First, the Customer.

In many cases, the customer is the brand. That is, when you are designing your product, it should be with a specific target customer in mind. What unfulfilled need do they have? What is important to them? Why would they choose your product or service over another?

In a perfect world, these and other questions should be answered before any product development is done. Your product, your brand should be designed around your intended customer, as much as possible.

Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world, and many of us are dealing with established brands and changing times. But we can still ask these questions to determine how well our brand fits, and if necessary, gradually make adjustments.

The Promise

Once you have established who the customer is and what they want or need, next you decide what promise you are making to them. How will you fulfill those unfulfilled needs? More importantly, how will you do it better – or differently – than your competitors?

This is the underlying benefit your product offers. It might be better prices or better service, something that enhances their lifestyles or makes them happier. Whatever it is, it should be something that you can deliver consistently and that your competitors cannot.

The Product

Now you can start designing your product. Your product is the thing that delivers on the promise, and it must do so consistently and reliably. Nothing can damage a brand like broken brand promises. For evidence of this, look no further than Toyota. Quality and reliability is their brand promise, and it was broken. It will take a lot of work to repair the Toyota brand.

The Character

Finally, this is where the designers, copywriters, PR executives and others commonly associated with branding come in. It may seem trivial compared to the elements I’ve described, but giving your brand a personality is important. It can give customers a reason to associate with your brand, or it can be what attracts people to your brand in the first place. Regardless, it should be carefully crafted and managed.

It seems as though Mr. James is like John Cleese in this excerpt of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” wanting to be rid of Old Man Branding and get on with his life.

Problem is, Branding is “not quite dead.” In fact it’s getting better. So we would be wise not to club it on the head and throw it on the cart.

To be sure, Branding is vastly different than it used to be. Quality and innovation are more important than ever. But branding still plays an important role in the success of a product (or service, etc.).

First, it helps to define branding. Some say it’s little more than the logos, jingles and ads. I agree that too much emphasis is often placed on those things, but I think branding is much more.

Your brand is the foundation on which the customer-facing portion of your company is built. It is what people – customers, employees, vendors, the community – thinks when they hear your name or see your logo. It is what sets you apart from your competitors.

How you build and nurture that brand is, of course, a huge issue. People much smarter than I have debated this for decades, and continue to do so.

Nevertheless, I’ll throw my hat in the ring. Watch this space for a discussion of the key elements of Branding. And by all means, join the conversation.

This happens all too often. Far be it for me to question the wisdom of the high-paid executives at McDonlad’s, but these moves will only serve to weaken their brands over time. Brands are strong because people instantly know what they stand for.  When you want a cup of coffee, what brand comes to mind?

McDonald’s and Domino’s are huge companies trying to grow market share.  My point isn’t to criticize them, but to offer a lesson for companies for whom the brand is still important.  Are you trying to be something you’re not?  Are you thinking about offering a new service or product to increase your sales?  If you are, think about it carefully.  You could be toying with the long-term health of your brand.