Reinforce Your Brand Message

Brand Equity has emerged over the past few years as a key strategic asset. CEO's in many industries now see their brands as a source of strategic control and a way to build stronger relationships with customers.

Brand building has always been among the first budget cuts when companies tighten their belts in a recession. The next few months will demonstrate which companies and senior managers are truly committed to their brands as strategic assets and which will revert to the habits of the past and slash brand-building investments.

Many now understand that brand-building is a long-term, cumulative effort. There is increasing evidence that strong brands influence investment decisions and market capitalization and are significant leading indicators of value growth. This can help stock prices rebound quickly after a downturn.

The true brand builders will seize the opportunity that a slow-down provides. They will use all methods available to reinforce their message.

 Examples of Brand-Building Strategies:

CONSUMER LIFESTYLE MERCHANDISE OFFER

Merchandise appropriate to the owners lifestyle, and identified with the Brand logo is offered to the consumer. This can be done in the form of a catalog, on-line program or direct-mail image piece. Other companies provide in-store "pro shops" that offer Brand-specific merchandise that helps the consumer to feel connected to the brand, as well as share their support for the brand or product. A large market for this merchandise is also "wanna-be's" who do not own the product, but have a great enthusiasm for the branded merchandise (a good example would be Harley Davidson. Every individual who wears/uses Harley-Davidson branded products are advertising the brand, whether they're a Harley owner or not).