You see it everywhere. Turn on the television. Read a magazine. Celebrities actually calling themselves a ‘brand’. It makes us chuckle. How can a person be a brand. We categorize this nonsense right alongside the term ‘serial entrepreneur.’ More on that elsewhere.

It turns out that calling oneself a brand is actually a logical thought that has been twisted to give someone a sense of importance or identity.

Let’s look at what a brand is and does so that we can identify the basic, critical, building blocks to establishing a brand that engages and connects with consumers.

First, a brand must have a product or service. It cannot just be a person. The brand of product or service represents the perceived value of the product or service, and vice versa. They are interchangeable. Perhaps this is where the twisted logic comes into play. A person who private labels an item then announces they are a brand. So, a brand must represent something, think luxury,value,exclusivity,the concepts are endless. The products and services should fit into the perceived value. This creates concept cohesiveness and likely success. Think Ralph Lauren and luxury, L’Oreal and beauty, and so on. Successful brands control the narrative and leave little to chance in defining what they are about.

Next, a brand is closely connected to its distribution channels. For example, a luxury brand of cosmetics selling through EBay is a big mismatch. Consumers on EBay are not looking for full priced luxury goods on the platform. They are looking for those products at 90% off retail. The brand should match the perceived value that have created. In terms of a luxury cosmetic brand, there should be exclusivity to the range where it is hard to find and always offered at full price. Match your products to your channels.

Finally, the product or service must meet customer expectations. Whatever the perceived value is must be met by the product’s or service’s performance. Imagine the value of a fire starter device to a camper who is 100 miles from the nearest person, a rain storm approaching at night fall, and….the device fails to work. Dependability means 100% success rate every time. The great brands understand that this is the key metric for success. Meet a customer’s expectations, and that customer is yours for life.

These are very basic concepts, yet are significant to building your brand. You cannot do so without addressing the basics. You cannot make it up as you go along. You cannot change course along the way.

Drop us a line if we can be of assistance.