Once your branding project is complete, the work isn’t finished. Properly launching your brand is key to getting the publicity and recognition that it deserves. Apple is the obvious example of great brand/product launches. They leverage the media, use a careful marketing strategy, and arrange spectacular events. Even though this isn’t feasible for most organizations, you can achieve brand launch success with just a few easy steps.

Building Intrigue

Nothing helps get a new brand off the ground like word-of-mouth publicity. Getting people excited about a new product or service, and spreading their excitement to friends and family, creates free marketing. Building intrigue is achieved by cultivating an air of mystery around your brand launch. Apple does this through leaks to the media. They get people imagining what features the product will include, fuelled by strategic leaks. While most cannot afford to be in the spotlight like this, there are alternative, small scale approaches. An effective way to get some local buzz is guerrilla marketing. Whether through high visibility publicity stunts, or more moderate flyers and posters, developing a presence on the ground or Internet will get your brand in people’s minds from the beginning.

Offering Samples

People are cautious with their money and time, so getting them to adopt a new product, service, organization, or cause is an uphill battle. Marketing 101 tells us that offering samples is the best way to shift people’s patterns and behaviour. This is simple for products, and services can offer coupons or loyalty cards. For other organizations, like not-for-profits and community projects, branded swag can be substituted for samples, to build brand recognition in your target audience. Another benefit of samples is to give them to important media contacts, like columnists, reviewers, or bloggers, to help sway them to report positively about your new brand.

Brand Launch Publicity

Your brand launch likely won’t be featured on CBC, CNN, or the Wall Street Journal front page. That’s alright. The availability of advertising space has never been greater than it is today. This opens up opportunities for all brands to interact with their target audience through different media channels. A strong social media presence helps to develop enthusiasm and intrigue long before your brand launch. Social media advertising is also highly cost-effective. Your company should also arrange for relevant local media organizations to attend your brand launch event. The key to gaining publicity for your brand launch is time, so planning for a long build-up will be extremely beneficial.

No brand strategy is complete without a plan for your brand launch, so ensure that your branding agency includes this as part of your project. For more information on the KIMBO Design branding approach, including brand launches, check out our Branding services page.