Be the Brand

By: Paula Morrow | Posted: 30th December 2004

Quick - what do you think of when you think of Nike? The swoop
symbol, right? Disney: Mickey Mouse, Disney Land/Disney World
and Cinderella's Castle.

Now, think Corey Rudl...the Internet Marketing Center; Ken
Evoy...Make My ___ Sell products; Allan Gardyne... associate
programs.

These are much more than products... these are brands and brand
identities.

Have you thought about how you will brand yourself through your
business?

Now, a lot of the experts emphasize the importance of your
unique selling proposition (USP) in the equation. Granted, USP
is a key element in building your brand.

But it's not the total picture.

If Nike had concentrated its corporate philosophy on only
producing a top-quality running shoe, how different do you think
the company would be today?

As we all are know, Nike is much more than a shoe company. It's
a sports brand: a sports promoter, a shoe and clothing company,
a retail store. It closely identifies its brand with winners
from the world of sports (Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, for
example).

Their goal - for you to feel that by using Nike products you too
can succeed. Or at least look like your heroes. The Walt Disney
Company is famous (infamous really) for its religious zeal in
enforcing it's clean, wholesome, family image.

Having grown up outside Disney World in Florida, I saw firsthand
the steps that Disney took to enforce their strict standards
(appearance, customer service, etc.), the real-world tests they
put their employees through. And the payoff? Billions.

Everything is planned to protect the branding of the Walt Disney
Company as a fun, safe, family-oriented organization.

No surprises.

Now, I'm not saying that you have to go to the extent of a
Disney or a Nike, but you should put serious thought into the
impression you're trying to make.

Does everything flow from your USP? From the look and feel of
your web site, your business cards to your ads - are you
building your brand?

Ask yourself these questions:

What does your company stand for?

What do you want to be known for?

What is your company philosophy?

Does everyone that work with/for you understand their role in
building the brand or image of the company?

When someone says the name of your business, what image, feeling
do you want to come to mind?

These are questions you need to address when you first start
your business. Since everything builds on these principles.

What do you want to stand for?

Will you be the king/queen of the newbies? Will you be the best
in associate programs, and vie with Allan Gardyne? Will you be
known for software development?

What are your short and long-term plans to make this a reality?

Only after you determine what you want to accomplish, will you
be able to effectively choose the right marketing plan to
execute.

Once you've a plan in place, you'll have a firm grasp on how to
proceed. Once you're clear, you'll find that your advertising
and marketing becomes more effective.

And your customers, with a clear understanding of the company
they're dealing with - will act in the desired manner - by
responding with sales!
About the Author
About the author: Paula Morrow is webmaster of http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com and has extensive marketing experience earned from 20 years in the public relations, entertainment and advertising worlds. Now applying this experience to the Internet, she enjoys creating cash-generating systems and coaching new marketers on innovative ways to promote their businesses both online and off.
http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com
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Tags: unique selling proposition usp, unique selling proposition, walt disney company, corey rudl, corporate philosophy, disney land