6Es framework of brand building
Strong brands are assets to the business as
they earn premium and create consumer preference. People trust brands which
forms the basis of their purchase intention and loyalty over time. Branding as a discipline borrows heavily from
social sciences and psychology. Strong brands are not created just through
product design and communication but by finding a place in consumer’s heart.
Marketers can follow a simple six step
checklist to determine if they are nurturing their brands well and if their
relationship with the brand is enduring enough
Essence: It is the intrinsic nature or indispensable attribute which
determines the brand character. The
essence is the core identity of the brand. It reflects as to what the marketer
want their brand to stand for? For example, the essence of brand Fevicol is
‘sticking together’ or building bonds. The core essence of brand Google is
‘search’ and that is what remain indispensible to the brand.
Efficacy
(promise): The unique and differentiated advantage of the
brand defines the promise made by it. The promise that the brand makes and the
value it bestows to customers signifies its brand positioning. The brand’s
value proposition can be functional (when it is a new category, new market or
significant competitive advantage in terms of technology etc.) or emotional
(when product is a non differentiator, brand try occupying a share of heart).
For example, the value proposition of Dell is its superior customer service and
customization which is clearly functional. Dettol antiseptic on the other hand
owns the proposition of ‘protection like that of mother’.
Emotion: Branding is a process of taking product
from the left side of the brain to the right. Therefore, irrespective of the
fact that brand differentiates itself on functional or emotional benefits, it
needs to identity an emotion through which consumers can connect with it. For
ex., Dairy milk owns togetherness and Fevicol has emotion associated with
lifelong association (tone being humor). Today it’s not just the B2C brands but
even technology and corporate brands that are trying to find an emotion to
associate them with the consumers. For example, Cummins associates itself with
passion to perform.
Employees: Before
the brand interacts with the external customers, it needs to build association
with its internal customers i.e. employees. If your employees do not believe in
you, the customers would not. The people who deliver the brand experience or
are at customer touch points need to be as knowledgeable and passionate about
the brand as they actually make the brand. Ex. Ponds when launched their new
range of anti aging solutions in Middle East, the launch was first done with
Unilever employees so that their own internal customers could become brand
missionaries.
Experience: This stage
involves creating brand experience at every touch-point. Brand experience are
created through appropriate communication mediums including mass media,
activations etc. Distribution channel and intermediaries play an equally
important role in creating the right experience for the consumers. This stage
would hence include most of the steps in brand implementation plan including
communication, distribution, packaging, promotions etc.
Engagement: To have a large base of loyal customers, it is critical to engage
them with the brand. This instils a sense of co-creation as consumers feel a
part of entire momentum. In socially connected world, companies do not
adequately utilize the potential of social media by using it only as a vehicle
for information dissemination. When you are engaging with your consumers
effectively, you are building a sense of ownership for the brand and hence
deeper commitment towards the same. As marketers we need to personify our brand
and ensure that consumers find a friend in them.
Building brands is like nurturing children.
They require the care and passion of a parent and continuity of investment and
efforts to ensure long term success.