Getting a brand right is tough at any time. Now, it may be even tougher. The thing is, brands need to be meaningful to the people they’re aimed at. It’s no good promoting your brand as the leading whitener if whiteness is not something your customers are concerned about. Would a brand that markets itself as the best tasting low-fat food work in a country where there’s a food shortage? No. Brands only work if businesses are listening to what people want. And, in times of economic change, that’s an impressive challenge.
If brands weren’t tough enough to get right, what happens when you add Public Relations to the mix? Ideally all the PR you put out perfectly supports your brand and shapes a positive opinion of it. So if your brand is exactly right, you’re off to a good start. The problem is, that’s not always the case. You can have a truly outstanding brand with a painstakingly built reputation that can turn sour very easily. For example, Lord Coe, LOCOG Chairman, positioned London’s 2012 games as everyone’s games, and particularly wanted to attract young people. But when Wolff Olins was awarded a £400,000 contract to design the logo, the public outcry over the results was loud, to say the least. People didn’t need to be told that what Lord Coe said didn’t match up with the end results. If the Olympic games belong to the people, then the people should have been involved in creating or choosing a logo. Whether the logo is a good example of design or not, people reacted by voicing their dislike. The following weeks and months did not see credibility or excitement about the Olympics increase. In fact many people thought too much money was already being wasted.
What brings PR and branding together, is good communication and planning. If your marketing agency understands your brand, its goals and positioning, it can help you find ways to communicate your message in the right ways. Above all, your PR agency should help your understand what customers are already saying – and how their thinking will effect your business.