Building a new brand: first ask three questions

Brand: is there another term that causes multiple micro-meanings for so many?

Searching online for precise definitions might help, but this can also extend the issue: with so many experts trying to offer a point of distinction, you’ll find as many explanations as there are people with opinions. Some are very good; many aren’t.  

Perhaps it’s why a lot of entrepreneurs and small business owners in Pakistan are unsure of the best method to start building a business brand. That statement isn’t based on experience alone. We’ve also done the research: it’s what people say, when the question is posed.

In Pakistan, we subconsciously follow brand-led consumer patterns; albeit these brands are seldom Pakistani born. That’s not due to any scarcity of Pakistani businesses offering good value; rather, it’s more likely due to a lack of importance given to professional brand building, long-term. That’s exactly what we are determined to help to improve.

It can go wrong

We’ve encountered multiple start-ups and new businesses in Pakistan who start building their brand, only to spend time and money rectifying it within 12 months. Usually because the work didn’t truly represent the founder/s vision; because it was poorly executed; or because proper due diligence was missing from the creative process — and now the owner finds that their supposedly distinct brand assets are evident in another, more established brand identity.

Your brand should serve to make your business distinct, in the market/s — and more precisely — the category/ies in which you’re going to compete. In short, when it’s time to buy, you want prospective customers to be able to quickly think of your brand. There are countless other benefits to building a distinct brand: too many to cover adequately in this introductory article, but we will aim to address those in time.  

Ask yourself three questions

If you’re about to start — or are in the early stages of building your first business brand — here are three questions that you can first ask yourself. The answers should set you on the right path to building a distinct, relevant, and protectable brand.

1) What do I want my brand to represent?

• Do I have a defined purpose?
• Which brand values do I want to convey? 
• Is my offering unique or different?

2) How do I make my brand distinct? 

• What are my competitor brands?
• What do those brands look like/ how are they similar/different?
• What are my target customers used to seeing?  

3) Where do I start?

• Can I really do this by myself?
• Is there a method to do this right?
• From where can I get help? 

Answering these questions should set you in the right direction as you begin building your brand. From choosing a name, to making a brand promise, to creating a visual identity, — and other assets – they need to be accomplished optimally.

The perpetual process to build and maintain a relevant brand stretches far beyond these foundational building blocks. Some brands with heritage and longevity have outlived the businesses that they once represented. What a testimony to great brand-building!