Brand – what is it and how do you build it?

Companies don’t just create products and provide services – they also enshrine themselves in the minds of consumers as brands. Often, a well-developed brand is able to provide a market advantage and increase interest in your offering.

From this article you will learn:

• What is a brand?
• What are the elements of a brand?
• What are the types of brands?
• What is the importance of a brand for your business?
• How do you build an effective brand?
• What are some examples of well-known brands?

Brand – definition

A brand is a set of unique characteristics and attributes used to identify a product or service in the marketplace. These can include the name, logo, symbol, colour, design and even the sound used in audiomarketing. The purpose of a brand is to create a distinctive identity that allows consumers to easily recognise and choose the products or services offered by a particular company.

Branding also serves to build a relationship with the customer (which is a key element of relationship marketing) and creates associations, associated with a product or service. Good brands are easily recognisable and their names or logos are strongly associated with certain characteristics, such as quality, reliability, innovation or uniqueness. For example, Coca-Cola is a world-famous brand and its logo and red colour scheme are instantly recognisable to consumers.

A brand is a unique set of characteristics, symbols, names, designs or colours that serve to identify and differentiate one company’s products or services from others in the market. It is intended to build and maintain relationships with customers by creating associations with specific attributes such as quality, reliability, innovation. A well-defined brand allows consumers to easily recognise and select products or services.

Brand definition

Brand elements

Brand characteristics include several key elements. They co-create a unique brand identity and are used to build brand recognition and customer relationships. Each brand consists of the following parts:

• Name – the core element of the brand identity. It should be easy to remember, pronounce and unique in its market segment.
• Logo – an easily recognisable and brand-related graphic symbol. It is the main element of a brand’s visual identity.
• Colours and fonts – play an important role in identity building and are often used to build emotional associations. They are also essential for internal, corporate communication and allow easy association that a particular marketing message comes from a particular brand.
• Slogan – a short, catchy slogan or phrase that describes the brand, its mission, vision or promise to customers.
• Values – the core beliefs that guide a company’s actions. They are used to build relationships with customers and define the scope of permissible marketing and market activities of a particular company.
• Positioning – the way a brand wants to be perceived in the marketplace. It refers to the way consumers see the brand and how it compares with competitor images.
• Voice – the way the brand communicates itself to customers. Its definition depends on the specifics of your company, industry, mission or values. It can be professional, friendly or humorous.
• Promise – the brand’s commitment to customers, which can be about product quality, customer service, business ethics, etc.
• Personality – a set of characteristics attributed to a brand. These determine its ‘character’ and set it apart from other brands. Brands can be perceived as innovative, reliable, luxurious or youthful. The exact choice of characteristics depends on the specific market in which your company operates and the needs of your target group.

Types of brands

Brand types depend on many different factors. They often overlap, and many companies use different types and adapt them to their marketing strategies and business objectives. The following brand types are commonly distinguished:

• Product brands – associated with a specific product or product line. Examples include the iPhone (Apple) or Fanta (Coca-Cola).
• Service brands – associated with a specific service. Examples include Uber (transport) or Airbnb (accommodation).
• Personal brands – associated with a specific person. Examples include Oprah Winfrey, Cristiano Ronaldo or Elon Musk. They have created brands around their personal image.
• Corporate brands – represent the whole organisation. Examples include Microsoft, Google or Toyota.
• Umbrella brands – a variety of products or services are sold under one brand. Examples include Samsung – the brand offers consumers a variety of products, such as phones, televisions or white goods.
• Private brands – are owned by retailers and are usually only available in specific shops. Examples include private labels of various supermarket chains.
• Place brands – associated with a specific place, such as a city, region or country. Examples include ‘I Love New York’, ‘Wrocław – city of meetings’ or ‘Incredible India’.
• Event brands – associated with a specific event, such as the Olympics, the Super Bowl or the FIFA World Cup.
• Cultural brands – represent certain cultural ideas, values or traditions. Examples include Harley-Davidson (motorbike culture) or Vogue (fashion).
• Online brands – i.e. brands that have emerged and are growing mainly online. Examples include Facebook, Amazon or Spotify.

Importance of the brand

Branding plays a multiple and important role and is a key element of running a business. First and foremost, it allows you to stand out in the market thanks to your unique identity. Consumers who are able to easily recognise and associate your company’s products with your brand contribute to building a competitive advantage. This is fundamental in building loyalty. If your brand consistently delivers value to customers and delivers on its promises, it can earn consumer trust and attract new customers.

Additionally, an established and recognisable brand can allow you to charge higher prices for your products or services. Consumers are often willing to pay more if they perceive a brand’s products to be of higher quality or more prestigious. It is also important for business development. A strong brand is attractive to investors and business partners. This can involve investment, attracting the best talent and establishing strategic partnerships.

With a clearly defined brand, you can also launch new products more easily. When your company already has a strong market position, consumers are more willing to try new products from a brand they already trust. However, you need to remember to be careful when doing so. One can cite the example of New Coke, which was intended to replace Coca-Cola in the 1980s, but ended in violent protests from customers who demanded the return of the ‘old’ Coke.

It is also worth noting that a stable brand strengthens your company’s position in the market. It can be compared to a barrier to new competitors, as building a brand takes time, investment and effort. A brand is not only a tool for winning customers, but also plays an important role in creating a company’s reputation, expanding its offer and increasing its value in the market. In the long term, it can be one of your organisation’s most valuable assets.

Ways to build a brand

Building a brand requires a strategic approach, long-term commitment and consistency. It also requires (often numerous) investments, patience and consistency, but the results can be extremely beneficial to your business. To build your brand, it is worth keeping the following elements in mind:

Defining the brand pillars

Defining the pillars of a brand is the first step in building it. In this case, you need to define mission, vision and values of the company, brand positioning and identity. When all these elements are coherent and well thought out, the brand is more likely to create a strong and lasting impression with customers:

The brand mission statement defines why the brand exists and what it wants to achieve. It should always reflect the core business objective and serve as a guidepost for all strategic decisions. The vision, in turn, describes how the company sees itself in the future, what its aspirations are and what it wants to achieve in the long term. Values are the core beliefs that define what is important to your company and how it should behave. They should be reflected in all interactions with customers, employees and partners.

Brand positioning describes how you want your brand to be perceived in the marketplace. Brand identity, on the other hand, is all about the look and feel of the brand. It should be consistent across all customer touchpoints, from product packaging to websites and social media accounts.

Understanding your customer

Understanding your target audience is a key part of building an effective brand. The first question you should ask yourself should be – who are my customers? The answer ranges from basic demographics (age, gender, education level or professional status) to lifestyle, values, interests and opinions. From this, you can create a sales persona, which will help you better understand and communicate with your target audience.

You also need to understand what your customers’ needs and expectations are. Consider physical needs (e.g. need for transport, food, clothing) and emotional needs (e.g. need for security, social acceptance, self-realisation). It is also a good idea to find out what problems your customers are facing. Not only will this help you to better tailor your offer, but it will also help you to communicate the solutions you can provide.

Remember, however, that every customer is different and has different preferences, and getting to know your target audience is an ongoing process. This may require market research or face-to-face interaction with customers, but the value you gain from this is invaluable in building a successful brand.

Communicating with customers

Communicating your brand’s identity and values properly is vital to how it is perceived by customers. Every customer interaction is a chance to show what your brand is, what it stands for and what its priorities are. Often the first channels of communication are marketing and advertising. When designing marketing campaigns, it is important to ensure that the content reflects your brand identity and its mission, vision and values. The messages themselves should be consistent and clear.

Another key tool for brand communication with customers is social media. Through them it is possible to interact directly, collect feedback and answer questions. Consistency of brand image, tone of communication and response to interactions is essential here to build trust and loyalty among the audience.

No less important is customer service, which is one of the most direct channels of communication. A good experience here can reinforce positive feelings towards the brand, while a negative one can lead to a loss of customers. Other forms of communication, such as email marketing, blogs or webinars, also play an important role. It is important that the various marketing channels always reflect the brand’s identity and values.

Building relationships with customers

Building lasting relationships with customers not only promotes customer retention, but also encourages them to recommend the brand to others, which translates, for example, into more organic traffic to your company’s website.

A variety of methods can be used to build relationships. One of the most popular is loyalty programmes (e.g. points programmes, discount cards or special offers for regular customers). These offer value to the customer and encourage more frequent use of your company’s offerings.

Also, prompt, efficient and courteous customer service shows that the brand values its customers and is willing to listen to and meet their needs. Other initiatives could include regular newsletters, webinars, workshops, customer events or personalised offers. Most importantly, show customers that they are important to your brand.

Delivering value

Delivering on your brand promise is a fundamental aspect of building and maintaining customer trust. If your brand guarantees superior quality, you need to deliver it to maintain brand credibility. It’s not just a question of product quality – the entire customer experience with the brand is made up of it. If you promise excellent customer service, every point of it must be top-notch.

When your brand consistently delivers on its promises, customers begin to trust it, which leads to long-term relationships. If, on the other hand, you don’t deliver on your promises, trust will plummet and can be difficult to rebuild. Remember that everything you do as a brand – from product design and production, to marketing, sales and customer service – should be consistent with your promise.

Monitor and adapt your strategy

Building a brand requires constant adaptation. Your brand should evolve with the market, customer preferences and the results of your actions. To keep up with the changes, it is important to regularly check how your brand is perceived. This allows you to assess the effectiveness of your strategies on an ongoing basis and to understand how market trends, changes in consumer behaviour or competitors are affecting your brand. Only continuous development ensures that your brand can survive and prosper in the long term.

Examples of well-known brands

Brand characteristics can vary depending on the market in which a brand operates and change over time. They should be understood as general directions rather than rigid definitions. Below you will find a table of ten well-known brands that stand out from the competition due to their unique characteristics and strategies.