Over the years companies have found themselves overspending on methods to brand their company or products. From all the methods available today, there are very few that produce great or even good results without having to spend a great deal of energy and money.

One branding technique that is becoming more effective for business is “Putting a Face to Your Brand.” This method is used worldwide as it has a proven track record of gaining more interest and awareness. This is because human faces generate human reaction.

Many years ago companies didn't have the communication options of today’s market and had to use whatever was available to breed awareness and instill the brand into the public’s mind. They did this by taking the company’s brand directly to the public, which automatically added energy behind the product.

With the amount of advertising these days people tend to completely ignore the everyday advertising, tuning out the poster on the side of a bus, glazing over that ad in the corner of a newspaper page. It's because of this that many street-level promotions are becoming more effective, as they add a sense of personality to a company's brand.

This method gained huge public awareness and results were generally guaranteed. As years passed and markets changed, this method got pushed aside and fizzled away. Business awareness of this branding method was radically reduced.

Recent years have seen this old-style branding method come back to be an option for businesses. Still, awareness of this direct marketing technique is low and it is used by few, which is unfortunate given this technique’s effectiveness.

Businesses should be aware that direct street-level marketing is a very inexpensive and produces greater awareness and results for businesses over many of the expensive existing marketing options in the marketplace today.

These days people are looking to a smaller, more intimate marketplace. Having an actual face to your brand is very important -- it helps to create a sense of trust between your company and consumers. Trust and reputation are key element in today’s market, both of which are much easier to achieve if you have a friendly face attached to your product.

The downside to this is having an unfriendly face attached to your product. This is why finding good representation of your product is very important. Spend the time and energy to locate trained and qualified people to do this for you, as you only have one chance at making a good first impression.

Brian Loverin is a North Shore marketing consultant. Xxx-xxx-xxxx  zzzzzzz.zzzz@yyyyy.ca

Copyright North Shore Magazine Issue Oct - Nov 07