Successful positioning despite challenging market conditions: Why companies need to invest in brand building now
In an increasingly competitive marketplace, companies face the challenge of standing out from the competition and maintaining a good position. In this context, it is becoming increasingly important to build a strong digital brand with a sense of public responsibility and to maintain it continuously, as the Munich-based communications consultancy Evernine Group recommends. The Supply Chain Act also contributes to this, by the way.
Brand building involves the targeted creation of a strong brand that offers a unique customer experience and is clearly differentiated from other suppliers. In good times, it is easier for companies to focus on building and developing their own brand and to venture into new territory. Given the current market situation, however, many find it difficult to deploy resources in this area and to be bold. Yet the key to success lies precisely in digital and modern brand building.
“At a time when demand chains are fundamentally changing, a strong brand is the key to success. Only through a clear profile and strong positioning can companies survive in the market,” says Sven Blaukat, Director Strategy Consulting at the Evernine Group.
Contemporary brand-building measures must include the points of purpose, transparency, corporate responsibility and trust, as well as involving the company’s own employees. Today’s customers not only demand optimal products and services from companies. These must also bring demonstrable social benefits and allow identification with the corporate culture – in the best case, they also contribute to sustainability. Those who are not “perfect” here do not have to be at a disadvantage. Transparency and the public honesty to strive for improvements are also means to create the necessary trust for brands. In this way, they are accepted with trust by their target customers and can build long-lasting business relationships.
In B2B, too, it is particularly important to rethink the approaches to effective marketing. New buyer groups are increasingly emerging in the market, and with them entirely new peer groups. When it comes to purchasing, they are now much more interested in the responsible actions of brands. After all, those who buy need to be aware of issues such as resilience, sustainability, or even supply chain rules of the selling company – and here also justify themselves accordingly to their own ranks for the business relationships created.
“Contemporary brand-building measures today must focus on purpose, transparency, corporate responsibility and trust. It’s all about demonstrable benefits and identification with the corporate culture in order to win the trust of target customers and build successful business relationships,” says Sven Blaukat, Director Strategy Consulting at the Evernine Group.
Brand ambassadors as a success factor: authenticity in the “war for talents
To create authenticity, it can also help to use your own employees as brand ambassadors. In the “war for talents,” this is a technique for winning over new candidates with the increased reach and the associated authentic communication of one’s own values and culture.
Today, however, companies can only reach their target groups if their own brand is part of a comprehensive communications strategy that includes all channels. After all, targeted communication and consistent addressing of the target group is crucial to continuously strengthening the brand image. Campaigns should not be geared purely to sales or HR, but should always encompass and include the company’s own brand in order to anchor the brand in customers’ minds in the long term.
Challenging times call for intelligent solutions. Companies should therefore take a closer look at their brand building right now and dare to invest in this area in order to counter current crises with authenticity, trust, transparency and a comprehensive communications strategy and to position themselves for long-term success. The Munich-based communications consultancy and full-service agency Evernine Group supports clients on this path with best practices.
Source title image: Evernine Group.