Brands, relationships and good business

I came across a very interesting article online last week (at Startups.co.uk). It claimed that 'Branding is the lynchpin of business and critical to the UK economy', according to the minster for intellectual property. Now, a few things struck me when I read that:
• I didn't know there was a minister for Intellectual Property
• You can't always believe what a politician says BUT
• It's true!

David Lammy (Minister for Intellectual Property) was speaking at a conference - Branding in a modern economy - which sounds like an interesting event. A report is going to be produced, so hopefully some of the detail of the discussions that took place will be revealed. But this is a great contribution from Richard Reed, one of the founders of Innocent:
“Our brand got investors excited enough to invest in something that didn’t exist yet. You can’t separate a good business from a good brand. A product without a brand is like sex without love – there’s no lasting relationship.”

The event was obviously focusing on BIG UK brands - they talk about competitiveness on a world stage - but the principles and potential (outlined by Richard Reed) are the same for any business, whether your customers are around the corner, or around the globe.

Your brand is valuable because it's the personality of your business. It's what makes you different from your competitors. It's the reason your customers buy from you. It's the values and vision behind the products or services you sell.

So whoever you are, and whatever you sell, your brand is the lynchpin of your business. Keep it well oiled.

If you'd like to understand more about what your brand can do for your business, do give me a call on 01392 248107 or email jonathan@alderandalder.co.uk.