Statistics show that 63% of marketers believe that there will be an increase in spending on brand marketing over the next year*. That means that more businesses find branding to be a integral part of their marketing efforts.  An efforts that pays dividends to the company's bottom line. If you've been looking for an opportunity to start branding your company, now would be a great time to get onboard. Don't be left behind as your competition develops innovative new product packaging design or a great new marketing strategy. But how do you use things like product packaging design, social media accounts, and website design to brand your company? The trick is to focus your energy on two separate yet connected areas: the internet and the real world.

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A previous blog article, What Makes A Winning Package, was about how product packaging influences how the consumer sees and feels about the brand and product. The next important consideration is the type of package.

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March 10^th Facebook announced an update to the look of Facebook company  pages. Some businesses have already updated to the new look. It is your option to do it early or wait until Facebook converts everyone’s business pages.

The Admin Panel has updates providing relevant details up front. You can dive deeper into the metrics just as before.

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You can’t create a great package if you don’t know how design works. And you can’t create a great package if you don’t know how packaging affects your consumer. There are 3 key responses that need to be won for retail success: visual, rational and emotional.

Visual Response

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Being in the ad business I can’t help but watch TV ads with a critical eye. Who is the target? What is the brand? Does it have the emotional tug to convert a sale? In short, is it effective? I try to figure out the company the ad is for before they reveal it. Some companies do a great job advertising and others leave you wondering – do they really know their audience, what company was that for? I have found myself wondering when the product advertised is for women if the ad was created by a man, because they totally missed the USP and audience pain motivator.

Speaking of branding…

A great example is Target’s original TV ad campaign and it’s evolution over 2 years. They began showing the target symbol with their name. The advertising had a consistent style of photography and rhythm. Over a year’s time they evolved and dropped the word “Target”. This was possible because of the consistent style of video but also length of time they ran the ads had impressed their image on all consumers so they intuitively knew the brand before the target symbol was shown at the very end. Eventually, the target symbol was all that was needed. Their success was evident when competitors started mimicking their style of TV ads.

Old school ad men would be horrified that the brand was only shown at the end like an exclamation point. Rules of advertising would have you show the logo frequently in one spot. But rules are fluid and when an ad is done well it is memorable.

Bad ads are memorable for a different reason. Or they don’t make an impression at all. Either way, a bad ad is an expensive mistake. What do you think when you notice a bad ad, print or TV?

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Do you have enough budget to develop the right package for your product?

Whether you are a first-time entrepreneur or a seasoned brand manager, I understand how it feels to face the large task of packaging your product.

Your product should be showcased in the best light possible, reflecting your brand’s cohesive image so it can compete on the shelf.

Packaging is a critical component in the success of your product.

The investment needs to be considered carefully and not solely decided by price. It should be considered when you are designing your product so that it is budgeted into the cost of the product development.

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According to Nielsen, mobile users spend more time using apps than searching the internet. They spend 86% of their time using apps, not browsers. Do you have an app for your business? Does it make sense?

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