Successful Branding

The subject of branding is immense and multi-facetted.  A comprehensive discussion of branding is certainly beyond the scope of this blog.  However, from time to time we see some examples of branding that deserve extra recognition.

Adcock, Halborg and Ross mention three customer benefits of successful branding in their marketing primer:

• Quick customer recognition (leading to accelerated purchase)
• Customer reference point for quality and performance
• Intangible feelings or meaning the customer associates with the product or service

The first nice example of branding I saw this week was the new campaign from the Dixie County Chamber of Commerce – A Great Place to Live, Work and Play!  They developed this three word handle during their recent strategic planning sessions.  The Dixie County Chamber did a great job finding a short, three-word tag that is easy to remember.  But more importantly, they found three words that conjure intangible feelings and meaning that are unique to each individual that reads them.  When folks hear those three words, some think of sitting in a tree stand, while others think of paddling down the Suwannee River.  Some may reflect on their vegetable garden while others think of hauling timber.  The genius of this brand is that there are as many meanings tied to those three words as there are people reading them.  In this way Dixie County has identified itself with you and made it easy for you to identify yourself with Dixie County.  The fresh and updated artwork adds to the slogan and completes the package.  The three words also give the Chamber room for growth as they can expound on the three topics in other brochures and highlight these three facets throughout the year at various events.

The second example I wanted to show you was from the parking lot of the Live Oak Post Office.  After you park and on your way to the sidewalk you pass a name stenciled on the parking lot.  It is the name of the company that paved the parking lot.  This branding is brilliant for a couple of reasons.  First of all, it communicates that Advanta is proud of their work.  After all, would a business owner want to tag shoddy workmanship?  When you put your name on something, you are saying: “I did this and I am proud of it.”  It also communicates the corporate culture of Advanta.  The employees know that their work is going to be labeled and this incentivizes them to do a good job.  The stencil also gives potential customers a quality reference.  This branding method is free and somewhat permanent.  It will continue to ‘advertise’ for Advanta long after a billboard has faded and a yard sign has been tossed in the trash.

Kudos to the Dixie County Chamber and Advanta Asphalt for their success in branding!