If you head to Tesco (or your personal choice of supermarket), how do you feel when you see their own brand products versus the ‘proper’ branded stuff? 

This is probably how your mind works: 

Supermarket brand product: “That’ll do… It’s cheaper and it’s only a small ingredient.” 

Branded product: “Oh, I love their stuff and it’s good quality. I’m going to treat myself.”  

There’s one very good reason for this: that supermarket brand contains only one redeeming feature – perceived value. The branded product? That has far more going for it, because there’s meaning behind the name, packaging, and whatever it is that sits within the packaging. 

Arguably, the company behind the latter product has put far more effort into their brand. The supermarket hasn’t taken as much effort on theirs, because they don’t need to; those blue and white stripes are enough for people to recognise a cheaper alternative. 

For Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons, that works. But for your business? Would you really want your products to look non-branded? Spoiler alert – you definitely don’t! 

What is perceived value?

The product packaging and naming conventions used by supermarkets for their own-brand products has one very simple job. It needs to communicate a message to customers. And, in this case, that message is “I offer decent value but zero frills”. 

That’s cool, and there’s absolutely a place and audience for such products. But when it comes to brands like yours and ours, it doesn’t cut the mustard. We don’t want our brand to look cheap and boring because our clients aren’t cheap or boring! 

The net result? You won’t stand out, and you’ll be overlooked while potential customers go about making their purchasing decisions. Unless your goal is to create a value brand (as we’ve noted – there’s nothing wrong with that if it’s intentional!), you need to put more effort into your brand. 

Why is branding important for your business

The short answer to this question? When you put effort into your brand, it’ll stand out by a country mile – for all the right reasons. 

Those supermarket-branded products you see during your weekly shop have no meaning behind them – they just contain the message of cheap, uninspiring, with no frills. Unfortunately, we’ve seen lots of businesses do this – albeit inadvertently. 

Imagine a software developer who creates a brand which has zero personality, but which has one thing going for it: a lower price than the rest. It’ll be communicating a single message: “we’re cheaper”. When you’re cheaper, it’s a race to the bottom if there are no other defining factors. 

Is that sustainable? Potentially. Does it evoke quality and longevity? Maybe not. Is it capable of growing the business behind the brand and building a community around it of loyal fans and followers? Definitely not. 

Now, imagine that the same software developer decides to focus intently on the way its product is packaged. The fact it’s intangible is irrelevant – they can still package their software by adding personality to it on the website. 

Mailchimp is a great example of this. Whether you think it’s well-priced or not, you can’t argue that the brand isn’t ‘hit-you-in-the-face’ interesting as soon as you lay eyes on it. The people behind the brand have clearly put plenty of effort into it. As a result, Mailchimp customers BUY INTO the brand. They want to be a part of it; they want to join the club. 

Business Branding: It’s all about core beliefs

Tesco probably don’t care about the core beliefs behind their value brand. It’s why they’re constantly tweaking it to simply shout the word “VALUE!” louder. That’s their only USP. 

But your business? You want people to buy into it – you want people to buy into you. 

Supermarkets don’t want people to buy into their value range, because that’s of no value to either party. They simply want it to become the default choice for those looking to lower their weekly shopping bill, so they continue to shop with their store. On the other hand, the branded products in supermarkets want to retain a special place in people’s hearts – a place where price is trumped by brand magnetism. Surely, that’s what you want too, isn’t it? 

How do you know if it’s time to rebrand your business? 

Think of it as your business’s unique autograph in a world full of signatures. You want folks to see your brand and go, “Oh yeah, I know them!” 

But how do you know if it’s time for a rebrand? Well, you might need a rebrand if you’ve tweaked your product or service, shifted your business objectives, joined forces with another company, got a new team with a fresh vision, faced major shake-ups in your market, or found yourself struggling to stand out. Maybe you’ve even got a bit of a rep that’s not working in your favour. 

Is your head nodding along to any of these? Yep? We’ll it’s rebrand time, baby! 

How can BeSmart help you to brand your business?  

We’re a creative agency in the Midlands and we’ve been in the branding biz for over 30 years; that’s a whole lotta experience at your fingertips! We’re not just brief takers, we’re brief makers – which means we’ll help give your brand the perfect facelift with our tailored advice and expertise.   

Sound like we could be your cup of tea to work with on your branding journey? Then come say hi and let’s help your business shine!