The power of branding

Correspondent, The Star. "People buy brands, not products!" said brand consultant Shen Chang at the recent "Power of Branding" master forum held at The One Academy.

The talk was part of the institution's "Masters Train Masters" teaching philosophy where students are provided learning opportunities through sessions given by professional speakers from the creative communication industry.

At Shen Chang's talk, the institution's advertising and graphic design students learnt the importance of branding knowledge and acquired ways of branding a product or company.

Tips were also given on finding the "story" behind a company and how it could be used for branding.

"Every company has a story and it is important to find that story to understand your clients' needs," said Shen.

During the talk, Shen's case studies demonstrated how each successful brand contained insights that made the brand stand out in comparison to other brands in the market.

This sharing was particularly useful to the graphic design students as they learnt that their ideas and concepts should tie-in with a brand's nature, origin or image.

Shen, who is the country head of MakkiMakki Malaysia, advised them that "when it comes to creating a brand, always look for ways to be different."

"Brands have value, and people are always interested in buying brands. So, allow your designs to speak distinctively," he said.