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Unintentional branding

November 16, 2011 by Dale Furtwengler — President, Furtwengler & Associates, P.C.

When we think of branding we tend to think of very large companies with hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on branding.

The reality is that every business is creating a brand image whether it intends to or not. The question is, what image are you creating?

The most successful companies, regardless of size or industry, make conscious decisions about what their brand promise is. To make sure we're all on the same page, a brand promise is the result the customer will get from using our products/services.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of companies (again regardless of size) devote most of their marketing dollars to telling customers what the company does, not what the customer gets. Here are a few examples to help you visualize the difference.

A quick visit to Johnson & Johnson's website and you'll find, on its home page, scrolling examples including how a mother can use 'green products' to protect her child's future environment while keeping her child free of infection. These are specific results that the consumer can expect from Johnson & Johnson products.

Let's contrast that with Centene Corporation's home page which states "...through a comprehensive portfolio of innovative solutions, we remain deeply committed to delivering results for our stakeholders..." While I'm confident that Centene does have solutions to their customers problems, as a potential customer I wouldn't know whether or not they have a solution for my problem.

Now let's look at a much smaller company, Cynergy Ergonomics, whose tag line is "leveraging the power of man" and whose opening salvo is "We design ergonomic lifts and work stations that will improve your safety record and increase productivity." Could the result be any more clear? If your company is looking for improved safety and increased productivity, you need look no further.

As you can see, it doesn't take a monumental budget to create a clear brand promise. What it takes is a clear understanding of the result your customers can expect.

As you reflect on the examples above, ask yourself one simple question: "After seeing each home page, would I continue my search?" My guess is that you would with Centene, less likely to do so with Johnson & Johnson and infinitely less likely with Cynergy.

Don't invite potential buyers to continue their search; create a clear brand promise and lead with it in all your marketing materials. That's how you avoid the high costs of an unintentional brand.

About Dale Furtwengler

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