Branding for small businesses is simple. You should not spend money and time to this simple element. Do the basics right, you can develop a great brand.

1. Branding for Start up
businesses
By Maxwell Ranasinghe

2. We the marketers talk so much about
branding and it elements
Spend lot of time and money on creating
great brand names, logos, themes and
designs.
As start ups, you need not spend a lot on
finding and designing brands
but do the ABCs correct and it will
discussed later in this presentations

3. • But what matters is how you satisfy
and make the customer loyal to your
brand by providing a positive
experience from the product or
service .
• Therefore there is nothing in a brand
name but everything is the product
or service that you offer by
attaching that name called a “brand”

4. • You may use so much of resources in
promising customers what your brand
means; the challenge is to deliver
what you promise
• Therefore, you have to invest very
much more time and money in
delivering your promise rather than
somewhat superficial branding works
such as logo creations and designs

5. • A great brand development is as an
effort of the whole business
• All great brands come from great
companies who has kept their
customer in focus from conception of
the product idea, production,
delivering and after sales services

6. Different strategies have been used by
companies to brand their products.
• Company name is always used with the
brand; Siddhlepa, Damro, Arpico,
Singer, LG, Hewlet Packard, General
Electric
• Different names: No company name
is used but individual brand names are
given: lux, signal, surf excel, astra,
fair and lovely, Hico, debutante,
rexona of Uni Lever

7. Brand naming methods( strategies)
• Band names based on people:
Jinadasage Thalaguli, Harischandra,
Wickramarachchi, Pierre Cardin,
Estee lauder, Calvin Cline, Armani,
Benz???
• .Brand names based on place:
• Sri Lankan, British Airways, Elle,
Ruhuna, Gampaha, Pasyala

8. • Brand names with Animals, birds: Dove soap,
Robin blue, Kiwi polish, Jaguar cars,
• Brand names with inherent product meanings:
Multibond, Suntec, Tropicana, flora, Dialog,
mobitel, celltell
• Brand with names of Gods Prophets,
Philospohers and Saints- Nike, Sprite,
Atlus, Mohammed, Buddha, Gautama, St.
Perter, St. Michael, St. Anthony etc.
• Follow above or use anything you like to name your
brand. But follow the basics to make things easy for you
and customers. Browse internet and check about brand
names and have an idea of it. It is a simple job)

9. Brands and Products
• What is the difference of Products and Brands
• A product could be defined as anything that could
be offered to satisfy a need or want of a
consumer.
• It could be a physical good, a service, person,
place, idea, etc. `
• There are many similar products that serve the
same purpose. e.g.. The are so many pens
• When these products are attached with brands
they become different. E.g.. Parker, Waterman,
Scheffer, Atlus, Hero, Bic for pens

10. Basic guidelines in developing
your own brand name?
• Easy to pronounce
• Memorable
• Protectable
• Adaptable
• Differentiates
• ( you must do a practical exercise now
to find out how your brand name falls
under these criteria)

11. Brand
and Trade Marks
• There are so many ways that brands could be
formed and used. However, according to the
Intellectual Property Code of Sri Lanka there are
many restrictions to registration of brands as
Trade marks. If one needs to obtain exclusive
right for the usage of a brand that brand has to be
registered under the IPC.
• There are two different sections applies to the
brand name registrability. ( objective grounds and
third party rights)
• This aspect would be covered in business law
• ( refer to my note on the internet for more details on law:
https://www2.slideshare.net/maxwellranasinghe/trade-marks-and-
service-marks-with-special-reference-to-sri-lanka)

12. Importance of branding
• Consumers
– Identification of the product
– Risk reducer
– Search cost reducer
– Assurance of expected quality
– Association, bond with the maker
– Symbolic device to project self image.

13. • Manufacturers
– Distinguish its products from others
– Legally protecting the product
– Ability to portray the product differently and
promote it
– Creating a competitive advantage
– Make an association with the consumers
– Creating a transferable Asset

14. Creating a successful brand is the
job of the whole organisation
• Marketers may define what it should be but every
one in the company has to nurture it and develop.
• Almost all the top class brands come from top
class companies. So a top class company and a top
class brand are two sides of the same coin.
• Discuss some local and foreign brands and their
companies.

15. Corporate brand name and
brands of the company
• In the contemporary world of business, a
company or organization’s brand is derived
not from a simple branded products that it
offers, but by the full range of brands it
offers and from the totality of its
products and services, distributors,
aftersales, positioning, responsibility to
stakeholders; including employees,
customers, environment and society

16. • Thank you
• Any questions, comments
• Email: maxran1@yahoo.com