What is a Brand?
A product brand is more than just a logo. Many people confuse a product and brand to be the same thing. However, products perform a function and brands offer emotions. Products are all about what they do for people but brands offer a promise and an emotion. Products fulfil a customer’s needs whereas brands fulfil a customer’s wants. Products equal functions. Brands equal emotions.
Getting your brand right.
By designing your brand you are also designing your identity. However, the product forms a large part of that identity too. Therefore, the product needs to reflect the brand values. To get your branding right, when you design a product you must consider brand values and vice versa. It’s important to have a cohesive perception of your product and your brand. Your product branding is the value that your market perceives you, while your product is how people interact with you. Both must be done right in order to have a successful product.
Why the apple 5C doesn’t align with their brand – why was it discontinued
Remember the Apple 5C? We don’t blame you if you don’t. That product is a (comparative) dud. Despite the fact that it was a repackaging of the world’s top-selling smartphone at the time, with better battery and costing $100 less, it failed miserably. Why? Because Apple is a premium brand and the colourful and plastic 5C doesn’t reflect that brand message. Apple is a company that doesn’t do ‘cheap.’ It makes products for people who care about design, simplicity, quality and a great experience — and are willing to pay more for these things. The iPhone 5C did not reflect those aspects and the sales certainly proved that.
Your brand is your #1 asset.
Without a strong brand behind your product line, there’s little to compel a buyer to choose you over another option. With so many options in most markets today, branding is more important than ever. Some products, services and even organisations will come and go, evolve and change over time but brands can be enduring. When aligned with the overall business strategy, they can be the central motivator for an organization’s actions. A well-built brand can outlast a product or even customer lifecycle. It can even outlast its creators.
Your brand equity is a valuable part of your balance sheet. That’s why it’s so critical in the product development process to align your product with a brand. You can quickly ruin your brand that you’ve put years of hard work into if your product is not developed well. Branding is not just a logo, it’s visual language of a product that helps you understand it.
When we design products we get very close to the market and the users so we are able to learn about what value the product brings to the users. Therefore we are in a good position to create a brand. Make it easier for yourself, rather than juggling two companies let blender show you the power of a great brand.
