The benefits of having a strong brand are tremendous. Strong brands charge premium pricing; they thrive during economic downturns; they attract valuable employees, business partners, and customers; and they can extend into new business areas with ease. Every company, product, city, or even person can reap these benefits if they focus on building and maintaining their brands.
In a previous MarketingProfs article, I wrote about the "Three Cs of Branding." It was by far the most popular of all the articles I have written for the site—nearly 300,000 people have read it. The three Cs that I referenced in that article are among the most important and are also among the most challenging to implement; but there are some other Cs that are critical to branding as well.
When I deliver my workshop "You Can't Spell Brand without the Letter C," I actually cover the 10 Cs of successful branding. In building and nurturing a strong brand, you have a lot more to think about than these 10 Cs; but no brand is truly a strong brand if it doesn't pass the Ten C Test. So whether you're managing your company's brand or building your own personal brand, think about these 10 Cs:
1. Competent
All brands begin with competence. Although a rational brand attribute, it is the table stakes that gets you into the game. You aren't going to get too far with branding if your product or service cannot fulfill its promise. Just as people who cannot hold a note don't make it past the first round on Pop Idol, you can't build a brand around ineptitude.
When IKEA first launched in Sweden, its furniture was well designed, but of poor quality. It did not have a solid brand. Then, after years of refinements, it started to produce much-higher quality products, still at affordable prices. Now, their kitchens are considered to be of very high quality while remaining inexpensive and fashionable.
Competence is the first C. If you don't have a solid product or service, you are wasting your efforts branding it.
2. Credible
Not only do your products and services need to be solid, you need to be believable in delivering them. You need to be true to your core values and deliver on them in everything you do.
Although it could certainly produce a couture collection of clothes, the Gap would not be credible in extending its line to compete with Valentino and Dior on the runways of Paris. Starbucks, on the other hand, is a credible partner for Krups with its espresso machines. Starbucks knows something about coffee, so this offering is believable.
3. Clear
Strong brands are clear about what they are and what they are not. They understand their unique promise of value—and this promise sets them apart from their competitors. It differentiates them and allows them to attract and build loyalty among a desirable set of consumers.
Volvo, for example, is clear about its commitment to safety and security. The brand is not about speedy sports cars, or small economy cars, or luxury cars. Its clarity separates it from many less successful competitors that are trying to be all things to all people.
4. Compelling
A strong brand is appropriate for—and interesting to—its target audience. It is relevant. It knows who to focus on and gets that audience passionate about what it has to offer.
Ritz Carlton does not go after young trendy professionals, just as W Hotels knows that its promise is less compelling to older, more conservative people. I once spoke with a retired Army officer on a plane about W Hotels. He was telling me about his experience. He said the elevator lighting was so dim he thought the hotel was trying to conserve energy, and he found all the people dressed in black, including the housekeeping staff, "depressing."
5. Consistent
In addition to being clear about who they are, strong brands are also consistent. They are always what they say they are. In everything they do, they bolster their brand attributes.
Madonna is the chameleon brand of entertainment. She reinvents herself with each CD that she produces. She didn't change for her first five CDs and then stay the same for the next two. She consistently changes.
