Many people have the wrong impression about what their brands are. They feel that their brands are merely the products that they are selling, or in some cases the services that they are providing. They reason this because when people discuss brands they usually break it down on the simplest level: ''I bought Brand X of cereal today, yesterday I drank Brand Y of soda.'' That statement about choosing a brand isn't necessarily incorrect; after all you did choose a brand of a particular product.
However, more importantly than that final decision and a product that gets labeled Brand X or Brand Y, you have to take a look at why somebody made that purchase or that choice. That's what brand management is all about, it's creating a positive image of your company that can lead to more success with consumers and more success altogether in the marketplace.
Why did that consumer choose Brand X? Did he/she see or listen to a variety of catchy advertisements over the last few weeks that made the company stand out? Did he/she read an article about the community service program that the company initiated? Did he/she have a positive experience interacting with a customer service representative from the company? Is the logo and name of the company so recognizable that it stands out clearly in their memory and becomes the only obvious choice?
All of these different areas factor into the brand of your company, much more than just a product that you are selling. In order to succeed with brand management therefore you have to look at your organization as a whole and break down the smaller parts into fundamental components of your overarching structure. The bottom line is that everything your company does has an affect on your brand, either positive or negative. It's the job of the brand manager to mold those affects into a vision that leads towards more consumer and marketplace acceptance.
A brand manager always needs to have his/her eye on the grand scheme of things. You must understand that everything the company does, affects and ultimately shapes the brand that people are going to associate you with. Your brand is much more than your company name written down the side of a popular product that you sell.
Your brand is your employees and their interactions with customers. Your brand is your product, its quality, and pricing point. Your brand is your community outreach, your advertisements, your promotional campaigns, and more. Brand management is about tying everything together into one comprehensive strategy that will take your company in the direction that you're trying to go.
