Your brand is not necessarily your own. Imagine comparing your reaction to seeing the BP logo a year ago to how you would respond today after the environmental disaster the company created. And I bet the warm-and-fuzzy feeling a Tiger Woods picture gave you last year likely gives you a different feeling now.
BP and Tiger Woods are recent case studies in how you can lose control of your brand. Although it’s possible to take a misstep and have your brand plummet, in most circumstances a proactive approach in managing your image can really pay off.
Your brand has many moving parts. There are the visual aspects, like your logo, font and color choices, and the look and feel of your website. While important in attempting to visually convey your company’s attributes, they actually play a small role in defining your company’s image in the marketplace.
Third parties can help
One of the bigger moving parts to successfully shape your brand is to actively seek influential third parties to endorse you, or at least spread positive messages about your company. A proactive public relations campaign is a great way to do that. The observations of independent journalists carry a lot more weight than any paid advertisement.
News stories about your company will not only raise your profile, but also will give you more credibility. My firm always advises our clients to use such news-media placements in collateral materials like brochures and mailings, and on the company website. That way, this type of “earned media” keeps working for you, long after it first appears in the news.
Ad programs valuable
Like general marketing, brand management can also benefit from well-conceived advertising programs. First, audiences realize you are paying to make the claims you use in your advertising messaging, so never overstate or embellish. Make your statements credible and believable. Also, create high-impact, memorable advertising. It’s challenging to build a solid brand on paid media alone, but if leveraged well, it can be another important touch point in building your brand.
A terrific way to make your advertising pop is to utilize testimonials. Similar to the goals of a public relations program, testimonials in advertising give your paid ad the third-party endorsement it’s missing. So if a patient says your hospital’s advanced emergency department saved his life, or if a celebrity endorses your product line, it adds that touch of credibility to make your advertising more effective.
Brand management takes time, and you can be derailed by circumstances that are not necessarily in your control. But a sustained brand management program can strengthen the demand for your company or product — and even bolster your bottom line.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a leading Hudson Valley advertising and public relations agency. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 294-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at www.advertisingandpr.com.
