Learn how to identify and leverage your brand position to create a competitive advantage with our actionable template

Think of some iconic brands. What pops into your head? Perhaps it's Coca Cola’s distinctive bottles, Apple’s sleek, futuristic presentation, Amazon’s UX (User Experience). These businesses realized and harnessed the power of brand positioning, and as such are easily recognizable and distinctive. Of course, these examples are of some of the world’s powerhouses - with a whole heap of money at their disposal. But any business has the opportunity to carve out their brand position and identity at any time to create a competitive advantage. And if you haven’t already, we’d suggest you start right now.

What is brand positioning?

Brand positioning involves enhancing the positive differentiation your brand offers against competitors and the perception of value in your customers’ minds. While it comprises of elements like your company name, logo, etc., successful brands incorporate…

Updating approaches to your online branding for the digital world

Brand is No.1

I want to start with a bold statement.  The online brand is the single most important element to a business or organization. If you think about what online branding actually is; a position that has been carefully established, and a set of customer promises and overall experiences based on communication and service, then not delivering on these promises and what a brand stands for will lead to failure. In today's digital landscape, strong online branding will allow you a closer connection with your prospective customers, leading to conversion and retention. Without a strong online brand, a business will experience reduced competitiveness, inaccessible products and services, customer confusion, and dissatisfaction. As your online brand shows its form in all your customer touchpoints, then to say it is everything is really not an overstatement.

What is online branding?

Website(s), search marketing, mobile content, social media,…

Sustainable marketing is a great way to promote the eco-friendly aspects of your company, as long as you get it right

It’s natural for a business to use all of its genetic makeup to promote itself and stand out in its market. For example, SMEs frequently use grassroots beginnings or a local focus to give them a unique tone of voice, while larger companies pride themselves on winning industry awards. Another strategy that is becoming more popular for companies looking to make their mark is sustainable marketing. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is becoming a more common brand value, with the most recent Conference of Parties (COP) highlighting its 2023 objectives as: Reducing emissions Helping countries adapt Climate finance Responsibility for the climate crisis is shared by governments, businesses, and individual consumers. So sharing your eco credentials could help you win more business accounts or increase customer loyalty, depending on your goals. However, it…

Make your brand identity the central organizing principle for everyone and everything in a company rather than just the products, services, logos and imagery

Brands are assets that create sustainable wealth, both for businesses and wider society. Every successful brand has a clear positioning expressed through its name, logo, and identity. But, more than that, a strong brand identity has the potential to influence all aspects of a brand's omnichannel presence, including its products, services, and staff behaviors. In fact, McKinsey's nine traits of a future-ready company found that employees who say they are “living their purpose” at work are four times more likely to report higher engagement levels at work. People reach further when their energies are channeled toward a purpose. This shows brand leaders can capitalize on brand purpose to enthuse both their customers and employees. Brand positioning and identity are integral components of the overall brand strategy. Having a…

A successful brand strategy means your business' channels, digital experiences, and tone of voice need to home in on what your key customers want.

We've got marketing training to strengthen your branded consumer goods company's relationships with your target audiences. In order to build a loyal fan base, your brand strategy and style need to reflect your overall vision for the business. Having a brand strategy that jars with your product/service will put customers off and confuse them about who are and what you offer. However, integrating your marketing strategy can be hard, especially today in the age of digital disruption where every customer has an omnichannel experience. That's why our complete marketing training covers all the key elements you need to build a strong brand strategy.

The RACE Framework for consumer branded goods

Our popular RACE Framework is a simple, actionable planning structure for marketing leaders looking to streamline their omnichannel marketing strategies and…

Following the Gillette and Nike controversies, is it possible to showcase your brand's attitudes to societal and political issues without backlash?

Consumer mindset has evolved and we are now more conscious of the things that we are buying and the brands we are buying from than ever before. With more than half of Britons thinking that brands have a responsibility to society, they can no longer simply rely on having a well-performing or cheap product offering to entice customers. Brands increasingly need to showcase their attitudes towards society in their marketing strategy, but is it easy to do without causing controversy and disrupting the status quo of your audience’s buying habits? [si_guide_block id="50995" title="Download our Business Resource – Brand storytelling guide" description="This guide helps you explore the fundamentals of developing powerful authentic brand stories. Narratives demonstrate product or service applications, strengthen loyalty, and establish your brand as a trusted…

Co-branding offers a huge range of benefits but partnerships shouldn’t be formed overnight with half-baked ideas

If someone said Nike, Sony and Doritos went into a bar and fell for their respective branding partners Apple, Ericsson and Taco Bell overnight, they couldn’t be more wrong. Co-branding partnerships, in reality, are anything but casual. In a competitive market of homogenous products and services, brands are constantly vying for the spotlight, but it’s tough. Often brands lose out to new and innovative competitors, decreased brand equity, or simply disappear into obscurity. That’s why co-branding is such a coveted strategy, even for famous brands, as it can allow a company to maintain a strong brand identity, sustain customer loyalty and stay relevant. [si_guide_block id="146918" title="Channel and partner marketing improvement guide" description="Partner marketing is a fantastic opportunity, but only if your business is ready for it!…

Chart of the Week: 64% of consumers are now belief-driven buyers who want brands to deliver on societal issues, as well as products

We all know that trusting a brand increases the chances of a customer buying from it. Building trust turns customers into advocates, providing priceless word-of-mouth marketing. On top of this, brand trust means customers keep coming back, which is hugely beneficial considering the fact that customer retention is cheaper than acquisition. But exactly what does brand trust mean to customers and how can it impact their decision making? Today, brand trust is everything to customers, meaning that once you’ve lost it, you’ve likely lost them. [si_guide_block id="50995" title="Download our Business Resource – Brand storytelling guide" description="This guide helps you explore the fundamentals of developing powerful authentic brand stories."/] In fact, according to Edelman’s latest research, businesses are trusted even more than governments, showing…

If you want to secure the top talent in 2019, you need to position your company as an employer of choice

As a marketing professional, you’ll be well adept at maximizing your brand in order to attract new customers. But have you considered how brand marketing can increase your candidate attraction efforts too? After all, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for organizations to entice candidates out of their current roles, with the ONS reporting that UK employment hit another record high at the end of last year. As such, if you want to secure the top talent in 2019, you need to position your company as an employer of choice. With this in mind, below we explain how brand marketing can increase your candidate attraction efforts and what you need to do to get in front of potential employees.

What does your brand say about you?

Before you get started, ask yourself, what does your…

Examples showing why the 'Thank you Mom' campaigns are so effective

Procter & Gamble Co.’s “Thank You, Mom" campaign is the first of our new series of pieces celebrating the most influential campaigns, both past and present. In this case, we are looking back to 2010 when the start of heartstring plucking ads came out ahead of the Winter Olympics. [si_guide_block id="74955" title="Download FREE Resource – Agency digital marketing services – the top 10 mistakes to avoid" description="The 10 most common mistakes made by marketing agency owners when offering new digital services."/]

The history

Toward the end of Chairman-CEO A.G. Lafley’s first term in 2009, P&G learned that it had the chance to sign a sweeping sponsorship deal with the U.S. Olympic Committee for the 2010 Winter Games. Rival Johnson & Johnson had locked up much of the sponsorship opportunities in prior years. But P&G had to act fast,…