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Enhancing a
company’s brand
isn’t just the
preserve of the
marketing team
with Uniform to boost its brand, both in terms
of how it was perceived by consumers, but
also internally. It’s critical for any partner to
understand the nuances of your sector so that
challenges can create opportunities and help
shape the strategic direction.
Following a period of initial immersion
and stakeholder engagement, the new strategy
for Ideal Standard was built on heritage, reestablishing
the company’s design credentials.
A clear purpose and unifying idea, alongside
aligned messaging and a coherent look and feel,
underpins a portfolio of brands that are now
better connected.
New products are also being developed
that place the importance on design, creating
a halo effect across the established ranges.
Communications are no longer fragmented
across sectors and ranges, but part of a holistic
framework making it easier to cross or up-sell.
Most importantly, the reaction internally was
extremely positive, reinvigorating culture and
giving all employees a sense of togetherness and
focus, which in turn is impacting the bottom-line.
The benefits of a clear message
The power of a brand is one of the most valuable
assets a company owns. If brand strategy is done
well, it can impact far more than just marketing
communication, it can transform every aspect of
your business. From our experience of working
on many projects like Ideal Standard we’ve
identified five benefits of a clear brand purpose:
1 Attract new customers
During the process of positioning/
repositioning a brand, it is essential to build
a clear understanding of your customer
through engagement. This process not only
FEBRUARY 2020 BRANDING
gives you incredible insight
and understanding of your
customer, it helps build loyalty
to your brand.
2 Command a better price
A strong brand positioning
should place the company in
uncontested market space,
providing a compelling reason
for customers to buy. The
brands that establish this
meaningful differentiation in
the market are able to justify
their worth and command
higher prices for their products
or services.
3 Close sales more easily
Well-defined brands are
easier to sell because their
positioning is woven into
their brand narrative. The
arguments for the unique
superiority of your products
or services have already been
articulated through your brand
strategy. With a cohesive and
compelling brand, most of the
work is already done for the
salesperson before the initial
conversation. Branding gives
your sales team the advantage
it needs to close deals with
confidence and ease.
4 Reduce the cost
of marketing
A cohesive, well-articulated
brand increases the efficiency
and effectiveness of all your
marketing initiatives. By
creating a better understanding
of your audience, you can
develop campaigns with highly
relevant messaging targeted
towards your most valuable
customer segments.
5 Boost company value
Brand equity is a powerful
thing. Not only does it allow
you to increase the price point
of your products and services,
it also has a measurable effect
on the share price as well. How
a brand is perceived determines
how its customers behave, and
customer behaviour determines
your brand’s financial
performance. The long-term
upshot of branding is that the
brand itself becomes a more
valuable asset when it comes
time to sell the company.
Businesses are always
evolving, but should always
stay true to the core value of
the brand. Continual evolution
can move a business away from
its purpose just as technology
and customer needs change
but remaining true to brand
values enables all audiences to
understand the offer.
Only then can a business
reach its true commercial
potential, with staff, customers
and investors completely on
board and able to understand
the very simple question of ‘why
does their business matter?’
and ‘why should anyone care?’
The pace of change means that
in highly charged, competitive
markets where less expensive
rivals will always undercut,
brand is the catalyst that can
override all other factors.
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