MIND THE BRAND GAP. latitude brand solutions

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1 MIND THE BRAND GAP A quick synopsis about the importance of creating, supporting and maintaining a cohesive brand experience throughout your business. latitude brand solutions

2 SO WHAT IS A BRAND? In today s ever-growing and competitive markets the need to create a stand out message and build a brand has never been more important. New businesses, new technology and the removal of global barriers have allowed every market to become approachable. This has led to increased competition, meaning that new business has become harder to win and the need to stand out has become imperative to survival. However, most people s idea of a brand starts and stops at design. A pretty logo and a website, a set of colours and some business cards. In other words, an outward facing, visual stimulant that hopefully gets people interested and generates conversation. In its very simplest terms this is possibly right, but in today s marketplace it could never be further from the truth... A TRUER DEFINITION OF A BRAND IS A SYNERGISTIC MESSAGE THAT TELLS YOUR AUDIENCE WHAT YOU MEAN TO THEM, AND THAT YOUR BUSINESS SUPPORTS THROUGH PRODUCT AND SERVICE DELIVERY. Latitude Solutions Ltd.

3 SIMILAR DEFINITIONS Brand is a known identity of a company in terms of what products and services they offer but also the essence of what the company stands for in terms of service and other emotional, non-tangible consumer concerns. Donna Antonucci Branding is the art of aligning what you want people to think about your company with what people actually do think about your company. And vice-versa. Jay Baer A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer s decision to choose one product or service over another. If the consumer (whether it s a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesn t pay a premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value exists for that consumer. Seth Godin Branding is the encapsulation of a company s mission statement, objectives, and corporate soul as expressed through the corporate voice and aesthetic. Margie Clayman Latitude Solutions Ltd.

4 Whichever way you decribe it, you can see that a brand is a combination of what you sell, what you tell your customers you stand for as a business and what they actually experience in reality. There are a number of great brands in existence who ve truly perfected working to this formula. John Lewis, who sell trust and quality and deliver it in every store. McDonalds, who sell the same fast food experience whichever store you enter in the world. Or Red Bull, the energy drink of choice for young people who enjoy extreme sports. Imagine if John Lewis didn t accept your return, McDonalds were really slow serving you or Red Bull started sponsoring sports like snooker or darts. You ll notice that the products a company sells aren t necessarily the only reason they re at the top of their game. After all, there are plenty of competitors out there who sell very similar products. The product is part of the offering, but the customer s emotional experience with the brand is the real selling point. This is a brand and it s this type of thinking that is necessary to survive in today s market. YOU MUST CREATE A KEY BRAND MESSAGE THAT THE MARKET WILL RESPOND TO AND THAT YOUR BUSINESS CAN SUPPORT, AND THEN DRIVE THIS MESSAGE DOWN THROUGH THE ENTIRE BUSINESS TO ENSURE IT CAN BE DELIVERED TIME AND TIME AGAIN. Latitude Solutions Ltd.

5 WHAT YOUR COMPANY PROMISES EXTERNAL BRAND IMAGE & MESSAGING Delivered through brand & marketing initiatives such as website, brochures, blogs, social media, exhibitions & events, marketing & advertising, etc Reducing brand gap The bigger the discrepancies between the company promise and the customer s experience, the bigger the brand gap becomes and the more your sales figures will drop. WHAT THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES GOVERNED BY INTERNAL BRAND PROCESSES Quality of Product/Service Delivery, Customer Support, Pre & Post Sales Customer Experience, Telephone & Responses, Staff Behaviour, Brand Culture, Office location/interior, administration & Invoicing, etc.

6 As you can see your brand message therefore impacts operations, HR, admin, finance every area of the business, no matter how big or small. Meaning that every employee plays a part in the brand message and needs to understand and more importantly, support and buy into the brand statement. Processes must be put in place to ensure that your brand is constantly reinforced in the customers minds and supported by your employees. Otherwise it becomes too easy for one event or person to create a negative impact and for that person to then share that instance through social media with others and impact the brand and your sales adversely. For more information, or if you d like to talk to us about improving your brand & business initiatives, then please get in touch for a no obligation chat! T: +44(0) E: info@latitudesolutions.co.uk W: latitudesolutions.co.uk /company/latitude-solutions Latitude Media House Great Titchfield St London W1W 5BB So you may ask Is it worth all the investment and what benefits do I get for going to all that trouble?. Well, John Lewis was one of the only shops to buck the high street slump, Red Bull dominate the energy drinks market and McDonalds, with 18,700 restaurants globally, are still the biggest fast food chain after all these years. Combine this with the idea of quicker business wins, the ability to hold your prices and not become embroiled in cost wars, building a following, knowing what your business stands for, improved employee training and potentially ending up with an entity that could be sold or exited in years to come and yes...we think it s worthwhile. latitude brand solutions B2B Marketing & Brand Management