Branding is usually represented as an intangible undertaking with no method to measure outcomes. While it may not be as data-heavy as digital marketing, which can inform you of every action and click, branding needs to be understood better to correctly comprehend and analyse its impact.
Let’s start at the primordial stage of branding to understand its evolution, which validates its existence today. Branding quite literally had its genesis in the branding of livestock to indicate ownership. A similar practice was then taken up by the hygiene industry — namely, soap companies (still seen today in the form of engravings on the bars). They used the same method of “branding” soaps to differentiate their product, bringing forth an evolution in branding. Befittingly, what remains sacrosanct till today is the idea of “differentiation or unique identity”.
When we believe that food or product is the only defining factor at our favourite eatery, we miss the details that go into making our evenings memorable. Think of iconic restaurants, ones that have remained unchanged for decades, serving the same dishes in the same setting with the same staff - the inertia is almost palatable. Yet, the queues just don’t get shorter with time.
We brand because we want to be known for our unique identity, as people, as communities, or as organisations.
So where did branding get complicated and expensive?
The liberation of the market, followed by the advent of digital platforms, made the world our audience. With fewer barriers to creating bigger brands, the totem of branding became pivotal for loyalty or market share. The world beckoned, and markets were free; people started travelling and living where only their imagination could have taken them earlier.
As an organisation, the scope for us to turn consumers into customers remains very attractive. But we can only gain a significant market share if people are able to recognise us, experience us, and continue to engage with us over an extended period. Competition and innovation pushed the boundaries of what could be conceived, so everybody had to pull their socks up. A strong and unique brand identity became a business pillar, one that allowed us to build a large and intricate structure above it. The stakes for good branding got higher, leading to the emergence of specialists with expertise in the field. Global brands undertook massive branding activities to unify practices across the globe, resulting in the impressive visual feats that we see today. The joy of recognising a brand we closely engage with, in a completely different part of the world, is invigorating. For us, this moment was seeing a BATA showroom in a Parisian suburb (yes, we're aware it’s not an Indian brand). BATA had cemented a strong bond with most of us as our primary experiences of the brand happened to be our yearly purchase of school shoes - a formative childhood experience of consumerism.
All of this and more is amalgamated - visual design, psychology, anthropology, and neuroscience (as of recent times). Branding today is not just a factor to consider, but rather a formula for success. The benefits of doing it right are there for all of us to see. The skill required to do it right, therefore, demands a requisite price and process.
Today, we are at a point where we can truthfully and undeniably say brand identity plays a large role in omnichannel business outcomes. So, how do we harness what it has to offer our unique organisations? I’m sure there must be a way to establish that a branding exercise is a necessary step to building the future of our product or service.
Here’s a mini-guide to understanding how to undertake a branding exercise:
