Understanding branding

03 June 2009
The key to successful brand development is understanding the branding process. For long-term success, a business must create a brand that resonates with consumers. Before embarking on the path of brand development, spend some time thinking about.

  1. Why you need a brand. Are you launching a new business, a new product, or service, or are you looking to revitalise a tired existing brand?
  2. After analysing your product, or service, and your company’s market position, define the brand you are looking for — what is its target market, goals and values?
  3. What role do you want the brand to play?  Is it a house brand, a sub-brand, a product brand, or an endorser brand?
  4. Do you wish to get exclusive rights to your brand name from the outset?  Or do you merely wish to use it and build up whatever rights you can through use?


It is also important to note that not all brand names are registrable as trade marks as they must meet certain criteria to qualify.  Also, a third party may already have rights in the same, or a similar, brand preventing you from adopting your preferred choice.

Developing a strong brand takes time and effort.  Work with your marketing staff, customers, design agencies – you can even use software packages to create brands.  Also don’t ignore middle of the night brainwaves!

It is important not to exclude any potential names at the start.  Just produce a list of possibilities.

Next, think about each brand name and consider whether it is:

  • Relevant to the market where the product will be sold
  • Original and unique
  • Distinct from your competitors’ product brand names
  • Memorable or easily forgettable
  • Associated with positive or negative imagery
  • Succinct
  • Pronounceable
  • Able to be used across all media
  • Associated with other words – check colloquial use, acronyms and other translations to make sure any associations are positive, not negative.

Also think about:

  • Heritage and history of your business or product
  • Current brand positioning of your other products
  • Names of competitors’ and competing products
  • Potential meanings in other countries — if you wish to expand internationally, check for adverse meanings of your brand name overseas
  • Your vision of the brand’s future.


Consider undertaking market research on a scale that suits your budget, time frame and nature of your marketplace.  Remember, it is your target audience that holds the key to your brand’s success. 

An important, but often overlooked, step in brand development is making a clearance search.  A search will tell you whether your chosen brand is available for use, and whether your use will infringe another’s rights. 

If registering your brand as a trade mark is a key consideration for you, a search will also tell you whether your brand is registrable. Problem brands include surnames, geographic names, words that describe the product or service characteristics, offensive words, deceptive words, and Maori words of special cultural significance.  However, there are always exceptions to the rule, so seek professional advice on whether your chosen brand is registrable. 

Success in business often comes down to your ability to influence choice.  Brands play an important role in customer choice. To quote the words of Prophet Corp, “You can’t escape your brand. Either you make the customer experience, or it gets made without you.”

An edited version of this article was published in Her Business, June 2009.

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