Top-down acceptance missing

Expressing a clear brand personality and a top-down acceptance of the importance of branding are key issues that need to be addressed, according to many of those who responded to the WA Business News survey.

Block Branding creative director Mark Braddock expressed scepticism as to how many of Western Australia’s most recognisable companies were truly recognised for their brand.

“That is, do they stand for anything beyond the next sale? Do consumers actually know what they stand for – or have any relationship with them beyond that of a service provider?” he said.

Mr Braddock said Bunnings was the closest WA had to creating a brand experience, although even it had not yet fully defined or expressed a clear brand personality.

However, on a positive note, he said several smaller WA firms were building sophisticated, world-class brands with limited resources.

“From real estate agents to restaurants to delis to private schools to magazines, you are seeing an explosion of these micro-brands that understand their personality, their market and their offering,” Mr Braddock said.

“These micro-brands are often appealing to consumers’ sense of self rather than just their sense of greed.”

Mr Braddock said the big players needed to learn from smaller operators with regard to building a brand.

Another issue was whether branding was viewed with much importance within the management circles of companies.

According to The Right Group’s managing director David Kent, delegates at a recent national brand conference he attended expressed frustration that their organisations were not moving ahead with the new thinking on branding. 

“Comments [such as ‘I can’t get buy-in from the CEO’] support my view that many organisations still fall in to the trap of advertising the brand long before they are capable of delivering on its promise,” Mr Kent said.  “If we accept that the essential drivers of a brand are vision, culture and image, then it would appear that vision and culture are being neglected.”