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Brand Resonance

Seth Godin recently advanced the following definition of "brand":
[Prediction of what to expect] times [emotional power of that expectation]
I have previously defined "brand" as
A set of associations imprinted in the mind of a customer.
Either way, a brand exists in the mind of the customer.

And Daniel Sitter elaborates:
[Godin] also suggests that focus is also an important factor for companies to remember when marketing their brand. If a company has diversified into many industries, their brand often becomes diluted, forcing confusion into the mind of the consumer, and a confused mind does not buy. Furthermore, reading between the lines reveals that the tendency towards offering various brand extensions may also tend to cloud the branding efforts of a company, leading to poor consumer recognition. The solution... keep it simple, maintaining a brand focus.
In other words, brand focus not only makes it easier to set customer expectations, but also helps maximize the emotional power of those expectations.

Comments

Roark Pollock said…
Good post. I completely agree that branding efforts need to have laser focus. Everyone needs to know exactly what the company's brand is supposed to convey.

I also recommend that companies, especially small companies, spend their resources on developing the company's brand and not product brands. I see this too often. Products come and go, but the company brand should endure regardless.
Fri Apr 27, 09:52:00 AM 2007
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