Keep Your Brand Name Pure

Something I really enjoy is evaluating the various strategies companies use to market their products. I spot and pick apart the mechanics of the campaign. Quite frequently I encounter some peculiar tactics that defy common sense. For example, some time ago I was traveling down an aisle of a sporting goods store when I noticed, in the kayaking corner, a sight that I will never forget�

It was� a Bic� kayak. Standing out as noticeably as possible was the Bic� logo� you know, the little ball-headed guy holding a pen� proudly displayed on top of the boat.


As it turns out, Bic� Sport was founded around 1979 as a surf board company striving to create a low cost brand. By 1997 they had created 1 million surf boards. I don't know about you, but I didn't know there was that high of a demand for surf boards.

Bic� Sport has a trendy website that's solely dedicated to equipment for water sports. Apparently the brand means "economic quality." Contrary to what the rest of us thought Bic� meant, which is "cheap pens."

A good number of reviews of large corporations on the topic of brand reveal that your brand is most successful if it only represents a solitary meaning. I tend to trust this statement and have demonstrated the principle within my own companies. Nevertheless we ought to be aware of some fundamental myths about branding.

Myth one. Only one solitary product can be represented by your brand. Your brand meaning ought to be concentrated in its meaning, yet broad enough to be placed on a variety of products that will increase the sales volume of your company. For example, if Tide� meant, "It gets the dirt out when nothing else can." You could then have Tide� vacuums and cleaning equipment and chemicals. Tide� is an incredibly successful brand of laundry detergent. They have allowed their brand to remain pure and concentrated on washing clothes. Companies like Proctor and Gamble and Johnson and Johnson spin out a multitude single product brands, which is a tactic I like.

Myth two. Everybody around the globe knows the meaning of your brand. In reality, the Earth�s markets are extremely fragmented. Each niche is a society in itself with its own publications, opinion leaders, and trade associations. Seeing that our lives have become exceedingly high paced and demands on our time have become so intense, individuals are highly selective as to what they give their attention to. In most cases, each community is fairly ignorant of the other communities. Think about the rodeo cowboy community vs. the soccer player community. Or, even more explicitly, the ranch cowboy community verses the rodeo cowboy community. So� a single brand could have multiple meanings in different communities.

I wouldn't advocate distorting the meaning of your brand. I support really focusing the meaning of your brand name so that it can encompass a broad range of products. Think Martha Stewart. Then consider branding your individual products under your larger brand name. Think General Mills� and Coco Puffs�.

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About the Author

Rod Alan Richardson has dedicated his life to teaching people how to succeed in free enterprise through Business Training Training. He also offers a free Small Business Training Newsletter.

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by: business Total views: 13 Word Count: 543 Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2008 Time: 2:39 AM 0 comments