What is product branding? A comprehensive overview

Product branding involves building the brand for a specific product rather than for the company that produces it. Coca-Cola Zero and the iPhone are some of the best-known examples of this technique in practice.

When a product has a strong branding strategy behind it, it makes the buyer more likely to choose it over other options in the market. Once they build a relationship with your brand, your buyers will be more willing to make subsequent purchases and even branch out to your other products.

Learning the essentials of product branding can help you start leveraging its benefits and enjoy more success.

Product branding can be just as important as your overall business’s branding. While implementing branding techniques for each one of your products can be time-consuming and expensive, focusing on your flagship product can still have a high return on investment (ROI).

Identification

Product branding helps consumers recognize and remember your product. Elements like a memorable logo, a catchy name, and an appealing slogan make it easier for the consumer to find the product on the shelf.

This type of identification and recognition encourages customers to choose your product over those offered by your competitors. It also builds loyalty, meaning your customers are more likely to keep returning to your product.

Expansion

A well-established brand allows you to introduce new products under the same brand name much easier. Customers who trust your existing products are more likely to try your new offerings.

A strong product brand often appeals to new investors and pushes your business forward, meaning you can branch out to new markets and attract fulfilling partnerships with confidence.

Product preference

A strong brand can evoke positive emotions and associations. This makes customers more inclined to choose your product over others. Since effective branding communicates quality and reliability, you can win over new market share.

Competition

In a crowded market, strong product branding sets you apart from competitors. Once you start conveying quality and creating a narrative, consumers begin identifying themselves with the product. As a result, you can lure them away from the competition while justifying higher pricing and premium positioning.

At the same time, strong branding helps defend against competitors who may try to mimic or undercut your product offering.

Corporate and product branding have many similarities. They are not mutually exclusive.

While product branding builds the image of one product, corporate branding promotes the company. Here are some of the key differences between the two:

• Focus: while complementing one another, each approach focuses on different aspects of business. Corporate branding deals with company image and reputation, while product branding revolves around a specific offering.

• Scope: product branding has a narrow scope that targets a particular product category or market segment. Each product can have its own strategy. Meanwhile, corporate branding creates a cohesive image that brings all products together.

• Message: in product branding, messaging focuses on features, benefits, and selling points. Meanwhile, corporate branding revolves around the company’s ethos, mission, and core values.

• Emotional connection: product branding creates a connection with the consumer based on how they experience the product. Corporate branding builds a deeper emotional connection based on the company’s reputation and values.

• Longevity: product branding changes with market trends and consumer preferences. Corporate branding, in contrast, is less fluid because its values and mission have to remain consistent.

Ultimately, product branding and corporate branding are deeply interlinked. Both contribute to developing a strong corporate strategy.

Effective product branding can take your business to a new level. Just one product can change your bottom line completely. The goal is to start and continue strong. If you succeed, branding subsequent products will become easier.

Here are some of the characteristics of a strong product brand:

Differentiation from the competition

A strong product brand distinguishes itself from competitors. For example, everyone knows that AirPods are an Apple product. They wouldn’t associate the product with the likes of Samsung or Xiaomi.

Internally, differentiating products prevents cannibalization. It allows each product to carve out a niche and appeal to certain customer segments.

Recognizable design

You need to come up with a recognizable design for each product you promote.

• Logo: a well-designed logo serves as a visual anchor for your brand. It can help consumers instantly recognize your product among competitors.

• Slogan: the slogan should be concise and memorable. The best product slogans consist of one short sentence. Snickers’ slogan is an excellent example: “You’re not you when you’re hungry.”

• Unique packaging: packaging should reflect the product’s identity and values. Choose shapes, materials, and graphics that stand out on shelves.

This design should become a part of your branding guidelines and remain consistent throughout your marketing efforts.

Direct illustration

The product’s name, logo, and packaging immediately show the buyer what they are purchasing. However, illustration goes beyond the packaging. It encompasses the customer’s entire experience with a particular product. With the right approach to storytelling, you can convey the product’s ability to bring value to the consumer’s life.

With 92% of consumers wanting ads to feel like stories, you can explore multiple possibilities with each product.

Appealing color palette

Colors are great for evoking emotions and association. You need to come up with a palette that aligns with the message your product is sending.

For example, a brand promoting organic products might use earthy tones like green and brown. Meanwhile, a tech gadget brand might opt for sleek colors like black and silver.

While it may be appealing to reuse your corporate brand colors, a better practice would be to add something unique to each product.

Relevant and engaging messaging

You need to come up with a messaging tactic to communicate your product’s value proposition. Besides being informative, it should induce emotions. Be sure to address the customer segment’s pain points while using a consistent tone of voice.

Each product should tell a story that describes how it fits into the consumer’s life. This won’t just make the product memorable; it will also encourage word-of-mouth marketing.

Targeting the submarket

Product branding allows the company to focus on specific market segments. You can tailor your marketing efforts to suit a narrow audience and ensure the product addresses its pain points perfectly.

This narrow focus allows you to develop more effective communication and a deeper connection with your target audience. For example, a skincare brand can create a sensitive skin product line to target people with this particular problem.

Some of the most successful businesses have put a lot of effort into product branding. In many cases, the product brand is just as well-known as the business’s wider image.

Here are some of the most popular product branding examples:

Apple’s iPhone, iPod, and MacBook

Apple demonstrates advanced product branding with its iPhone, iPod, and MacBook products.

Each product line carries a distinct yet cohesive identity. The emphasis is on innovation, quality, and sleek design.

Apple invests in the consistent use of minimalist aesthetics, intuitive user interfaces, and high-end materials. They have made their products synonymous with status and cutting-edge technology.

The “i” at the beginning of the name also contributes to their overall corporate branding efforts.

Nike’s Air Max

The Air Max brand emphasizes innovative air-cushioning technology, which enhances comfort and athletic performance. Nike’s branding for Air Max involves several techniques, including the following:

• Unusual designs

• Celebrity endorsements

• Cultural relevance

The goal was to make these shoes appealing not only to athletes but also to fashion-conscious consumers. Nike uses storytelling effectively to highlight the product’s evolution and its impact on sports and fashion.

McDonald’s Big Mac and Happy Meal

The Big Mac represents the quintessential fast-food burger, known for its distinctive taste and two all-beef patties. McDonald’s branding efforts focus on highlighting the Big Mac’s consistency and widespread availability.

The Happy Meal targets another segment of the audience: children. Its format is appealing to kids and convenient for parents.

Starbucks’ packaged coffee

Starbucks leverages its reputation for premium coffee and cafe culture to appeal to consumers who want to enjoy high-quality coffee at home. Its packaged coffee became especially popular during COVID-19 when the majority of Starbucks fans had to stay at home.

The product branding focuses on sustainability practices as well as the origin and quality of the beans, using sleek and sophisticated packaging design.

Whether you’re planning to promote an existing product or you’re thinking about introducing a new one, you need a comprehensive branding strategy. It should be based on extensive research and an emotional connection with the consumer.

Conduct thorough audience research

Each product you do branding for should cater to a specific audience segment. Start by identifying your target market, including demographics, psychographics, and purchasing behavior.

You can take advantage of surveys, focus groups, and social media analytics to gather insights into your audience’s pain points.

Analyze customer feedback to pinpoint specific groups within your broader audience. This research allows you to tailor your product features and helps you tell a story.

Check what the competition is doing

Besides gaining valuable insights into market trends, analyzing your competition helps identify opportunities for differentiation. Study your competitors’ products, branding strategies, pricing, and customer reviews. The goal is to find gaps in the market that your product can fill.

Benchmarking against competitors also allows you to set realistic goals and develop strategies to outperform them.

Define your product’s personality

The key to successful product branding is creating an appealing product. You need to define the emotions you want it to evoke. Statistics show that companies that implement emotional marketing benefit from a 31% increase in revenue.

For example, a tech gadget aimed at young professionals might have an innovative and forward-thinking personality. A clear definition of this personality can guide your marketing efforts, from advertising and packaging to customer service and social media presence.

Implement brand identity

While product branding and corporate branding are two different techniques, the latter must be an integral part of the former. Ensure the brand identity is reflected in your product’s identity. It should appear in all your marketing efforts, including communication and presentation to consumers.

Ensure consistency

To avoid confusion and build trust, you have to maintain uniformity in visual elements and customer interactions across all touchpoints. You’ll need to create separate brand guidelines for each product that outline the proper use of logos, colors, fonts, and tone of voice.

Next, you have to make sure that all team members and relevant partners adhere to these guidelines.

Regularly update your branding efforts to ensure they are aligned with evolving market trends.

Work with the right team

Product branding may require adding additional members to your marketing team. You need creative professionals who can take your product to the next level.

When marketers come up with new branding ideas, they should be able to follow strict corporate brand guidelines while thinking outside the box.

Product branding requires seamless collaboration between different departments.

Product branding can help you reinvent your marketing strategy and bring in new audiences. Some of the most successful brands in the world are leveraging this technique each time a new product comes out.

Building a product brand doesn’t just increase your sales. It strengthens your corporate brand and builds customer loyalty.

The three Ps of branding are:

• Positioning: defines how consumers perceive your brand

• Personality: your brand’s story

• Performance: the brand’s ability to deliver on its promise

The four steps of product branding are:

1. Audience and competition research

2. Brand strategy development

3. Product design

4. Consistent implementation