Branding for the Public Sector: Creating, Building and Managing Brands People Will Value

Chapter 6 Public Sector Brand Management

So far, the book has referred to the need for, and the development of, brand strategy. This chapter deals with the issue of brand management. The need for focused communications and internal engagement will be outlined in detail later but all implementation initiatives come under the broad heading of brand management. I will now look at the range of activities that brand managers have to deal with and the necessity to have a solid structure to deal with the management of brands.

What is brand management?

Put very simply, brand management is a process that tries to take control over everything a brand does and says, and the way in which it is perceived. There is a need therefore, to influence the perceptions of various target audiences to ensure that people see what you want them to see with respect to your brand. This means, as we have seen earlier in the book, identifying clearly what your brand stands for, its personality, and how to position it so that it appears different and better than competing brands. It involves integrated communications, and constant engagement of customers, partners and employees. But, as we shall see shortly, there are many other variables that need to be given attention.

The overall aim of the brand management process is to increase the value of the brand over time, however that may be measured. Profitability can be one measure, market share another, volume of sales or number of visitors another and the ...