THE BRANDING CYCLE

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Product definition: You can brand products, services, businesses, even
people or personalities. But you can’t start the branding process without
first knowing what it is you’re trying to brand and whether your
brand will be a one-and-only or one of several in your organization.

Positioning: Each brand needs to fill a unique, meaningful, and available
spot in the marketplace and in the consumer’s mind. To determine your
product’s point of difference and the unique position it (and only it) fills
in the market

Promise: The promise you make and keep is the backbone of your brand
and the basis of your reputation.

Presentation: How you present your brand can make or break your ability
to develop consumer interest and credibility in your offering. Start
with a great name and logo, and then launch your
marketplace communications with professionally produced and compelling
packaging and communications.

Persistence: This is the point in the branding cycle where too many
brands lose steam. After brands are launched, brand owners often get
tired of their own looks and messages and begin to improvise with new
looks, new messages, and even new brand personalities and promises.
Just when consistency is most necessary in order to gain clarity and
confidence in the marketplace, brands that lack persistence go off track.

Perception analysis: In a consumer’s mind — which is where brands live
and thrive — a brand is a set of beliefs about what a company offers,
promises, and stands for. Great brands continually monitor brand perceptions
to see that they’re in alignment with the brand owner’s aspirations
and in synch with consumer wants and needs.

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