How to build a food brand~

Sue Sullivan (Owner of HOT SQUEEZE, USA, Gr8r Atlanta) asked: Looking for advice on how to build a food brand

Hi, Interesting question…but unfortunately it does not have any formula.
I am in food business as well and fortunately marketing personality!! And i believe building a brand is ongoing process and your own unique branding idea comes from you. Yes YOU, no consultant can create a DNA for your brand; of course they can help in execution and makeup.

Simply answer this to yourself to understand how you want to take your brand forward…

a) When you created or thought about the logo or name of your brand, what was going in your mind? i.e. what was the idea, what was the image you could see, what was the feeling?

b) Does this feeling still as strong or has it changed, if changed, then answer why it has changed, is it because of outer influence or is it because your internal objectives has changed?

I believe your brand is an extension for your own personality…one thing is very interesting about brand building you can change it to your own likes…what i mean by it, can you change your personality? (unless you are not happy with who u are) most of the time it is hard to change and that is why we sometime subconsciously want to be somebody else…branding is a good medium to express your hidden or secret personality/expressions which you can create through a product brand Or service brand.

For example, you give the brand a name, dress it up with colors and font and give it a language for communication which will make it stand out and interesting, you don’t go to all kinds of places, right, you go to select places with your frnds and family…similarly your brand goes to select places (distribution and stores). Do you make friends with everyone, No, right…similarly your brand makes friends with select group of people (in marketing we call it segment and target audience)…but you are friendly with everyone who come in contact with you…similarly your brand is friendly (this is customer friendliness in the marketing language)…you have hobbies…similarly your brand has some 

I hope you got the picture!! And i am sure you can make an interesting brand for yourself.

PUMA the cat is out!!

Puma Phone from Puma Phone on Vimeo.

Evian-Live Young Brand with all fun!

Interesting Film!

Papierkrieg from Makaio Tisu on Vimeo.

Affordable Luxury, what it is?

I feel, although high quality in product, service, price and other elements is important for any business, especially where business is seeking to be superior from other similar types of businesses in the same segment or industry, there is a fundamental difference why people like you and buy your product or refer your business and service. They simply feel a connection btw themselves and your business.

Connection:
a) It can be called Branding from a psychology perspective.
b) Or can be called High Quality product or service from a commercial perspective.

But it seems we consumer see connection beyond above mentioned variables.
perhaps we choose to connect for reason unknown to us.

Consumers:
Type 1: one who wants to be with a brand
Type 2: one who want brands to be with them
Type 3: one who need no brands

With simply defining consumers in three types, it becomes easy to choose who we can target, but again how do you connect?

Asking How should i connect is a wrong question?
You can not connect with a consumer, it is consumer who connects with you...it connects with the founders or leaders values, vision, dreams, personality, aspiration, style, common sense, goal, objectives. This translated in to various elements like product, price, advertising, distribution, CRM, and all the other spokes of the business.

Final word!
"Affordable is any brand which makes that genuine connection", is indeed a Luxury.