The brand itself is something immaterial. However, it has a real impact on how the company or product is perceived by the customer. Everyone should take care of building an image - this is the best way to gain trust in the market. What are the characteristics of a good brand? The answer is as simple as possible: these are the distinguishing features that make some brands stand out above others.
What is a brand really?
Branding it eludes rigid frames and is difficult to define unequivocally. A brand that wants to be successful must first of all stand out in the market. Today, a good brand carries a story and a specific message, and on this basis a bond with customers is built. Let's try to explain it with an example. When we go shopping and want to buy such a basic product as soap, we have to make a choice. Store shelves are full of products from different brands. The products differ in price, properties (moisturizing, peeling, antibacterial soap for delicate skin) and the added value: natural ingredients, with proteins, etc.
If we were to choose based on all the characteristics of the product, it would take us hours. Our brain does not like an excess of information, which is why we most often buy what we already know - we buy a brand. And if you think about it in a broader context, it turns out that we refuel at the stations we know. We go on vacation with an office we know. We usually eat in restaurants we know. These are the characteristics of a good brand. It is known, liked and appreciated by customers for the values it promotes.
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Functions and features of a good brand
It is difficult to clearly define the features of a good brand in the form of a closed catalog of features. It matters target group, sales channels or competition. However, we can generalize and list the functions it should fulfill.
Stand out in the market
It sounds clichéd and clichéd, but standing out in the market is the basic element of a good brand. You can stand out in many different ways - advertising spots, brand history, values that we want to convey. Everyone has to find their own path that will be specific to a given brand.
Identification with the characteristics of the product or service
A coherent image is the basis, therefore, when building a strong brand, it is necessary to take care of identifying the features of the product or service. Such action makes it much easier to reach the desired target group and associate the brand with its needs and values.
Emotions
Marketing communication built on positive emotions related to the purchase of a specific product, it brings great results and the largest brands know it perfectly well. Emotional branding works wonders. Example? Coca-Cola, which in its advertisements refers to the value of family life. It is difficult to build a strong brand if it is in no way remembered by customers. A good brand is one that the customer eagerly returns to, and this is easily achieved by remembering it. You can be remembered for many factors: from quality to value to perfect customer service.
Features of a good brand that wins loyal customers
Customers who willingly return need to be earned. On the other hand, a good brand consists of three features that should be taken into account when creating it. The first is identification, i.e. all the elements that allow you to learn about the brand's features. Customers perceive the brand using their senses. The sense of sight works most often, which is why colors, logos and shapes are so important. For some products, taste and smell will also play a very important role, and not less important are sound and rhythm. Calgon is a great example here - when we think about a brand, we immediately hum a well-known fragment of an advertisement. Identification is of great importance already at the first stage of its construction. Although nothing prevents you from going brand rebranding - as long as we do it wisely.
The second element - parameters, that is everything related to the perception of the brand by customers. They are the characteristics of the products or services, the needs they satisfy, and the benefits that may be functional or emotional. The features of a good brand, focusing on product parameters, allow you to win a group of loyal customers. At the same time, they make the task of the competition difficult, because the brand becomes very difficult to follow.
The third element are associations, of course the positive ones. Associations are the most difficult to build because this process takes years and requires reaching the customer. Even though it is a time-consuming task, it will definitely be worthwhile as there is no better proof that a brand is really strong. Which entity presents the features of a good brand in this respect? An example is Apple, which for many years we have associated with the quality and reliability of equipment, or Toyota, which is famous for failure-free cars.
Features of a good brand vs the strongest brands in the world
On the surface, it might seem difficult to measure a brand's strength and assess its chances of development. In the end, we ourselves admitted that the brand escapes the rigid framework of definition. There is a point in this, although in fact, taking the greatest giants as an example, we can distinguish 9 factors that determine success and are at the same time the features of a good brand.
Clarity within the company
It is difficult to build a strong brand if employees are not aware of the values that the company wants to represent. An even bigger problem than ignorance is non-compliance. When some employees do not realize which target group the products are targeted at, it is difficult to build a coherent image. If a brand wants to convince customers, it must first internally agree on the values it wants to represent.
Involvement
Building a strong brand requires commitment not only on the part of the owners, but also employees. Attachment to the company and creating an environment in which people feel good is crucial for growing and getting people involved in its development. No company will be successful with a skeptical and negative team.
Management and responsiveness
Building a strong brand cannot end with plans, because it is equally important to manage them and consciously achieve your goals. Another factor related to this is responsiveness. The market is changing dynamically, and you need to be able to react to changes and adapt to them, keeping your original plans.
Authenticity
Today, consumers are very demanding and the market will quickly verify a brand that is not behind authenticity, which in turn has a negative impact on customer confidence. Good storytelling, i.e. an interesting story told, should be responsible for authenticity.
Cohesion
Brand image it should be consistent – the elements of the advertising message, the content marketing strategy or the layout of the website must express the same values. A customer who has the impression that he is dealing with a different brand every time will not be convinced by it.
Presence in the recipient's space
It cannot be denied that the biggest brands are present everywhere - television, web, billboards and radio. It is known that at the beginning of the road it is difficult to appear everywhere, but the more of us there are in the consumer's space, the more often we will also appear in their heads. The feature of a good brand will also be the presence in the recipient's space.
Attachment
Last but not least, the factor that builds a strong brand. If we gain customers who always come back for our product or service, we can be practically sure that we have achieved success. Relationships with brand recipients are extremely important and it is they who determine whether we have managed to achieve the previous 8 assumptions.
Success is the result of many different factors that must be constantly analyzed at every stage of building a brand. The whole process takes years, but it is worth waiting for the results, because they often determine whether or not to be on the market. When looking for your own path, you can follow the actions taken by the largest in the world, but you must remember that consumers do not like secondary - they have this too much on the market. With this knowledge and a handful of practical advice, each of us has a chance to create a great and strong brand, loved and appreciated on the consumer market.