Building a great brand is one of the trickiest endeavors in marketing, but it’s becoming more and more important in an over-saturated commercial market. Some companies are better at branding than others, and some have elevated the branding game to whole new levels. Here are seven great examples of branding that any business can learn something from.
Building a Brand – Seven Great Examples
1. AVIS
In the early 1960s, the Avis car rental company was flailing. They were the second-largest rental company in the U.S., but sales were slipping then genius hit. Enumerated in a single tagline, “When you’re only number two, you try harder. Or else.” Avis became a brand to be reckoned with and sales soared through the late 1960s. The lesson here? Illuminating your shortcomings as a business isn’t always a bad thing and smart companies know how to turn negatives into positives.
2. HARDEE’S
In the early aughts, Hardee’s faced an uphill battle. They made 2,000 calorie burgers in an age where everyone was going “light,” but the company used this hurdle as a branding opportunity. Hardee’s quickly branded itself as the alternative to lighter fare, offering increasingly ridiculously indulgent foods to a loyal core base, mostly made up of young men. Through commercials, magazine ads, and coupons, Hardee’s continues this branding legacy to this day.
3. RED BULL
The great thing about Red Bull’s branding is how varied it truly is. The energy drink company constantly throws its name behind all kinds of adventure events, from the Red Bull Flutag (held annually) to the longest space jump in world history, aired live in 2012. By positioning itself as a sponsor, rather than as a competitor to other energy drinks, Red Bull has really created a niche.
4. OLD SPICE
Who can forget Old Spice’s hilariously absurd ads from 2010 and beyond? The “Old Spice Man” has become ubiquitous and a part of the pop culture narrative. What’s different about the Old Spice branding campaign than other, less successful campaigns is that the company did a great job tying their name, logo, and product into the seemingly-random ads.
5. OBAMA CAMPAIGN, 2008
This campaign proves that anything can be a brand! From a catchy, easy-to-recognize logo (a first in politics) to a signature tagline (“Yes we can”) the Obama campaign really opened the box of branding, proving that in today’s digital age everything has a brand, from people to ideas to events.
6. FACEBOOK
Facebook is one of the first websites to become a brand in and of itself. Part of the reason the Facebook brand is so successful is because it’s been so carefully cultivated…from a language all its own (“friending”) to a specific blue color, to a notorious company culture. Facebook is the ultimate crossover brand.
7. APPLE
Apple started out as an underdog. Today, it’s the most powerful brand in the world and the greatest lesson they can teach us is that sometimes building a brand means forging your own path. The Apple brand is unique in that it doesn’t pay much attention to what other brands are doing. This strategy won’t work for everyone, but it’s an interesting path nonetheless.
If you’re in charge of marketing for a business, it’s important you take note of some of the greatest branding successes in recent history, and also of the greatest failures. Sometimes the worst branding decisions add up to little more than bad timing.
This guest post was written by Ryan Currie who is a product manager at BizShark.com, with 5 years experience in online marketing and product development. Do you want to discuss any aspect of your Digital marketing & Content Marketing? Feel free to give us a call on +44 (0) 845 226247 or drop us an email via mail@marketingfundamentals.com – We look forward to hearing from you.
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