More than a decade ago people in advertising began to realize that advertising was a sham and nearly ineffective on almost all potential customers. The success of Rasberry's and my book (Marketing Without Advertising) helped the process along. With the advent of Google it became obvious that advertising was ineffective but listing, in the form of click through notices was the most effective form of marketing.
That was about the time that every advertising agency created a branding department. Branding was the answer to the failure of advertising to do anything useful. Branding was presumably accomplished by massive ad campaigns that generated some form of loyalty to a brand.
This is of course another sham just like advertising itself. Since some of my readers don't know the distinction between advertising and other forms of marketing I make two distinctions. Listing is the most important form of marketing it is having your information where your customer is looking for it, whether it is the sign on the front of your building, your name in an alumni publication or online Yellow Pages. Marketing also includes publicity which is again information put in a location likely to be read or seen by potential customers.
Now back to branding. Branding does not require advertising. Branding is best understood by the products that you love at your grocery stores, your hardware stores and pharmacies that are not national brands. Most major retailers now take common products, generic in the main meaning of that word, and they put their own brand on it. I use Safeway's brand of yogurt, I use Costco's brand of olive oil and I use a dozen brands from Trader Joe's, none of which are national advertised brands, all of which are better than the national advertised brand versions.
That should tell you what branding is about. Put your brand on a superior product and people will find it. Advertising is 100% irrelevant to brands as you can see from the many generic brands that we all use.
This is of course another sham just like advertising itself. Since some of my readers don't know the distinction between advertising and other forms of marketing I make two distinctions. Listing is the most important form of marketing it is having your information where your customer is looking for it, whether it is the sign on the front of your building, your name in an alumni publication or online Yellow Pages. Marketing also includes publicity which is again information put in a location likely to be read or seen by potential customers.
Now back to branding. Branding does not require advertising. Branding is best understood by the products that you love at your grocery stores, your hardware stores and pharmacies that are not national brands. Most major retailers now take common products, generic in the main meaning of that word, and they put their own brand on it. I use Safeway's brand of yogurt, I use Costco's brand of olive oil and I use a dozen brands from Trader Joe's, none of which are national advertised brands, all of which are better than the national advertised brand versions.
That should tell you what branding is about. Put your brand on a superior product and people will find it. Advertising is 100% irrelevant to brands as you can see from the many generic brands that we all use.