Can a Branding Agency Give You a Bigger Bang for Your Buck?
~Nisha Ghanshani
As today's consumer becomes more informed yet more spoilt for choice, more responsive yet less loyal and more clued-in yet more clued out; the advertising agency is rapidly becoming passé. Taking their place as the new darling of marketers is the new force- the branding agency. The reason perhaps is that marketers today, realize the need for an integrated approach towards brand communications.
Furthermore, they have also arrived at the conclusion that brand communication is not the last word in marketing. This means that merely communicating with the target audience isn't enough. The perceptions of the consumers must be measured pre and post the brand communication to know the difference if any. The fray does not stop there. Marketers today must be in a position to change these perceptions too. Sounds tough? Well, not if you are consulting a branding agency.
A branding agency goes beyond the purview of brand communications by trying to measure the efficacy of the communication. If a particular brand message has gone down well with the target audience, the branding agency assesses whether this will impact sales or not. The branding agency also helps marketers understand consumer behavior. However, if a specific piece of brand communication has failed, this too is analyzed by the branding agency. The learnings obtained are then incorporated in the next piece of communication.
Also, the process of measurement often causes branding agencies to stumble upon dormant marketing opportunities and perceive threats in the marketplace well in advance. This valuable information is then passed on to the clients of the branding agency.
Besides measuring consumer perceptions, a branding agency also helps marketers to change these perceptions favorably. Though this may sound far-fetched and unbelievable, it is true all the same. And the trick that the branding agency employs is to simply go that extra step in knowing the consumers.
To give you a simple metaphor, engaging the services of an advertising agency is like enrolling in a dating program where you volunteer some information about yourself and then wait for prospective dates to come around. On the other hand partnering with a branding agency is like enlisting the help of a dating service that goes one step ahead. This dating service will not only showcase information about you to the prospects but also ask for their feedback, analyze it, get back to you with constructive suggestions, work with you on your areas of improvements and present you to the same prospects as the loveliest creature to have lived on planet Earth. Thus while one service is reactive the other is proactive.
If I asked you to choose between the above dating alternatives, which one would you prefer? Your answer is obvious and so is the reason for fall of the advertising agency and rise of the branding agency.
[The picture used in this article has been taken from the photo library of stock.xchng.]
Other Articles by Nisha Ghanshani
Building Brand Equity | Branding Strategies | Brand Campaign | Branding Services | Brand Strategy | Branding and Marketing | Branding Agency | Building Strong Brands | Co-Branding | Identity Branding | Logo Branding | What Is Brand Equity? | Brand Equity | Brand Image | Brands