“To build a focused brand image you have to tie your brand to a single attribute that will help customers, prospects, suppliers, employees understand why they should do business with you.”
Bob Lamons – author – The Case for B2B Branding
Recently in my marketing lectures, we have been discussing the importance of branding. What it means to build a brand that is more than just a name. It is about creating a personality. Allan Gray, a South African investment company, is one of the few companies that have managed to create a strong brand positioning. It stands as a loyal, patient and experienced investment advisor. Every marketing campaign, advert or billboard it launches, conveys the same message of reliability and a promise of excellence.
Jane noted: “marketing is entirely based on satisfying expectations.” It is about delivering a promise. In her blog, she verbalises her frustration in selecting mascara amidst a vast variety that all promise the same thing, only to be disappointed by the one she chose. I think that Allan Gray has consistently managed to deliver the same excellent results that it no longer stands as an empty promise on the shelf of investment companies.
This billboard is a quilt consisting of 900 hand-quilted squares. It is a brilliant advertisement that speaks about a patient investment over time. It is everything the brand positions itself on. Another example is this award winning advertisement Allan Gray produced:
All of the advertisements have a uniformity that promises the same thing: patience that reaps great reward. “Branding is the promises you make… whilst your brand comes from the promises you keep” we were told in class. Allan Gray has a leading edge in creatively conveying its brand positioning in such a way that it always fulfils its promises.
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