BRAND &

CORPORAT E
IDENT IT Y
MANAGEMENT
• Determine the difference between a brand and corporate identity
• Recognize the need for branding especially in the service industry
• Identify what can be branded and types of brands
• Appreciate the challenges associated with branding services
• Identify a simple approach to branding and managing the corporate
identity of a firm
Session 1: Difference between Branding and Corporate Identity

Session 2: What can be branded

Why brand?
Types of brands
Branding services

Session 3: Building your Brand…Managing your Corporate

Identity
DIFFERENCE
BET WEEN
BRANDING AND
C O R P O R AT E
IDENT IT Y
SESSION ONE
• We are living in an age of brands. These days no one asks for:
– Toothpaste, they ask for Pepsodent or Colgate
– Washing powder, they ask for Omo or Ariel
– Margarine, they ask for Blue Band
– Cocoa beverage, they ask for Milo or ‘This Way’

• So does it mean that a brand is the name of the product or

service a company provides?

What is a brand?
• A brand is not a logo
• A logo is...
– A symbol of the brand
– The graphical representation of everything that embodies the brand

• A brand is not a name

– A name represents a brand
• A brand is a feeling about a product , service, expertise, company,
person etc.
• A brand is also an expectation... an expectation of?
– Trustworthy behavior
– Quality
– Excellent experience etc.
• A brand is identified by a name, logo, or symbol that
evokes in customers a perception of added value for
which they will pay a premium price.

• If you had the resources, which of these products and services

would you patronize? And why?
• The name, term, sign, symbol, or design or a combination
of them is used to identify the brand and to differentiate
the products and services of that brand from those of
their competitors.
– They are used to show customers that this product is different
from the products of another manufacturer.
• Branding therefore defines an emotional relationship
between customers and a firm or business.
– This is dictated by the audience.
– It is your reputation in the marketplace, and it translates as a
promise to customers.
• Branding is created not only by how you promote and
define yourself, but also the way others define and view
you as an organization
Overall, branding is
an emotional response
• Customers get emotionally attached or connected to a firm or business
and its products and services through branding.
– Eg. Some people only wear shirts made by:

Why? Are there

not other
equally good
designer shirts?

– Eg. Some people are emotionally attached to:

They cannot explain why,

but they will not drink
other cola drinks like
Pepsi or Africola etc.
• The concept of corporate identity is
similar to that of our own personal
identity. It refers to the specifics that
differentiate us from others

– It is our personality and character that

maintains our individuality
– We express it through how we behave,
speak, and even what we wear
• Some marketing experts regard corporate identity as the core of an
organization's existence, made up of its
– history
– beliefs
– philosophy
– technology
– people,
– its ethical and cultural values and
– strategies.
• In fact just the same way in which most of the above describe an
individual’s personal identity
• A corporate identity or corporate image is
therefore
– the manner in which a firm or business presents itself
to the public or the general image a business projects
in the minds of customers, investors and employees
• It is the manifestation of the products, services, values,
culture, beliefs etc. that the company represents
• Identifying the difference between the two concepts is quite complex
as they are both interconnected.
– Corporate Identity is “the overall image of a business entity in the
minds of the public, such as customers, investors, and employees”.
– Branding is “the perception of stakeholders of the firm in relation to
their experience with the firm”.
• For example, BMW can be your first car, but it is the brand (experience)
that will decide whether it will be your life long choice.
• The lived experience of the brand is therefore very important.
– Does the brand deliver on its promises?
• So…
– While corporate identity is about projecting an overall image of a
business entity in the minds of the public, branding is related
to emotion, trust, and reliability in the minds of customers.
• Branding is about how people feel and think about the
company or simply how they perceive the organization.
• Branding can evoke various emotions such as confidence, trust,
happiness, anger, etc.
• Corporate identity is, to a very large extent, achieved through
the brand-building techniques and marketing strategies of a
company.
- W H AT C A N B E B R A N D E D
-WHY BRAND?
-T YPES OF BRANDS
-BR ANDING SERVICES

S E S S I O N T WO
1. Physical good – Toyota cars, Coca Cola
2. Service – Visa card service
3. A store – Shoprite, Game,
4. A person – Nelson Mandela
5. A place - The city of Paris
6. A business - Barclays bank
7. An organization - The Red Cross
8. A school – Ashesi University
• Because…
– Products and services have become so similar that it is difficult to
distinguish them by their quality, efficacy, reliability, assurance and
care. Brands therefore add emotion and trust to these products
and services, thereby providing differentiating clues that simplify
consumers’ choices.

• These added emotions and trust help create a relationship between

brands and consumers, which ensures that consumers are loyal to the
brands
• Brands also create aspirational lifestyles. Eg.What are the differences in the
perceived lifestyles of someone who drives a Jaguar and someone who drives
a Toyota.
– Associating oneself with a brand therefore transfers these perceived lifestyles
onto consumers ie. people aspire to have those kinds of lifestyles or such
perceptions about themselves and so they acquire the brand

• This combination of emotions, relationships and aspirations allows companies

who own the brands to charge relatively high prices for their products and
services, which otherwise are barely distinguishable from others which many
be just like theirs.
 Product Brands
• Product brand involves giving each
product in a portfolio its own unique
brand name.
• This contrasts with corporate branding in
which the products in a product line are
given a single overarching brand name.
• The advantage of individual branding is
that each product has an image and
identity that is unique.
• This facilitates the positioning of each
product, by allowing a firm to position its
brands differently. Eg Unilever products
Corporate Brands

• Corporate brand (umbrella brand ) is the practice of using a

company’s name as a product brand name. It is an attempt to use
corporate brand equity to create product brand recognition.
Dangote, for example, the word "Dangote" is included on all
products.

Service brands

• Service Brands- Involves delivering service which involves personal

contact. E.g. hotels, banks, travel agents, advertising agencies

E-Brands

• These are brands that are online based. The Internet is a medium
that presents new challenges for brand owners. E.g. Amazon.com
 • New ways of thinking lead to countries being positioned as tourist
destinations, enhancing status of goods and services produced, and aiding
Nation under-developed countries eg. Kenya is a tourist destination
Brands

• Attempting to attract customers by associating a company with a cause or

purpose that potential customers would find beneficial to their personal goals
or in line with their values. This might be a percentage contribution of
Cause company sales to charitable organizations or donations to nature and wildlife
brands preservation activities.

• Governments and political parties often have strong brands as they are
centered on passionately held core values.Branding is important in both
Government securing votes and in international diplomacy
Brands
• Although essentially, branding products and services are similar,
branding a service poses challenges greater than branding a product.
• Services are intangible and each customer experience is unique, thus
making it harder to brand because each experience is a unique
encounter between employee and customer.
– Even a small number of bad customer experiences can severely damage
your brand and service reputation.
• This is especially true for smaller businesses in smaller communities where
word of mouth spreads more easily.
• Services are usually indistinguishable from one business to another
therefore it is difficult to establish uniqueness because technology has
made it easier for competitors to copy your successes.
• Services often address complex, multiple need-buying situations.
Inconsistency in the service process is inherent because people delivering
services are unique.
• Branding through traditional marketing is either supported or countered
by real-time consumer experiences and the word-of-mouth messages
they carry.
– In services, consumer experience plays a huge role in determining excellence
and this experience can vary from one employee to another.
• Given the challenges discussed, branding is important to services
because
– it gives tangibility to the intangible.
– Brand symbols can be used to convert the abstract nature of services
into more concrete forms.
– Branding helps make services more understandable – Example: Banking,
Airlines etc. it serves as a differentiator for consumers
Service and Product Branding Chalenges Coopbank:-

1. Product branding is easy than service branding (due to the front office staffs)
2.There is no clear information which is delivered to MRBC about products
- Which product is more customer
- Which Branchs are in need of this product
-
3. There is no clue about product distribution and what criteria the store department uses
4. No possible way to identify the need of each product and deliver upon their request
5. It is dificult to identify which product is mostly requested and used by our customers in specific branch area or as whole/
in the country
= If we get enough information then it will be easy to:
- Produce in bulk and address the need of our customer and branch
- Advertise the product in all media we have to get more customers on that specific product
-

6. There no mechanisime that we have to identify which products are showing poor performance and why?
= If there is a way then it will:
-Help us to identify our weekness and take measures
-
7. Are we give more enfacis to products and services that makes us unique from the crowed
8. Is there any posible way that we can get information on the number of loans we have planned to give and achieved, or
New products we had planed to lounch or make changes on, are any simple ways we can know the products are sold
according to the plan
9. Do we have employees who walk, talk, serve, wear,....... the same()
-All employees need to have same amount of knowledge on the product and service they sell
-All employees must be brand ambasaders
-
10. Are we walk what we talk
11. How money ATM and POS machines we have and how money of them are delivering what is planed for them
12. Which places/ regions are best for forieghn currency generation and what specicial things(promotional materials,
giveaway materials, ) we need to do for branches near to this area and
13. Branch rebranding
• Given the branding challenges you are likely to face as a
service oriented business, incorporating proactive
strategies related to the unique elements in the service
marketing mix is a good strategy.
– Remember the marketing mix for services includes
people, process and physical evidence
– This is explained
 People Process Physical evidence

• People define a • The speed, efficiency • Physical evidence is

service and and accuracy with about where the
customers make which the service is service is being
judgments about delivered delivered from
service provision
and delivery based • All services need to • For example if you
on the people be underpinned by walk into a
representing your clearly defined and restaurant you
organization efficient processes. expect a clean and
friendly
• This is because • This will avoid environment, if the
people are one of confusion and restaurant is smelly
the few elements of promote consistent or dirty, customers
the service that service from any are likely to walk
customers can see employee. out even before
and interact with they have received
the service.
• So some of the strategies which can be used to counter
the challenges of branding services, based on these 3 P’s
are:
– Hire top quality people,
– Train them for consistent, quality service,
– Promote the value of your people.
– Emphasize the aspects of your service process that benefits your
customers. Eg. Unique bank emphasizes its quick delivery of loans to
customers – in 48 hours
– Provide physical evidence to validate your brand – Neat and modern
physical environment, consistent use of company colours etc. Many
service companies also use testimonials from customers.
B U I LD I N G Y O U R
B R A N D … M A N AG I N G
Y O U R C O R P O R AT E
IDENT IT Y
SESSION 3
• Brand building involves all the activities that are necessary to create
and nurture a brand into a healthy cash flow stream after it is
launched.

• Brand building is a process …

– It does not happen overnight. It requires
• Making key decisions about your products, services and company
• Assessing your target audience and
• Using a mix of both tangible and intangible elements of branding to define
and promote a strong brand
What are
tangible and
intangible
elements?
• A brand comprises 2 key attributes

Tangible attributes -Elements of a

brand that have physical dimensions
or are discernible by the senses ie.
product, packaging, symbols such as
logos, graphics, colors, shapes and
smells and sounds such as music,
jingles and voice

Intangible attributes -Elements that

have no physical dimensions or are
not discernible by the senses. These
relate to the specific promise,
quality, positioning and emotion the
brand evokes
• For product brands the tangibles are
– the product itself, the packaging, the price, etc.
• For service brands, the tangibles have to do with
– the customer experience - the physical environment, interface with
employees, overall satisfaction, etc.
• For product, service and corporate brands, the intangibles are the
same and refer to
– the emotional connections derived as a result of experience, identity,
communication and people.
• Brand building therefore involves managing the tangible and intangible
aspects of the brand.
– Tangible aspects are thus developed – ie. logo, taglines, brochures,
packaging, company colours etc.

– Intangibles are also managed via the manipulation of brand identity, brand
communication/marketing and people skills.

• A seven step brand building process is outlined for discussion.

• There are two parts to brand building
• Brand name
• Target audience
Build the • Qualities and benefits
brand • Brand logo & tagline
• Etc.

• Marketing
Communicate
• Innovation
the brand
Step 1 : Determine your brand’s target audience

• The foundation for building a brand, is

1. Determine the target audience that you will be
focusing on.
– After all, you can’t be everything to everyone. So keep in mind
who exactly you are trying to reach so you can tailor your
message to meet their specific needs.
2. Be specific.
– Determine detailed behaviors and lifestyles of your target audience eg.
• SME owners
• Artisans
• Cooperatives
• University students
– Have a clear picture of your target audience, then create a brand identity
that they can understand and relate to.
• Before you can build a brand that your target audience trusts, you
need to know what value your business provides. The mission
statement basically defines a purpose for existing. It will shape every
other aspect of your brand building.
– What is your mission?
– Craft a clear expression of what your company is most passionate about.

• Everything from your logo to your tagline, voice, message and

personality should reflect that mission.
• Don’t imitate exactly what the big brands are doing in the banking
industry. But, you should be aware of what they do well (or where
they fail).
– The goal is to differentiate from the competition so as to easily convince
a customer to purchase from you and not them!
• Research your main competitors. Study how they have effectively, and
ineffectively built their brand.
– Are they consistent with their message and visual identity across board?
– What is the quality of their products or services?
– Do people rave about their services?
• Identify what you offer, that no one else is offering.
• Focus on the qualities and benefits that make your company, product
or service unique. It could be
– more authentic and transparent customer service,
– a better way to support productivity, or
– helping save money with a more affordable option.
Eg. Unique bank, a loan in 48 hours

• If you know exactly who your target audience is , give them a reason
to choose your brand over another.
• The most basic and arguably the most important piece of brand building, is
the creation of your brand logo and tagline.
• The logo and tagline will appear on everything that relates to your brand. It
will become your calling card, and the visual recognition of your promise.
Well known taglines in Ghana
– Eg. Vodafone – Power to You
– MTN – Everywhere you go
– Milo – Food drink of future champions etc.
• Be willing to invest the time and money to create something
exceptional.You’ll be putting the logo on everything, to reinforce the visual
identity of your brand.
– Ensure consistency for any future application of the logo and associated colours.
 ’

• Your voice is dependent on your company mission, audience, and

industry.Your business voice is how you communicate with your
customers, and how they respond to you.
• A business voice could be:
– professional
– friendly
– service-oriented
– promotional
– conversational
– informative, etc.
• Choose a brand voice that makes sense and resonates with your
target customers.
• When brand building, tell customers who you are.
– Use the business voice you have chosen.
– Your message should be intricately associated with your brand, and
conveyed in 1-2 sentences.
– It goes beyond your logo and tagline to define the key aspects of who
you are, what you offer, and why people should care.
• A brand message is an opportunity to communicate on a human level,
making a direct emotional connection with your consumers.
– What this means, is that the language you use should be understood
immediately while striking an emotional chord.
• Make it simple and clear.
• Most importantly: when crafting a message, address not what your
product can do…but why it is important to your customer.
– Eg. Promoting Made in Ghana
• CLASS ACTIVITY SESSION: FINDING YOUR BRAND’S
PERSONALITY
• (Refer to sheet 1)
• Brand marketing influences the decisions of a variety of customers. It
is most effective for developing repeat business, as any customer’s
perception of a brand is going to be largely informed by their previous
experience(s) with that brand.
– For customers, the company’s brand represents instant knowledge of
that company. For example:
• A coffee customer knows that Nescafe has gone through several levels of
testing and quality control, and is one of the best tasting coffee in this part
of the world.
• A movie-loving parent will assume that a Disney movie is going to be family-
friendly.
• In each instance, a customer’s awareness of a company’s brand saves
them time and energy in investigating the company.This makes it
easier for them to decide about purchasing that company’s product
and/or services.

• How do customers become aware of brands?

– Through
– BRAND MARKETING
• Brand marketing is therefore the process of marketing a company’s
products and services in a way that supports the brand and helps
consumers understand the mission of the company.
• Brand marketing also involves working to increase customers’
awareness of your brand and reputation.This involves communicating
– what the company does and
– how well it does it, and
– providing a way to bring that information to customers’ minds in an
instant
• This instant aspect might be communicated through
– a logo that appears on all company material—product packaging,
company website, business cards and stationery, e-mail address, and (for
slogans) phone answering system. Eg.Vodafone – Power to you
• As a company there is the need to do the following as part of brand
marketing:
– Integrate your brand into every aspect of your business
– Your brand should be visible and reflected in everything that your
customer sees (and doesn’t see).
• The brand name/logo should be ubiquitous, so that customers associate the
company and its reputation with every product and service that company
provides.
– If a client walks into your office, your brand should be on display
both in the environment and with personal interactions.
– Anything tangible–from business cards, to advertisements, to packaging ie
brochures etc. –need the stamp of your logo.
– When you design your website: incorporate your voice, message, and
personality into content.
• Apart from using the conventional marketing channels to make your
brand known, employees are the best advocates to market your
brand.
• No one knows (or should know) the brand better than those who
represent the company. Management and staff therefore have the
responsibility to spread the word. To effectively do this,
– Ensure that new employees hired are a culture fit and can align with the
mission, vision, and values of your brand.
– Ensure that all staff know everything about the brand and what it stands
for. This includes the brand message, benefits and offerings, brand voice
and personality, brand mission etc. This needs to be done through
constant training, particularly since yours is a service, a lot of emphasis
needs to be placed on ensuring consistency in service delivery across the
company, notwithstanding who provides the service.
• Another group of brand advocates that can be effectively harnessed
by the company - LOYAL CUSTOMERS
• Who is your advocate???
– A person who publicly supports or recommends you
– Someone who speaks, or argues in your favor

• Give your loyal customers a voice.

• Encourage them to bring new customers by giving them a reward – discount etc.
• Give them excellent service so that they can spread the good word about you

• Actively engage your Customers as your Advocates!

• Brand marketing is also as much about product or service quality as it
is about communication. Poor product or service quality will affect a
customer’s perception of a brand far more than good quality can.
– There must therefore be constant effort to eliminate bottlenecks in
service delivery because dissatisfied customers more readily spread the
word than satisfied customers do

• This attention to quality must extend to every aspect of the

company’s interaction. Ie.
– with customers - face to face, on the telephone
– on the company website etc.
• With brand marketing, consistency is key!
• Once you’ve chosen a voice, use it for every piece of content you
create.
• Unless you decide to change your brand into something that is more
effective based on customer response, consistency is critical
• Don’t constantly change your branding. The inconsistency will
confuse your customers, and make long-term brand building more
difficult.
• A corporate identity or corporate image is the manner which
a corporation, firm or business presents themselves to the public,
such as customers and investors as well as employees.

• This identity is projected using a variety of tangible and intangible

components as described…
 Tangibles
Goods and services
Physical environment (sales
outlets)
Communication media:
adverts, promotions,
literature….
Name/Logo
Packaging & Labeling
Employees
Intangibles
Corporate and staff policies
Ideals and beliefs of corporate
staff
Culture of the company and
location of company ie. office site
eg. World Trade Centre, Accra vrs
Okaishie
Media reports
• A number of elements come into play in managing corporate identity.
We will focus on three key elements

Corporate
Corporate
visual Media
colours
identity
• Corporate visual identity expresses the values and ambitions of an
organization, its business, and its characteristics. It comprises all the
symbols and graphical elements that express the essence of an
organization.
• It is by far the most visible and tangible asset in the armoury of tools
used by many organisations in their interaction with the outside world
• The corporate visual identity provides an organization with visibility and
"recognizability“
– It is of vital importance that people know that the organization exists and
remember its name and core business at the right time.
– Employees need to have knowledge of the corporate visual identity of their
organization – not only the general reasons for using the corporate visual
identity, such as its role in enhancing the visibility and recognizability of the
organization, but also aspects of the story behind the corporate visual
identity.
• Corporate colours
• Corporate/ company colours are one of the most instantly
recognizable elements of a corporate visual identity and promote a
strong non-verbal message on the company's behalf.
• Examples of corporate colours:
– Red for Coca-Cola,
– Red and white for Vodafon Ghana
– Blue and white for Barclays
– Yellow for MTN Ghana etc.
• Media
• The role of the media in business has increased as a result of increase
in the use of technology.The media has a huge effect on the formation
of corporate identity by reinforcing a company's image and reputation
in the minds of customers
• Many companies pro-actively choose to create media attention and
use it as a tool for building and strengthening their visual identity. Ie.
– Radio, TV, internet, social media, print media, distribution of flyers etc.
1. Sudio Sudarsan - What Is Branding?
2. Yodhia Antariksa - Brand Strategy
3. Heidi Cohen - Actionable Marketing 101, Branding
4. Sonia Chopra Gregory - 11 Simple Steps for a Successful Brand
Building Process