BY FARAI CHIGORA
Brand management is a science in understanding it but and art in execution. It is typical of the adage that we campaign in poetry but govern in prose. Those in the school of art will concur that branding and its management is a song whether as a whisper or played loudly. If one chose to stop it early then that adrenaline experience and joy will be short-lived. One wouldn’t want it to end as my enterprising colleagues have happily danced to these branding tunes and it has been transformational in the way business is done.
Thanks to this platform where we share and experience capabilities and captivation of this craftsmanship. The concept has been shaped as prescription for the elite (as if it is for royal exclusion). The playing field has been psychologically unbalanced to believe that it was out of reach and not doable by our home-grown SMEs (surprisingly this has been demystified to its real senses against all odds). In retrospect, many are enjoying the returns coming from this new approach that is changing lives and operation of our enterprises into honeycombs. Illuminating and envisioning entrepreneurial practice beyond size and structure to real business through talking brands. This is igniting the light where there was none. As for my enterprising colleagues the wisdom words from the book of life has authorised our endless mission as the saying goes “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father…” Let’s shine.
I will not rest in the drive towards giving birth to a new perspective in turning around and invite prosperity to our enterprises through talking brands. My discussion with some of our thriving and enduring SMEs has made me realise that brand positioning is still a journey though closer to appreciation. That is with regards to its patterns into establishment, where the brand can be appropriately positioned for results (not as a doubted experiment for mere existence). You can develop a brand and make its life exclusively out of novelty with accompanying talking elements and all but be reminded this is not the end (our journey through these editions can confess). It is a start in the reaping of the expected brand benefits. One should position the brand from its benefits as an initiation into the knowing yourself better.
As a selling tool, a brand should be positioned knowing how it will benefit the SME. Like why are we putting the brand on the market as of now, compared to any other time? An answer from this will tell the benefits. Think about this. And also for whom is the brand to please on the market? That is selling to the right people. Most of our brands seem not to be benefiting us in all aspects just because we have failed to position them correctly. Imagine trying to make friends with your enemies. It tiring and long-haul task that will even take a life time. One key goal of a thriving brand is to market its offerings and accordingly simplifying the attraction of the enterprise rather than making it a daunting task. A well-positioned brand enjoys its supremacy through easy creation of lifetime engagements, right friends, partners and investors. There is no one single guide to follow in coming up with a strong brand positioning. Yet my concern is that many of our start-ups and growing businesses have it all in terms of the fundamentals (thanks to the previous editions which seem to be changing lives of many) but only failing to define their positioning on the local and global market. There is need to understand the benefits of this branding as a self-introspection. Where the entrepreneur questions him/herself why branding.
Of course the benefits and reasons for branding are endless if not known in our operations. But there is need to be meticulous as to understand the specific current benefits defining the brand as aforementioned. There is supposed to be one unique trait to your business, sector, products/service type and market. Sometimes we think about money first and forget those matters that multiplies it for sustainability (money that doesn’t sleep). Thanks to these editions which are slowly but surely espousing the nodes and nitty grittiest for continued gains. Let’s develop our own matrixes that puts the bottom-line at the centre but considering the key supporter as we position.
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This then goes into the knowing who we are to serve and looking for our brand on the broader market. It is important to note that sometimes even with perfect resources (to produce many products/services) it might not be possible to please the whole market. Let’s find our space. That one we belong and prepared for us and not any other. We manage better yield through this. And realise that positioning is not for the rest. In other sense knowing our target is the best to avoid confusion and waste of precious marketing/branding resources. This even goes into the birth records where demographics and age matter most. Know your clientele by age and position your brand there. The economic bracket of those who are to walk with us in our brand experience and consumption also a key consideration. We have to know our customers better from now onwards (like fitting into their pockets).
That is when assessment can be done on whether we are positioned for success or failure, as we highlighted in the beginning that the process of branding is a science but that of positioning the brand in an art of how we are going to permeate the brand in the heart and mind of the customer in that unique way that makes it easy for him/her to make a purchase decision through easy of brand recall. This needs scrutiny as I am perplexed through my interaction with some aspiring entrepreneurs. They have ignored that brand positioning can be done based on a gender and income. Correspondingly, we are in business to make money as mentioned earlier. But how is this achievable when our positioning ignores income issues that define the worthiness of our target customers. Brands are positioned from profitability which is a strong reminder to our SMEs. Which goes on to the knowledge and understanding of where we belong in the market space. Of course we talked about segmentation in earlier editions which perfectly dovetails with positioning. This can be viewed from a competition and market share perspective. There is need to understand our competition landscape more than any time before given the ever-changing environment. It is not only a matter of being defensive but also offensive. Through a well-crafted brand positioning strategy that scares away competition. Meaning to say brand positioning should outweigh competitor power and allow for dominance. There is a lot to be done here as my discovery informed that we are imitating in our brand positioning rather than setting pace as game changers through unique brands. The marketing and brand management process seem to be a daunting task with many prescriptions, yet it’s the deference between what is to become an extra-ordinary or ordinary brand – I chose that we become the former. If we are to remain true to creation and position of unique brands through a mix of homegrown ingredients our brands shall dominate the merchandise shelves and dominate the export markets. Till then — lets sleep, talk, walk and dream branding!
- Dr Farai Chigora is a businessman and academic. He is the head of Business Science at the Africa University’s College of Business, Peace, Leadership and Governance. He is into agribusiness and consults for many companies in Zimbabwe and Africa. He writes in his personal capacity and can be contacted for feedback and business at fariechigora@gmail.com, WhatsApp mobile: +263772886871.