Corporate entities urged to pay attention to branding

Mr Bernard Otabil, General Manager of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Thursday appealed to corporate organisations to pay attention to their branding as it served as the major tool for communication with their consumers and also created product acceptability among them.

“Branding is very important and critical, but it is sad that most companies have not taken their time to find out what their brands communicate to targeted consumers”, he said.

Mr Otabil, made the remark when Corporate Standards, a brands consultancy presented 100 copies of the maiden edition of textbooks on superbrands in the country to the GNA at a brief ceremony in Accra.

The book, Ghana’s Superbrands: An Insight into Ghana’s Strongest Brands (Volume one), is an encyclopaedia of all the winners of the maiden edition of the Superbrands Awards organised in December 2012 in Accra, which rewarded 40 corporate entities.

Mr Otabil noted that good branding also enabled products to command good output and sales on the marketplace.

He expressed his appreciation to Corporate Standards for the initiative and urged corporate entities to support the organisation as it sought to promote good corporate branding in the country.

“Superbrands attempt to develop this culture is in the right direction which organisations must embrace in their integrated marketing communications strategy”, he said.

The General Manager praised the organisation for the donation and expressed the conviction that the gesture would mark the beginning of a new relationship between Corporate Standards and the GNA.

Mrs Joyce Ahiadorme, Client Service Executive, Corporate Standards, said the organisation was running the Superbrands Awards Scheme and other promotional programmes, adding that the presentation was aimed at creating more awareness about the award among corporate organisations and to allow more organisations to participate in this year’s edition.

“Superbrands status strengthens a brand’s position, adds prestige and sets the brand apart from its competitors as they stand for quality, value for money, reliability, distinction, exception and a strong brand or product”, she added.

She said Superbrands had launched programmes in over 80 countries with independents and voluntary Council of leading experts, with a deep appreciation of the scope and culture of branding in those countries.

“Only those brands highly rated by the councils receive the Superbrand Accolade and have the right to use the Superbrand Award Seal on their packaging, point of sale and on their other advertising and marketing materials” she added.

Criteria used in the selection by the Superbrand Council to assist in their grading process include Awareness and Market Dominance, Innovation, Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty, Brand Performance and Overall Market Acceptance, and Goodwill (whether the products would live up to promises associated with it).

Corporate Standards is Ghana’s representative for Superbrands International, one of the world’s largest independent arbiters of branding which identifies and pays tribute to exceptional brands by recognising, rewarding and reinforcing leading brands from all over the world.

Source: GNA