Expand That Brand!

Why do you trust brand names? Because they're the ones which tell you that the visit will be worth your time - again and again. Brands work hard to persuade you to think “this is a company that totally gets it” and this drives customer loyalty because you always get what they always do!

Since a branded company is effectively “pre-sold” it doesn’t have to keep explaining who it is and what it does and this can allow it to seamlessly enter new markets.

This week, via Radio and TV I’ve heard of two companies who have done just this

The first is the Industrial digger people – JCB – who went into mobile ophones in 2007. (like you do!) It's latest offering is the “JCB Toughphone Sitemaster” In trademark yellow with a cartoon digger as its screensaver and the noise of a digger engine as its default ringtone this is cleverly aimed at builders who worry about other more fragile mobile phones in the tough environs of a building site. It’s USP is simple – it claims to be the most resilient mobile in the world.

Reflecting its target market, there’s also a torch, a laser pointer and a tool that translates measurements from centimetres to inches. If there’s no power point nearby, it has a wind-up charger, too.

Call me a sad marketing geek but I’m thrilled at such clever innovation by an established brand!

And they’re not the only company to have broadened their offering - although the next one does not seem such a broad leap in that Yale Locks are presently using TV advertising to market front doors.

As their website says “Yale is one of the oldest international brands in the world and probably the best-known name in the locking and home security industry. It‘s the name behind locks, alarms and other security features of every design and function in over 125 countries” - so how logical to extend their understanding of their target market by offering a complementary product

As they say: “How many types of front doors give you exceptional style and an international name for security? Only one. The Yale door”

So: Could you use your name to extend your offering to your current target market? It is these clever marketing tactics that help companies ride the storm of the our current economic times.