Essentials
What Is Branding?
Essential Guide to Understanding Your Brand.
Branding | Strategy | Current affairs
| Written by Adrián Sánchez | Reading time 3 minutes
Every business, large or small, has a brand, either intentionally or spontaneously. However, what really matters is how it is managed. An effective management is the key to achieve success and avoid stagnation in the market.
In this context, it is crucial to remember that your brand is not just a logo, packaging, or a TV commercial. In fact, it is the perception created among users and non-users, a concept based on how they see and experience it, what feelings it evokes, and what they say about it. That is why, in your business, nothing is more significant than your brand, as it defines your essence.
What Is the Purpose of Branding?
To begin with, it’s important to clarify that branding is not the same as marketing or advertising. Branding is the heart of the business: the brand itself. Marketing focuses on understanding the market to identify and meet its needs, while advertising is the message expressed to the public.
In this way, branding, also known as brand management, is the set of structured processes that define your brand’s positioning, purpose, and values. Its objective is to improve brand perception and gain everyone’s affection who interacts with it, turning them into brand ambassadors and recurring users.
Corporate Branding
This is the most well-known and general type of branding. It incorporates all business strategies, defining them in such a way that more specific areas can apply them, consequently achieving better results at all levels of the organization.
Personal Branding
Here, the individual becomes the centre of the brand, with the aim of strategically managing their identity and reputation. It involves managing their public visibility to ensure it is appropriate, consistent, and effective, encouraging a genuine connection with their audience.
Employer Branding
This approach positions the company as an attractive workplace, strengthening its reputation as an employer. It focuses on optimising and communicating its policies, benefits, and culture, which is crucial for attracting and maintaining high-quality employees.
Talent Branding
Talent branding is based on the experiences of employees and the content they share about the company. Their voice is more credible than the CEO’s: a satisfied employee enhances the brand’s image, while a dissatisfied one can damage it. Effective employer branding is essential to ensure employees become active advocates of the brand.
Why Is Branding Important?
In a globalised world, where competition is increasingly fierce and brands are constantly under public scrutiny due to social media, standing out without attracting negative associations is crucial. The true power of branding lies in its ability to differentiate a brand and manage its exposure, avoiding it becoming a target for unwanted conflicts. Without a proper branding strategy, it is difficult for the public to recognise and remember your brand positively in the future.