Creating a brand

• More than creating a name
• Identify what’s most important to the market/barriers to sales
• Differentiate where there is the most value to the buyer or consumer
• Move purchasing decisions beyond price

A successful branding program does a number of things.

• Effective branding is more than creating a name. Establishing a brand in a consumer’s mind should conjure up sensory feelings that link to positive experiences. A consumer will rely on these past experiences when it comes time to buy the brand product again.
  
• In developing an effective brand, one must identify what the market wants and what is preventing sales from occurring without the brand identification. With Alaska salmon, one of the biggest hurdles is quality. Therefore, a producer may establish a brand that is associated with certified quality standards.
  
• Determine what will get your buyer to pay more for the product. For instance, is convenience more important than quality? Is availability more important than product form? Find out what the consumer really wants and build your brand around those needs.
  
• The end game is to move the purchase beyond price. When faced with two products that are essentially the same, can you develop a brand that addresses the consumer’s needs and delivers on promises time and time again. If you can, you can likely charge more for your product.
  

Identification vs. Differentiation

Identification

• Gets products on the radar screen
• Attaches a name to a product

Differentiation

• Establishes points of difference
• Can be intrinsic or created

Two key concepts in branding are identification and differentiation.

Identification essentially gets your product on the radar screen and attaches a name to it.

Differentiation establishes how that product is different from other like competing products. These differences may be real or perceived.

Building our brand

• What are our barriers?
• What are the unique attributes of our product?
• What attributes could we create that would add value to the product?
• What should we call it?
• What should the name and logo say about the product?

As you build your brand, you need to address a number of areas.

Identify your barriers. For instance, if a producer wants to build his brand around high quality and the product typically has horrible quality, that producer will either need to rethink the branding strategy or change the way the fish is handled. Failure to do either will result in lost business.

Be sure to understand how your product is unique from others and build those branding messages around those attributes. If the fish is extremely red, make that a big deal. If it holds up better in the oven than the skillet, emphasize cooking methods.

Ask yourself if there are things about the product that may go unnoticed without finessing them out in a brand message. For instance, can we make people feel good about buying our product. Perhaps we can say the producers are Mom and Pop businesses and eating this salmon helps them.

Selecting a name and logo are important ways to create an impression on the consumer.