BRANDING
Branding : Its Benefits In Emerging Markets
By Joe Nyutu
Recently I was privileged to be engaged to carry out a three-day training on brand-building for a marketing team from a commercial State Corporation under the Ministry of Agriculture , Livestock , Fisheries and Cooperatives whose mandate is to provide logistics support services to the government on food security matters and to carry out market intervention for grains and farm inputs on behalf of the government and to trade commercially in maize , rice , wheat and in an array of pulses such as beans and green grams . This intrigued my brain to be inquisitive and remind us all the power of a brand and its benefits .
A brand is a name , term , sign , symbol or design that identifies the maker or seller of a product or service and differentiates it from the competitor ’ s products . A good brand name should suggest something about the product ’ s benefits and qualities . It should be easy to pronounce , recognize , and remember . It needs to be distinctive . It should translate easily into foreign languages and should be capable of registration and legal protection . A brand name is easy to pronounce , recognize and to remember and reinforces the product image and is legally protectable locally and internationally .
The physical existence of a brand is no assurance that it has a position in the target consumer ’ s mind - Brand positioning . To enter that coveted territory - the consumer ’ s perceptual space - and to secure a ‘ position ’ there , the brand must satisfy his question - “ What ’ s in it for me ?” It must offer a benefit , which is of importance to him . This is elementary . So , when we talk of brand attributes , we must remember that these are the manufacturer ’ s views of the brand . The consumer ’ s frame of reference requires that those manufacturer ’ s claims or brand attributes be translated into consumer benefits in order to map consumer perceptions .
Thus , when we talk of positioning a brand with reference to an attribute or when we ask a consumer to rate a brand along an attribute , we must reinterpret that attribute as a meaningful consumer benefit . Product attributes and features are tangible and are expected to lead to benefits to the customers . Hence some brand benefits in emerging markets like ours in Kenya and East Africa include and not limited to ;
Customer perspective
A strong brand works to build customer
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When customers recognize and patronize a brand , it gives the company an advantage over the less easily identifiable competitors . The more recognition the brand receives and the greater the brand awareness grows , the more competitive the brand will be with other wellknown brands . recognition . Customer recognition is important because customers remember brands they like . So , when a customer is shopping for a particular product or looking for a certain company to perform a service , they recognize your company during their search .
But does this actually help make your brand stronger ? The numbers say yes , consumers are far more likely to choose a brand that they recognize over something unfamiliar , even if the consumers do know a great deal about the company behind the brand at the time . In fact , an interesting discussion arose during my three days training for the SAGA ( Semi-Autonomous Government Agency ) about how positively or negatively a corporate brand can affect a product brand within the corporation and vive versa . Consumers may not know much about the business , but they do know how to identify a good brand . So , make sure the company logo stands out and makes people want to buy the products or services .
In addition to building the foundations of the brand reputation , customer recognition also helps customers begin to feel comfortable with any brand . When customers remember the company , they start to feel like they already know the brand . If this feeling grows and their experience with the company is a positive one , they will be far more likely to buy from it once , then again , and again , and finally recommend you to others , what is known as the word-of-mouth networking and referral .
Competitive edge in the market
A competitive edge is what differentiates the brand in the marketplace . When customers recognize and patronize a brand ,
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