Building a brand.
by Bruce Camber

Branding. A term from the Wild West when cattle roamed the open plains . . . and with the WWW, your products and services are like those cattle. But now, it seems as though the brand often has to be larger than the product. Who would have a problem identifying Nike? Yet, the crowd seems to be moving in another direction. So, perhaps branding is coming full circle to be more like days of old where the unique characteristics of the product were most important, and the brand simply told you who is owed the money. Let's talk about branding. Let's talk about value.

"Branding" on the WWW.  That is the only word I put in the search engine. There are 1000's of articles.

My first pick is BrandWeek, a weekly publication . . it seems this area within "the marketing industry" has become an art form.

How about a lecture (on-line slide show) on Branding and Brand Equity by Prof. Robert P. Leone, Berry Chair in Marketing, Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210

A website just about brand resources by Chuck Pettis, Managing Director, BrandSolutions, a division Publicis, 190 Queen Anne Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109 USA. Telephone: (206) 284-5060: (206) 301-4310. E-mail: cpettis@brand.com

The first step for most of us: Develop a logo and a look. You can consult with one of your local artists, advertising agency, or PR firm, or you can search the web. On a thin budget? You might find a group called MYLOGO helpful. http://1800mylogo.com E-Mail: info@1800mylogo.com Toll-Free: 1-888-8-MYLOGO

Now it is up to you to go inside your own products and services and understand the best possible way to create your brands. Good luck.