Branding is one area in marketing where there are a number of terms and nomenclatures doing the rounds. That some of these terms are interchangeable and some vague and abstract helps people propound them to their hearts content without fear of contradiction. But on the other hand they also create no small confusion in the minds of those who really want to understand them and use the concepts in some context or the other. The other aspect is that many concepts that are redundant are given preference and importance over those that would really help marketers work out practical brand building strategies.For example, I believe one of the main concepts in brand building, the Brand Story has not been given the importance it deserves. The Brand Story is something which is built using newsworthy background details of the brand that backs the brand promise and which is communicated to the pertinent stakeholders through different media consistently and regularly. Any news story is far better than an advertisement in improving the image of a company as it has more credibility with the target audience. Add to that the fact that stories have the power to subtly explain the brand values and brand promise that otherwise maybe very difficult to convey, it should be a favourite method of communication with all brand managers. But surprisingly it has been rarely used or not been used properly except by some PR agencies.Infosys and Walmart are two excellent examples of the power of the Brand Story. Through the legends of the founders Narayanamurthy and Sam Walton these companies have clearly been able to communicate the brand’s promise, essence and values to the general public. Believably, credibly, unlike through advertising. The perception gained out of the life, activities and behaviour of these people, which have been brought to the notice of the target audience has helped build the image of the respective companies and convert them into iconic brands. Narayanamurthy and Sam Walton maybe only one cog in the wheel of their respective companies, albeit an important one. But people believe that what they are, represent what their companies’ brand values are. Perception is everything in branding.Now, that brings us to the next area of brand building which has been relegated to the branding backwaters, so to speak. Cultural and social values. Matching the cultural and social values of the consumers and the brand is one of the key ingredients to successful branding. It is what brands like Kelloggs have been unable to do properly in India. They are presently tuned in only to the cosmopolitan culture of cities – especially like those of Mumbai and Bangalore- and would have to wait for a long period of time for the culture of rural India to change to get countrywide acceptance.To explain the impact of cultural and social values in more detail we will have to look at brand building and the role of ‘liking’ in the process. The reasoning behind the need for brand building is simple. If people like a brand they are generally willing to pay more money for buying the same. People are also likely to be more favourable to something or someone they like and forgive their odd mistake or deviant behaviour with affectionate indulgence, while they will give hell if someone they dislike does something which is not upto expectations or the required standards.It has been found in social situations that people stick with those they like and in turn they like those who are similar to themselves. What we can say in New Gen parlance are people with the same wavelength stick together.Extrapolating this into a marketing viewpoint brings us back to a confirmation of our original hypothesis – that matching the cultural values of the prospective customers and the brand is essential in creating liking and thereby building iconic brands.Now, the Brand Manager or the Ad Agency has the path clearly defined before them. Since credible, true stories create iconic brands they need to convert any news worthy event involving the brand or the company that manufactures it into a palatable story. A story that will make people like the brand or a story reported in such a way that it will influence their minds positively. Which is also according to or shows the brand’s and society’s cultural match.In any brand building activity consistency and perseverance is the key. The net result of such activity conducted over a period of time would be that over the years the consumer and other stakeholders start to sincerely believe that what they have is their type of brand, nay, their brand.

On Monday morning, the business owner returned from a long vacation to find his business closed. He was left with a note on the door that read, “This is to inform you that I’ve resigned. You left me to act in your behalf, but you didn’t tell me about these problems. The bills were months behind. Your suppliers were calling because they hadn’t been paid. You left me with several personnel issues that I didn’t have the authority to correct. I tried to deal with these matters responsibly, but they continued to grow. Why in the world would you leave us in such a hostile climate?”Today, many small businesses are experiencing the realities of global competitions. Many companies feel that they must restructure to stay competitive with world markets. After 18 years of managing projects and conducting over 100 organizational evaluations of business organizations, I realize that both large and small organizations struggle in implementing their operations effectively. According to a 2004 Small Business Administration (SBA) study, 580,900 small businesses opened in 2005, and 576,200 closed. The SBA noted that 67 percent of these new companies were able to survive at least 2 years, while 44 percent survived at least 4 years. What can be done to help small businesses achieve more market success? I have seen the benefits of strategic thinking in large successful organizations. Strategic thinking may be what a small business needs to sustain growth. Small businesses that cater to the workforce’s needs in the future workforce will gain a competitive advantage.There are four critical factors that will be discussed for gaining this competitive advantage:(1) inspire vision,(2) define core competencies,(3) apply strategic thinking, and(4) connect with employees.VisionEmployees want to know that their leaders are focused on the future as well as today’s problems. Vision is a key ingredient to keeping businesses on target. James Kouzes and Barry Posner, authors of The Leadership Challenge, conducted research on sixty thousand organizational leaders. They note that highly effective leaders inspire a shared vision: “To enlist people in a vision, leaders must know their constituents and their language. People must believe that leaders understand their needs…”A leader who has a clear vision can assist in guiding his or her organization. Most business leaders are too busy with the current issues of today and find little time for vision building. This leaves workers as well as the organization unfulfilled. Having a shared vision provides the small business a competitive advantage. Some critics will argue that a vision is not critical for small business success. This is simply not the case. Visionaries concentrate on future opportunities, not today’s limitation. Vision relates to the ability to look beyond physical constraints of the natural ream. While other organizations are engaging in trivial matters, an effective small business leader should inspire his workforce with a shared vision, thereby meeting their purposeful living needs.Core CompetenciesLeaders should clarify their core competencies with workers during rapid change. In times of restructuring, an organization should maintain its core functions. On the contrary, large businesses try to compete by quickly extending themselves in the marketplace, thereby becoming “all things to all people.” Their workers become confused because inconsistency and uncertainty exist. Companies find themselves doing things that they are not part of their organizational competencies. This provides a good formula for failure. In an effort to compete with global competition, many organizations downsize or ree-ngineer their processes, but lose their core competencies in the market.C.K. Prahalad, author of Competing for the Future, maintains that senior managers sometimes do not perform their homework in order to compete with the rapid market changes. He notes that restructuring is usually a dead-end initiative; however, re-engineering that eliminates unnecessary work and enhances processes is beneficial because it is directed toward company objectives such as customer satisfaction or total quality initiatives. Therefore, communicating a clear focus on core competencies is a competitive advantage for any business. Understanding a small business’ core competencies is an important element in organizational growth. Leaders then become the instruments to ensure that workers’ assurance.Strategic ThinkingEmployees want to know that their leaders are critically evaluating the market and industry competition. The enormous demographic changes within the 21st century American workforce are creating personnel issues for organizations unwilling to change their paradigms. Exemplary organizations think strategically and operate in duality. Watt Wacker, Jim Taylor, and Howard Means, authors of the Visionary Handbook, admonish that we live in an Age of Possibility where individual are able to claim their own future. They explain, “Fail to build your own future, and someone is going to build one for you….”Most businesses engage in some type of planning; however, few organizations properly engage in strategic thinking. Therefore, this becomes a competitive advantage in the marketplace for small businesses. Strategic thinking is more than meticulous planning in an organization. Strategic thinking consists of two components that are knowledge about the present and foresight about the future. Organizational strategists call this duality. Successful businesses exercise this phenomenon routinely. Most small businesses are concerned about today’s customers or tomorrow’s contracts but have little regard for future consequences. Some of the characteristics of effective strategic thinking include focusing on important issues, maintaining a long-term view, appreciating consequences, and remaining flexible. Strategic planning and vision work together because proper planning provides the basic framework and rationale for determining an organization’s direction while addressing the day-to-day challenges. Therefore, effective organizations go beyond detailed planning into a mode of strategic thinking.Connection with EmployeesEffective organizational leaders understand the important of connecting with a culturally diverse workforce. On numerous occasions, companies sing the praises of new technologies while workers are often devalued in the process. Leaders should see followers as more than mechanical parts for their organizational objectives. Jeffrey Pfeffer, author of the Human Equation, acknowledges that an organization’s success is directly related to its implementation, and this capacity comes from the workers, how they are treated, their skills, and their efforts as it relates to the organization.The Emergent Workforce now crosses gender, age groups, race, and geography. Employers must now deal with four generations in the same workforce for the first time in American history. The leadership style that may be effective for a Baby Boomer employee may fail with a Generation X employee. Some of the cultural changes include the acceptance of downsizing as a part of work life, the traditional family decline, the competitive nature of a global business structure, and the advancement of communication technologies to build person-to-person relationships. Some of these factors have impacted the workers attitude about their job and the quality of life. Today’s employees do not want to be a component in a big machine; they want to be valued because they are more than a physical being. In the quest for profit, many large businesses lose focus on the importance of socio-technical systems.However, small businesses cannot afford this luxury. Large organizations have difficulty adjusting to the personal needs of their employees in a rapid, competitive environment. Cultural and social changes place an additional burden of their flexibility to operate. This is a distinct advantage for a small business owner. Staying connected is critical to this success. Therefore, an effective leader in a small business must maintain a good relationship with his followers to assure credibility with the group.The Path ForwardIn spite of global pressures and front-line competitions, small businesses can achieve a high level of success with the right approach. The 21st century provides a brave, new world of personnel challenges such as virtual organizations, outsourcing, and the financial constraints of declining budgets in many federal agencies. Small business leaders can apply five critical factors that are vision, specific core competencies, goals, strategic thinking, and connection with employees. These problems then become an opportunity for small businesses to level the playing field thereby increasing their success rate. Therefore, these methods provide a logical, practice process for starting, growing, and sustaining a successful small business. Start today and grow your small business!