“The Power of Brands – a marketing tool to help businesses large and small” 

“What’s in a name?” asked Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. If he had been in the marketing business, he might have answered quite a lot. 

It has been proved many times that consumers, when asked to taste two food products without  knowing the brand names, often fail to see any difference between them. Yet carry out exactly the same test but this time giving the names and results are likely to be very different, with the well known brand significantly outscoring the less well known. 

This is because branding is the means by which companies set their products apart from the competition. The stronger the brand and the more distinctive it is in the consumers mind, the more likely they are to buy.  

A strong brand also tends to be able to charge higher prices, which explains why companies with strong brands tend to deliver better financial results, and are often sold on for an asking price many times in excess of their annual profits. 

So what is a brand? Of course the name originated as a method of distinguishing stock. Today, a brand is a combination of distinctive name, design, and message or reason to buy. Some brands are also distinguished by a special colour, for example the bright yellow of  JCB machinery, or a special mark such as the Kellogg’s cockerel.

 The word logo is often used, meaning a combination of the brand name, the typestyle in which it is written, and the mark that accompanies it.  The Land Rover green lozenge is an example. Although these companies have, of course, spent millions of pounds developing their brands, that should not scare the ‘new’ producer.

Branding is just as important to a large business as a small, and there are many examples of  small ideas becoming big through the application of branding principles.

 Producers seeking to add value should ensure that the basics are in place, namely a top quality product which is different from competition.They should then think about how to turn the product into a brand. Overall, the aim should be to convey a distinctive look and feel, and there are some guidelines which can be followed. 

·        The best brand names are memorable, short, and easy to pronounce. If the name can capture a characteristic of the product then so much the better. However it is best to avoid being too specific if the long term aspiration is to use the brand name to support a launch into a completely different product category. Names which are unique can be trademarked, which can be expensive but ensures no one else can copy the name.

·        The typeface in which the name is written should also be special, but not so fancy that it is unreadable. If the brand is to be sold alongside many others, for example in a shop, then the brand name and typeface should jump out from the crowd when viewed several feet away from the shelf.

·        The brand message should capture the reasons why consumers should buy the product, and ideally be capable of being communicated in a single line or slogan.

·        Packaging also offers the opportunity to build distinctive branding not just through the picture or design which is used but through the type of packaging. Branding opportunities are not just confined to the product itself. Stationery can carry the brand name and logo, as could T shirts, polo shirts and fleeces worn when out selling to customers. A sign at the entrance to the farm can also be a branding opportunity. 

Consistency is critical. The brand name should always be written in the same way, colours should always be the same, any mark developed should be used in the same way every time, and the brand message should not vary. This helps the consumer to build up a clear picture in their mind about what the brand looks like and stands for. 

Brands do not become strong overnight. Rather they build as a result of  time spent communicating their benefits on a regular basis.  

The most obvious opportunity for brand building is when diversifying into products destined for the end consumer. However, there may be other areas where branding can be considered. Whatever is being sold a sound objective might be to generate a reputation for quality and consistency among potential customers. Thus the farm itself can become a brand, and communicated in a distinctive way through use of typestyle, colour and a message which captures the essence of what is sold. 

One final point. Strong brands are more than the way they are presented, they have reached their position because they are trusted by those who buy them. Producers who sell brands should be mindful of this, and avoid any action which might undermine that trusted position.