3 Tips on How to give your Brand a Competitive Edge

1. 3 Tips on How to give your Brand a Competitive Edge

2. So you have a brand or product, how are you going to make consumers aware of it, what is does and what it stands for? The answer is Brand Activation!! A brand is a sign, symbol, word or a combination of all three that allows individuals to identify a product from its competitors.

3. A strong brand is one that is top of consumer’s evoked set, one of the first three brands that are their ‘go to’ when buying a product. The stronger your brand is, the more likely consumers are going to trust you and the products sold by you, having a strong brand is a powerful position and one most brands try to achieve as it is a competitive advantage.

4. So how do you build a strong brand, how to you become apart of the evoke set, how do you compete. This is where brand activation comes in, brand activation is able to give your brand that edge and meaning. How I hear you ask?

5. 1. Knowledge is power! Successful brand activation allows the transfer of information and knowledge from the brand to the consumers. Brand activation is the perfect time for the brand and brand ambassadors to inform and educate consumers on the product at hand. They may be able to demonstrate how the product can be used as well as where they are able to purchase the product.

6. 2. Put the P in product placement The placement of your brand or product during a brand activation campaign needs to reinforce the brand image, and confirm whom the brand is targeting. There is no point attracting price sensitive customers if your brand is high end and niche.

7. The way the product is presented to the customers needs to reflect the customers. Products need to be placed in a way, which reflects the brand story, and brand activation is the perfect way in which to do this.

8. For example, if a product is stacked sky high it can suggest that the product does not have a high price point. However if a product is presented with a lot of space and has only a few on display, it can suggest the brand and product is more prestigious and have a higher price point.

9. Brand activation allows you to dictate how the brand is presented, the supermarket shelf does not govern you so get creative! Although be mindful of other requirements such as electricity and safe storage of food if you have a perishable product. You might get too creative and end up with a mountain of melted ice cream and that is not the kind of product placement any brand wants.

10. 3. There is an I in team The quality of brand ambassadors and the brand activation team are another layer to brand activation so don’t think you can get away with skimping on this vital ingredient. See there is an I in team!

11. Outstanding brand ambassadors are always remembered and add meaning to the brand, as are individuals who give the worst service so choose your team wisely as they are an extension of your brand. You want your brand ambassadors and brand activation team to leave a positive impression on the consumers - at the least.

12. However what you really want is for the brand ambassadors and brand activation staff is give consumers and experience, as an experience will last and be talked about for a lot longer then the brand activation itself.

13. The presentation of the brand ambassadors and brand activation staff strongly reflect the brand and the product. Providing a uniform can tell a visual story to the consumers about the value proposition the brand is putting forward.

14. 4. Give me data, data and more data! There is a lot of data out there at the moment. There are many surveys done by private companies and the government and heaps of big data which are structural, semi structural and unstructured data which are collected through credit cards, loyalty cards, phones, social media which can be data mined.

15. All of this secondary data can be correlated and then provide a generalization about the target market. Due to many changes in the macro environment, the characteristics, such as needs and wants of consumers as well as tastes of the consumers can change.

16. Hence the brand activation, personal interaction between the brand and the consumers is able to gain information from the consumers and highlight some of the main concerns the majority of the target market has regarding the product or brand. Taking on some criticisms as well as some suggestions from the target market regarding the product can always help R&D for the brand, aid the brand to continuously improve and evolve through the times.

17. Following the response from the customer and integrating their opinions into the product can also view the brand as a favourable one in the eyes of customers, as they see the brand as responsive and embracing their ideas.

18. Brand activation plays a huge role in adding meaning to your brand. Not only do multiple elements need to be correct during the execution, but also the feedback from the consumers can be fed back into research and development stage.

19. Utilisethe time and interaction you have with your customers, as that is a small amount of time to gain first hand information and data from your target market. There is nothing more valuable then collecting this data, think about how much is would cost to have a research company do it for you?

20. So you see, Brand Activation is key to giving your brand a competitive edge – and so much more. http://www.engageatdisegno.com.au/