9 Branding Mistakes Indian Agencies Make 2024

Last Updated on December 20, 2023 by DesignerPeople

We meet many brand owners daily basis, and being a branding agency, we discuss a lot of plans in depth. One thing which we are very sure is brand owner having a lot of things to do in his kitty, It may be a plan for future strategies to managing teams or to keeping himself updated as per latest trends and updates.

If the company is big, there will be different departments of marketing, branding, finance, HR and many more but what if you are a small start-up or even a small scale industry where owners manage a lot of activities. Irrespective of the size of manpower and company, one thing which has always been a challenging task is managing “BRANDING”.

Branding is an essential part of any business, and if not done correctly can lead to disaster, also make your brand difficult to stand out. Not only does your brand communicate who you are as a personality and what you represent as, which can also be then used to drive new customers and clients.

To avoid such a disaster what you can do?

You can keep yourself updated with major branding mistakes which companies have done so that you can get at least that get stuck with those problems.

Below are nine branding mistakes agencies make, which will help you to understand in advance to avoid these issues.

1. No correct brand Guidelines

The consistent elements of the brand are a significant factor when you plan a brand. Which will include colour, logo, font style, brand story, personality, and many other factors should flow in the same direction. If it’s not identical, it will lead to a brand identity crisis hence leading to brand customer confusing.

The big problem with many organizations is that their brand guidelines are only formed for top-level management. When this happens, nothing works out well in the long run, so make sure it’s applied for all levels.

2. Don’t have a unique brand story

Stories have always been exciting, entertaining and engaging even when we were kids our mother used to narrate them to keep us engaged.

What about stories connected with brands? It is imperative to have your unique and memorable brand story, which can be how it started? Origin? Values and purpose? Eco-friendly whatever you think is your USP should be communicated with customers which will increase their brand recall. The brand is just another brand in the crowd without its brand story, which is again a significant concern while branding.

3. Not Listing your customers

Make sure you improve your auditing which will then help you to understand processes and systems if not done effectively may lead to unproductive results.

Word of mouth is the most decent way to gain referrals hence make sure you do your auditing correct such as:

• From what platform did you get your last five clients?
• The average period to land a new customer
• The average time gap between landing two new clients
• Do you have a pipeline of contacts and leads?

4. Making branding responsibility of only the branding department

Branding is something which needs continuous effort from all the people in a company with heart and soul only then you attain that perfection.

Marketing alone cannot continually build and strengthen the brand; each person should take responsibility to respect brand promise as a decision standard and a behaviour guide, then Marketing’s best efforts will fall short.

5. Your brand is not evolving

When you can see that your clientele is improving and continuously improving, then you cannot still be attached to old traditional methods or processes one has to evolve. If you don’t mould yourself with changing time and trends, then your brand will be left behind, and other competition will gain a competitive advantage over you.

Stay relevant because customers are changing, their lifestyle and behavioural patterns are constantly changing to stay aligned with them, and their needs brands need to keep fresh.

Also Read: What is Brand Story? and How it Works as Marketing Tool

6. No recruitment of experts

We know many people who believe that they can do everything, especially the owners of the company. With the motive to save money, they take a significant risk of managing branding, which is the toughest job by them, which can cost you more if not done correctly.

As its said jack of all trade master of none faces issues in the long run because he is not an expert with experience in managing branding and might invest and follow wrong processes which in turn will lead costing.

7. No clear understanding of target audience

Many new products fail because management does not understand where the brand fits for the consumer. Each brand has its unique target audience, which it should focus on. Market research is a very initial and essential step taken at the start.

It should be done correctly because a lot of decisions such as brand positioning, personality and target market has to be decided based on the target audience, and if done, the wrong brand will not sustain.

Understand customer perspective and their needs to ensure correct branding strategies.

8. No control on your brand

Many good branding agencies will always understand your needs as per your industry they will nurture your brand and will always give importance to your feedback and suggestions. But there are few ad/branding agency or a marketing research firm will focus on taking over control of and define your brand.

The brand is known best you do both internally and externally, so ensure your participation in any business strategy and objectives.

9. No understanding the value proposition of your brand

USP and Differentiation make your brand stand out and gives the customer a compelling reason to select you. If your brand is not differentiated, then there won’t be any competitive advantage and are well on your way to becoming commoditized.

A lot of business owners do not actually know the brand’s proven benefits. If you ignore the brand, it is a certainty you will miss out on substantial possible financial gains, a needed competitive edge and recognition, among many others.

CONCLUSION

Brands do not change radically; they evolve with time a well-defined brand with a strongly differentiated position doesn’t need any modifications again and again. But to stay consistent, one has to have his branding done actively at once then stick with it.

Track competitors and consumers to make sure you need to change before you abandon your position.

If you are planning to start branding activities and build a powerful brand, then avoid above-said mistakes and still if you want any assistance to connect us today. Designerpeople will be happy to help with your branding and marketing activities.

Author: Megha Malik

As a passionate entrepreneur and creative brand consultant with experience of 14 years in digital, branding and packaging industry, it is my honest effort to put my experiences and knowledge of industry towards readers. A chartered accountant by degree but a marketing personality in blood has motivated her to take in designing industry as a career. With her fun-loving personality and sharp branding skills, she is a great motivational speaker on her YouTube channel, an active member in various business channels offline as well as online. Do connect me personally via my LinkedIn and I love to share my expertise with you.