22 Aug 10 How to do Branding of a Product?

Branding is an art. But it also has elements of Science. A brand’s success also lies in its name. An effective brand commands high brand recall value and immediate brand recognition. Successful positioning starts with conceptualization of the brand name. Apparently the task of branding may appear quite easy, but it involves in-depth research, understanding of the consumer insight, and brainstorming. Brand name is the most important part of a product, its identity before the world.

Branding exercise starts with understanding of the product category and deep analysis of the target group of customer. The brand name can be fanciful, arbitrary, suggestive, generic or named after people.

A fanciful name evokes sophistication, luxury, status. It’s a combination of word, name, symbol or a combination of all of them, irrespective of any language base. It is fabricated. They may appear abstract. As for example brands like Durian, Marlboro, Zara, Yahoo!, Sony, Olay. Such categories of brand names are distinct and break the clutter of brand shouts.

Arbitrary brand name is a brand name which has significance in life and language. But such brand name has no relevance to the product category. For example brands like Apple, Camel, Mango, Guess. They bear no relation with the products. Such brands names appear strong, distinctive.

A suggestive brand name describes the nature of the product or the service. It becomes an added advantage for the brand. From the brand name itself a person comes to know about offering of the brand. Brands like Ferns & Petals, Discovery, Animal Planet.

A generic brand name uses common words, name, symbol or a combination of all of them generally depicting the good or service. If a book store is called Book Store, if a flower shop is called Flower Shop – it’s a weak branding. Such brands are not protected.

A brand can be unique, when it’s named after a person or bears names of people behind its creation. Brands like – Johnsons & Johnsons, Smith & Jones, Mc. Donald’s bear strong brand identity and recall value. They immediately promote the brand creator’s name as well.

Branding is face of the company, a property the product sits on and cherishes its value lifelong. A brand name is the silent promise that the marketer does not only to its customers but also to the brand itself. Thus a brand name needs to be strong and impactful.

Tags: Added Advantage, Animal Planet, Brand Name, Brand Recognition, Conceptualization, Consumer Insight, Ferns, Flower Shop, Generic Brand, Johnsons, Language Base, Marlboro, Olay, Petals, Product Branding, Product Category, Sophistication, Target Group, Word Name, Zara