Branding, positioning and differentiation

Because identical twins have identical names

Although it may look the same, they are not. Just ask their parents. Even babies, you could say their part, and how they grow, more and more pronounced are distinctions. For this reason we do not give the twins the same first names.

In the business world, this idea seems to put as the basis for a common sensical approach to branding - that the products should be several different brands with different names. However, the only common thing is that this sense is too often ignored in the hope of fraud risk and the possibility of failure.

Brands like rubber bands are overexposed insufficient compared

Everyone has heard of a company called Kraft. "Hey, those are the people to the cheese." Yep. For years, Kraft and cheese were synonymous. It 'was a Corporate Branding with a competitive position would be difficult to erode had company brass been content in their cheesiness. They were not. Like many companies blessed with strong brands, Kraft began to think their brand name was invincible and that any product introduced under its banner would dominate the market, simply because of his name. So, Kraft began offering jams, jellies and mayonnaise among other things.

The numerical truth about Kraft's brand extension strategy

Ohio-based Smucker's owns 35% of jams and jellies market. Kraft has 9%. Hellman Mayonnaise has 42% market mayo. Kraft has 18%. The plan for domination also did not work as expected. Despite its dominance in the cheese market, Kraft has been relegated to the status of bit player in these other categories. Their strategy of trying to make a big brand name into being all things to all people has resulted in few real winning products.

Why not being all things to all people work?

In your family, may have been the smart one. If you had brothers and sisters, there may have been the "social", the "rebel" or "athletic" one, too. And invariably, those attributes seem to stick with a person throughout life, often regardless of whether that change.

In Japan, Honda is known as a motorcycle company that washes into cars. In America, it is a car company that dabbles in motion. Despite the fact that the company is equally prolific makers of both, the two different markets have Honda labeled as either / or. A name, a single product. Burned-in and branded for life. This is because motorcycles and motor vehicles are two categories of products. This shows that the conquest of several different segments with a single brand does not work. Rather, companies wishing to expand into other product areas, or a first product for this area, they need to do it using a strong brand identity as the foundation of its marketing strategy. Either that or create new product lines that somehow relate to the old product line, such as cheese company put a line of pre-made cheese and cracker snacks. What Ritz did with Mini Ritz sandwiches, Kraft could have easily done by focusing on product marketing slant in cheese crackers.

So what do you do with a brand once you have created one?

Those responsible for the brand defend the integrity of the brand and build on it. Just like Barbie have for decades while Ninja Turtles and Cabbage Patch Dolls came and went. The Barbie brand recognizes the niche fills in the toys - dolls with interchangeable clothes. Nothing more. Of course, updating a label is absolutely necessary in its life cycle. Barbie has a way of doing this built-in for your product - changing styles of clothing. As times change, so do Ken and Barbie wardrobe. But this is only one way a brand remains strong over the years. Survey any industry, and you will find that the marks of long-term success at some point have had to reinvent themselves along the way - as today's automakers in the early stages of switching to alternative sources of energy. This is the same thing that made the magazine successful. They carve out a niche, become the leader in it and then defend banking on their uniqueness and their further differentiation from the competition - not to duplicate.

If this is the case, because companies are trying to extend a brand?

Because launching a completely new brand is very risky and expensive. Often, the initial results of brand extension are positive, but the initiative begins to lose common ground and requires a bit 'of the global strength of the brand with it.

Because the creation of a new ideal for companies to extend one.

In New Zealand, there is an airline, but two brands of airlines. Air New Zealand is about high level of service with all the frills. Freedom Air, on the other hand, is the airline for the budget conscious. Both brands operate successfully and independently of each other, allowing the parent company to serve two distinct markets for air transport.

Less really is the best thing

A niche brand may not offer the sheer number of potential brand more generalized, but it offers something much better - sustainability. In the long term, as your brand becomes synonymous with a specific type of product or service, more and more people are turning to you for that product or service ... and continue to do so because they believe they are getting quality only a specialist can provide.

A jack of all trades master of none really. So if you are a teacher, or who wish to become, they do. Whether it. Just not at all .......