Brand

be easily found – enthuse – be remembered – be recommended – inspire – deliver strong stakeholder benefits – create experiences – win fans & followers – offer orientation – show attitude – build trust – increase company value

A strong brand increases the value of a company. It is far more than just a logo or a means of communication. It forms the foundation of business success and is the cornerstone of sustainably profitable growth and reputation. This is all the more true in the digital age with the mechanisms of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI); in a globalized economy with its dependencies and supply and price transparency, in which providers from all over the world compete for the same customers and candidates; in times of crisis, in which lived values, trust and attitude are vital.

Products and services only gain their value and significance through a strong brand. It is perceived and recognized in the midst of an unmanageable variety of offers – in the real and virtual world. Strong brands open up new markets. They detach themselves from crises and price competition. They set their own benchmarks. They survive disruptive times, not by sticking to the traditional, but by remaining relevant through focused readjustment and sharpening their profile. Strong brands are strong identities, they enable identification and loyalty. They are effective because they create meaning, fascinate, stand for values and provide orientation. To remain strong, brands must be professionally created, maintained and further developed.

Brand resilience protects brands in crises, volatile markets and VUCA times (VUCA stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity). Developing your own brand into a responsible brand is a necessary prerequisite for its future viability. It protects its reputation. The perception that a brand credibly assumes and fulfills responsibility goes far beyond CSR guidelines. It is essential, as more and more customers, consumers, interest groups and the public are visibly and audibly demanding responsibility.

We develop and sharpen brand profiles and identities. B2B, B2C, B2E (business-to-employee: employer brand). So that the brand becomes relevant. So that the uniqueness, attitude and values it embodies, as well as the benefits it creates, become visible and perceptible to its customers and stakeholders. So that it can have a successful impact. As studies repeatedly point out, most brands have lost their relevance: they would not be missed if they ceased to exist tomorrow.
It is essential to bear in mind that a brand is always built from the inside out. In this respect, an externally strong brand is based on a corresponding internal corporate culture.

In this context, the other drivers and guiding principles for meaningful development and growth of the company are also relevant

A brand and its values must be experienced by stakeholders (internal: employees, external: customers, business partners, consumers, citizens, the general public, etc.) in order to develop their full impact. Brand experience is the experience that people have when they come into contact with a brand. At all physical and digital touchpoints. Although most organizations have already put the customer “at the center” (customer centricity), only a few succeed in creating relevant experiences from the customer’s perspective (customer experience). We support organizations with a tailor-made brand & customer experience program to successfully shape this necessary transformation, build brand strength and make it perceptible.

Reading on the topic

„Responsible Brands im digitalen Zeitalter“ in: Kommunikationsmanager 3_2019, Autor: Christine Riedmann-Streitz
„Gibt es noch Marken in der Zukunft?“ in: Kommunikationsmanager 2_2018, Autor: Christine Riedmann-Streitz
„Marken droht der digitale Burn-out“ – Gastbeitrag: Christine Riedmann-Streitz über das Customer Centricity Paradox in: HORIZONT Ausgabe 37/2018