Why A Budget Brand Comes At Too High A Price!

At a recent event I had numerous exchanges with owners of businesses not unlike many networking opportunities. Of the dozen and a half business cards that I took back to the office with me I would have to say only three were professionally done. The rest were obvious design-it-yourself models or the very least done by "think they're graphic designers models."

In the pursuit of saving money, these business owners are putting professionalism on the sacrificial altar. Oddly enough, there appears to be no scrimping on office furniture, equipment or accommodation. These short-sighted entrepreneurs have to yet to recognize that a professional brand image sets a powerful impression in the minds of their target audience. You might accuse me of being self-serving in this observation, if you can also dismiss that most major players in any industry have impeccable brand images. Your logo is the first exposure to your brand. Let's just say it is the face of your brand. If it is miserably uninspiring it becomes one more hurdle to being taken seriously.

In this economy, competition is fierce (no news here). Smart companies are saving money to become flatter. Is scrimping on your brand image really the smart thing to do? I argue no. I take my brand image very seriously. My promotional materials are top drawer. Once I walk away from a networking opportunity, it is my brand that must carry me forward. When the individuals leave my presence and visit my website and blog, it is my brand image and support materials that they will use to draw further positive conclusions as to whether or not they want to start learning more about me.

People want to trust you and believe that you can help them. The last thing you or I want, is any impression that I may not be the person I present myself as. You have but one opportunity to make a powerful impression, at that point it is too late to regret putting a cheap price on who you are.

How much are you worth?

The Real Meaning of "Re-Brand."

The brand you have today, is the brand you had yesterday and it will be the brand you have tomorrow unless you change the promise you made to your customers. What the re-branders should be saying is they are updating their brand presentation. You would change your brand presentation to update your look to reflect current culture and changing direction your company is currently experiencing.

Great examples of companies who have changed their brand's presentation are:

Apple changed their name from Apple Computer to simply Apple to reflect the different areas they now dominate like smart phone, digital music etc. The logo was simplified to reflect this change.

Kentucky Fried Chicken updated it's name to an acronym (KFC) reflecting a young attitude. It's graphics are also bolder, more dynamic.

Pepsi altered their center white ribbon to one that "pulls" to the right representing future movement.

All of these three examples changed their image to reflect a current position. They did not change the essence of their brands. Re-branding would mean starting from scratch and throwing away what-ever reputation you have earned to date. You'd be wiser to shut the doors and come back as an entirely new company.

Which One Are You?

Watching a show on television that was featuring businesses who struck gold through Oprah, I was struck by one in particular. The logo on their building was different from the one on their door which was different from the one on their packaging and so on down the line. This is symptomatic of a business allowing sign companies and printers to determine their brand image. From my point of view it is better to have a bad logo and use it consistently across the board than to have several different ways of presenting your name. This type of scenario just instills confusion among your target group.

The saving grace for this company was of course the big O. After Oprah's generous endorsement, this company's cache skyrocketed. Now they are doing it right. The thing is, consistency doesn't cost more money. As a matter of fact it can cost you less because it reduces costly confusion. The featured company didn't have to wait until Oprah put them on the map to get this right. Get it right from the moment you decide to start your business. Once you establish your brand image, guard it aggressively. If you want to be taken seriously and look like a player, then number one on your list of rules should be, to be consistent with your brand image. That goes for colors as much as the actual image.