Branding Campaigns Explained

Think about some of the television commercials that quickly come to your mind. Do you remember them because of the products involved or do you remember them because of the messages of the commercials? In most instances, it is because of the commercials. You find the ads to be neat or cool. But they fit the products perfectly. That is the purpose of a branding campaign. To make the advertisement mean something to you, while at the same time to promote the product or service being sold.

Some of the oldest commercials for investment houses and banks used (and still use today) branding campaigns to push consumer deposits. When trying to get their clients to buy different pension products, the deposit mechanism was second to the lifestyle that the client could enjoy. “Invest your money for thirty years and live like a king when the time comes to retire.” They showed pictures of people lying on beaches in the Caribbean being served fresh fruit and cocktails. The ads portrayed seniors as carefree souls traveling about the world with no worries in sight. The investment was secondary. This is a branding campaign, and it works because people buy into the sales pitch. They imagine themselves on that yacht!

A brilliant example today of a complete branding campaign is Fido cell phones. Most people know that Fido is a dog’s name. And all of the company’s literature, slogans, print ads, website, billboards, and television commercials clearly show a dog. And not just the same dog. They use many breeds because they are making the point that customers are different. Also, by using different dogs, they appeal to a greater number of people. The brand is not associated with one type of dog, therefore, the phone is not stereotyped. Further, the customers are called “Fido Owners”. The logo is the word “fido” sitting beside a yellow doghouse. And when they show someone giving a Fido telephone as a gift, there is no phone in the box, a dog peeks out. Everyone knows you are not giving a dog and that the telephone is the product, but the cell phone is not the focus of the ad. Indeed, this is an excellent example of a branding campaign. Everything ties together in symmetry.

In the beginning, while devising a brand, even before you develop the particular pieces, it is so important to understand how all the pieces meld together. Just to say that something will be a brand is not enough. A branding campaign organizes and manages all the pieces ensuring that there is continuity throughout. A brand cannot become a brand and will not be quickly recognized unless the branding campaign is capable of drawing the same “mental image” from all components of the product including the logo, promotional material, website, packaging, the catch phrases, the message, the posters, sales persons, telephone support people, and anything else the company produces.

Whether you want to brand a series of products under one label, or you are individual branding your own talents, or you have a website that you want to brand, one of the key basics of the branding campaign is to get your ad in front of as many targeted people as possible. Studies have long ago proved that the more often someone sees your product, company name, or personal name, the more receptive they are to do doing business. They feel a familiarity and the trust factor kicks in – and yes, that goes for a dog kennel as much as it does for a website talking about Alcohol Rehab.