Branding

Branding creates an expectation in the mind of a customer as to the quality, value and satisfaction to be derived from purchasing a particular item (or range of items) from a provider of goods or services.

Franchise businesses with strong and identifiable brands and which consistently deliver the expectation of that brand across all levels of its business, are more capable of being franchised than those businesses which have weak brands and poor consistency.

The brand promise of an organisation is most clearly identified by its logo.

Protecting Your Franchise Brand

The first consideration of any business contemplating franchising is to protect the integrity of its brand by registering its logo as a trademark.

This is a process that traditionally involves patent attorneys, but  in Australia can now even be done online.

In Australia, registering a business name is insufficient to protect the brand name or trademark from being used by others.

All brands developed for use by the business to be franchised should be registered as trademarks. (eg. Where Fred’s Mobile Car Wash is the franchise brand, and SuperFred is a special cleaning agent developed for use in the business).

Well-branded and marketed businesses lend themselves more readily to franchising than businesses that have no clear logo and no discernible brand promise.

Building and securing brand equity is essential for the future of any franchise business, where the most tangible element available to a new franchise is the use of the franchisor’s brand.