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BRAND BUILDING

Five ways for smart marketers to build an authentic brand in 2023

By our News Team | 2022

Demonstrating passion and creating a brand that you would want to buy from are important points to help create authentic engagement.

Starting a business is not easy, but building an authentic brand may be even harder. However, it is achievable and will increase engagement and sales, as the audience will have built a relationship with the brand and trust it.

A recent blog post published by the Institute of Marketing Management South Africa offers five ways to build an authentic brand.

1. Be true to yourself

Many business owners and marketers choose to appeal to an audience – but by doing so they often make choices based on what others want. By staying true to yourself you will be trustworthy, which is what it takes to build brand authenticity. Believe in your strengths and always trust your gut!

Brand Building

Photo by Christina Morillo from Pexels

2. Have passion

If you don’t like the business or believe in it, it will be very difficult to build its authenticity. Without being passionate about the brand, or anything in general, you will not be able to create a real presence that an audience would trust or believe in. Building brand authenticity is a challenge and is going to take time, but a strong work ethic and belief in the brand will prove to be fruitful in the long run.

3. Create a brand you would want to buy from

If you are trying to build brand authenticity but would not purchase the product or do not believe in its worth, this will translate throughout the marketing execution. The target audience can tell that the brand is only trying to make money and not endeavouring to make a real human connection. If the target audience can see that the owner, marketer, or brand itself is not using the product or is not invested in it, they will likely not buy it.

4. Be honest and be natural

When building a brand or dealing with customers, you should be honest with yourself and follow the route that feels natural. If you always do what you think people want, it will likely not be successful. At the end of the day, a brand aims to tell the customer they need the product or service they’re selling, and not have the customer tell the brand how to market their product or service. But a brand will also be able to build authenticity by being honest with its customers.

5. Don’t be influenced or pressured

Influence and pressure are not always bad as they may lead to growth, but too much outside influence and pressure from people is bad for brand building. This will often lead to choices made in a rush or with the wrong intentions, damaging brand image. Feedback can be good for growing and improving a brand, but feedback from influences that think they know more about the brand or what’s best for the brand is often detrimental. What works for one brand does not always work for another, and the audience will be able to tell if a brand is trying to mirror another similar brand.

The Institute of Marketing Management South Africa is a founder member of the African Marketing Confederation. Read the original blog post here.

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Dr Kin Kariisa

Group CEO - Next Media

Dr. Kin Kariisa is an extraordinary force at the helm of Next Media Services, a conglomerate encompassing NBS TV, Nile Post, Sanyuka TV, Next Radio, Salam TV, Next Communication, Next Productions, and an array of other influential enterprises. His dynamic role as Chief Executive Officer exemplifies his unwavering commitment to shaping media, business, and community landscapes.
With an esteemed academic journey, Dr. Kariisa’s accolades include an Honorary PhD in exemplary community service from the United Graduate College inTexas, an MBA from United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya, a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering from Huazong University in China, and a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics from Makerere University.
Dr. Kariisa pursued PhD research in Computer Security and Identity Management at Security of Systems Group, Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands. As a dynamic educator, he has shared his expertise as a lecturer of e-Government and Information Security at both Makerere University and Radboud University.

Dr Kin did his PhD research in Computer Security and Identity Management at Security of Systems Group, Radbond University in Nigmegen, Netherlands. He previously served as a lecturer of e-Government and Information Security at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda and Radbond University in Netherlands.

Dr Kin did his postgraduate courses in Strategic Business Management, Strategic Leadership Communication and Strategies for Leading Successful Change Initiatives at Harvard University, Boston USA.

  • Other current and previous roles played by Dr Kin Kariisa:
  • Lecturer of e-Government and Information Security to graduate students at Makerere University, Kampala and Radbond University in the Netherlands
  • Director of Eco Bank Uganda Limited, one of the largest banks in Africa
  • Chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters, an umbrella industry association for all Television, Radio and online broadcasters in Uganda.
  • Chairman of Board of Directors of Nile Hotel International, that owns the leading hotel in Uganda, Kampala Serena Hotel.
  • Chairman of Board of Directors of Soliton Telmec Uganda, the leading telecom company in Optic fibre business managing over 80% of optic fibre in Uganda.