Branding For Dummies®

Chapter 3. Heating Up Your Branding Iron

In This Chapter

• Determining what you want your brand to accomplish

• Evaluating your existing brand identity and assets

• Eyeing the costs of building a brand

• Incorporating branding into your business plan

• Assembling and leading your branding team

Brands are indelible. When they're seared into customers' minds, they're long‐lasting and durable. That's why this chapter is so important. It helps you plan your branding strategy before you leap into branding action. This chapter walks you through the steps of figuring out what you want your branding program to accomplish, what kind of brand identity you're seeking, and what it will take in terms of budget, manpower, and planning to reach the branding success you seek.

If you don't yet have a brand — that is, if you're starting a new business or getting ready to launch a new product — this chapter can help you plan your brand from scratch so you get your brand identity, image, and strategy spot‐on from the get‐go.

If you already have a brand — that is, if people already know your name and have impressions about what you stand for — use the information in this chapter as you assess whether the brand image you have is the one you want and, if not, how you can move your brand from where it is to where you want it to be.

Gearing Up to Brand, Rebrand, or Refine Your Brand

If branding is the hot topic in your organization, you're probably facing one of two situations: Either you're starting a business and want to ...