Why Branding Matters?

​Because there are a WHOLE lot of brands trying to do the same thing you are trying to do. . . sell something to consumers. In a category like sauces, there are a WHOLE WHOLE lot of brands trying to do it. They are even tripping over themselves these days. Ranch has married ketchup, and they have a baby called Kranch or Retchup. I think they have third graders coming up with these names, by the way. Much respect to the third graders, but come on now. So if you have any hope of sticking out in spaces like this, you better have a lot of money to buy your way in, or you better be brilliant about what you are going to say and why that is meaningful to the people you want to fall in love with your savory, sweet, spicy, tangy delightfully saucy concoction. Here are a few tips:
 
1. Name it. Tell the people what it is and what it is supposed to do. You can’t do a mashup of names i.e., Kranch, unless you are Heinz.)
2. Describe it. Think about the experience you want people to have and what you want them to feel. Let that drive how you are going to describe it. Use real words. The kind that human beings use to talk to their friends and family.  
3. Define it. How do you want me to talk about the thing? Give me some words to use and some context to place around the product. Make it clear and make it valuable to me. Not just what YOU want it to be to me, but what will actually make my life better in a real way that I can see and feel. Make it personal to ME.
4. Connect it. How is it supposed to fit into my life?  What space do you want it to fill? Attach a trigger to it to help people easily get there. It’s like ketchup but tangier and more flavorful (or just about anything else since Ketchup is basically the water of sauces).  
 
 
So whether it is a sauce or a car, a boat, or a banana, building brands based on real stories that connect to people is very important. It can mean the difference in donning the clearance section or flying off the shelves. I think we both know which one is better. 

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