Your brand should be one of your most valuable assets, argues Peter Poland, but it won’t be if it is not managed correctly.

Which sells better and commands a higher price, a good product from an unknown name or an adequate product from a household name? In modern parlance, the answer’s a no-brainer — brand is king.

The Oxford English Dictionary says a brand is a ‘trademark, whether made by burning or not, applied to casks of wines or liquors, timber, metals and any description of goods except textile fabrics.’ Who wants a frock with a hole singed where a hole does not belong? Alternatively, the verb ‘to brand’ means ‘mark indelibly, as a proof of ownership, and as a sign of quality.

As marketing evolved, so the idea of a brand just denoting ownership has developed into a broader notion. A successful brand is a
household name synonymous with a reputation for quality and reliability — whether deserved or not — and, hence, desirability.
Perhaps the ultimate ‘brander’ was the genius at Hoover that persuaded us that a device to suck up dogs’ hairs is not called a vacuum cleaner — but a Hoover. The Zodiac guys have managed a similar coup. However, you don’t have to play in the big league to make brand awareness pay.

How do boatbuilders stack up in the world of premium price brands with household name status? How and when did the clever ones reach this holy grail of brand awareness and — better still — brand loyalty?

As far as I recall the first production boatbuilder to establish a true brand presence was probably Camper and Nicholson. Until the advent of the Nicholson 32, there were few production fibreglass yacht ranges. Campers obeyed golden rule number one — they named their product after themselves. So the Nicholson GRP yacht brand became synonymous with Camper and Nicholson quality and tradition as the company strode from the age of wood into the age of plastic.

Another early brand to prosper was Swan. Once again each of Nautor’s Finnish-built models is called — surprise, surprise — a Swan. Each Swan shares an unmistakable house style and livery. It shouts the equivalent of ‘I am a Swan and I am special. Buy me — if you can afford me’. Even Swan’s regatta sponsor Rolex, adds to the brand’s allure by juxtaposing another up-market product. It’s a case of two premium price brands uniting to reinforce their images.

Equally canny brand marketing hails from England’s Oyster. Most sailors know that Oysters sail the oceans of the world, flock to the ARC, and frolic in their own private regattas in the Caribbean. And if you have to ask the price — you can’t afford it.

But how many Oysters are built by Oyster? Not many. They are mostly built by various sub-contractors in the UK and New Zealand. The nearest to an Oyster-built Oyster comes from SYS — and that is only a relatively recent development, as that yard was a longstanding subcontractor until it was acquired. But does this matter? No, it simply shows how the establishment of a brand recognised for its perceived kudos and quality really is the holy grail of marketing and, more importantly, the procurer of premium prices.

The British-built range of Princess motoryachts provides another illustration of brand awareness. Only recently did someone twig that it would reinforce the brand name if Princesses were actually built by Princess Yachts International — rather than by the mundanely named Marine Projects. The penny dropped. The name was changed.

To first establish and then strengthen a brand one needs to identify and isolate major selling points, then hammer them home, simply and remorselessly, time after time. Repetition reinforces the message. Then cultivate brand awareness by issuing usable and succinct press releases to the magazines and by sending out regular — and preferably interesting — company newsletters.

Newsletters are the ultimate marketing tools. Through them, your clients feel involved, absorb your ‘brand message’ and learn first about future models and company developments. And this exposure draws them in to an exclusive club — your club — your branded environment. Then they soon become your ‘advocates’, telling their friends about you and, when the time is ripe, they come back to you for more.

The message is simple. A sound product combined with a remorseless drip feed of brand-oriented publicity can build legends. And before you know it, your brand is king!

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