Essay

Branding a company, product or service is a great way to promote its image and identity that in turn can enhance sales and profitability. As a PR adviser, what steps will you take to bring about such a catalytic effect on an organization? Two companies for your consideration are Apple Inc of the US and Income FairPrice, Singapore’s retail giant with 80 old outlets and another 30 outlets under its “Cheers” brand name. Research the company of your choice to obtain more information on its structure and activities and use relevant theory to back up the decisions that make.

Though it is a time taking process, but once completed, it rewards for long. Brand building is more than creating your logo or launching a new marketing campaign. It is an art and science of changing the way how your brand is perceived by the public in general and your target audience in particular. Every day, we see hundreds if not thousands of brands, but only remember a few. Not many people can name three different dryer sheet brands. So why do Nike, Apple and even Wal-Mart stand above the rest? They stand for something powerful: the power of building a memorable brand. A brand is a product, service, or concept that is publicly distinguishable from other products, services, or concepts so that it can be easily communicated and marketed to customers. Branding can be applied to an entire corporate identity as well as to individual product and service names. Customers experience your brand in numerous ways: products, packaging, price, marketing, sales personnel, etc.

Each of these contacts or touch points molds the customer's impression of the brand. Some of these touch points are obvious, like product performance, and one-on-one customer interactions. Other touch points, such as the product manual, monthly statements or post-sales support, may be subtler in their brand effects. Your brand image creates expectations. It defines who you are, how you operate, and how