Make your brand (really!) memorable with brand marketing

By Jennifer Montérémal

Published: 25 October 2024

When you think of a sports shop, you instinctively think of Decathlon. When it comes to soft drinks, Coca-Cola springs to mind. And there's a long list of companies that have managed to work their brand marketing to perfection.

These examples clearly illustrate the objective of branding: to establish a brand in the minds of consumers over the long term and become a key player in a competitive market.

The good news is that brand marketing is not just the preserve of large companies. Whatever your size or sector, you too can increase your influence with your target customers. But to tackle the right tactics, you still need to master the concept of brand marketing and know all its components.

That's why we're here 😉

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What exactly is brand marketing?

How do you define branding?

Brand marketing, the translation of "brand marketing", is also known as "branding".

It refers to a marketing discipline whose aim is to promote your brand in such a way as to anchor it permanently in the minds and habits of consumers. The aim? Set yourself apart from the competition in an increasingly saturated market.

A brand marketing strategy is therefore a long-term process, designed to :

Make you memorable. Ultimately, you need to be recognisable at a glance. When you see a piece of technology with an apple on it, you immediately know which brand you're dealing with!
Assert your positioning. For example, thanks to effective branding, anyone confronted with your brand will instantly understand whether you offer low-cost, mass-market products, or whether your products are more upmarket.
Ensure consistency at all levels (across your departments, across all your communication channels, etc.).

💡 Worth knowing: a brand strategy is ALWAYS built in line with the intended target, or marketing personas.

What about personal branding?

Another member of the branding family is personal branding. Here, as the name suggests, the concept applies to an individual.

This personal marketing, which involves the same components and techniques as brand marketing, aims to communicate positively around the identity of a personality, using it as a selling point. Obviously, we're thinking here of the growing phenomenon of influencers.

Who does the branding? The role of the brand manager

In brand marketing, the job of brand manager (or brand marketing manager) is of vital importance.

What is the role of the brand manager? To promote the brand by ensuring that its image and brand identity are consistent and well communicated.

The 5 components of branding

A good brand marketing strategy requires a holistic conception of your brand, which is seen as an entity in its own right.

In this approach, your brand image and your brand identity must spread through various components to better reach the hearts of consumers.

But what are these components?

#1 The offer

This is where it all starts. Whether we're talking about products or services, they are the starting points from which to deploy your brand marketing.

The value proposition, the level of quality and the prices charged all speak volumes about your brand.

#2 Visual elements

Typography,
colours
logo, etc.

All these elements build your visual identity. They therefore require special attention, so that consumers recognise you at a glance in the midst of your competitors.

👉 When you see the following logos, you immediately associate them with a brand:

What's more, through your visual elements, you tell people who you are and convey your emotions.

For example, the choice of colours leaves nothing to chance: red is associated with passion and strength, and is thought to stimulate the appetite; blue is more soothing and reassuring, etc.

Finally, all these components must be deployed consistently across all your channels:

website
newsletters
emails, etc.

💡 Tip: to provide a clear framework for this work, we recommend that you draw up a graphic charter.

#3 Text elements

After the images come the words.

Of course, the first thing we think of is the brand name, which should be easy to remember and may or may not clearly explain the nature of your offer.

Then there are the slogans. Some have made such an impact that, simply by listening to them, consumers are able to associate these few words with a given brand. "Just do it", "What Else", "Because we're worth it"... the list goes on.

But words are also the ones you use to address your target audience, in your newsletters, on your website, in an advertising spot...

Should the tone be friendly and humorous, classy or didactic? Your choice of wording says a lot about you and the type of people you're addressing.

💡 What about storytelling? Telling your story (even if it sometimes means embellishing reality) is an excellent way of creating emotion and humanising your company. More specifically, this involves depicting where you come from, what your values are, your strengths and weaknesses. A good way to make yourself memorable!

#4 Marketing and communication channels

The selection of your marketing and communication channels (television, radio, online advertising, etc.) is also strategic. For example, when it comes to social networks, the choice of a particular platform favours a specific positioning (young and trendy for TikTok, inspiring for Instagram, etc.).

On the other hand, certain channels are particularly suitable for disseminating the elements that make up your branding, from visual to textual.

Here are a few examples:

The website

In this age of digital dominance, brand marketing is increasingly becoming digital brand marketing.

Whether it's an e-commerce site or a showcase site, your website is the focal point of your branding. And with good reason: it brings together :

visual elements: logo, colours, photos and illustrations,
textual elements: your website is your voice. The way you write on it builds your storytelling and your identity.

The email signature

Today, the email signature is increasingly becoming an effective communication and marketing channel, thanks in particular to software such as Letsignit. How does it work? Add a personalised, branded banner to your email signatures as part of your marketing or communication campaigns. Used for one-to-one emails, this strategy ensures brand consistency and an excellent rate of engagement from your target audience.

#5 Customer experience

Finally, your brand marketing strategy is reflected in an unforgettable and consistent customer experience.

Throughout their journey, consumers need to understand who you are and feel (positive!) emotions. In this context, every point of contact that links them to your brand counts: website, point of sale, customer service, etc. And each must embody your expertise. And each one must embody your know-how and your desire to give them complete satisfaction.

Why is branding important?

Benefits for the company

Competitive advantage. One of the main objectives of brand marketing is to anchor your brand in the minds of consumers, and more specifically your personas. This way, as soon as they consider buying products like yours, they'll immediately think of you! It's a great way to stand out from the competition.
Company longevity. You don't change your branding strategy every two years - it's for the long term! So once you've become a key player in your sector, you'll stay that way for the long term... and ensure the longevity of your business.
Cohesion. By building a strong, coherent image and brand identity, you can determine where you want to go and how you want to structure your actions. In other words, you'll have a better understanding of who to sell your products and services to, and how, and you'll avoid spreading yourself too thinly along the way.
Loyalty. A customer who remembers you is more likely to use your products and services... and get into the habit of coming back to you again and again. Solid branding creates a feeling of attachment on the part of the consumer, and is therefore an excellent way of building loyalty!
Trust. A strong, recognisable brand is a guarantee of reliability with customers, but also with potential investors. The latter are more inclined to trust you if they really know who you are and what your value proposition is.
Increased sales. Finally, the icing on the cake is that a good brand image sometimes justifies high prices in relation to the production costs involved.

Benefits for consumers

Easier identification. The market is becoming increasingly saturated with new brands. In this context, branding makes it easier for consumers to identify them and creates points of reference.
Community. If they know how to transmit the right values to the right target, brands sometimes manage to bring people together and create a sense of belonging to a community. A godsend for the social animal that we are.

The 3 functions of brand marketing

Brand marketing has 3 main functions:

The relational and identity function. The aim of this type of brand marketing is to appeal to consumers who build their lifestyle in part through the brands they consume.
The aspirational function. Here, the strategy aims to inspire consumers through virtues and messages that resonate with them. While the brand may not be as deeply integrated into their daily lives as in the previous scenario, it still becomes essential in their eyes.
The transactional function. Finally, in this context, the strategy mainly involves removing uncertainties and increasing consumer confidence (product quality and origin, for example) in order to encourage them to make a purchase.