Brand Building 201: Finding The Ideal Way

The strongest and longest lasting brands branch off of an existing category. Branching takes patience and time. There are two speeds for launching a brand, each one with its own pros and cons.

Speed A, like a hot air balloon, takes a long time to prepare before the actual launch. PR, media marketing, favors A. Longevity success favors A. A tree grows stronger with a well-established roots. And this can only occur with good soil, careful fertilizing, watering, and time.

Speed B, like a helicopter, takes off quickly but requires more fuel on take off, fuel that isn't there later on. Advertising favors B. Speed B for the Internet means viral marketing--spreading by word of mouth. For the Net, this is usually e-mail marketing.

The main reason A is usually a wiser choice is because people are suspicious of new and different. Another reason why it takes any business years to build their success. A typical reaction: "Wait and see if this new concept turns out to be worth while". Letting the brand build slowly using PR techniques can be like watching a tree grow. You can be lulled into falling asleep, however, don't be. There is a pivoting point where PR needs to turn into massive advertising.

There are two hurdles each speed endures--credibility and conventional. Advertising fails because it usually can't convey credibility. It can create conventional--people want to buy what other people want. People buy to be normal. People like to visit restaurants that have lots of cars out front. Yet conventional cannot succeed without credibility. Credibility is why the most effective brand launching starts with PR. The only exception to this rule is selling to the early adopter market.

Real success is a combination of short-lived and longevity products and services. Short-lived can provide the additional capital needed to fuel big advertising campaigns or new research. If you look at the toy industry, you can see every Christmas they have short-lived fad items and they still maintain items, like the Slinky, now celebrating over 50 years.

Service businesses need to use a combination as well. Few in these areas understand the concept and usually brush it off as N/A, non-applicable, to them. Mainly due to the need for multiple marketing campaigns and the work needed to plan and implement. This holds a higher truth the smaller the practice usually due to time limitations.

Another gear in the branding wheel is the number of generations of buyers. Each generation have their own way of buying charactertics. The only answer for this, is to know how they are thinking and why they make the choices they do.

How do you move fast enough in a slow building process and still build credibility along the way? You can use the same method many public relations firms use--the leak. You leak the information before its ready for launching. The gestation length of the leaking period depends on the radicalness of the concept. The more revolutionary the concept, the less advertising should play into the campaign.

Advertising is used for brand maintenance not brand building. As I mentioned earlier, advertising lacks credibility, the crucial element for brand building.

The best way for PR use is to announce a new category not a new product. The media wants to talk about what's new and what's hot, not what's better. What they say about you delivers credibility. It's because someone else is talking about you.

Launching a PR campaign and an Advertising campaign are two totally different plans. This is a frequently misunderstood concept.

For the accompaning article, Seven Simple Steps To A PR Launch, visit the Abundance Center's article section.

(c) 2004, Catherine Franz

Catherine Franz, a Certified Professional Marketing & Writing Coach, specializes in product development, Internet writing and marketing, nonfiction, training. Newsletters and articles available at: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com

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Google News Updated : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:58:10 GMT Obama’s spending how much on ads? - Christian Science Monitor Times Online Obama’s spending how much on ads? Christian Science Monitor - 1 hour ago By Jimmy Orr | 10.15.08 It’s been a week of non-surprises thus far. Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has been suspended - again. McCain calls for 'voter fraud' inquiry Los Angeles Times A stolen election? Washington Times New York Times - Talk Radio News Service - Boston Globe - Seattle Times all 859 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:03:33 GMT Polls: McCain forced to play defense in some red states - CNN Telegraph.co.uk Polls: McCain forced to play defense in some red states CNN - 1 hour ago HEMPSTEAD, New York -- New polls out Wednesday in some crucial states that could decide the race for the White House suggest Sen. John McCain is having to defend himself in areas that once were reliably Republican. Union sues over policy banning political material at polling places DetNews.com Pollsters say odds of McCain winning election 'incredibly remote' guardian.co.uk Boston Globe - New York Magazine - San Francisco Chronicle - AFP all 989 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:34:00 GMT Jerry Jones exposed as gutless by Goodell's ruling - FOXSports.com TSN.ca Jerry Jones exposed as gutless by Goodell's ruling FOXSports.com - 1 hour ago by Ian O'Connor Ian O'Connor is the author of the New York Times bestseller "Arnie & Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Golf's Greatest Rivalry," which Kirkus Reviews calls an "exemplary sports history. Video: Dallas' Adam Jones Suspended Again AssociatedPress Give Cowboys credit for not counting on Adam 'Pacman' Jones too much Dallas Morning News Los Angeles Times - New York Times - Fort Worth Star Telegram - Detroit Free Press all 1,080 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:52:30 GMT Migraine-hit Janet Jackson to resume US tour - Reuters CTV.ca Migraine-hit Janet Jackson to resume US tour Reuters - 55 minutes ago By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A rare form of migraine forced Janet Jackson to cancel several dates on her Rock Witchu concert tour but she planned to return to the stage on Wednesday in Washington, DC, her manager said. Jackson was laid low by migraines BBC News Janet Jackson: She's Baaaaack* Washington Post Blogs The Associated Press - eFluxMedia - FOXNews - Access Hollywood all 846 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:02:47 GMT It's officially over: Madonna and Guy Ritchie are divorcing - New York Daily News ABC News It's officially over: Madonna and Guy Ritchie are divorcing New York Daily News - 3 hours ago BY LEO STANDORA Madonna's marriage to Guy Ritchie really is kaput , her rep told the Daily News on Wednesday. "Madonna and Guy Ritchie have agreed to divorce after 7 l/2 years of marrige," Liz Rosenberg said in a statement. Video: AP Exclusive: Madonna, Guy Ritchie to Divorce AssociatedPress It's Official: Madonna And Guy Ritchie To Divorce MTV.com BBC News - The Associated Press - The Gossip Girls - Just Jared all 1,632 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:56:56 GMT AMR Plan to Buy 787s Will Update Fleet, Bolster Boeing Program - Bloomberg KING5.com AMR Plan to Buy 787s Will Update Fleet, Bolster Boeing Program Bloomberg - 34 minutes ago By Susanna Ray and Mary Schlangenstein Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- AMR Corp.'s American Airlines said it may buy as many as 100 Boeing Co. AMR overcomes fuel costs to squeeze out small profit MarketWatch AMR 3Q Net Down 74%, To Buy Up To 100 Dreamliners CNNMoney.com Bizjournals.com - International Herald Tribune - Reuters - Flight International all 186 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:24:10 GMT Hurricane Omar gains strength and nears Puerto Rico - Reuters BBC News Hurricane Omar gains strength and nears Puerto Rico Reuters - 1 hour ago By John Marino SAN JUAN (Reuters) - Hurricane Omar strengthened on Wednesday as it bore down on Puerto Rico and the small islands of the northeastern Caribbean, and could be a "major" storm by the time it reaches them, US forecasters said. Omar on the Move. Paloma Next? Washington Post Blogs Hurricane Omar heads for US Caribbean islands The Associated Press BBC News - United Press International - USA Today - NBC 29 News all 2,556 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:12:36 GMT Add RSS Feeds To My Web Pages More Web Site Traffic

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