Tweak Your Biz » Marketing » Brand or Banned: What Is Your Brand Really Saying?

Brand or Banned: What Is Your Brand Really Saying?

by Josh George on March 17th, 2010
18 Comments



It seems like everywhere you turn, businesses are doing everything they can to gain your attention.

Found a humorous video online? There’s an ad for that.

Just downloaded a free piece of software? There’s an ad for that too.

Searching for an answer to a question you have? Well, there are ads for those as well.

While the advertising industry states that a person needs to see your ad branding image - toothpasteseven times before making a buying decision, it’s important to realize what message your brand is delivering to prospects.  You may think your brand is saying one thing, but is it really saying something else?

As juvenile as this may sound, many large corporations such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Kentucky Fried Chicken have fallen victim to brand misrepresentation:

  • When Coca-Cola launched in China, they wanted to retain their brand name.  They briefly ended up calling their product “Ke-kou-ke-la”, which (depending on the dialect) translated to either “bite the wax tadpole” or “female horse stuffed with wax”.
  • Pepsi’s brand slogan of “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” in Thailand roughly translated to “Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead”.
  • When Kentucky Fried Chicken broadcasted their “finger-lickin’ good” brand slogan in China, it roughly translated to “eat your fingers off”.

With the Internet and new technologies making it easier for people to access the global marketplace, it is important to determine the message your brand delivers to a worldwide audience.  To prevent any ambiguity with your brand, consider the following tips to help build a successful brand online:

  1. Be Consistent: Everything your business does should reflect your brand. In addition, time and resources should be allocated constantly to expand your brand’s exposure.
  2. Listen To Conversations: Most conversations about a business happen outside their reach.  Use various tools and services to keep track of what is being said about your brand in areas such as social networks, blogs and other online communities.
  3. Realize You Do Not Have Complete Control Over Your Brand: You can market and promote all you want, but in the end, your audience determines your brand’s image. As a company, your goal is to set the direction in which you want your brand to move.

Establishing a brand takes time and effort.  To create a brand the way you want, you need to market, present it accurately, and connect with your audience.  By analyzing your market and taking an active approach to brand awareness, you can establish a universally recognized name.

There are worldwide markets of consumers interested in your company and products.

What message is your brand saying to them?

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This post is part of the SugarTone: Sweet Business Blogging Contest.



Category: Branding, Marketing Strategy, Sugartone

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The Author:

As principal and co-developer of RealeFlix, my objective is to help real estate professionals and sellers take advantage of new technologies to increase their exposure online, as well as provide buyers with a more informative, user-friendly shopping experience http://www.realeflix.com/

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Add Your Comment

  • Anonymous

    Great post Josh. Really like point 3 spot on. It is vital that we listen to our audience to see how they are perceiving us.

  • http://www.seefincoaching.com/blog Elaine Rogers

    Hmm, keep it visual and clean! A picture can tell a thousand words.
    Thanks for a great read Josh :)

  • http://www.btbtraining.com/blog Niall Devitt

    I think listening to online conversations has now become a very critical piece of the brand building and managing exercise. Some companies are very good at it and some unfortunately are very bad. Not so long ago, I was at a meeting with a big European telco and they had no idea what so ever as to conversations taking place about them online. It was amazing how clueless they were. Great post! thanks for sharing.

  • http://www.globalcopywriting.com/ globalcopywrite

    Hi Josh,

    I think the 3rd point in your post is probably the most important. Regardless of how much we think we can manage our brand, we aren’t the ones in the driver seat. As Marty Neumeier says in The Brand Gap – Your brand is not what you say it is. It’s what your customers say it is.

  • http://blog.myprojecttracker.com Barney Austen

    Hello Josh – a very useful post – thanks. I love the Coca-cola in China example :) . Understanding the market you are pitching too is vital as is listening to what they have to say. It’s more expensive to fix those errors after the event!

  • http://www.wchingya.com wchingya

    Josh, enjoyed your post a lot. :) I’m fortunate to have been educated with mandarin so I can understand why direct translation do not always worked among the Chinese. Many times it has to be reconstructed, make sure the translation is close enough but not digress from its original meaning. It’s actually fun yet risky thing to do.

    Create awareness — that is an on-going effort. Management doesn’t stop at being famous and liked by many, but the real challenge is to maintain the reputation for a long period of time. Love this article!

    @wchingya
    Social/Blogging Tracker

  • Adriane

    Useful Information! The 1st post is on point. We now operate in a global economy with a many different cultures; therefore it is important to realize what message your brand is delivering to prospects. In this new era of social media, it’s good to know that establishing a brand will take time and effort in order to create a brand the way you want.

  • Guest

    Thanks for the comments everyone, I’m glad you were able to get something out of it! The third point about your audience having control of your brand is usually a controversial topic.

    If anyone has any questions about this, feel free to ask here or contact me. I’ll see what I can do to clarify!

  • http://www.fortysomethingbride.com/ Colleen Cole

    At the early, start up phase, I think consistency is key. I have three touchstones that I use, and I evaluate everything against them. It allows me to make decisions that reflect my brand well. thanks for a great article.

  • http://www.star-ts.com STAR Translation Services

    Hi Josh,
    this is a great and fun subject. In the translation business we come across this all the time.

    Another example is the “Chevy Nova” a pickup truck that was launched in Mexico. However in Spanish Mexican the word “No-Va” means – does not go!. Sales obviously where awful.

    International branding is a very sensitive subject – when you add language to this it gets more involved.
    For example Nikes “Just Do It” or McDonalds “I’m loving it” slogans had to be rewritten and localized during the translation process.

    Damian Scattergood
    STAR Translation Services:
    http://www.star-ts.com
    Confidence in a Translated World.

  • Roisin Bell

    In my experience entrepreneurs are almost always great sales people. However many SBOs just ‘end up’ doing what they do (rather than being driven to it by their own entrepreneurial ambitions) and so they probably don’t have these inherent sales skills. Sales may always be an uphill struggle for this group. This post will be useful for them as a simple set of foundation rules to follow.

  • http://frugalentrepreneur.com/ Adam Gottlieb

    Niall,nnI agree, many small business owners are not natural salesmen (or sales women); and they don’t have to be- they can hire another to do that job. But at the same time, small business owners are also ambassadors for their business- by default. If they don’t believe in the value of the product or service that they are providing, then why should anyone else? nnAnd irregardless of natural sales ability, every small business owner should do what he or she can to be in touch with the needs/attitudes of his/her customers, employees, and business partners and try to put his/her best foot forward.nnIt’s just common sense, but many miss it. nnThanks for the comment.nnAdamnn

  • http://frugalentrepreneur.com/ Adam Gottlieb

    Hi Roisen,nnIn my experience, it’s the drive and the belief in what they are doing that is the biggest seller… Passion can be a very contagious condition. But how many of us are passionate about our businesses/ skills/experiences?nnAdam

  • http://websitesgiveback.com/blog/ Elena Patrice

    I wholeheartedly agree with this article Adam! I’ve never heard the word “ambassador” used before in reference to a small business owner, yet this is the absolute best word to use! Thank you! When I think about it, I am always representing my company 24/7 and that’s what an ambassador does indeed. This is valuable information that any small business owner should take a moment and reflect on (even if it stings a bit). ;) n nMuch kindness,n nElena

  • http://www.academicallstartutoring.com Molly Perry

    As a new business owner, it is always good to get good information. We do wear many hats at many different times, but need to remember we are our business!

  • http://frugalentrepreneur.com/ Adam Gottlieb

    Hi Elena,nnSmall business owners have this added title because very often their company is built around their own talents, skills, expertice, etc; they are like a walking advertisement/representation even when they are not officially at work.nnThanks for the comment.nnAdam

  • http://frugalentrepreneur.com/ Adam Gottlieb

    Hi Molly,nn”[We] need to remember we are our business!” nnYeah, that’s my point.nnAdam

  • http://www.seefincoaching.com/blog Elaine Rogers

    If a SBO looks on themselves as an Ambassador, then they won’t fear the “Sales” aspect of their business. Sales is almost a dirty word for many business owners, yet if you ask them casually about their business, and they are passionate (a pre-requisite) they could talk all day. nnnSo in order for sales to succeed, a change in mindset is often needed. Ambassador is such a sweet tasting word compared to salesperson. nnnThe biggest challenge for some of my clients is not so much the passion, but the self-belief. I think we first must convince ourselves that the business is viable (and valuable to others) before we go outside. Also, being passionate about what we do does not guarantee transference onto others.nnnGreat points Adam! n@seefincoaching:twittern n

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