In the fifth of a series of posts on the crucial role played by branding in influencing client and customer choice, we explore effective branding techniques across different sectors.
BRANDING is not a one-size fits all proposition; the art of crafting a successful brand varies from sector to sector. Here, we look at how to approach branding in the following sectors:
1. Start-ups
2. Service sector
3. Business to business
4. Public Sector
1. Branding for start-ups
If launching a business from scratch, you’re in a unique position to operate as what is often called a ‘challenger brand’. This means you can take a look at a market sector from the outside, assess all the players and gaps in the market and then launch a product with a brand that challenges and shakes up the conventions of the sector.
It’s hard to do this once you’re established, as there’s more to lose, so think carefully about how brave your product or service can be if you’re about to launch to market.
Another benefit you may have as a start-up is that the business is likely to be small, and therefore responsive and adaptable; there will be no existing processes that have to be changed to create a new brand. In short: you’ve got one shot to do something exciting, relatively cheaply, so go for it.
2. Branding for service companies
For some companies, customer service is the dominant part of their offer. For such businesses, close attention needs to be paid to how the brand is reflected in the way the service is provided, and the way in which staff interact with customers.
Service brands are built on the people who deliver them, meaning staff need to be trained to get an understanding of the company’s culture, its ‘promise’ to customers and how they will be put into practice on a day to day basis. In this scenario, the human resources department is closely linked to brand management.
First Direct for example, recruits people with customer service skills rather than those already in the banking industry, ensuring the company’s service delivery matches is brand ‘promise’.
3. Branding for business to business (B2B)
Many businesses market their products and services directly to other businesses, not the public. As in consumer products, B2B companies need to use branding to differentiate, stand-out and create a distinct personality, even if that personality is more corporate and business-like in its tone.
A good example is provided by UK company Mechan (see images, right), which designs and manufactures mechanical handling equipment for the rail industry. By 2005 its image was starting to look dated, and at the same time the company was faced with a static UK market and growing competition from abroad. It needed stronger communications to create impact with potential business customers.
Working with a design agency, the company researched what its brand actually stood for – quality, reliability, safety and innovation – and then hired a branding consultancy to create a visual identity that is strong, clean, simple and works across all the company’s communications, including products, website, trade stands and literature.
4. Branding for public sector
All branding is about communicating a clear offer to clients, customers or users, but branding in the public sector is not as concerned with maximum market stand-out, as it typically is in the commercial/private sector.
For public sector organizations, such as the police force and health services, the focus may be on clarity and access to important information. So branding and design may focus on signposting this information or communicating issues clearly in order to change people’s behaviour – a Department of Health quit smoking campaign, for example.
This blogpost is drawn from ‘The power of branding: a practical guide’, a special resource for small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) produced by the Design Council, the national strategic body for design in the UK.
Related posts
Being different is better than being best
Brand differentiation: Be prepared to invest
Differentiate or die, firms warned
Strong branding is a client magnet
