The characteristics of effective brands

WHEN one thinks of Volvo, "safety" almost always comes to mind. The instant recall Volvo has achieved is down to its obsession with safety in its products, but also in its strategy and brand positioning.

Strategic brand building is becoming increasingly common but is also a critical way to ensure success in today's complex and turbulent marketplaces. In branding, owning a word or a sharp phrase can anchor a company's message and position, but building a brand as timeless as Volvo takes evolutionary strategic thinking too.

Brand building is a long-term process and consequently requires a boardroom mindset and attitude that aspires to think big and strategically. Strategic thinking for brand building requires an in-depth understanding of the customer, category and competition. This in turn requires being close to the customer pulse, evolution of the category and competitor activities.