Jayanshi Sharma, Brand Strategist and Entrepreneur, Litmus Branding, speaks about a fresh approach to branding.
As someone who is a copywriter and brand strategist in an advertising agency, I can easily say that industries that are unconventional and less seen in the advertising space, always need a fresh approach.
The first step to branding is the purpose and positioning, under the bigger umbrella of brand communication strategy. Then comes the brand identity, the marketing collateral, and the web design and development. Finally, the digital strategies for SEO, SEM and SMM come into the picture. This is a general case scenario that can differ based on where the brand is in the process.
To begin with, I studied cement brands on the world wide web and on digital media. I believe brands are doing great for themselves and I am sure there is scope for improvement but I will give an unbiased opinion as to what I would do if I was the strategist for a cement brand.
I would establish a cement brand as a muscular one, in a rugged tone of voice, lending strength to its users and making sure that they can trust the brand. While in the past we have seen brands adopt a funny approach, I would bring a fresh perspective of emotion blended with strength. A father fulfilling his dream of building a house with cement laying the foundation of that dream, which then becomes a legacy over the years, is an example of the kind of brand language I would aim for.
Taking a stand
An interesting way to break stereotypes would be to have an approach of giving back to society and the environment, such as planting a tree on the sale of every cement bag or sponsoring the education of girls or making sure that one can spread the message of being against child labour loud and clear.
As far as going digital is concerned, every brand has a set of physical assets as they grow. They have property, a premise and other resources. In today’s day and age, having digital assets, such as websites and actively managed social media pages are
equally important.
Remember, there is no one way to build a brand. There can be many but choosing one way out of the many needs a thought process. This depends on what the brand stands for and whether that stand is being effectively communicated to its audience on relevant platforms and to the public at large.