Branding seems to be the buzzword of the new millennium, but what is branding and can it work? And, most importantly, can it work for you? We think so.

What is Branding?
Branding, at its root, is a proper name with a capital letter that distinguishes your product from its competitors. It acts as a shorthand reminder of all of the benefits, imagery, personality, and attributes of your product. It takes the generic to the specific; would you rather have a cookie or an Oreo? Do you want to go to an amusement park or Disneyland?

Why Brand?
Good branding builds customer loyalty, establishes a higher perceived value, increases word-of-mouth advertising and allows you to increase sales and profit margins. The secret of success, however, is to establish a consistent message across all marketing vehicles. Remember that every customer contact is an opportunity to brand – from phone calls to store visits to even dunning letters. In essence, you are giving a voice to your brand and letting it whisper or shout its way to glory.

Children’s retailers and products are naturals for exploiting their positioning. You can easily employ primary colors or backward letters. Yet, it is the sophisticated marketer who actually gets into the mindset of its customers and utilizes child-friendly language throughout. The Right Start, for example, utilizes a poster of a baby waving "bye bye" in place of the ubiquitous "thanks for coming." It also provides a play area to experiment with the toys and of course, a diaper changing area because it understands that this is a primary need of caregivers.

Do you remember how Clinique cosmetics shook up the industry when its sales representatives starting wearing white lab coats? The company was linking its brand to a medical image. You too can cultivate a distinct image just by the instituting a dress code. Everything from Hawaiian shirts to denim pants work as long as they are consistent with the personality of your store.

Signs of the Times
The City Cat Doctor in Chicago has to provide the sad news that their precious parking spaces are for customers only. Instead of merely stating the facts, their warning sign adopts the perfectly consistent tone with "Parking for patrons only. All others will be hissed, kissed, and meowed to death."

Replacing boring bathroom signs with fun ones works especially well for specialty businesses like yours. "Ken" and "Barbie" or "Raggedy Ann" and "Andy," are great alternatives. The Rainforest Café showcases "Tarzan" and "Jane" restrooms.

Another great example of consistent branding is a reserved parking space for pregnant customers at a maternity store. Clearly, the retailer understands the pain and the joy of its customers. The point is to avoid being plain and vanilla and add the flavor of your store to every aspect of marketing.

But is there more to consistency than signs? You bet!

Shapes, Shades and Sizes
Consistency pervades every action on your brand from the logo to the letterhead to your web site. Corporate colors should be selected and used judiciously each and every time. Is it any wonder that successful companies from IBM to Citibank specify their signature shade of blue?

Even shapes and sizes connote information about your brand. A coffee purveyor uses its 16 oz brown bags as direct mail envelopes to remind customers of its specialty product while H20 has successfully incorporated its wave design into its bottle shapes and tester cards. An ophthalmology practice, for example, prints in a minimum size of 14-point type because its customers are typically senior citizens in need of cataract surgery.

The Language of Your Customers
The essence of good marketing is to speak in a language that your customers expect and can understand. Caesar’s Palace adopts a familiar tone by beginning letters with "hail." A New York deli boldly asks its diners if they want to "schlep it home?" An Indian casino establishes its speed limit at 21 mph.

Every opportunity to communicate with your customers is an opportunity to amplify your brand positioning. Note how Kinko’s uses a 24 hour clock to reminding customers of its round the clock operations. Or consider SAS’ promotion of giving away a free Palm Pilot with its new business class service to connect the two quintessential business products.

Confusion Breeds Dissatisfaction
Any time you have a misfire in your communication strategy, you create consumer confusion. This confusion becomes customer dissatisfaction. What response should Hyatt guests have to the following note and gift?

"For your convenience, this bottle of Evian is here for your enjoyment. A charge of $3.00 will be posted on your room account upon consumption."

Huh? The high cost of the hotel, the opening comment of the note and the placement of the water suggest it should be free. The indication at the close of the note changes the tone of the original message and confuses the guest. The confusion also leads to negative feelings about the hotel.

Do it Yourself Tips
Looking for a few new places to brand your message? Consider these:

• Change your voice mail to an appropriate greeting. "Aloha" for your Hawaiian store or "Stay Well" for your vitamin products.

• Create a signature opening or closing. Think about Caesar’s Palace "Hail" as a great example.

• Select a unique color and stick with it! Quick, what color is Tiffany’s? Would the gift be as special if it weren’t enrobed in the signature robin’s egg blue?

• Try an unusual shape or texture. Laminating Pros in Chicago distributes only laminated business cards, of course.

• Change bathroom signs to something more exotic than Men and Women.

• Transform rules and regulations (typically at counters) into something expressive. "Bounced checks will be billed back to the parents at the rate of 1 kid per dollar."

Creating a strong brand takes hard work; it means giving extra thought to every word said or printed. Yet, do it right and your customer smiles and comes back for more. Do it wrong and your customer is confused. And, a confused customer will quickly find another brand.

Liz Goodgold is the CEO and Chief Nuancer of The Nuancing Group, which specializes in building company and brand identities. The Nuancing Group has developed product names, vanity phone numbers, taglines and Internet domains with "flawless recall" for companies such as Jenny Craig International ,HNC Software, and Proflowers.com.

Baby Shop, Spring 2000. Reprinted with permission.