• About Us
  • Write for Us
  • Paid Content Solutions
  • Contact Us
ExpertHub
  • HOME
  • LAUNCH
  • BUSINESS
  • LEADERSHIP
  • MONEY
  • SUCCESS
  • NEWS
    • All
    • Company Posts
    • ExpertHub Today
    Transunion Global Capability Centres Boom

    Global Capability Centres Boom As They Move Up The Value Chain

    Global Tech companies

    Global Tech Companies Are Turning To South Africa For Media And Marketing Expertise

    Innovation Summit

    Innovation Summit 2021 Showcases SA’s Top Tech Entrepreneurs

    Three customer experience strategies you’re missing-23Sep21

    Three Customer Experience Strategies You’re Missing

    Embracing digital 1st world, SMBs confid. to thrive-23Sep21

    Embracing A Digital-First World, SMBs Can Have The Confidence To Thrive

    SAB Foundation Calling All Entrepreneurs Tholoana Entps. Prog.

    Applications for SAB Foundation Are Now Open

    Trending Tags

    • About Us
      • Write for Us
      • Paid Content Services
      • Contact Us
    No Result
    View All Result
    • HOME
    • LAUNCH
    • BUSINESS
    • LEADERSHIP
    • MONEY
    • SUCCESS
    • NEWS
      • All
      • Company Posts
      • ExpertHub Today
      Transunion Global Capability Centres Boom

      Global Capability Centres Boom As They Move Up The Value Chain

      Global Tech companies

      Global Tech Companies Are Turning To South Africa For Media And Marketing Expertise

      Innovation Summit

      Innovation Summit 2021 Showcases SA’s Top Tech Entrepreneurs

      Three customer experience strategies you’re missing-23Sep21

      Three Customer Experience Strategies You’re Missing

      Embracing digital 1st world, SMBs confid. to thrive-23Sep21

      Embracing A Digital-First World, SMBs Can Have The Confidence To Thrive

      SAB Foundation Calling All Entrepreneurs Tholoana Entps. Prog.

      Applications for SAB Foundation Are Now Open

      Trending Tags

      • About Us
        • Write for Us
        • Paid Content Services
        • Contact Us
      No Result
      View All Result
      ExpertHub
      No Result
      View All Result
      Home BUSINESS Doing Business in SA Business Landscape

      Are You A Commodity Or A Brand?

      Andrew Seldon by Andrew Seldon
      Aug 2, 2018
      in Business Landscape
      13
      business-brand
      Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

      RelatedTopics

      This Is The Future Of Logistics – Are You Ready?

      5 Emerging Vital Trends In The Logistics And Shipping Industry

      2019: The Year For Composure In The Construction Sector

      As access to technology continually improves and evolves, innovation becomes an everyday occurrence for the consumer who has an almost endless array of products, services and solutions to choose from. At the same time, competition among vendors increases exponentially and the ability to differentiate products or services based purely on features or customer service alone is a near impossibility.

      There is a slim margin of success for companies that offer feature rich products combined with outstanding customer service, that does retain a degree of competitive prowess but eventually due to incessant pressure even the most fortunate of organisations can be tempted to default to competing based on price alone which is without question an unsustainable race to the bottom.

      Consumers today are also more brand-aware than ever before and have evolved into critical, thinking buyers who want to spend their money with a company that inspires an emotional connection with them and their values, while solving a real problem for them.

      This emotional intelligence takes precedence over flashy advertising and even lower prices. A study analysing shopper habits (The Meaningfully Different Framework, Millward Brown, 2013), found that strong brands were commanding a 13% price premium over weak brands, and a 6% premium over average brands.

      The same analysis found that strong brands can also capture, on average, three times the sales volume of weak brands.

      “This means that competing on price is a fool’s game and a no-win situation,” says Kyle Rolfe, brand engineer and founder of creative agency, Idea Power.

      “When you compete on price you exist only for the lifespan of the product. A brand, however, spans product life cycles and lasts for years.”

      “The only reliable way to stand out today, no matter what the industry, is to develop a brand that resonates with customers and makes an emotional connection as an authentic and trustworthy brand.”

      But what is a brand?

      “A brand is the emotions you inspire,” says Rolfe. “If you have a good reputation and people enjoy their experience dealing with you; if they trust that you are true to your values and an authentic participant in their society, your brand has value to them.”

      A brand, at its heart, is based on trust and this is a rare commodity that has become eroded in the minds of consumers. Because it is so rare, it is an important asset for companies large and small.

      Trust is linked to corporate reputation, which is a company’s most valuable commercial asset. By 2015, around 84% of the value of all businesses was intangible value, of which brand value is a key component, according to Ocean Tomo LLC.

      How do you develop a brand?

      Brand building is all about trust and authenticity. Rolfe believes there are two aspects to a brand. The first is the internal brand that defines what the company believes and stands for, in other words, who you are. This is more than a bland company vision that is plastered on the walls of the company. It is the essence of the company, the authentic values and principles your whole company buys into.

      “If your employees believe in the company and what it does, if they identify with your internal brand, you will automatically have more motivated employees, a positive company culture staffed by motivated people who take better care of customers,” Rolfe adds.

      “In addition, if your employees trust and believe in the brand, the will naturally take that brand message with them when they leave the office and broadcast it far and wide to family and friends, as well as to their extended circle of friends on social media, which is a powerful and authentic voice in society today.”

      When this happens, your customers and potential customers will see, feel and experience the brand and its effect. This will expand your internal brand outwards to your customers and the market in general, supported by the most valuable marketing there is – word of mouth.

      It’s worth noting that, according to Effectiveness in the Digital Era (2016) by Les Binet and Peter Field, brand-building activity drives much stronger sales growth over periods of 6 months than the temporary boosts driven by short-term sales activity.

      Rolfe concludes: “Does your brand have that emotional connection to the market? Is it authentic and does it automatically command trust? If it does, you can outpace your competitors in terms of sales and price.”

      The truth of the market today is that trust and authenticity are the biggest deal makers or breakers. If you create and maintain that emotional brand connection, you create and maintain a lifetime customer who stays with the brand for the long haul.

      Andrew Seldon

      Andrew Seldon

      With a BSc in Computer Science, Andrew’s IT career included programming and running a support department before joining the world of technology journalism in 1995. Since then he has been an editor of various publications in South Africa and Germany, where he was also a guest lecturer in Total Quality Management (TQM) at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich. In 2014 he attained his MBA in Leadership & Sustainability from the University of Cumbria. He has been the editor of Hi-Tech Security Solutions since 2010.

      Quick Links

      • Business Plan Advice
      • Business Plan Format Guide
      • Business Plan Format
      • Sample Business Plans

      NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP

      Sign-up for Weekly ExpertHub Updates

      * indicates required




      EXPERT INSIGHTS

      RevenuePartners Time Management for Sales Teams

      Advice from RevenuePartners to hack sales team productivity

      by Andrew Honey

      Time management is one of the costliest challenges in business today. Here are 6 hacks from RevenuePartners to help you...

      Top Reasons Why You Should Study Business Administration

      Top Reasons Why You Should Study Business Administration

      by Adrian Lomezzo

      Administration course, these reasons should help you make the right choice

      Effective Video Strategies For Your Online Store

      Effective Video Strategies For Your Online Store

      by Frank Hamilton

      Video marketing is an incredibly powerful digital marketing technique. Here’s how you can use it for e-commerce to promote your...

      Top salespeople use 1 simple strategy to outperform everyone else

      The Top 1% of Salespeople Do One Thing Differently That Sets Them Apart

      by Max Landesman

      Top Salespeople Use This 1 Simple Strategy To Outperform Everyone Else

      • HOME
      • LAUNCH
      • BUSINESS
      • LEADERSHIP
      • MONEY
      • SUCCESS
      • NEWS
      • About Us
        • Write for Us
        • Paid Content Services
        • Contact Us
      • About Us
      • Write for Us
      • Paid Content Services
      • Contact Us
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Data Privacy Policy
      • Privacy Policy
      • Sitemap

      Copyright © 2022 ExpertHub.info
      Revenue Growth Experts

      No Result
      View All Result
      • HOME
      • LAUNCH
      • BUSINESS
      • LEADERSHIP
      • MONEY
      • SUCCESS
      • NEWS
      • About Us
        • Write for Us
        • Paid Content Services
        • Contact Us

      Copyright © 2022 ExpertHub.info
      Revenue Growth Experts

      Login to your account below

      Forgotten Password?

      Fill the forms bellow to register

      All fields are required. Log In

      Retrieve your password

      Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

      Log In