Re: Design

Just who, exactly, is Dr. Direct, and why is Tim Scott, vice-president of business development for Brooks Instrument, a Pennsylvania-based manufacturing company, his biggest booster? The unlikely pairing of Scott, a real-life engineer, and Dr. Direct, a whimsical comic-strip superhero, is at the heart of a grassroots marketing campaign that’s garnering a lot of attention in a traditionally low-profile industry.

The fictitious character — who is always accompanied by his trusty sidekicks, an edgy parrot and a brainy dog — is being used by Brooks Instrument to publicize the Quantim precision mass flow controller, a product the company considers the most innovative in its 56-year history. The surprising campaign — as well as the process Brooks used to create it — sheds light on how small businesses with little marketing background can produce innovative, low-cost strategies that work. The experience has taught Brooks that the company’s best marketers are found inside the business, people who really know their products and their customers.

For a great brand, customers will drive the extra mile, pay the extra dollar, and refuse to consider lower priced “me too” offers from competitors.

But what is it that commands this kind of loyalty? The answer is simple: customers are loyal to great brands because those brands deliver great experiences. As it gets harder and harder for companies to stand out through unique product features or technology, strong brands consistently provide distinctive, high quality customer interactions that low cost competitors cannot easily duplicate.

How do they do it? By engaging employees in a continuous strategy to maintain high standards across every area of the enterprise — sales, customer service, marketing, and operations - right down to the fork lift drivers in the warehouse. Those employees are the ones who shape perceptions, by creating the experiences customers value enough to return to the brand time after time.

A brand is a name or symbol used to identify the source of a product. When developing a new product, branding is an important decision. The brand can add significant value when it is well recognized and has positive associations in the mind of the consumer. This concept is referred to as brand equity.

What is Brand Equity?

Brand equity is an intangible asset that depends on associations made by the consumer. There are at least three perspectives from which to view brand equity: