What makes a good brand

By Yun Suh-young

Jobseekers strive to be different to grab a place in the competitive job market while companies struggle to hold a strong position in the product category.

Being "different" is such a big issue in the era that we live in as we often equate "success" with being "different" from others.

Gurus in their respective fields, Steve Jobs and Coco Chanel each said "Better is not enough. Try to be different" and "In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different."

Being different however isn't just about the image, quality or function - yes, that too - but in fact, it's more than meets the eye.

Competitive branding

There are five factors that can lift a brand to success trajectory - price, cost-effectiveness, function, quality and reputation - according to branding theories.

But a good brand is a brand that lasts in the hearts of the consumers, experts say.

"A brand is a symbol that contains an image and an identity," said Park Hang-gi, president and chief branding officer at Metabranding, a local brand-consulting firm.

"A good brand is one that is engraved in the heart of the consumers. If it's not in their heart, it is nothing more than a name. Consumers should feel the value of the brand in their hearts."

In order to look different, a brand can position itself as either being "the first," "the only," or "the best" according to marketing professor Hong Sung-tae and branding director and president of JOH company, Joh Su-yong, in their recent book "Better is not enough. Be different."

But such a positioning is effective only to enter into the trajectory of distinctive brands. To remain in the trajectory, a brand must continuously evolve, without losing its identity.

"Following the trend can damage the brand. It can end up being neither this nor that," the book points out.

Being unique

"People say we should always be different. This came as the next step to being better. But I think the future of brands depend on being unique instead of just being different," said Park.

"You can always be different but not unique. For instance, if I was born blue in the world of blue, I can color myself pink to stand out. But pink on top of blue creates an ugly brown. It can stand out, but it's not attractive. I'd rather go with adding gloss to the color. This way, I can retain my identity and stand out at the same time."

Brands should look into themselves, define what their identity is, what value they pursue in order to find their uniqueness, Park says.

In the end, the uniqueness comes from a firm and consistent philosophy.

"Global brands have a consistent concept. This concept becomes a spirit which influences the product and marketing. A brand can only last long if they have a philosophy," say Hong and Joh in their book.

Sharing a culture

A good brand is one that can share its philosophy with their consumers and create a culture, branding experts say.

"Once the consumers are habituated to the unique culture and behavior of the brand, they cannot leave easily. If the brand can create a new habit, change the lifestyle of people and settle as a culture, that becomes the highest entry barrier for other brands," write Hong and Joh.

"Branding is forming an experience and helping that experience last. I think a brand starts from the philosophy of the founder but ends as a promise to the consumers," says Park.

"Harley-Davidson, for instance, may not be the best product but it makes you think it is. It makes consumers feel attached to it, providing a sense of belonging."

Brands like The Body Shop are noted as a good brand for its philosophy and influence.

"The Body Shop goes beyond naturalism. It advocates fair trade, human rights, animal rights, self dignity, and environmental protection. People feel as if they're joining in on these good causes when they're using the products," say Hong and Joh.

The slogan for The Body Shop is "Beauty with Heart" and they say "The business of business should not just be about money, it should be about responsibility. It should be about public good, not private good" on their website, explaining their brand philosophy.

Brands such as Lush and New Balance are also examples of good brands.

Lush, which was formed in the hope to provide fresh handmade cosmetics but with great fragrance, retains its concept by traveling to remote regions to find the freshest ingredients in a fair way. Aimed to provide joy in using the products, it has a huge number of loyal customers.

New Balance, which was originally created to offer comfortable shoes for those with deformities in their feet, retains its philosophy by supporting the disabled. It was the only brand to sponsor Bae Young-jin, the actual character the movie "Malaton" (2005) was based on, because other brands avoided sponsoring a disabled person.

"Consumers steer toward brands with a distinct identity in terms of philosophy. In the end, it's the brands with thought that will last," said Park.

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