Monday, 17 September 2012

Branding on the Web - by John Miles

Branding, What is it?


"Bonding brands with customers has always been about building relationships”

In the fiercely competitive and sometimes slightly impersonal world we live in today, the process of creating a level of trust in a company is extremely important for consumers and marketers alike which is where Branding plays its vital role.
 
Branding is the process in which a business creates an image / personality which appeals to the consumer, and this is first done through the consumer becoming aware of the company or brand. The next stage is to create familiarity in the brand and a level of appreciation in the products or services offered, a level of trust is built in that brand and so the relationship becomes a little deeper. The final stage is commitment, whereby the consumer has now become familiar and comfortable with the brand and so moves on to a transaction, from here it becomes a process of maintaining the friendship and encouraging the consumer to take part in repeat purchases.
The use of the internet has meant branding has been revolutionized, “we are moving beyond representing a brand to experiencing it”[1], and this has come in the form of company web sites providing games, multimedia channels (films, shows, music videos) and two way communication channels for consumers to interact with the brand itself and express their thoughts and opinions. Red Bull is a great example of effective branding, not only because of their fully interactive and engaging website but also through the variety of events and competitions they are linked to, which not only generates a greater level of consumer awareness but acts as a reassuring and positive sign to consumers with an already established friendship with the brand. www.redbull.com
According to Martin Lindstrom http://www.martinlindstrom.com/fast-company-how-many-lives-does-a-brand-have just like a cat, a brand can have more than one life in the consumer market. Experts Larry Chiagouris and Brant Wansley provide a clear and invaluable insight into Branding on the Web http://www.negocio.us/english/internetbranding.htm, and whose opinions reinforce the following “having a strong and trusted brand is essential to success as consumers are reluctant to give their money to an entity which they do not have an established relationship with”.[2]
Hopefully this has helped provide you with a clear understanding as to what Branding is and how it is being used on the internet, and it would be great to hear what brands you take particular interest in and what makes you choose this brand specifically.


 
#Brand Fact: Amazon and Facebook established their brands solely online. 

 




[1]Caroline Riby from http://www.negocio.us/english/internetbranding.htm.  
[2] Taken from Internet Marketing Integrating Online and Offline Strategies textbook, Third edition, Roberts and Zahay

16 comments:

  1. This was a helpful and informative description explaining Branding. I enjoyed viewing the concepts of Coke.

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  2. Wow John, quite the interesting blog.

    I had already had a basic concept of brand thanks to all our marketing classes, however, there was still some new information I found quite interesting in your blog. The whole concept you have of experiencing a brand instead of just representing one was quite entertaining and I can see where that could grow to something even more involving as technology grows. I also enjoyed your video and added a book mark to it to refer back to later on.

    Good job again,

    Donald

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  3. It was very interesting the way you dissected brand creation from both a company and consumers' perspective. It takes alot of repetition and staging to create a positive image connected to a brand, and then even more work to retain that same emotional resonance.
    I truly enjoyed reading this posting, it definitely gave me some food for thought.

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  4. Very interesting blog!
    I really enjoyed reading it and learning more about branding, good choice of video!
    Great job!

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  5. Good Info use of Blog

    I like the used of video for your blog it made it more intresting to view. I like how the video used lots of important facts regarding branding. Also I never knew Coca Cola made so much profit and sold that much bottles per day. Is good to know how branding had revolutionize through the years.

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  6. Well written John!
    I learned some new interesting things about brand, as well as the hard work involved with building a strong brand.

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  7. John,

    very well written, I was very impressed with the amount of valuable information that you brought to this blog and using red bull as your brand to use as an example was well done.With it being such a popular brand and very well known.

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  8. John,

    very well written, I was very impressed with the amount of valuable information that you brought to this blog and using red bull as your brand to use as an example was well done.With it being such a popular brand and very well known.

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  9. Great Job John,
    I espically liked the videos, they helped to create the mental picture that branding in a stamp of ownership over the product. I had not viewed it this way before.
    -Amber

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  10. This was a great post! so intriguing,I have enjoyed learning about branding this semester,I find the concept so interesting. The video was great, so many good stats. good work mate!

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  11. As other people have comented, great post!!
    Online branding is becoming more and more important as the internet generation grows every day! All business must have a good understanding of their brand and how it is perceived!
    Great video, it really helped drive home your points!
    -Tyson

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  13. John,

    Well written and very informative. The interactive aspect of branding is one that I feel is often neglected by many businesses, and is one that I can appeal to myself. Effective use of the video, too!
    -Jordan

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  14. Branding on the web is one of the most important tools out there; agreed. Red Bull has done an amazing job with their sponsorship of the man breaking the sound barrier, as well as their creative wings videos. Interesting fun fact, did not know that.

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  15. Great blog post John!

    You taught me a lot about the importance of branding for businesses to succeed. Web branding is one of the most if not the most important aspects of web marketing out there. The video was perfect for the topic!

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  16. Great job John, I liked this post a lot John. Before reading I wouldn't have considered that web branding was of such high importance. Now though it is clear that it indeed is very important and can shape your entire company's image.

    Thanks
    Daniel

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