Weekly Column: 2017-10-13

Many people are aware of the importance of brands. If the same cosmetics are sold in two containers, one in an ordinary container and one branded as a luxury brand, the ordinary container will sell at a cheaper price, and the one in the branded container will sell several times over. At this point, purchasing the branded product means purchasing the value.

However, many people balk at investing in a brand. Why do people choose not to invest in a brand if they know its importance?

In the traditional market, most business owners made constant efforts by having close relationships with customers rather than by raising the value of their products through branding. Even though they knew the importance of raising the value by branding.  Since branding takes a lot of money to be relatively effective, they concentrated on getting more instant orders rather than taking the time to invest in branding. In doing so, marketing is ultimately expressed as an expensive investment for the brand and because the results are not immediate, people are more hesitant to invest in branding.

This reason is completely understandable. You have to survive the first stage and a certain amount of groundwork must be established before getting into the next stage. That’s why although many are aware of the importance of branding, they are wary of putting in the investment for branding.

However, it seems that many have misconceptions when it comes to investing in the brand. The greatest thing that owners who do not invest in their brand worry about is whether or not they will make as much as they have invested. It would be nice if this could be neatly represented by actual numbers, but since it cannot, despite the numerous studies that show that businesses with high brand value get better results, people bring themselves to put their trust in investing. In addition to this, there is the preconceived notion that one must spend a lot of money for marketing. Marketing for the brand is necessary for many, but because it is not something that shows results right away, as soon as a difficult situation comes up, it is the first thing to go.

Also, it cannot just be said that marketing for a brand is a huge cost. The reason digital marketing has become such a trend recently is that there is an increasing number of cases where there is more effect for less of the cost. Additionally, branding through network and social media marketing is less costly, but consumes more time and energy. If you can stimulate consumer emotions by being consistent and unique, you can see a greater result without having to spend a large sum of money.

You should not underestimate the process of raising the value of a brand through marketing without spending the minimal amount for the opportunities that digital marketing brings. There cannot be results without investment, and to think so is like expecting fruit without sowing.

From meeting and speaking with many customers, I have come to the conclusion that the vast majority of people still perceive marketing to be a result. However, we must not forget that marketing is ultimately the first step in investing in the brand. Through continuous communication with consumers, I realize what their needs are, and raise the value of the brand to fit their needs. It is better to recognize that this is merely a process for the overall results rather than something you do to have immediate results.

What direction does water flow if there is a high place and a low place? If the image of the brand is firmly in the minds of consumers, then results will follow naturally.