Why brand? Is it only for cattle?

Why brand? Is it only for cattle? Ranchers and farmers brand their cattle to identify them and depict ownership.

Branding a company is far more complex and should be addressed in a more meaningful and mindful way, and adopting a responsible, long-term approach is best for the survival of a company and its brand:

• Branding is more than just the naming of a company. It encompasses who it is, what it stands for, the people it deals with, its behaviour, its products and its worth.
• People make associations between the brand name and logo and the behaviour, communication and the actions of an organisation – make them positive perceptions.
• A brand has to have a purpose that includes doing good in the environment within which it operates. Some call it “giving back.”
• Organisations must deliver on brand promises. It’s called ethical branding….
• A brand needs to change according to the demands and needs of the socio-economic and political environments – even involving itself in the moral and social fabric of a country.
• Develop a genuine interest in the world and its people. In all its operations it needs to develop an ‘others’ approach, not only an ‘us’ approach – an outside-in approach.

According to Thomas Kolster, the key to brand leadership includes knowing that:

• Sustainability is the new USP
• Sustainability is the new competition
• Responsibility is the new trust currency
• Collaboration in a sharing economy will lead the way.

Kolster challenges brand leaders to interrogate the way they do things, and to start implementing “world-bettering” strategies in their brand management.