Branding in Polish agribusiness?.

Despite numerous publications and training courses on marketing and advertising, a misconception of what branding is persists among decision-makers at many companies and institutions. „Ah, the logo... We have recently refreshed the look of the accoutrements and have a new website... This product does not need anything special on the package!.. Our differentiator - quality! (despite recent service slip-ups)....” These types of responses to the phrase „branding” testify to the fact that although the words „brand” or „brand” have become entrenched in corporate slang, few understand what branding actually is and the important role it plays in business. Every business - including agrarian business.

Branding - what it is and what it is not

To begin with, it should be made clear - branding is not a logo. It's not even a neatly laid out visual identity system with color and font descriptions in a booklet. It's not packaging. It's also not an advertising theme.

This concept has, of course, evolved over the years - it has been equated with either advertising or marketing. Meanwhile, thoughtful and consistent branding significantly affects both. It influences both the sale of a product or service, as well as making it memorable to the audience and evoking certain desired associations.

Thus, product/service/company/institution branding is a set of many elements - visual and non-visual - that determine their uniqueness, recognizability and memorability. It's all that, in effect, influences the consciousness of the Consumer/Customer when deciding to buy or cooperate.

Branding, in addition to the name, sign or even SIW, for example, also consists of: the way of communication (external and internal - advertising, PR, the meta-language of the organization), the real level of service, the organization of work... Packaging and gadgets even the most aesthetic and imaginative lose their effectiveness if they are not consistent with the other elements. Properly carried out branding, or rebranding (redefinition of an existing brand) is founded on the synergistic effect between all advertising and marketing means that can be used at a given time. Not only that - branding should determine the choice of outreach channels.

Branding - a process for consistency

„Textbook” definitions use the term: „branding”. Thus, it is a process. It is aimed at creating a consistent brand image that reflects the brand's core values.

An effective branding process creates an opportunity for a brand to not only survive, but to thrive in a crowded and changing marketplace. It is a process - not at all quick and easy. It requires marketers and product/service/company owners to define and review the fundamentals of their business.

Practice shows that this is not as easy as it seems. The memorized, ubiquitous slogans „quality and experience”, „tradition and modernity”, „acting with passion” on deeper reflection and analysis of the situation may turn out to be empty words or postulates in exaggeration and not at all the foundation of the company's identity - neither inside the organization nor outside....

How do you get down to branding?

It is therefore necessary to first make an effort to define and test the core values of the brand. This is done in the course of internal meetings and sometimes heated discussions. For it is necessary to answer honestly, seeking confirmation in reality, a series of questions of the type: What is most important to us? What differentiates the product/us from the competition? What are the organization's core values? What is its mission and vision? What customers does it have and what customers would it like to have? What are the strengths and what are the weaknesses? How do we want to be perceived, and how are we? How can the company/product be personified? etc. Independent studies of image, consumer opinion are sometimes very helpful here.

On this basis, the specialists of branding or advertising agencies will be able to create a kind of brand history, which will then be the basis for the creation of a marketing strategy, and then start creative work on the various elements of branding - whether logos, slogans, colors, signage elements, key visuals or, finally, the selection of means of communication.

Brand branding in agriculture?

Among global FMCGs (as well as young innovative companies), awareness of the importance of the phenomenon is high.

What about the domestic business born mostly in the 1990s? What about the agricultural industry... Aren't agricultural products subject to different laws of the market than, say, candy? Don't brands of machinery, tractors, combines need an „image that sells” just like cars? Aren't crop protection products subject to ministerial restrictions just like pharmaceuticals? Are farmers different consumers than bread, milk or egg eaters? In today's „image-based” world, don't they choose with their eyes? Don't they succumb to the influence of advertising?....

Breakthrough moment - how to build an effective brand?

In the era of the transformation of farms into enterprises, with the increased awareness of farmers and farm managers, it is impossible to treat agro-markets lightly! Global giants are well aware of this and are trying to transfer experience from the West to the Polish market. This can be seen in the visual brand identity system of, for example, Bayer, Syngenta, BASF, Adama, Horsh or John Deere.

However, there is still a sizable group of companies that don't understand the need to invest in consistent, distinctive, coherent brand branding or product branding. After all, „this product has such a price that it sells itself”, „this is lying in warehouses, so the packaging »doesn't have to look«!”.”. Could it be that agro-business is a kind of el Dorado, where you don't have to solicit customers by all means?... We know perfectly well that the market is increasingly crowded and the struggle to stand out against the competition - increasingly difficult. Those, such as the Azoty Group, or Osadkowski, or Ciech, which belongs to the international capital group, are aware of this and invest in branding. Their image in real life and on the Internet does not differ from contemporary standards in other industries.

Agricultural branding today is not only about so-called R&D brands, but also about a growing number of generic brands. Along the lines of private-label sales chains, they are increasingly serious competitors to an established, globally recognized brand. Skillfully created branding, when the price factor is no longer the main magnet, is the key to success. After all, agricultural branding, like any other, evokes certain emotions, associations in the recipients, which influence their opinions. If the quality of the product goes hand in hand with the price and image, there is no dissonance between the two - the customer will remain loyal to it, and this will ultimately translate into posts in the profit column.

Agricultural branding - the promise of experience

Thus, we are largely talking about impressions, emotions that accompany the viewer when he or she comes into contact with an agricultural brand. Increasingly, advertising theorists emphasize that a brand is much more than a product and visual identity elements - it is largely a promise of experience.

Is a given agricultural branding a guarantee of: efficiency, reliability, trouble-free operation? What benefits can I expect by applying a particular measure or using a particular machine? Through the means used (shapes, colors, tone of voice, style of imagery, etc.) the brand is supposed to evoke certain feelings and associations in the minds of the recipient. If it evokes quite different ones than it should, it is a signal of image inconsistency, i.e. de facto unsuccessful branding.

So what impressions does Polish agricultural branding evoke? Targeted surveys of specific audiences - which we strongly encourage - will provide an authoritative answer.

It can quickly become apparent that what was „good,” „proven,” „reliable,” „on-trend” a decade ago is not building a positive brand image today....

And that means there is still plowing in the fallow field of agricultural branding. Today, amateurism, as in farming, will not bring the desired results. So when thinking about refreshing the image of your agro-business, it's worth enlisting the help of those who have proven themselves in the field of advertising and branding.

We have been connecting agro brands with farmers for over 20 years.

Talk to us about your campaign and start reaching the right audience.