How Packaging Design Influences Buying Behaviour

How often does it happen that you are looking for a particular product at the supermarket and you go around the aisle a number of times only failing to find that product? 

A few days back, I visited a supermarket and was looking for my favourite brand of crisps. I walked around the dedicated aisle twice but couldn’t find them so I requested an assistant to help me with it. When we started walking towards the dedicated shelf of crisps and cookies, I wondered how these hundreds of products on the shelves fight with each other for our attention and what actually persuades us to choose one brand over the other. In that brief moment, I thought about the different elements of packaging - colour, typography, visuals and format that affect our buying habits and coming back to reality only to find out that the assistant was nowhere to be seen. Assuming he never found the crisps, I disappointedly started looking for a similar flavour and surprisingly, found my favourite pack of crisps at the corner of the shelf and thought how difficult it was to find something I actually wanted. 

Today, we face an ever increasing number of options available to choose from. A regular supermarket has over 30,000 products, all competing with each other for our attention. In most cases, a brand gets roughly 30 – 45 minutes of a shopping session to attract, excite, and sell their products, proving to the fact that product packaging is considered to be the decisive point of communication in any retail environment. 

It has been estimated that around 60-70% of buying decisions are made in the store. Packaging is considered as the final opportunity for marketers to communicate their brand’s message. Packaging plays a crucial role as it has been proven that 1/3rd of our decision making is based on how the product finally looks. It has a direct impact on how your consumer perceives the product.

Most of the times a consumer leaves home with a definite purpose in mind, but no loyalty towards a brand. The final choice depends on variety of factors. Some consumers go for household brands, some do an extensive research, while the rest of them (which forms the majority) buy on impulse. These decisions are often influenced by knowledge and reputation of a brand, consumer personality, but most importantly having a good and attractive package design that would intrigue and encourage the consumer to try the product.

We are all still guilty of instantly judging a book by its cover but still there’s no way around it.

A product only appeals to us when it looks attractive.
Such is the power of Packaging!

Read more here: 5 Golden Rules of Packaging Design

Article contributed by:

Riya Wadhwa, Brand Artisan - Marketing

4 Important Elements of Packaging Design

Packaging is known to be the identity of a product. It is extremely important for your product to get noticed amongst the hundreds of other products available on the shelf. Packaging is an integral part of any Branding Strategy to glamorise a product in a way that would not only catch the consumer’s attention, but also would be a great source of advertising. Packaging plays an important role educating the customer about the product; it’s also like having a direct interaction with the brand. As said by Martin Neumier “A retail package is the last and best chance to make a sale.”

The four main elements of packaging are Colours, Visuals, Typography and Format. These elements help the consumers to relate to the brand easily and tend to have a high recall.

Colours have great psychological impact and can draw attention to your product. In order to stand out, brands often choose colours that do not belong to their brand colour palette. This disruptive behaviour is good, but may not always work in favour of the brands. Colours are known to be the most important part of packaging because they subconsciously reflect the personality of a brand; also it is the first thing to be noticed and can be visible at a distance as well.

Visuals & Mascots help in associating with the brand and create high recall value. Visuals are graphical representations of the product inside, where one can easily understand what the product is without having to read.Mascots on the other hand are an additional element that may in some cases strengthen the identity of the brand. A mascot is easily relatable by every age group. Brands like Amul still extensively use’s their mascot named Amul girl for all their communication and branding. This over the years has become a part of their identity and is now very relatable by the consumers. Another Indian brand using a mascot is Air India using their mascot named Maharaja, for their communications.

Typography is another powerful part of Brand Identity. Just like colours have meaning; typography represents the values of your brand.  Every typeface has a different set of connotations and hence will create a unique representation of who you are and what you stand for, as a brand. Brands often use bold fonts and serifs to catch attention, as they’re clean, simple, and easily readable. As mentioned, fonts also have a different meaning. The font used for the IBM logo demonstrates power, while Coco-cola and Disney cue fun.

The format of Packaging is designed in such a way that it attracts the attention of the consumer and can be easily spotted on the shelf. Format of packages largely depend on the products, keeping in mind the requirements and convenience of a consumer. For instance, products like shampoos, oils, ketchup, etc come in various sizes as well as in sachets which encourage the consumer to try them.

Read more here: 5 Golden Rules of Packaging Design

Article contributed by:

Riya Wadhwa, Brand Artisan - Marketing

Difference between Logo & Brand Identity

People often use Logo and Brand Identity loosely and interchangeably. Logo is not the same as Brand Identity, although they are very closely linked.

Let us first understand what do these terms mean:

LOGO
A trademark-able symbol, graphic, visual representation of an organisation that reflects beliefs and values of the organisation whilst enabling public recognition.

BRAND IDENTITY
Key identifiers of a brand that includes Word, Sign, Symbol, Colours, and Design Style that makes a rand recognisable. Logo is a subset of Brand Identity.

Building a Brand Identity is an exciting process. It’s a collection of tangibles like a logo, Brand Colours, Typography, Tone of Voice and Communication system. The more specific, distinct and cohesive these elements are, higher would be the likelihood of Brand Recall and Brand Association. And this would allow your customers to distinctly remember your brand differently from the crowd. A consumer is only able to do so when a brand is able to consistently communicate this through its service, packaging, use of media and quality of products.

Brand Identity is divided into Visual and Verbal identity. Visual elements make your brand stronger and have a positive recall. While elements like Tagline, Tone of Voice and the use of media form a brand’s Verbal Identity. For any brand to have an effective and robust Brand Identity, it is mandatory that both, Visual and Verbal Identity of the brand are in sync.

On the other hand, Logo is one of the key elements of Brand Identity.  A logo is known to be the face of the brand, the first impression of your brand. A Logo creates a visual impact and consumers instantly connect with the brand with the sight of a Logo.  For a brand to be successful it is essential to have a well designed, unique, memorable and aesthetically pleasing logo.

Logos can be classified in three types: Typographic logos, Symbolic logos and the Combination of the two. Typographic logos are stylised text of the Brand Name or its initials. For instance, brands like Google, Subway, Sony, Disney use it. Symbolic logos have a symbol representing their brand for instance Audi, Mercedes, Apple, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Most of the brands use a mix of both as their logo like Adidas, Pepsi, Doritos, Burger King. Read more about the types of logos here.

To conclude, a Strong Logo is the key to an effective Brand Identity. Though they are overlapping concepts and both are equally important for the success of a brand. 

Article contributed by:

Riya Wadhwa, Brand Artisan - Marketing

Evolution of Colours and their role in Brand Identity

It is believed artists invented pigments using a combination of soil, animal fat, burnt charcoal, and chalk as long as 40,000 years ago. Initially, artists only invented a basic palette that consisted of red, yellow, brown, black, and white. Later, through scientific progress and advancement, colours like blue, green and violet were invented. Since then, there have been numerous discoveries of new and colours simply by mixing and experimenting.

Today, colours are present all around us and are associated with every aspect of our lives. They influence the way we think, cause actions and reactions. They can irritate or soothe your eyes. Some colours are calm and give us a feeling of serenity while some can cause anxiety. Every colour has its unique meaning and associations. In today’s society, colours have become a very powerful form of communication and are irreplaceable. The study of human behaviour towards colours is known as ‘Colour Psychology’ and this is a widely used concept in Marketing and Branding. Here, we will see how our mind perceives certain colours:

Red: Red is known to be a very strong, noticeable and an emotionally intense colour.  Red is most associated with energy, youth, courage, strength, warmth, desire, passion and excitement. While on the other hand, it is also associated with war, danger and aggression. Red has the ability to enhance metabolism, raise blood pressure and increase our respiration rate. Red colour also makes objects appear much closer than they actually are and thus, grabs more attention this is why danger signs, traffic signals are in red.

Yellow: Being the colour of sunshine, yellow puts a smile on the dial. The most visible colour from a distance, it communicates cheerfulness, friendliness, energy, reflects joy, optimism, confidence, happiness and creativity. However, at the same time, yellow is the colour of caution and associates with fear, depression and anxiety. Yellow also arouses hunger and hence most of the fast food and ready to eat products are packed in yellow.

Brown: Brown is seen as a serious and very down to earth, warm, with properties like stability, structure, support and sophistication. It is among the oldest colours and is associated with wholesome, natural and organic produce and anything related to the great outdoors, agriculture and farming. Hence, most organic products use brown in their packaging.

Black: The colour black relates to hidden, secretive, unknown, and as a result it creates an air of mystery. It is associated with elegance, glamour, luxury, power, exclusivity. Black is bold, classic and to be taken seriously. Black on the other hand also has a negative side to it like evil, oppression, grief, and insecurity.

White: White represents purity, simplicity, hygiene, innocence, clarity, transparency. It is known to be the colour of perfection. If we had to identify one brand that has uses white to convey its brand message to perfection it would have to be Apple, white represents the simplicity of the products in both their form and function. White can also be associated with emptiness, coldness, unfriendliness, isolation and emptiness. The colour white also depicts peace, cleanliness and calmness; thus hospitals are generally painted in white.

Blue: Blue is a universally preferred colour, having versatile qualities. Blue is widely used and appreciated for its calmness and serenity. Brands using the colour blue in logos give a sense of reliability, trustworthiness and authority. Thus brands like Dell, Intel, Facebook, Twitter, Samsung have their logos in blue. However, being associated with feelings, also expresses sadness or depression.

Green: Green has two very common meanings - one being nature and environment, and the other being finance and wealth. It signifies harmony, balance, freshness, awareness, growth, restoration, and stability. Though, it can also be significant to boredom, blandness. Green representing nature is also considered to be beneficial for Mind and Body and is also said to have amazing healing powers.

Violet: In ancient times, violet was termed as ‘the colour of atmosphere’. It is known to be a soft colour with calming effects that convey creativity and wisdom. Violet is also associated with spiritual awareness, vision, luxury, truth, and quality. Violet also has negative associations like introversion, suppression, and inferiority. 

Colours and Brand Identity:

Colours are known to have effects on a person’s psychological, physiological and sociological behaviour. Thus, colour is an important aspect while considering the Brand Identity System. As every colour has a unique identity, it is important for brands to select the right colour. Using colours that go with your brand personality and consistently using brand colours, has been proven advantages and create a stronger Brand Identity and has higher brand recall. Few examples are Coca-Cola is known for its bright red labelling on bottles; Dairy milk uses their patent violet for all its chocolates, Christian Louboutin is known or its red bottom pumps and Barbie uses the typical pink for all its packaging. Colours are thus an important element in a brand’s visual identity and needs to be based on logic, meaning and purpose.

Article contributed by:

Riya Wadhwa, Brand Artisan - Marketing

Why is it important to determine your Brand Values?

“Marketing is about values. It’s a complicated and noisy world, and we’re not going to get a chance to get people to remember much about us. No company is. So we have to be really clear about what we want them to know about us.”

– Steve Jobs

In this quote, Steve Jobs is trying to convey that for any brand to be successful, it is very important to define the brand values. People often get confused between Brand Value and the Brand Values. While Brand Value is the monetary worth of a brand, Brand Values are the moral principles a brand follows. These moral principles support the Brand Promise and are expressed through the Brand Identity.

Determining Brand Values

Brand values are the foundation of any business. They give your brand a purpose and a direction to be followed. Without Brand Values, your brand is like any other business operating with only one goal - to maximize profits. Brand Values are reflected in your employees and in your work culture. Unlike Vision or Mission, they are not mere statements hanging down the walls of your offices. They are a defined set of standards which represent your brand’s DNA and communicated through actions & employee behaviour. An authoritative brand looks and speaks differently compared to a fun brand. Just like the verbal tone and visual style of IBM is different from that of Disney’s. It is important to clearly determine who you brand is speaking to. And what values do they represent as a group. Customers flock to the brand that reflect their values.

How do you define your Brand Values?

Well firstly, you don’t define the Brand Values, you identify them. They are already part of your company. Brand Values are identified through branding exercises where you and the key employees of your organization take part and help in identifying the Values of your brand. Brand Values are expressed visually and verbally across touch points that customers can identify with. Identifying your brand values and expressing them clearly greatly enhances the ROI on your marketing spends, ultimately making your business more profitable.

Article contributed by Mansi Panchamia, Marketing Team, Yellow Fishes

Why brands should narrow their focus?

For ages, one question that has haunted entrepreneurs is ‘Should I improve my offerings (and not expand)?’ You must be thinking this is crazy or an invalid question. But it's not. It is quite an smart practice that most established brands have adopted. Yet it goes unnoticed. Let's take an example. We have at least one coffee shop in every neighborhood and it serves everything from coffees to buns to finger food to tempting desserts. But when we talk about great coffee experience why does a green circular logo pop into our head most often.

Merely following what successful brands are doing is not a good idea for an upcoming one. They have done something in the past to reach where they are now. So, we’ll have to look back in time - to their roots & their foundation. And when we do that, we’ll always find that all successful brands at have mastered their core offering.

Domino’s used to sell pizzas, sub sandwiches and everything possible. But then Tom Monaghan dropped the subs, narrowed the focus of brand and concentrated on pizzas. Domino’s innovated the insulated pizza delivery boxes, that can be easily stacked up without crushing the pizza inside, to target campuses. Same focus-narrowing strategy has been followed by Absolut, Hermes, Colgate, and Coca Cola to name a few. Had these brands rapidly expanded to other categories, they wouldn’t be the benchmark of their own category today.

So how does this happen? Why do some brands narrow the focus to strengthen itself? We live in an over-communicated world. We are exposed to thousands of marketing messages each day. In such circumstances, having an astute marketing strategy is hardly going to fetch any Brand Loyalty. Although the following factors, achieved by narrowing the focus, will:

1. Innovation and creativity

Only when you are focused, will you be able to put in maximum effort in understanding and serving your benefit groups. This will help you build innovative and creative solutions in form of your product or service and change lives. Best example would be Adidas. Even though today you enjoy a myriad of merchandise by Adidas it all started from only sport shoes meant for athletes.

2. Association

A brand, most importantly, has to create an association in the consumer's mind. Associating one brand to multiple aspects create a lot of confusion. Dolce and Gabbana, the high fashion brand, shut the cheaper D&G fashion label in order to disassociate Dolce and Gabbana with cheap apparels and to concentrate on their main collection. Because of D&G label the brand faced a slowdown as their benefit groups lost perception of exclusive products. Narrowing the focus aids association.

3. Experience

Any successful brand creates a pleasant experience for its benefit groups at every interaction - before, after or during the purchase. If the brand's focus is not narrowed down and is trying to be jack of all trades, it will hardly be able to create an experience and evoke any aspiration. The best representation of this is Apple. Apple takes immense care that their benefit group must love the brand for every experience it creates.

These factors directly affect the brand awareness and loyalty. The narrower the focus of a brand's offering, the stronger it will be.

For the world’s best coffee, that Green Circular logo of ‘Starbucks Coffee’ pops because the brand once narrowed its focus to master in Coffee – of course it also sells great savories and desserts but it has become synonymous to coffee. Their commitment and focus on coffee is evident from their name, even till today.

- Article contributed by Himali Jangam, Marketing Team, Yellow Fishes

Types of Brand Architecture

Brand Architecture, is an important Brand Strategy tool that studies and defines the relationship of parent brand with its various child brands. It is a very deliberate exercise that defines how closely each child brand should be linked to the Masterbrand. Associations or Dissociations are visually & verbally depicted in brand communication – though its name, logo, packaging, sales collaterals etc. Let’s have a look at the 3 most popular types of Brand Architecture.

BRANDED HOUSE

This Brand Architecture type has the parent brand, which is always closely associated with the child brand. The names of the sub-brands are attached to its parent brand. We can also see the relationship in the logo, packaging, and brand communication – all are aligned to the parent brand.

Virgin is an example of Branded House Architecture. Virgin airlines, Virgin café, Virgin digital etc.

Is this Strategy right for your brand? Branded House is built on fundamentals to gain great visibility for the Masterbrand. It broadens the perception of the organization's capabilities / business. It helps in leveraging brand investment most effectively.

HOUSE OF BRANDS

House of Brands is a Brand Architecture Strategy where a parent brand owns and manages various sub-brands, each of those is a unique brand. Those sub-brands don’t closely relate themselves to its parent brand. Their distinctive personalities are seen through Brand names, logos and communication style.

Chevrolet, Hummer, Chrysler, Cadillac, Jeep, Mazda, Opel, Buick etc. You’d be surprised to know that the age old General Motors is their parent brand.

Is this Strategy right for your brand? House of Brands Architecture is slightly more flexible Architecture. Under this Architecture, each brand can address distinct market segmentation needs, with unique marketing and communication strategies.

HYBRID ARCHITECTURE

This type of Brand Architecture Strategy uses merits of both – Branded House and House of Brands. This is a combination model where all kinds of parent-child relationships can co-exist. Some of the sub-brands are associated closely with the parent brand while some other sub-brands dissociate or have a distant relationship with its parent. 

The classic example of this architecture is that of Volkswagen. VW owns brands like Bugatti, Seat, Audi and Skoda. But it also carries a brand on its own name. 

Is this Strategy right for your brand? Hybrid Brand Architecture is a combination of Branded House and House of Brands. This architecture has the most flexibility for acquisitions; spin-offs, leveraging brand equity, different products / brands that suit different marketing segments etc.

 - Article contributed by Aditya Deole, Marketing Team, Yellow Fishes

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Read more on Brand Architecture here.

Types of Emotional Benefits

 Let’s start with an experiment. Melt a Toblerone and mould it into a slab. Ask a friend to taste it and observe their reaction. Most probably your friend will throw it at you and will be disgusted for having such a terrible taste in chocolate. And you would agree with him after you taste it yourself. That pops a question in my mind.

How Toblerone makes its sales and how did they make it so big?
Answer - Emotional Benefits

It is the Emotional Connection that draws a customer to the Brand. Every decision in our lives is influenced partly by Functional and partly by Emotional Benefits. 

Let’s identify the myriad of Emotional Benefits that we receive from other Brands.

1. Recognition – Our lives revolve around it. Right from childhood, you start forming an Identity that you want to be seen as. Some Brands intentionally own a space in our minds, that inspire a feeling of ‘being recognized’.
Mercedes: I own Prestige.
Chanel: I am Expensive (only a handful can afford me).

2. Belongingness – We have our own trust circles. Our choices often reflect the school of thoughts we belong to. So do brands.
Apple: I belong to people who are cool and look beyond convention.
BMW: I belong to people who enjoy driving

3. Confidence – A definitive element of our personalities. It is about how we feel about ourselves, rather than how others feel about us.
Victoria’s Secret: My body ‘feels’ desirable.
Abercrombie & Fitch: I ‘feel’ sexy.

4. Individualism – In the Millennial age, it is not uncommon for individuals to be bold enough to express or explore. There are a few brands that harness these heroic emotions.
Louis Vuitton: I am indispensable.
Old Monk: I am not afraid to show who I am.

5. Nostalgia – Our memories are very precious to us. Few Brands reflect that through their Brand Identity.
Paper Boat: Indian packaged drink brands that play around childhood memories
Nintendo: Do you think Pokémon Go Smartphone Game would have been as successful without the nostalgic memory of Pokémon game we played decades ago?

Every brand needs an Emotional Benefit. It is the Emotion (limbic system) that commands the Rational Brain. While we may think of making Rational choices, we always need Emotional Connection with the Brands we choose. So what made you buy that Toblerone?

Article contributed by Himali Jangam, Marketing Team, Yellow Fishes

Why is Brand Personality important?

To understand the importance of Brand Personality, we have to first understand the meaning of Brand Personality. Imagine a Brand to be a Person. How would that Person behave? How would s/he speak? Whether that Person is well travelled or s/he seldom travels? What kind of car s/he would be driving? And clothes… how would s/he dress up? Brand Personality is the Human traits/Personality attached to a Brand. For example, let’s consider Apple Inc’s Brand Personality. Imagine Apple to be a Person. What would s/he be like? Creative, innovative, stylish, the cool kid on the block. Brand Personality, simply put is the Human traits that a Brand develops/defines that informs how the Brand talks and behaves.

So, why is Brand Personality important? Brand Personality helps in easing communication with the customers. A customer can relate to the traits that s/he possess with the Personality traits that a brand has. Thus, an Emotional connect is generally created amongst the Brand and the Customer. Consider Levi’s brand. The Brand is associating itself with being Casual. A cool Person would connect immediately to Levi’s because of the casual trait associated with the brand. Thus Brand Personality helps in building an Emotional bond with the Customers.

Every Person has a unique Identity. The way s/he behaves or the way one communicates differs from Person to Person. That is how we like or dislike a Person based on their Personality traits and the ways s/he expresses himself. Brand Personality creates this unique Identity. It helps in differentiation and clear association.

If you were to decide how you look, would you not choose the best? Well, yet we find two brands having quite different Personalities. One preferring the sporty look, while the other, despite having a choice, preferring a rugged one! Adidas associates itself as being sporty, while Timberland goes for the rugged. Though both the Brands are in shoe making, the Personalities attached to them and the way these Personalities are portrayed. There is a nothing right or wrong in defining and identifying Brand Personality. 

Ultimately, of course, everything comes down to – what kind of Customers you want to serve? Customers who reflect the Personality of your Brand will be drawn to it and others – well, let them be drawn to what they can associate with.

Article contributed by Aditya Deole, Marketing Team, Yellow Fishes.

Emotional Benefit - Emotion is energy in motion

"I was the vice-president at PepsiCo. What reason would I have to leave a very sustained and highly paid job to join a company of nerds selling computer? But he said to me and said it looking deep into my eyes - 'Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life or want a chance to CHANGE THE WORLD?' I could not resist.", said John Sculley.

What was he (Steve Jobs, of course) doing? Selling an offer to Sculley to join Apple? But do you see him mentioning the monetary gains or rational benefits or the level of control he would enjoy at Apple? No. He used sentiment, an emotion, a feeling of greatness or being unique because he (Sculley) was granted an opportunity to change the world, influence perceptions and create better experiences. What Sculley couldn't resist was the Emotional Benefit, and not a Rational Gain.

Every Brand, Product or Service, has its own set of Emotional Benefits and Rational Benefits. But do they leverage? Let's look at a few Brands that do it smartly.

1. A Product Brand A sports Brand that never talks about quality and functionality of its products and yet continues to influence buyers across the world only through the stories of Heroism. Nike. But now, it is expanding the scope of heroism and is concentrating more on defeating the villains inside you like laziness, fatigue etc. Nike passes on these strong ripples to their consumers so much that even owning a pair of shoes is in itself a motivation to stick to their fitness goals. Advertising slogans like - "Run Faster", "If you didn't lose your conscious in the end, then you could run faster" or the advertisement with the monologue of a runner trying to fight his demon called fatigue - talks about their attention to consumer emotions.

2. A Service Brand In the current Airline Industry Scenario, where everyone is talking about low fares, punctuality, hospitality and on-board entertainment, British Airways stands out with their emotion driven communication. 'A ticket to visit mum': A warm heart-touching story of a mother longing see her son who is studying abroad and how British Airways helps to reunite them. They always talk about what kind of emotional or spiritual give-and-take experience it is to connect people. They seldom mention about strategic rationality they are capable of bringing to our flying experience.

Brands that make their way into your subconscious are a combination of Rational AND Emotional Benefits. That subliminal connection leads to loyalty for a Brand. It is analogous to our Human relationships and bonds.

Does that mean low priced Brands or Mass Retail Brands don't have any Emotional Benefits? No. All products and services can have strong Emotional Pull – it just needs to be recognized by the Brand Managers and Consumers. An inexpensive pen has several Rational Benefits like smooth nib, long lasting and non-blotting ink, but it still has one strong emotional benefit. Well here it comes, 'Even if I lose it, I would not worry or regret.'

'Emotion is the Energy in Motion' as Peter McWilliams said. So, pay attention to your Consumer's Emotions and harness the Energy.

Article contributed by - Himali Jangam, Marketing Team, Yellow Fishes

Aspirations - A rickshaw driver's perspective

‘Itna Suit pehenke college jana jaruri hai kya? (Is it compulsory to wear a suit to college?)’ In this torrid weather, that was the first question he asked. Here, I was trying to prepare for my presentation when he asked this ‘irrelevant’ question. I was about to lose it! But with some patience and with a tinge of arrogance, I replied, ‘Khwab bade ho toh sab karna padta hai! (If dreams are big then you need to put in extra effort)’ He smiled. Smiled? The smile intrigued me! It suggested that I was not the only one with the dreams. I was not the only one with aspirations. And as always, curiosity got better of me! I asked if he had aspirations in life. What followed was an eye opener. ‘Aspirations…’ He began speaking in English. My thoughts raced in all directions - what aspirations could he have? What could possibly be his goal? ‘TOO CASUAL’ he said. Jolted back to reality, I started hearing. ‘That is how I led my life, relaxed at every major event. Sometimes unfortunate but more ignorant!’ Not the same old story, I thought. Life is unjust – Another sob story of a cribbing man.

Nodding along just to get done with the conversation, I showed not so keen interest. ‘I work hard every day’, he continued. ‘For my child’s education and his ambitions. Aspirations and dreams. My child’s dreams. His dreams are big, they drive me! His passion, his stubbornness to achieve his dreams pushes me every day.’ He stopped speaking.

This time with a wider smile on his face. The smile was of content. We parted. The entire episode being played time and again. The sheer audacity of his dreams. Begged but asked the very question that kept me pondering… The fire to go on and work hard to achieve a dream, if his ‘son’ is his source. Then, WHERE DOES MY ‘SUN’ LIE?

Article contributed by - Aditya Deole, Marketing Team, Yellow Fishes

4 Questions that will make you rethink your brand strategy

Your Brand Promise is the singular strong idea that your customers and employees can relate to. In the most ideal scenario, your established Brand Promise should connect meaningfully to all your stakeholders. Brand Promise needn’t be articulated in words; it should be your way of business, delivered at every Brand touchpoint.

If you feel your Brand Strategy is on the mark, think again. Try answering these 4 questions.

1. Do you think your Brand evokes Emotions at every touchpoint?

Just the ‘right emotions’.

2. Do you know why your employees are working for you?

Doing good business and earning profits is fine. But that’s not the end goal.

3. Do you think your Identity communicates your Brand Promise effectively?

Brand Identity encompasses everything - all Visual and Verbal touchpoints.

4. Do you know why your customers come back to you?

It’s important for you to determine what’s the sticky factor of your brand.

If you have answers to all of the above, then your Brand Strategy is on the mark.

But, if your brand needs a North Star and a guiding force - then its time for you to invest in Brand Strategy. Your Brand Strategy will help you define what you truly stand for.

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Yellow Fishes is a premier Branding Agency that could help you identify and define your Brand Strategy.

Difference between Brand Strategy & Marketing Strategy

Many businesses often get confused about the difference between Brand Strategy & Marketing Strategy. And it is understandable because they are not mutually exclusive strategic concepts, but heavily intertwined. They are very interdependent, so much so that they define and inform the extent to which the other could go. Brand Strategy defines what the business stands for and how will it be relevant to its Customers. It takes care of Customer expectations and Brand Promise made to them. It also informs how the brand will communicate - its Tone of Voice. Marketing Strategy, on the other hand, defines how the Promise will be communicated and what mediums will the Brand use. It also determines how to make the business profitable by increasing Brand Awareness and Customer Conversions.

Brand Strategy pivots around Emotions of Customers. It defines softer attributes - like Brand Values that are fundamentally imperative to business success. Marketing Strategy is more tangible, quantifiable and measurable.

Brand Strategy is manifested for both - internal and external stakeholders. It helps Customers to create an Emotional Bond with the Brand while also giving employees a purpose and clear goal to work towards. It helps the business understand who they truly are, and adds sense of purpose within the organisation. Marketing Strategy is targeted for external audience, specifically to garner more Customers.

Conclusion:

So what is the difference between Brand Strategy and Marketing Strategy?

Brand Strategy is the key to effective Marketing Strategy. They have always been, and will always be interdependent strategic concepts. They both go hand-in-hand. One cannot replace the other. Each strategy needs to be developed with utmost care and focus. There is no either / or between the two. But, a friendly shake-hand that multiplies the strength of your Brand.

Write to us and we'll be glad to help you with these specialised disciplines.

The 5 Golden Rules of Packaging Design

Packaging Design, also known as Package Design is very important element in your Brand Identity. A good Packaging can easily inspire trust and enable you to command premium for your products. Whether you're looking at creating a new Packaging Design or refreshing an existing one, here are 5 Golden Rules you should take into consideration.

Rule No. 1: Your Packaging Design should be true reflection of your brand/product

Neither over-promise, nor under-deliver. Packaging should be mirror image of your Brand/Product. It is quite human to form expectations looking at the package. Your Brand should not disappoint customers, or trick them into something they don't expect. Use the Front of Pack (customer facing side) to clearly express what the Brand stands for. Use both Visual + Verbal methods to do so.

 

Rule No. 2: Your Packaging Design should be consistent

Your product may have multiple variants, Packaging formats, or may be sold in varied sizes. It is important to have all of them look consistent. Own a Visual and Verbal style and know that your customers will recognise you with it. Consistency always inspires trust.

Rule No. 3: Your Packaging Design should be clear and precise

Use your Packaging as vehicle of your advertisement. You can communicate a lot on your Packaging if you use the real estate smartly. Include the reasons to believe in your Brand.

 

Rule No. 4: Your Packaging Design should be different and own-able

A unique Packaging pops out on the shelf. Differentiate your Packaging by means of format, shape or colour palette. Today, we have great ease in recognising Tide with orange colour, or Cadbury’s Dairy Milk with purple. We instantly know it, without even reading brand names. Pringles box and coke bottle does the same magic. That's the power of differentiation.

 

Rule No. 5: Your Packaging Design should be functional

Think about the environmental footprint of your Packaging. In international transits, cost of transportation is by cubic metres of space occupied, so keep the package moderately small. Deliberate over Packaging materials and shelf life of your products. Make it recyclable, if possible. And of course, adhere to all legal compliances.

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Bonus:

Try to raise the bar. Break at least one norm in the category you operate in. And delight your customers.

Check out the following case studies of packaging design:

Auric

Naturma

Rostaa

QUE

Iryasa

Day Healthy

Dabroh

Classic Branding Mistakes to Avoid

Choosing your brand name the wrong way

A lot of new businesses are naming their companies based on the availability of domain names. No. No. No. You can’t choose your business name based on a .com domain. Select the best, most appropriate name for your business. One that reflects Value System & Personality of the company. Having a nice domain name is sure important, but you can always do permutation-combination there.

Starting with marketing, ignoring the need for branding

Very often people jump onto Marketing Execution as they want to get started with business. So, they begin with a clumsy Logo, a cheesy tagline, default system fonts and a basic Colour Palette. Seldom do they understand that at every touchpoint, their business is creating Brand Image. A sharp and relevant Brand Identity, done with the help of Branding Agency, will get more customer conversions per dollar spent on Marketing. Defining your Brand Strategy and Brand Identity will also help you determine key messages for the Brand.

Underestimating the power of branding

Branding is not beautiful Brochures or stellar Websites. It is neither pretty fonts nor an intriguing Logo. It is sum total of all these elements, whose look and feel is defined by what your Brand stands for. Define your Brand first.

Not being consistent

One of the most important attribute of Branding is consistency. Consistency commands trust. Learn to control your whims and fancies if you want to build a strong Brand. Once the Brand Personality and design style is defined, continue with it. The benefits you reap by staying consistent is very rewarding.

Going to an advertising agency for development of your brand

An Advertising Agency, in most cases have a limited view of Consumers and Competition. Almost all Ad Agencies operate with a general belief that a Brand has to do unique stuff to stand out. It is not always true and not needed at that stage. Moreover, the objective while building Brands is not disruption, but definition. Branding Agencies don’t think campaigns. They think long term, sustainable Brand Promise.

Resisting change

Very often businesses get complacent with their current numbers. Don’t stick with your Branding if it isn’t working. There is no thumb-rule here. You may need to Rebrand your business over and over until you get it right. Learn to judge your Branding with an open mind. Go out and ask your customers. Step into their shoes. See what can be bettered. Include those things in your brief.

Brand Architecture

Brand Architecture is an important strategic process in Brand Development. Brand Architecture, simply put, is the relationship between various Brands in an Organisation. It defines how should two Brands be related or be completely unrelated. Brand Architecture informs how should each Brand behave, how should they talk, what should they believe in and how do they Visually Express themselves. It maximises Visibility of every Brand in the Portfolio.

Whether you are establishing your first Brand, or you’re big enough to Merge/Acquire another company or have grown to be Multi-Million Dollar Business with several Brands, Brand Architecture is important to you.

Scenario 1: You are starting your first business

Consider you are a budding Entrepreneur and have plans to start a new fine-dine Restaurant in the coming months. Subsequently, you also have plans to start a Sports Bar and a Themed Cafe.

A. You decide that all these 3 businesses should run as ONE Brand. They should all be built on same Values, have same Brand Name, Logo and Visual Style. Great. You will save on Marketing Expenditure and can leverage the Equity of already existing Brand Name. But, if you deliberate a little more, you’ll realise that all the three businesses will cater to different set of customers.

B. Hence, you may want to consider option B, where you’ll give each business its own unique Identity, unique Brand Name, Logo and Visual Style. Well, there are demerits of doing so as well. You’ll have to establish each of the Brands from the beginning. Investing so much of time and money may not be worth it. Here is where a Branding Agency comes in. By systematically analysing multiple parameters, you’ll be recommended if all or none of the future businesses should carry existing legacy.

 

Scenario 2: Your existing business is successful. Now, time for a new business. Or perhaps, a merger or an acquisition.

In such situations, Brand Architecture Strategy can help you in three ways:

1. Avoids Cannibalisation:

BMW 3 series doesn’t cannibalise sales of 5 Series because they are meant for different Customer Profiles. If you’re sporty and young, you’d go for the 3; and if you’re more of an Executive Class who is mostly chauffeured around, you know the 5 Series is your choice. This takes us to our second point.

2. Clarifies offerings:

Brand Architecture bring order and clarity to the portfolio. It can help Customers differentiate between two products of the same company (House of Brands) or it can help them identify two Brands of the same company (Branded House). This also helps Customers choose what they want. It is easier to decide between MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, as compared to two windows computers from HP.

3. Optimises expenses:

A clear and easy to understand Brand Portfolio helps Brand Owners to optimise Marketing spends on each Brand and control Management expenses that otherwise would have been out of proportions.

About The Brand Meridian Model:

The Brand Meridian Model is our Proprietary Tool that solves most complex Portfolio issues to help maximise business resources. It irons our any anomalies in the Portfolio whilst also optimising and leveraging Brand Equity. You can learn more about The Brand Meridian Model by writing to us.

Read more about Brand Architecture here.

Brand Expansion - How to make a local brand global?

If you're reading this, our best guess is that your brand is doing well. Congratulations! And probably you're ready to grow outside the Geographical Limits - moving to another city, state, country or continent. This goes without saying that before finalising your next business location, you should have enough Customer and Market Understanding. And once you've finalised the location, you should be taking the following steps to make your brand a success in new markets.

1. Standardisation and Consistency

When you're expanding to new geographies, the most important thing is standardisation of Brand Experience. It doesn't matter whether you're a Retail Champion, a Restauranteur, a Fashion Label Owner, or a Service Provider. You stand for something today and you've spent time and energy in getting there. When you expand to new location, your Brand should continue to stand for the same Promise. Have the same taste in your Restaurant, same fragrance, lighting and ambience in your retail store, and same Business Values, Ethics and Principles. This is critically important and hence it is Numero Uno on our list.

2. Localisation Strategy

While expanding, staying consistent and bringing in Brand's own legacy is important. But, Brands should also adapt themselves to the local markets. This is best implemented in the Food Industry. Mc Donalds remodels and alters its menu for each country. Starbucks couldn't sell lot of coffee in China (because it is a tea-loving country). This led them to create a menu specific for that country - with loads of tea on offer. This applies to you too - no matter what your business.

This may appear dichotomous. Hire a Branding Expert to strike the right balance between "what to continue" and "what to change". In India, "Bata" - the Footwear Retail Brand is perceived so Indian, that now we have hard time believing it is an international brand, that too from Europe. Hyper-Localisation can ruin the Brand Imagery. And so does Franchise Model without strict Guidelines. Here, an outsider's POV is paramount. Branding agencies have best understanding of market and customers. Write to us if you're looking at entering Asian markets.

3. Distribution and Reach

Distribution is important for Product Brands. For a Product Brand to be successful, it needs to have significant reach in the new Geography. Customers should be aware of the Brand, what it offers and how it is different. So, in addition to the robust Supply Chain Management, you should also have good Communication Budget to announce your entry into the Market. You could do this with extensive Social Media Engagements also.

4. Research and Penetration

Once you're in the new market, you should continue to Research on the Trends, Beliefs, Aspirations of the new Market. The impulses & triggers to purchase a Product or buy into a Brand differs every 250 miles. When you introduce a Product specifically for new Markets, the Consumers are pleased. We often see this in car Market when country-specific Models are launched. They are very often successful, and are based on their Research and understanding of the Market needs. But, you could do it in any Category. Leverage your Brand, capitalise on your strengths and live upto your Brand Promise. 

Recession and Brand Building — Put the pedal to the metal, when everyone else slows down.

In a car race championship, if you're trailing behind and want to win the race, what do you think you can do? Nope, accelerating won't help, because you're already pushing your car to its limits and so are all others. So, how will you win? Well, you can. Read on to find out how.

Drawing a parallel to the business world, perhaps you have strong growth plans but the competition is doing better than you. Your company is hustling every day, your teams are giving in all they have got and your competition is still ahead. So, how will your Brand win? Wish there was Nitro in real world too.

If you want to take the lead and win in the car race, the only opportunity you have are the corners of the circuit — where every one will slow down. You too, have to slow down, but accelerate harder and quicker than others. That's your only chance. Don't miss it.

In business, if you want to be the industry leader, or start a new business — NOW IS THE TIME. Use this economic slowdown to your advantage. Everyone else around you is slowing down. Go Zag, when the world goes Zig. While they cut down on expenses with layoffs, you should be brainstorming on your next move, invest in Branding (the best time to do it), scale up your digital presence, revamp your website, build strong customer relations, plan diversification and international expansion of your business.

If you’re like us, you’ve always prided yourself on a particular process and/or a certain way of doing things. We immensely respect your commitment to who you are and how you work. But, unique circumstances demand unique responses. Don’t be afraid to adapt your perspective, shift processes, offer online ordering, and refocus on how your business can maintain cash flow and build momentum for the future. Who knows? You may find a new, profitable revenue stream as you adapt and shift your business that you can take with you long into the future.

The worst thing you can do is panic right now. Remember what got you here. Rest easy in that, while we don’t know how long things will be this way, it is temporary and there is a return to normalcy at the end of the tunnel. Understandably, we’re all refocusing and shifting to survive and sustain something none of us have really faced before. No one has all the answers, and “figuring this out” looks very different for each of us — but don’t panic. Take things in stride. Be open to change and new ideas. Be flexible with what you may have to do to sustain and thrive in the near term so you can sprint out of the gate when things return to normal.

Our only request is DON’T SLOW DOWN! Put the pedal to the metal. This is your only chance, until the next recession.

What does it take to be an entrepreneur?

"Everyone can be an entrepreneur. But very few truly are.”

To be an entrepreneur you need not have: - Money - Place to set up your office - A large team - Enough job experience Surprised? Don’t be.

 If not these, then what do you need to be an entrepreneur?

1. You need courage. And you must be full of courage. You should be willing to hustle every day of the year. Period.

2. Self-Motivation & Perseverance. No matter what the world thinks about your business- if you love it, keep going.

3. Trust your gut. This is a big one. Your gut will talk to you often - listen to it and act wisely. If you feel butterflies at 3AM just fantasising about your business - you will succeed.

4. Adaptability & Flexibility. Be willing to adapt. Be agile. Don’t overthink. If you make a mistake, accept and move to the second best alternative. You will hit quite a few walls in your entrepreneurial career, and its okay. Everyone does. Don’t be bogged down. Keep moving. Hustle. And lastly, “Don’t be afraid to start small. Every great company was once small, confined within a room."

Brand Association - Why do we associate with a Brand?

When you interact with products, be it your morning coffee to what phone are you using, how do you feel about it? You walk into a Starbucks for coffee or own an iPhone is because you want to be associated with these Brands. They make you feel in a certain way. You trust them and its image appeals to you, it matches or exceeds your expectations and it doesn’t let you down.

Brand Association refers to particular impressions a Consumer has about the Brand. These impressions are imprinted by the marketers in our minds using associations that are memorable and strong. This helps one Brand differentiate from other competing Brands. To my mind, Samsung has a stronger association with colour Blue, even stronger than Microsoft. These associations take shape over a period of time by all forms of communication like Advertising, Promotions, and more. It is the Brand Image that differentiates one Brand from another in the eyes of the Consumer. Brand Image is the overall impression in Consumer’s mind that is formed from various associations. Brand Association is not a factor of Sales or Market Share, but it sure is a factor of memorability or Brand Recall, like they say. For example, some feel Apple's MacBook is a better brand as it exceeds expectations. On the other hand, some feel Samsung is a better Brand as it is simple and affordable. They both appeal to different mindsets. And appropriate Associations are pushed by the Brands to appeal to right Benefit Groups. While both the Brands appeal best to its Consumer Classes equally- which is a better Brand remains debatable. When a Consumer buys a Product or a Service, s/he is not only paying for the Product or Service but is also paying for the Brand Image and how s/he associates her/himself with the Brand.

I associate with Burberry Body perfume as it gives me the sense of exclusivity and it carries an elite image. The fragrance is just different from any regular one. May be its just my perception. But, I feel so.

Ask yourself, why do you associate with your favourite Brand?

Article contributed by - Ashni Shah, Marketing Team, Yellow Fishes