60-Minute Brand Strategist: The Essential Brand Book for Marketing Professionals

Chapter 04

Managing Brand Value

Most Common Confusions

People often confuse a new name or logo with branding

Many companies have been led to believe that if they get a new brand name, logo, and marketing materials, they’ve solved the branding problem. This is the number one mistake most companies make when it comes to branding. This is a costly proposition, and the end result may not produce meaningful changes to the bottom line.

People often confuse corporate identity with corporate branding

The “corporate identity” approach is preferred by design firms in the business of logo and brand name development, letterhead design, stationery and business forms, uniforms, shop interiors, and so on. However, brand name and logo are not the most important part of corporate branding. What really matters is what the brand name and logo stand for, the trust they have earned (and will earn) with customers. We should all aspire to build trusted brands because they retain loyal customers for years—or even a lifetime.

According to Wharton Professor J. Reibstein, the actual name of a company doesn’t make much of a difference. What companies end up doing is a significant amount of advertising and creating an image around the name.

Brand Becomes Strategic

If a company wants to be regarded in a certain way (brand identity), everything must support that desired identity.

Does the corporate/business ...