Mike Kolbrener, CEO of Pittsburgh-based branding and marketing consultancy Kolbrener, Inc., conducted a workshop titled “Brand Building and Brand Evolving” on June 7 at the ninth annual Entrepreneur’s Growth Conference sponsored by the Duquesne University Chrysler Corporation Small Business Development Center. His presentation, targeted to new venture entrepreneurs, followed a related workshop prepared by Campos Inc. on the importance of market research.
“These two workshops are really the heart of our Brand Evolution ProcessSM,” Kolbrener explained. “First, research on your market, industry and competitors is crucial to ensure that you fully capitalize on business opportunities and avoid pitfalls. Second, your success depends on market perceptions, so you can’t leave those perceptions to chance. You want to control them by strategically communicating a consistent, meaningful brand.”
During the 75-minute workshop, Kolbrener also discussed measuring branding ROI in terms of public perception, revenue, Web analytics, and brand valuation. “Brands are intangible — which makes it easy to overlook their importance. But a brand’s impact is very tangible. That’s the lightbulb moment I want to create with a workshop like this. A brand does not exist in a vacuum — it’s either driving sales growth or it’s limiting sales growth.”
