“When you can’t see any daylight between what you believe, what you practice, what you offer and what you say about yourself, you are doing what great brands do.”
– Denise Lee Yohn
In the simplest of terms, your brand is a symbol of who you are and what you deliver.
Whether it’s your company’s brand or your personal brand, the first step in having a successful brand is knowing what your brand is. In a competitive environment, a strong brand strategy gives you a major edge, as branding and marketing go hand-in-hand.
A great example of branding and probably one of the most used references is Kleenex. No one reaches for a “tissue.” And when was the last time someone asked for you to pass over “the box of Puffs?” The brand’s logo is very conservative, with the word Kleenex in a Montauk Pro cursive font. Another great example is Lego. Lego’s brand is about creativity, fun, learning and imagination. Can you name a competitor to Lego? Would it surprise you to know that there are 14 competitors in America? Can you name another product that was so well-branded, they were able to create a 90-minute infomercial about their product and it became one of the highest grossing movies of the year in 2014 ($468 million and counting)?
Rebranding is a strategy where names, terms, logos are redesigned with the intention of developing a new identity or different identity in the minds of consumers. Sometimes it is very subtle. Sometimes it is extreme.
We at Advantage Publishing Inc. have recently gone through a modest rebranding. In our case, the change was about clarity. When we incorporated in 2003, API was spelled out with a tagline, “The local voice in publishing.” Our mission is to utilize our strength as a community connection catalyst to inform, connect and engage members of our community through multiple media platforms and to showcase the individuals, businesses and non-profits that make us proud to call Greater Gainesville our home.
While that still holds true, API has become more than just publishing. As the mission has expanded, the brand(s) must change as well. HOME is now known as HOME: Living in Greater Gainesville. Business in the Heart of Florida is now Business in Greater Gainesville. Guide launched this year as Guide to Greater Gainesville. In June, Taste of Gainesville will rebrand as Taste of Greater Gainesville.
From the beginning, we have identified with the community as larger than just one city. The Heart of Florida was a term used to identify the North Central Florida area made up of Marion, Sumter, Citrus, Hernando and Alachua Counties. As we have become more focused on the markets we represent and the products we offer, we have both narrowed the focus and expanded our reach with our new strategy.
Of course, the true success is in the eye of the beholder. In our case, it is you, our reader. Let us know what you think.
Until Next Issue,
Scott Costello
Publisher, Advantage Publishing Inc.