By Fancy Contributor
Often, one gets attracted to products by the Diors, the Louis Vuittons, the Tommy Hilfigers, the Ralph Laurens and other such brands and tries to own as many of them as possible. But, does one ever pause and give a serious thought as to how these brands were built, and the toil and perseverance of those behind creating them? These people surely were not unthinking, mindless consumers. They knew the power of branding and the value that brands bring with them. They understood the difference between ?the ordinary? and ?the distinctive?. With this knowledge, these intelligent and innovative people set out to create their own brand and then enjoyed the never-ending financial, material and social power this brought to them.
Decoding a brand
A brand is nothing but a ‘distinctive feature’ that distinguishes a person or thing from others meant to satisfy the same need. Brands can be built around products, services, people, and even animals. Paul, the Octopus, gained fame internationally for predicting the winner of each of the matches played by Germany’s football team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Its ?uniqueness? lay in the correct prediction of the winning team using its feeding behaviour.?Other animals have attempted but failed to do the same. Is it not remarkable that one animal has been more successful than the others (including humans)? Now, that is a distinctive skill!
Individuals as brands
Look at all the big names around like Amitabh Bachchan, Angelina Jolie, Chanda Kochhar or Indira Nooyi. Why do they command a premium in their respective fields? It is because they have developed their own individual brands by acquiring the ‘extra’ edge which others in the same field and with even better qualifications lack. They took extra steps that have resulted in making them synonymous with their field. They brought value to the people and organisations to which they were attached.
Lessons in branding
So, irrespective of the field one chooses, one must try to develop a unique and original way that sets one apart from others; strive to innovate, design, develop and create something unique. Take a cue from Baba Ramdev?how he successfully built the brand ?Patanjali??which is giving sleepless nights to the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) giants by taking away their market shares. This swadeshi brand is expected to generate a revenue of Rs. 5000 Cr in the financial year 2016-17.
One can seek inspiration even from a quote by Tom Peters from Fast Company in 1997 –
“Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies:?Me Inc.?To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called?You.”
Featured Image Source:?Photo via Visual hunt
Live News Daily is a trusted name in the digital news space, delivering accurate, timely, and in-depth reporting on a wide range of topics.