BUSINESS AND TRAINING
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and rational needs and concerns of its
customers.
• The brand character should promote the
business, connect with the customer
base and differentiate the business in the
market.
Start with existing customers. Spend more time on
the emotional than the rational, because the latter
often has to do with standards. Maybe start with
a ten-question email to customers to understand
their emotional needs and to find out why they keep
coming back to you. Khumalo suggests in most
cases one will find the reasons are emotional – a
satisfying feeling they are left with afterwards, for
instance. The brand character goes back to the
Nando’s example – creating a company persona
through the use of humour, as an example.
Then look at three more sub-questions:
• What the business’ customers need and
want;
• What its competitors lack; and
• What one’s business is really good at and
its people love.
These questions were devised by a strategic
consulting company called YellowWood Group. If
one can find something which answers all three
questions, that would be a great place to start.
2. If one’s business was a person, what would it
look like in terms of: character (for instance,
a male or a female?), personality (introvert or
extrovert), beliefs (liberal or illiberal), values,
purpose. These answers should all be written
down.
• Character defines who we are and who we
connect with.
• Personality determines how we behave in
different situations, how we show up, what
we say and how we say it.
“Now picture meeting this person you have just
visualised – would it be someone you would want
to meet with, trust and have an emotional bond
with? That is the second step of building a brand
– if one can define a ‘human personality’ of the
brand one is trying to build, it gives a visual view of
what one is putting out in the market. But you have
to be honest in this assessment, not just wishful
thinking.”
Khumalo then had the attendees do an exercise,
which readers could also try, to gain some practical
reality on brand building:
If three banks’ persona (FNB, Nedbank and Capitec)
walked into the room, how would you picture
them? That image for each bank determines one’s
emotional connection with each bank and ultimately
decides which one to bank with. That’s why it’s
important to be clear about what one projects
into the marketplace – it has a direct impact on
spending decisions.
January 2020 Volume 25 I Number 11
3. Think about what drives the business and what
makes it tick.
Irrespective of what a business owner wants people
to believe, they will derive their perceptions from what
the business puts out. Changing those perceptions
demands a focus. For instance, if a business trying
to change its image continues operating in the same
manner, consumers in their everyday interaction with
the brand will see no difference other than a new logo
and will not shift their viewpoint.
Having established the ‘why’, says Khumalo, there
are certain things to do: name, rename and refresh.
A change of name may become necessary because
as the world changes and life moves on, one needs
to maintain the emotional connection with customers.
Therefore, it may be that as trends change, a company
name becomes outdated. Core to developing a brand
is having a good name that rolls off the tongue, an
identity and instant recognition.
“People also associate a name with its logo, and this
is where logo refresh comes in. Don’t be married to
the name – large corporates have done it and it does
work. Thereafter there is only one thing which sustains
a brand – and it is not a pretty name and logo, but
image and reputation.” PA
Five tips to build a winning brand:
• Stand for something: Think about brands you love
– they typically stand for something (or against
something) and thereby connect with their customers
emotionally.
• Build a great product: All the branding in the world
won’t save a poor product (an example being the fall
of Nokia).
• Keep your promises: If you promise ‘to try harder’,
then you’d better try harder.
• Be consistent: Small businesses often mistakenly
change their message for each market.
• Be visible: Use social media as much as possible. PA
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