The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a name, term, sign, symbol, or design – or a combination of them – intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors. As a result of this sometimes discombobulating process, a brand identifies the producer or the seller. And the resulting identity lies solely within the consumers’ minds.

If you are planning to create a brand for your new business or if you are creating the branding of a customer event, the same possible levels of meaning can exist. You, as the sole proprietor or producer, should consider the following:

1.    A brand arouses specific attributes.
    Coca-Cola suggests delicious and refreshing, world-wide, friendship.

2.    Attributes must create a connection with certain functional and emotional benefits.
    The functional benefit of refreshing is “My thirst will be quenched.” The emotional benefit could be “I feel happy and inspired.”

3.    The brand communicates something about the producer’s values.
    Coca-Cola stands for happiness and optimism. Think of the ad and accompanying song “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke…”

4.     A brand may represent a certain culture.
     Coca-Cola represents a world-wide culture, communicating acceptance of all communities around the globe.

5.    The brand can project a certain personality.
    Coca-Cola may suggest an amicable person (co-worker) or an accepting location (a grassy hilltop).

6.    The brand hints at the type of consumer who consumes the product.
    We would anticipate sports fans of all ages to drink Coca-Cola, not raw foodists’ harvesting organic vegetables.

If you are a meeting professional beginning the journey of building your own independent planning company, consider how your offering will ultimately benefit your customer. This is a great starting point to developing your own personal brand. If your services ultimately create engaging and memorable events, then these are the attributes your brand will hopefully possess. The functional attribute may then be a savings of time, money and energy. The emotional benefit would be, “I have positively impacted the business operations of a company through the implementation of a successful event.”

Factoring in company values, a culture or personality, and your target audience will aid you in your quest to brand your business. Suppliers of services in the meeting and event business can capitalize on knowing their brand’s strengths and promoting them through various communication vehicles. Public relations firms utilizing press releases to promote the launch of new service offerings can build brand awareness. Sponsoring key industry events, such as Meeting Professionals International Georgia Chapter’s Meetings Exploration Conference (MEC), allows a platform for promotion of your product or service. Social cause marketing involves community outreach efforts. Companies donating time and money to causes can generate a tremendous following and in the process build life-long customer relationships.

A brand is the perceived reality of experiencing a product or service. The importance of branding yourself and your company (product or service) is critical. Creating a favorable, well-known impression in the minds of existing customers and future prospects will clearly differentiate you and your business from competitors in the marketplace. This differentiation will yield more business opportunities and a more loyal following.

Remember, “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke and Keep it Company. That’s the Real Thing.”