Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Product Branding - What's So Important about a Name?

By Rachel L. Matagaster


Whether you are selling services, electronic downloads, or shippable goods, the principles of product branding are worthy of your consideration. Any product must be seen, and make a favorable first impression. Product branding takes your creation and makes it a memorable to your clients.

Marketing is a big industry, and there is good reason for this. It does you no good to have that amazing invention if no one knows it exists. It is hard to sell something that no one sees. These days we are overloaded with information, ads and sales pitches. You need marketing to capture the attention of others. You need something different.

So there you are with a great product and a catchy name. You know your market and how to get their attention. Most of the time its hard work to get to this point, and much of the time we have invested a great deal of time, money and energy with little in return. We look forward to that payday when it all that hard work brings us rewards.

Branding will protect that good name you have masterminded. Anyone in marketing will agree that a good name is hard to find. Advertising agencies spend long hours researching and testing names and concepts to see how well they will be accepted by their target market group. Once you find a good name you will want to protect it so that others cannot take your ideas.

There are many directions you can take in product branding. You may have a new, unique product that you want to test and want to isolate this new product from your other established products. Usually products are grouped together through family branding so you can use the success of your other products as a first step selling point for your new product campaign.

Another approach to product branding is called co-branding. This is the teaming of two companies to form a new venture. One example of co-branding is Visa and MasterCard. This concept works well to present a better product to both existing markets as well as attract new markets through the established names of each participant.

Check with your local Small Business Administration office for assistance and information on product branding. It's well worth your time to do your homework and understand the steps to creating and registering your product branding. The cost for product branding is low in comparison to the average ad campaign.

Product branding is an important part of your product development cycle. What's so important about a name? It can be your goldmine to repeat business and recognition by the market you value. You have the right to success, and knowing your rights by law can bring you from start up obscurity to a multi-million dollar corporation.

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