When To Start A Branding Process By Wunmi Eruaga

There is a plethora of talk on branding circulating in business today. Most of what is being said is too ambiguous for the average business owner, who thinks only in return on investment and sales (black and white). It is becoming increasingly hard to convince entrepreneurs about the vital role branding plays in the world of business. Strangely, with all the information on branding available today, entrepreneurs are aware of the magnitude of branding but are just confused about the concept. This blog will shed as much light on the subject not only to stress its importance but also to eliminate any confusion. I would be willing to answer any questions on branding in the comment section.

Today, we would look at the reasons to start a branding process. I’d like to call it a business diagnosis that tells you when you need the branding medicine. This information is supposed to guide today’s entrepreneur on when to decide to get a brand catalyst to work on the brand. Yeah! Yeah! I have heard a lot on branding but how do I know then I need to get a branding process started? Here are a few reasons or situations or symptoms that require an entrepreneur to prepare a budget for branding and start investing.



I’m starting a new business.
I need a business card and a website
We’ve developed a new product and it needs a name and logo yesterday.
We need to raise millions of Naira. The campaign needs to have its own identity
We’re going public next year.
We need to raise venture capital, even though we do not have our first customer.
Our name no longer fits who we are and the businesses we are in.
We need to change our name because of a business registration conflict.
Our name has a negative connotation in the new market we want to enter.
Our name misleads customers.
We want to reposition and renew the global brand.
We need to communicate more clearly about who we are.
We’re going global-we need help to enter new markets.
No one knows who we are.
We want to appeal to a new and more affluent market.
Our website doesn’t work on smart phones.
We are a great company with cutting-edge products. We look behind the times
Will our identity work on the web?
Our identity does not position us shoulder to shoulder with our competitors
I’m embarrassed when I give out my business card.
Everyone in the world recognizes our icon, but admit it- she needs a face-lift.
We love our symbol – our market knows it. The problem is you cannot read our logotype.
We do not present a consistent face to our customers.
We lack visual consistency and we need new brand architecture to deal with acquisitions.
Our packaging is not distinctive.
Our competition looks better than we do
All of our marketing looks like it comes from different companies


For every point in business when you have any thought about these things to yourself or shared it with other stakeholders, that moment is when you should consider kick starting a branding process.



Feel free to contact me on my personal website www.wunmieruaga.com