In most companies, marketing is done by functional groups: advertising, product design and development, consumer research, sales promotion, and public relations.

Coordinating and integrating these groups has become a major activity. If marketing is to fulfill its promise as the driving force in an organization, the marketing process has to be simplified and focused. Companies should focus on becoming more profitable and more powerful. What is the single most important objective of the marketing process? We believe it’s the process of branding.

Marketing is building a brand in the mind of the prospect. If you can build a powerful brand, you will have a powerful marketing program. If you can’t, then all the advertising, fancy packaging, sales promotion, and public relations in the world won’t help you achieve your objective. Marketing is branding.

Marketing is what a company is in business to do. Marketing is a company’s ultimate objective. That’s why everyone should be concerned with marketing and with the laws of branding. If the company is the marketing department, then the company is the branding department.

Today, most products and services are bought, not sold. Branding greatly facilitates purchasing by “pre-selling” the product or service. Branding is a more efficient way to sell.

That old expression “Nothing happens until somebody sells something” is being replaced by “Nothing happens until somebody brands something.” A lot of buying takes place as customers pick and choose between various brands. But where is the selling? The selling is in the brand. In this age of multimedia, the endorsement of a product, its guarantee, is represented by the brand name, rather than by the personal recommendation of a salesperson.

Today the used-car salesman is being replaced by brand-name lots where shoppers can choose which car to buy with minimal help. The ultimate in brand-centered buying is on the Internet. Consumers are purchasing cars from Web sites without ever seeing or driving the cars.

In financial services, companies like Charles Schwab, E*Trade, Fidelity, and Vanguard are brands that offer direct access, cheaper commissions, and on-line customer service, giving traditional stockbrokers a run for their money. This seismic shift from selling to buying is enhanced, accelerated, and caused by the rise of brands.

What is a Brand?

The essence of the marketing process is building a brand in the minds of consumers. What is a brand? In the consumer’s mind, there is no difference between a company or product name and a brand name.

A brand name is nothing more than a proper noun, usually spelled with a capital letter. Every proper noun is a brand. You are a brand. And if you want to be successful in life, you should consider yourself a brand.

Marketing is becoming branding, and the power of a brand lies in its ability to influence purchasing behavior. But a brand name on a package is not the same thing as a brand name in a mind. You can build a brand in any category, including bread, milk, and water. You can learn to apply brand thinking or the “branding” process to your business. Create in the mind of the prospect the perception that there is no product on the market quite like yours. SME

Al Ries is a marketing strategist, author of Focus (Harperbusiness), and co-author with Laura of The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding (Harpercollins).
Laura Ries is a partner in Ries & Ries.

ACTION: Jump on the brand bandwagon with both feet.