Awareness of the Rawson Property Group’s ‘brand’ is currently at a higher level than ever before in its 35 year history, said Bill Rawson recently, and this is the result of a sustained, on-going effort to create this awareness. What is more, the outward brand awareness has been complemented all along the line by an in-house drive to emphasize, throughout the Rawson Property Group today, that every one of its members, franchisees and agents, has a crucial role to play in fostering brand acceptance.
Debbie Reabow, the Rawson Property Group’s Brand and Communication Manager, has recently travelled around the country to all the Rawson Regional Conferences to share some insights with the group’s members.
In these presentations she began by defining what a brand is: it is, she said, a product or a service that has a name, a recognizable personality, a logo, a reputation and consistency. It should remain strong and seldom alter radically so that it becomes ingrained in people’s mind-sets.
Brands, said Reabow, sell more than product – and this is a proven fact. Brands should always convey a promise to which the consumer will respond and are therefore value more than a product.
Nevertheless, she added, the task of winning consumers’ loyalty to a brand is now harder than ever before in that within the last two years consumer attitudes have undergone more radical and faster changes than ever before.
“Today’s consumer,” said Reabow, “receives around 3,000 branding messages per day. Even though he may be unaware of many of these, he is likely to feel that he is bombarded with information and is being constantly "sold to". And the statistics are staggering: a person, for example, by the age of 18, has watched 140,000 TV advertisements. This brand deluge can inevitably result in a certain scepticism and in the consumer being less receptive – and that is the challenge we are faced with today.”
In addition to these challenges, said Reabow, it has to be accepted that today’s consumer has, via the internet and social media platforms, an outlet through which he can publish any dissatisfaction he feels should any aspect of a brand not live up to its claims and its promises.
“In today’s circumstances,” said Reabow, “old-fashioned brand loyalty has decreased and the consumer will almost invariably shop around for the very best deal and the best service.”
In doing this, she added, service quality is likely to be prized above all else – and if it is not there the brand’s reputation will simply fall by the wayside.
In an estate agency business, said Reabow, the willingness, dedication and skill of the agents who actually meet and interact with the public, are crucial to the brand’s image. If we don't get this right then we fail.
“This is one reason,” she said, “why the Rawson Property Group places such a great emphasis on training, training over 3800 agents per year in over 19 courses aimed at better skilling staff in various areas of our business. Our aim is to have the best trained agents in Southern Africa and to make sure the consumer has a great experience with the brand. We want people to know that we are totally consumer focused.”
Other messages that the Rawson Property Group branding in all its forms seeks to convey, said Reabow, are:
· That information and advice are easily accessed through our new website, aimed at ensuring that a consumer’s biggest investment is a wise one.
· That the service provided is not only dedicated but comprehensive – it covers every aspect of property, both residential and commercial, including renting, letting, property administration, bond origination, auctioneering and developments.
· That although the group has set itself the task of achieving 400 franchises by 2015 and is growing at a rate of almost one franchise per week, it will to the end remain a group in which personal service is of paramount importance.
· And that the group’s senior management are accessible, not only to their staff but also to the public almost on a 24/7 basis.
