Positioning and Branding - Brand Identity Guru

Where is your brand positioned in the marketplace? How is it perceived, both positively and negatively? Can you identify your brand's core strength's and equities? What are the barriers or threats standing in the way? A brand strategy company will provide you with an objective assessment of your brand.

They can deliver specific solutions that will allow you to reach your strategic business goals and objectives, and clearly differentiate your brand and identity in the marketplace. Contact a branding company and they'll explore how they can help you develop a "BrandMasterpiece" branding and positioning strategy.

Many clients have the mistaken idea that they can't brand their company because it is too expensive. In fact, a smaller business can build a very strong brand in their sales area by being uniform in their image and message through a proactive and consistent campaign.

Corporate image and branding are strongly connected. In order for the brand to work effectively, the correct colors, font and design must be used in your corporate identity. It is not enough to say I need my logo to be blue; it's knowing what shade of blue, out of the 1000's to choose from. Remember your corporate identity is designed to attract your target markets, as well as represent your company.

Why Positioning

When people ask a branding company what exactly is it that they do, they unhesitatingly answer, "positioning". While they also perform other marketing-oriented activities for their clients, their philosophy is that the entire marketing mix hinges upon good positioning. If the client's product hasn't been positioned properly, it will fail. Period.

The strategies, tactics, messages, and creative are all directly dependent upon the development of appropriate positioning. Unsound positioning will weaken each of these endeavors and yet it's probably the least understood and most neglected of marketing activities. Many brand positions are hurriedly crafted by committee to placate management with obvious results. A landmark article by HCI once pointed out that fully 70% of new product positions mimic that of an established brand in the therapeutic category. That's not typically a formula for success.

A branding company believes that good positioning is born of thorough market and product understanding. Only then can a diligent, proven process craft the positioning that will drive proper strategic, tactical, and creative work.

Positioning Design

Positioning is arguably the most important and yet the most difficult responsibility of the marketing professional. That may be why a branding company's most popular service is a positioning design process. This unique, process makes use of a rigorous developmental methodology that designs brand positioning, and is quantitatively proven to create a positive product perception and generate incremental new prescriptions.

Whether it's a new product requiring positioning developed from scratch or an under-performing product needing re-positioning, a branding company can enhance your product's performance.

A branding company utilizes a disciplined, proven process to engineer an optimal brand positioning and an actionable communications blueprint. The process is broken down into three distinct phases: Surveying, Design and Engineering, and Brand Blueprint.

Researching Phase

The Researching phase includes the development of the initial strategic assessment based on an evaluation of the currently available information regarding the product, audience, and marketplace. This phase also includes recommendations for additional market research and exploration. The Researching activities include, but are not limited to:

· Qualitative evaluation and situation analysis

· Product and market differentiation

· Customer segmentation, needs and problem analysis

Qualitative / quantitative research and analysis

Strategic Phase

A branding company should believe that strategy, message, and tactics all flow from a well-structured positioning. In the Strategic phase, positioning development, evaluation, and testing lead to the formulation of an effective strategic framework for the Brand. Only with a thorough understanding of that brand positioning, can key messages for offline as well as online delivery be crafted and evaluated. The Strategic phase activities include, but are not limited to:

· Positioning workshops and option development

· Strategy creation, mapping, and metrics

· Attribute articulation / messaging

Blueprint

The Blueprint is a unifying document that provides strict guidance on the tactical application of the strategy and positioning to the full cadre of outsource communications partners (i.e., professional and consumer promotional agencies, public relations, publication planning, e-promotion resources, etc.) A primary goal of the Blueprint is to ensure consistent, cohesive, and synergistic promotion for the Brand across all tactics and media. The Blueprint:

· Creates appropriate relationship between science & marketing

· Increases cohesiveness of internal and external teams

· Is a focusing tool for tactical partners

To measure how strong your brand image is click on this link: (http://brandidentityguru.com/bightml/brandmasterpiece.html) or copy and paste. Then click "Take the brand strength test". This is a short survey that measures the strength of any company's brand. It's a great tool to see where you are today.

Scott White is President of Brand Identity Guru (http://www.brandidentityguru.com), a leading brand consulting and market research firm located in Easton, Massachusetts, USA, near Boston.

Brand Identity Guru specializes in creating corporate and product brands that increase sales, market share, customer loyalty, and brand valuation. Over the course of his 15-year branding career, Scott White has worked in a wide variety of industries: high-tech, manufacturing, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, banking, restaurants, fashion, healthcare, Internet, retail, and service businesses, as well as numerous non-profit organizations.

Brand Identity Guru clients include: Sun Life Financial, Coca Cola, HP, Sun, Nordstrom, American Federal Mortgage, Simon (America's largest shopping mall manager) and many others, including numerous emerging growth companies.

Scott White is a very enthusiastic speaker and has the gift of being able to explain the principles of branding in a compelling and entertaining manner so that people at all levels can understand.

---

Google News Updated : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:49:19 GMT Red Sox roar into AL title series - Boston Globe Red Sox roar into AL title series Boston Globe - 1 hour ago By Dan Shaughnessy Bring on the Rays. Bring on the Dodgers or Phillies if you like. There is plenty of champagne left in New England and Mayor Menino has sent the duck boats to have their tires rotated. Red Sox not taking Rays lightly in next round of postseason MLB.com Red Sox squeeze past Angels, advance to ALCS Washington Post SI.com - ESPN - Boston Herald - FOXSports.com all 3,162 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:49:29 GMT Sri Lanka: international probe called into killing - International Herald Tribune ABC News Sri Lanka: international probe called into killing International Herald Tribune - 29 minutes ago AP COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka's top opposition party called Tuesday for an international investigation into a bomb attack the previous day that killed a popular former army general and 26 others. Video: Sri Lanka army closes in on Tamil Tigers - 07 Oct 08 AlJazeeraEnglish Former Tamil rebel fighter named as member of parliament Monsters and Critics.com guardian.co.uk - The Associated Press - ABC Online - Radio Australia all 1,419 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:19:30 GMT Man with financial woes kills family, self - San Francisco Chronicle Sydney Morning Herald Man with financial woes kills family, self San Francisco Chronicle - 1 hour ago An unemployed financial adviser apparently despondent over his troubles shot and killed his wife, his mother-in-law and three children before taking his own life in a gated community, Los Angeles police said Monday. Video: 6 Die in Family Murder-suicide in Upscale Home AssociatedPress California: Six Bodies Found in Los Angeles Home New York Times CNN - Reuters - Los Angeles Daily News - FOXNews all 557 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:38:59 GMT Fan in Room Seems to Cut Infants’ Risk of Crib Death - New York Times InjuryBoard.com Fan in Room Seems to Cut Infants’ Risk of Crib Death New York Times - 5 hours ago By TARA PARKER-POPE Sleeping in a room with a fan lowers a baby’s risk of sudden infant death syndrome by 72 percent, a new study has found. Study Suggests Fan Use Cuts SIDS Risk in Babies Wall Street Journal Study: Using fan on sleeping baby reduces risk of SIDS San Jose Mercury News U.S. News & World Report - WebMD - USA Today - Medgadget.com all 424 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:22:40 GMT McCain, Obama introduce newly sharp tone amid major news events - Los Angeles Times Washington Post McCain, Obama introduce newly sharp tone amid major news events Los Angeles Times - 1 hour ago McCain intensifies his attack on Obama's past and character, and Obama returns the favor. The tactics may not resonate with voters in a time of crisis. Video: AP Campaign Minute AssociatedPress McCain, Obama unleash another round of attacks Reuters New York Times - Chicago Tribune - Dallas Morning News - The Miami Herald all 4,436 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:01:25 GMT Turkey hits PKK targets in n. Iraq on Tuesday - International Herald Tribune Voice of America Turkey hits PKK targets in n. Iraq on Tuesday International Herald Tribune - 1 hour ago ANKARA: Turkish warplanes pounded suspected Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq for a second straight day on Tuesday, stepping up a bombing campaign after the death of 17 Turkish soldiers in a cross-border ambush. Turkish warplanes bomb 21 PKK targets in N Iraq People's Daily Online Turkish airstrikes target Kurdish rebels CNN United Press International - Aljazeera.net - AFP - The Associated Press all 1,633 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:30:40 GMT Frerotte leads Vikings to Monday night victory - FOXSports.com Boston Globe Frerotte leads Vikings to Monday night victory FOXSports.com - 1 hour ago by Alex Marvez Alex Marvez is a Senior NFL Writer for FOXSports.com. He's covered the NFL for 14 seasons as a beat writer and is the president of the Pro Football Writers of America. Frerotte proves mettle against sloppy Saints SportingNews.com National Football League Game Capsules Sports Network Minneapolis Star Tribune - Boston Herald - Philadelphia Inquirer - Newsday all 1,172 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:39:53 GMT RSS Software More Web Site Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Which Of These Words Attract Your Clients

Whether it's your business card, tagline, article title, web site... Read More

Corporate Branding ? Dont Forget Your CDs!

Companies have been branding their collateral materials such as letterhead,... Read More

Santa - The Brand

Every Christmas Eve, a burglar named Santa busts into homes... Read More

Differentiate and Dominate

Quite often small business owners will ask me to reveal... Read More

Franchisor Policies for Unlicensed or Sold Territories

Franchisors often have issues when they own a brand which... Read More

Do What Works

"Can you hear me now?"You'd be hard pressed to find... Read More

Franchising is Virtually Fraud Free

The number of complaints to the Federal Trade Commission on... Read More

Eye On The Pie: Branding From an Investors P.O.V.

When building a business as a brand it's important to... Read More

Intelligent Design comes from Brand & Account Planners

I've been reminded recently, rather forcefully, that not all reality... Read More

How To Create A Brand That Sticks

Most people, when they hear the word branding, think logos... Read More

Choosing The Right Business Name

Sometimes, new entrepreneurs are in such a rush to get... Read More

Corporate Branding and Professional Logo Design

Any business with the minimum interest to be successful should... Read More

Quality and Service - Yeah, Right!

One of the critical drivers of business success is having... Read More

You Bored Me at Hello - Top Three Strategies for Networking Your Brand

"You had me at hello," those famous words from the... Read More

Your Identity Speaks Loudly...What Are You Saying?

Your corporate identity is a graphic expression of who you... Read More

Brand Identity and Brand Image - Brand Identity Guru

It is important to distinguish between corporate identity, brand identity,... Read More

Im Just Starting, Why Do I Need a Logo Design?

Businesses eager to open often give little thought to their... Read More

Logo Design Tips

Logos can be described as visual icons that provide a... Read More

12 Ways to Reduce Postage

1. Never send a letter that weighs less than 30... Read More

Revealing the Roots: The Process of Building Brand

How is branding different than marketing?Branding is not so much... Read More

All About Branding

In this article i will explain how you can make... Read More

Blonds Have More Fun!

In the book, The Blond Knight of Germany, American authors... Read More

Branding: What Not to Do

Here's a little story about what not to do as... Read More

Planning Ahead With Your Designer: Tips For Design Consistency With Your Logo And Brand Elements

While we recommend that you contract with the same designer... Read More

Branding Yourself To Increased Profitability

Successful Realtors know the importance of branding their identities into... Read More