Research

Task 1

Find an article about branding and write a summary. What is it about? What is your key takeaway from it? How might the information be useful in future?

Article: When you need Branding and when you need Marketing by Forbes

• “Brand” is one of those words that is either overly misused or completely misunderstood.
• Despite all the information via blogs, podcasts, and books about branding and marketing, it feels like most entrepreneurs and freelancers are still unclear on what exactly a brand is, how it’s different from marketing, and how the two must support each other to increase sales.
• Put down a strong foundation but no house... and you’re homeless.
• That’s not the most efficient method of marketing, but when you need sales and you have a list of people that know, like and trust you, that’s the easiest way to get them.
• Being specific and focused is most important.
• Even if you’re in an industry that you believe does branding a certain way, you are not looking at the huge opportunity right in front of you to create an impact that will continue to build value in your business.
• Branding is nothing without good marketing. You can have an incredibly strong brand with poor marketing and its potential will be massively limited.
• Marketing is what pushes your brand toward your audience. As designers and not marketing experts, it’s easy to neglect this aspect. This doesn’t mean that you need to hand off your brand to a marketing expert, but just consider how your brand will be marketed when building your brand in order to ensure its actually marketable.

What is the article about?

The article looks at the importance of branding and marketing as two separate and equally important entities. The author discusses the common ignorance of designers when it comes to marketing, with many focusing on building a fantastic brand with no marketability. The author describes this process as building a strong foundation with no house- yes you have a great base to go off but you have no house to live in. The author stresses the importance of being specific and focused in your work, think ahead but don’t live in the mindset of the end goal. The finished product and the process of getting there should be seamlessly intertwined.

Key Takeaways

My key takeaways from the article are: