Strong branding and positions can help firms succeed, claims expert

As it is becoming increasingly easy for customers to discuss a brand (positively or negatively), it is integral that brands position themselves clearly in the market in order to succeed in the era of social media.

That’s the expert advice of Barbara Kahn, director of the Jay H. Baker Retailing Center at Wharton business school, who notes a change in business focus over the last few years means firms need to think about their brand communication.

She explains that brands used to be product-focused but this has changed to a customer-focused strategy, especially in an era where social media allows customers to control a brand’s connotations. For instance, a recruitment franchise may have to be customer-focused in their delivery in order to maintain a strong position in the market.

In addition, firms must understand their target user base alongside considering the emotional and personal characteristics of a brand, according to Kahn. A brand may be broader than a target user but as long as a brand is thinking about their positioning, it should come up with a much sharper strategy overall, adds warc.com.

Speaking to upenn.edu, Kahn stated: “A lot of what the brand means is communicated through discussions in social media, through chats, through blogs, through things that the manufacturer or the brand owner doesn’t control.

“Unless you really position the brand in a very strong way and people understand its DNA, you run the risk of detrimental things being said about your brand of a lack of consistency – it’s a very hard world to control,” she added.