The practical branding bible following "Every Business is Branding"!

Is building a great brand essential for successful management? What is the difference between becoming a well-known brand and one with a distinct identity? With countless brands emerging and disappearing, what distinguishes those that survive? Professor Hong Seong-tae, a marketing expert familiar to the general public through bestsellers such as "All Businesses Are Branding," "Different Than Better," "Baemin-like," and "Growing Up," revisits the essence of branding in his new book, "Being a Brand."


The topic covered in previous works—"What should I do to create my own brand?"—remains relevant in this book as well.
What's strikingly different is that, beyond simply explaining how to successfully promote a brand, we've focused on writing practical guidelines based on firsthand observations and experiences in the field.
The author, who has worked with actual entrepreneurs, marketers, and practitioners from various companies to answer their concerns, explains practical methods for surviving as a brand in a conversational format with his students.
As the title suggests, it's good to be a famous brand, but it's also important to become an unforgettable brand with its own unique identity. This book will be a must-read for all companies and individuals who want to remain a brand.

It's already been a few months.
One day, a student who had graduated a few years ago, started a company, and was rumored to be doing quite well came to visit.
He said that he started a startup with two friends and worked tirelessly for several years, cutting back on sleep and taking no vacations, just to survive.
However, as the number of people increased and sales volume grew, many new problems arose that were difficult to solve on their own.

In the past, we just had to focus on our respective roles with our partners, but now we had to think about what the company's mission and vision were, and we had to think anew about marketing, such as what message to send to what target.
After some friction, the two founding partners went their separate ways and hired professional staff, but they came to me because they felt they needed to establish a clear direction as the company's CEO.

I had a conversation with him about this and that for three or four hours.
I answered the questions sincerely, hoping that they would be of some help, but they said that although it was something I had learned in school, it all sounded new to them after actually doing it, and politely asked if I could come back next week.
Isn't it something you should not hesitate to ask for help from your beloved disciple?
So, I came back the following week, talked for three or four hours, and then went back, repeating this process for three months. My student always recorded our conversations, and I thought the content might be helpful to other marketers, so I asked if he could share the recordings with me, and he gladly sent me the files.
This book is a transcription and organization of that file.

---From the "Header"

I see many cases where people forget their soul, their mother, and just try to increase sales, shortening their lifespan.
Persistence doesn't mean not changing, it means constantly changing but not losing your mother.
The soul, core values, mother, the essence of karma...
These words all imply that while we must constantly adapt to changes in the market and customers, we must not forget our roots in order to remain unshaken and sustainable.

Sustainability is so important, yet so damn hard to maintain.
There's a saying by boxer Mike Tyson.
“Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth.” When sales plummet, the essence of the business is lost.
When the CEO changes, the concept is shaken up, and even when the marketing manager or advertising agency changes, the concept is constantly being touched.
A brand's lifeblood is its concept, so if you change it so easily, will that concept stick in consumers' minds?
---“It’s hard to maintain your identity even as the world changes and the company grows.”

Anyway, in convenience stores that are sensitive to change, Buldak Bokkeum Myeon has been holding its ground for several years.
What's the secret? I repeat, to appear consistent, paradoxically, you have to constantly change.
No, evolution would be more accurate.
Let's see how Buldak Bokkeum Myeon has evolved. Buldak Bokkeum Myeon is a noodle dish without broth, so it has a clean spicy flavor.
Its unique spicy taste appeals to people, and as you know, Josh from the YouTube channel 'British Man' uploaded a video of British people trying to eat Buldak Bokkeum Myeon, which became a hot topic, and it has become a firm fixture on the shelves.

It doesn't stop there.
For those who like a spicy taste but don't like it too spicy, we made a limited edition of the soft Carbonara Buldak Bokkeum Myeon with added cream sauce, which was more popular than expected and became a regular product.
At the same time, they also released a spicy spicy chicken stir-fried noodle that is twice as spicy.
Even after that, they released limited edition products whenever they could to keep Buldak fans from getting bored.
Jjajang Buldak Bokkeum Myeon, Jjolbokki Buldak Bokkeum Myeon, Curry Buldak Bokkeum Myeon, Mala Buldak Bokkeum Myeon, Cool Buldak Bokkeum Myeon, etc.
Now, they make various categories of products under the brand name ‘Buldak.’
Have you tried the spicy chicken dumplings? There's also spicy chicken fried rice, spicy chicken tteokbokki, spicy chicken kimbap, and even spicy chicken half-boiled eggs.
This is why the brand called Fire Chicken never gets boring.
Actually, there are quite a few enthusiasts who eat Buldak, even though you may not be very interested.

While maintaining the core attribute of "Buldak"—spiciness—what other categories could it be categorized into? There's toothpaste, and there's lip balm.
Of course, it doesn't have buldak sauce, but it has a strong mint flavor to give it a refreshing feeling.
In short, the secret to the longevity of the Buldak brand is that it has maintained the characteristics of its "mother" brand, which is the spicy taste and image that Koreans like, while consistently making changes.
It's about maintaining the brand's consistency without boring consumers.
---“I don’t know about luxury goods, but is it easy for cheap consumer goods to insist on sustainability?”

The ultimate goal of branding is brand extension.
A signature item is a bridgehead that grabs people's attention, and the key is to expand using this as a springboard.
So to speak, we want to make it so that people can trust and buy whatever we sell under our 'brand' name without thinking too much about it.
For example, when you say 'Ottogi', curry comes to mind.
After planting a seed of affection in people's hearts with curry, we didn't stop there and prepared a variety of curries for sale.
Next, there are over 1,000 items, including ramen, ketchup, mayonnaise, and various seasonings, that are sold under the Ottogi name, some for profit, some for decoration.
After creating a signature, you use it as a springboard to continuously expand your product line. This is the main goal of branding.
However, there are some things to be careful about when expanding.
Items should be complementary or independent, not substitutes.
Eating a French fries or cola with a hamburger is 'complementary'.
Or, like the various items in a department store, they need to expand into 'independent' products that are unrelated to each other, but in many cases, they end up cannibalizing themselves by stocking 'alternative' products.
---“The key is to get a good hold of the signboard product?”

You said that 'concept' is the consumer's perception and image.
It's fascinating that we have to put this invisible thing into words, so it can only be expressed in metaphysical terms, but it's still a feeling that people have in common.
Clorox was the first bleach product to be released in the United States in 1913 and has been a market leader ever since.
The concept is 'Whiter & Brighter' so it's very clear.
But since it is a product used for laundry, we also made laundry detergent.
This did not work.
Why would that be? Perhaps people subconsciously assumed that washing with Clorox would make things whiter.
Later on, fabric stain removers, toilet cleaners, and drain cleaners all sold well.
These products all fit the concept of ‘whiter and brighter.’
---From "How can pivoting help you build a portfolio?"

The ultimate target that a brand should aim for is, to borrow Steve Jobs' expression, the "conscious minority."
The ripple effect created by that minority is by no means small.
What does it mean, specifically, to aim for a conscious minority? It means pursuing the object of one's aspirations.
In marketing, the object of envy is called a 'muse'.
Originally, the term muse referred to a goddess who inspired writers and artists, but in marketing, it means 'a target that inspires marketers.'
The marketing picture becomes clearer when you narrowly focus on this muse target.

---“They told me to target narrowly, but will sales be sufficient?”

Personality is literally my original character.
But we don't live like that.
Don't try to show others a trimmed and groomed appearance.
That's called a persona.
In psychological terms, it is sometimes divided into intrinsic and extrinsic personality.
For example, if a person with a blunt personality hears his daughter complain, "Daddy is too dry," he might retort, "What's wrong with me!" but wouldn't he take it to heart? Then, he might make a conscious effort to be gentle when meeting people.
The way you appear to others is your persona.
The important thing here is that other people don't know my real character, my personality.
They just react to my persona.
It's not that they react to my personality, but rather to the image I've cultivated and shown.
So you have to cultivate your persona well.
This shouldn't be viewed negatively, such as being hypocritical.
If you look at it as a process that requires effort, rather than living according to one's own nature and filling in one's shortcomings, then isn't this also a process that requires effort?
---From "What is the difference between personality and persona?"

In early 2021, Clubhouse, a voice-based social media platform, took the world by storm.
The timing was good, as the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak, and it was also an interesting strategy to initially limit participation to iPhones and iPads.
I guess they judged that there were many Apple users among the early adopters.
But why did this app, once rumored to be a "popular app," fall from grace so quickly? It was a failure to grasp the psychological characteristics of early adopters.
It's important for them to be admired as lifestyle leaders.
But when celebrities appeared in Clubhouse and dominated the game, the early adopters got fed up and left.
Moreover, as the number of older generations who create and operate rooms increases, they become more old-fashioned, giving long-winded lectures and lecturing, and the MZ generation also leaves.
Do you see how important it is to understand the characteristics of consumer groups at each stage of the product life cycle?

---From "Which consumer group determines the success or failure of a new product?"