer to purchase and invest in, people will pay more for your product than an identical piece of furniture by a lesser-known craftsman." 1
Being perceived as a reliable, trustworthy business that treats customers fairly can yield increased sales and add value to your brand.
Branding creates familarity.
Branding creates an opportunity to differentiate your product by quality, not pricing.
Branding on a number of levels can introduce your product to new customers.
Branding is useful for expanding beyond existing customer base.
Branding sets your product apart from other companies.
Branding can help consumers identify you as a locally-based and/or sustainable businesses.
Determining Your Brand
Reputation as Your Brand
Since customers typically associate your reputation as a key element of your brand identity, it is worth giving some thought to how customers view your reputation.
"Branding is everything about you and your product; how you present and stand behind your product, how you dress, speak, negotiate, the car you drive, your choice of spouse and friends, how rapidly and professionally you return a call or email, and even your posture ... your awards, shows and public exposure."1
Identifying Your Brand Values
It is a brand’s values - the emotional connection it makes - that helps a consumer become a customer.
"There are four primary values to the emotional connection: ...
A sense of place - authenticity comes from a place that we can connect with. A place with a story.
A strong point of view - belief in the value of a product also emerges from people with a deep passion for what they are doing.
Serving a larger purpose - If a brand can convincingly argue that its profit making is only a by-product of a larger purpose, authenticity sets in. Just as there are purpose driven lives, there are purpose driven brands.
Integrity - the story that the brand describes through its actions aligns with the story it tells through its communications."
Different Levels of Branding
1. Your reputation as a brand,
2. The use of consistent imagery and type in all your marketing materials as a means to create your business as a known entity by repeating the same images over and over
3. Branding by association to your region
4. Branding by standards such as sustainable, organic and others.
1 Make your name as hot as Maloof, Mark Levin, Woodshop News, December 2004, p. T20.
Excerpts from Reputation as Your Brand, Brian M. Henehan, Cornell University, February 2005.
Identifying your Brand Values are excerpts from Who Do You Love? The appeals - and risks - of authenticity, Bill Breen, Fast Company, May 2007, p. 82
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