Branding and when it is not

I've been reading a lot about Branding Strategy and seriously, the creativity does not lead the brand.

It is easy.

It is easy to believe that your logo is sooooo unique and that your tagline is just right. But, when times get rough and your prices are falling, how is all that creativity doing for your dwindling market share? Is it standing up with current market conditions?

Don't get me wrong, I love creativity. Most people that know me will tell you I am more creative than analytical. But there is one thing that I know is that your Brand needs to stand for something. Most importantly, it needs to answer the "who cares?" question.

The other thing your Brand needs is to have a position in your market place. Where does it stand in the industry, with your competitors and with your customers? Time and time again companies just don't want to do a competitive analysis and brand positioning exercise and I don't know why.

Also, do not confuse developing a brand image with just being busy with things.  Twitter, facebook, blogging, these are crowded activities and if your content is not relevant these activities will not help to make a brand. There is a difference between “what your company stands for” and with just being busy with noisemakers.

Example: President Obama gave you a reason to care about him. His brand message was "Change". This message was given to us via a variety of mediums: television, public speeches, rallies, (get it, the real facebook) to make twitter work for him. He did not just tweet Change for the sake of tweeting Change to hopefully create the Obama brand.

Finally, if you have not spent the money or time on building your brand name, do not expect for it to work for you when times are bad. Brand development is like farming, you harvest what you've sowed.

Happy Marketing!