BRANDING IN MARKETING: PERSPECTIVE FROM MASTHEAD DIGITAL

BRANDING IN MARKETING | In today's dynamic and competitive marketing world, building and managing a brand (branding) is a key factor determining the success and sustainable development of each business.

BRANDING IN MARKETING: PERSPECTIVE FROM MASTHEAD DIGITAL

At Masthead Digital, with many years of experience operating in the field of marketing in Vietnam, we understand that branding is not simply creating an impressive logo or slogan. Branding is the art of creating, conveying and preserving a distinctive brand experience that connects with the target customers and builds strong loyalty.

First of all, it is important to understand that although branding and marketing are closely related, they are not entirely identical. If marketing is a set of activities aimed at reaching, attracting and encouraging customers to buy products/services, then branding is the process of building and managing core, consistent values of the brand, creating differentiation in the market. Branding encompasses marketing, and at the same time is also executed through specific marketing strategies and activities.

Effective branding needs to stem from a clear brand strategy, with a consistent vision, mission and core values. These values will be consistently expressed through brand identity, communication, customer experience, and corporate culture. To do this requires systematic efforts from the entire organization, from top leadership to each employee.

Branding also has to be based on deep understanding of the market, target customers, and especially insight – the deepest needs, desires, and emotions in customer psychology. Truly understanding what customers really need and expect in order to create brand experiences that meet those in an excellent and differentiated way.

For example, when implementing an advertising campaign for a health care product, instead of just emphasizing features and benefits, Masthead Digital touched on consumers’ aspirations for a healthy, positive and happy life. The messages and images inspired a healthy, dynamic lifestyle, creating an emotional connection between the brand and customers. Thanks to deep insight, the brand not only sells products but also becomes a companion, inspiring the lifestyle that customers aspire to.

In addition, effective branding also requires consistency and persistence in brand messaging and imagery across all media and customer touchpoints. A clear, recognizable brand identity with spreading power will help increase brand awareness and build trust with customers. Conversely, conflicts and inconsistencies in messaging and experiences will make customers feel confused and lose favor with the brand.

Masthead Digital always focuses on building and closely monitoring brand guidelines for each campaign, ensuring uniformity from creative concepts, brand tone-of-voice, images to applications on each communication channel such as TVCs, posters, POSM, press, social networks. As a result, customers will have seamless experiences, reinforcing long-term trust and attachment to the brand.

Along with consistency, branding also needs flexibility and dynamism to adapt to market changes and consumer behavior. A brand cannot forever stagnate with an old approach, but must be ready to renew itself, catching up with pioneering trends, applying new technologies and communication platforms to elevate and expand connections with customers.

Digital transformation in branding is a trend that Masthead Digital devotes a lot of enthusiasm to. By leveraging digital platforms such as social networks, video creation platforms, mobile applications, AR/VR augmented reality, AI artificial intelligence, etc., we help brands pioneer in creating novel, interactive, personalized brand experiences in the digital space, thereby deepening the bond with customers.

Another important factor of effective branding is engagement and building.

Branding has a very large and multifaceted impact on the success and sustainable development of a business:

Increase brand recognition and differentiation

A strong brand with a unique, easily recognizable identity will stand out and differentiate among countless competitors, attracting customer attention and preference.

Build customer trust and loyalty

Effective branding creates consistent, positive experiences that help build long-term trust and customer engagement with the brand, turning them into loyal customers.

Enhance brand value and competitive position

A reputable, beloved brand will have higher value, stronger competitiveness, easily dominate market share and maintain a leading position.

Create pricing advantages

Customers are often willing to pay a higher price for brands they trust. Good branding helps businesses price their products/services higher while still maintaining attractiveness to customers.

Easier brand expansion and development

Having a solid brand foundation will make it easier for businesses to expand into new products and markets, as they have already gained trust and positive expectations from customers.

Increase attractiveness to talent and partners

A prestigious, admired brand will easily attract talented people and potential partners, facilitating long-term development.

Increase resilience during crises

In difficult times of crisis, a brand that has accumulated trust and support from customers and society will have a better ability to overcome, quickly regain reputation and recover operations.

Thus, building effective branding is the foundation and the key to the sustainable development and long-term success of businesses in today’s fiercely competitive context.

To build a strong and unique brand, businesses need to implement a systematic, comprehensive and consistent process. Here are the main steps in an effective brand building strategy:

Research and understand the market and competitors

Thoroughly analyze market characteristics, consumer trends, and especially the strengths and differentiating points of competitors to find a unique direction and avoid duplication or similarity.

Identify brand insights and positioning

From in-depth research on the target customer, it is necessary to discover the most authentic insights about their needs, desires, and emotions. From there, determine a unique positioning for the brand – the distinct position that the brand wants to occupy in the minds of customers.

Establish vision, mission and core values

This is the foundation for all brand building and development activities. It is necessary to carefully consider establishing a long-term vision, a noble mission and consistent core values that express the brand’s aspirations and responsibilities to customers and the community.

Build an impressive brand identity

Design logos, slogans, colors, fonts, representative images, etc. to be unique, easily recognizable, and convey the spirit and values that the brand wants to embody. Brand identity needs to be highly applicable and easily expressed across all media.

Develop brand story and message

There needs to be a compelling brand story that emotionally engages with customers and demonstrates empathy for their insights. From there, build a concise, memorable, inspiring brand message that expresses the brand’s unique value.

Plan communication and marketing

An integrated, systematic communication plan is needed, effectively coordinating ATL and BTL tools, combining digital communication, traditional communication and internal communication to ensure the brand message reaches the right target audience.

Train staff

People are the decisive factor in realizing brand values. It is necessary to effectively communicate the vision and core values to each employee, while providing training in skills and knowledge so that they can confidently represent the brand in each job and interaction with customers.

Maintain consistency and listen

It is very important to be consistent with positioning, vision and consistently express brand image in all activities. At the same time, listen to feedback from customers to continuously adjust and improve.

The above are the core contents in the strategy to build a strong and differentiated brand. With experience and creative capacity, Masthead Digital is ready to accompany Vietnamese businesses in the journey to position and affirm their brand, persistently pursuing the good values that the brand aims for.