Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/553583
17 Cover Story manner the essence of your business relationship. Betts Company implemented that strategy when updating its branding earlier this decade. Unique in the aftermarket due to its supplier and distributor divisions, Betts Company's team worked diligently to build, sharp, succinct messages for the company and its three business units, says President Bill Betts. "We wanted to focus on our core values, and create a story that represents our business," he says. Value propositions, taglines and logos also should be constructed with long-term usage in mind. Consumers will occasionally accept minor updates to brands, but frequent alterations are a quick way to crater a brand's image. Developing a brand also requires the ability to communicate non-verbally, conveying a corporate identity that is so universal it doesn't need to be said. At Peterbilt, where class is king, that manifests itself through marketing and corporate branding that is simple yet sophisticated. "We focus on our core attributes: du- rability, reliability and quality," says Todd Acker, Peterbilt's director of marketing. "We want our customers to know our company builds the best product in the world." This is how good reputations are born. By recognizing and endorsing a strong aspect of your operation, you can develop a brand identity that plays to your greatest strengths. And over time, as customers accept the message and receive the service you've promised, your brand's image will grow. Craig Kruckeberg says that's a strategy he's always held sacred at Minimizer — err, Spray Control Systems. "Spray Control Systems is our legal corporate name," he says. "But our mar- keting focus has always been 'minimize weight, minimize spray and minimize expense.' That was our message about our fenders, and that's how people began to know us. Everything has evolved from there." The fi nal step in building a brand is employee engagement. Everyone has to be on the same page about what your brand represents, and how to support it. "We created a written document for our team members," Betts says. "It was like an internal manifesto of our philo- sophical approach. Within it we laid out our message; why we exist and what our business and brand represents." Maintaining your brand Once you've built a brand identity you must work tirelessly to maintain it. In some ways this can actually be more diffi cult than building a brand, says Pete Joy, vice president of sales and marketing at Phillips Industries. "When you have a strong brand, every decision you make must work to rein- force it," he says. Acker agrees, adding, "Sustaining [a W W W . T R U C K P A R T S A N D S E R V I C E . C O M A u g u s t 2 0 1 5 | T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E The Peterbilt brand has been defi ned by its script logo for many decades. Brand is more than just perception. Your brand also is how you are perceived in your industry, by your peers, by your own team. Your brand has to work in all of those instances. – Bill Betts, president at Betts Company