For smaller businesses seeking to emulate the success of super brands, there are two main strategies that companies need to take into account. These involve undertaking market research to build a strong and consistent brand culture and creating a right marketing mix.

Ask your customers what they want

Vodafone seems to be taking note, favouring a more regional strategy in their marketing report, with the objective to 'retain market leadership in the UK'. This is achieved through market research, including speaking to new and existing customers through media links. Listening to their customers they introduced 'new technologies and updated the range of phones and services for their supplicated users of modern mobile technology'.

It is clear that Vodafone's strategy is consumer focused and product led. They understand that the only way to succeed is to 'continue to develop new products and services which utilise the latest technology advances'.

The marketplace is a battlefield, so companies have to be highly visible as 'the brand to buy.' Effective marketing is the key to visibility. It involves choosing the best possible media to reach the target audience.

Successful brands are those that advertise their product through the right media channel. Brands more than ever lay at the mercy of the media, as it has been proven to contribute to a brands growth. This is evident in the magazine and digital industry.

'The key is to understand your customer: finding out what they want and what they do in their personal life, so you can reach them through the right channels', suggests Stephen Cheliotis, Chief Executive of The Centre for Brand Analysis and Chairman of the UK Superbrands, Business Superbrands and CoolBrands.

Research shows that consumers are more likely to find magazine advertising more acceptable, compared to advertising in other media. Mark Lonergan, managing director of August Media explains that 'magazines engage with people on a more deeper and personal level'.

Surveys conducted by IPC Media supports this, revealing that readers regard magazines as their 'friends,' because it attracts like-minded individuals with shared interest and values. In addition, 'triggering intimate conversations between friends'.

This element of trust, which explains why 61 per cent of consumers adopt a positive attitude towards magazine advertisement compared to the 52 per cent of TV viewers. However, to transfers loyalty into sales, creativity is needed.

Be creative

A creative and original advert can make the difference in grabbing the reader's attention and them flicking the page. For example, an advert for Triumph Lingerie was embossed with gold glitter closely resembling the actual look of the product. Here, the feel of textured paper made the advert visually unique, which was resulted in mass sales.

The digital industry is an effective tool of advertising in the UK with UK shoppers spending over £38 billion online in 2009. This trend is increasing with 60 per cent of the UK population surfing the Internet everyday or every other day.

For example, seven out of 10 UK Internet users go online to use services related to travel and accommodation. However, research shows that people make a decision on the quality of a site in the blink of an eye.

First impressions count

A report conducted by the BBC revealed that, 'If people believe a website looks good then this positive quality will spread to other areas, such as the website content."

Therefore, it is not enough for a business to merely attract visitors to their site. 'They need a design which will grab people in an instant and guide them though the site to successfully sell them the product and service', notes Damon Segal, Managing Director of Emotio Design Group. It is clear that, a website design needs to be crafted in tandem with a specialist understanding of how users interact with a site.

Use social networking to your advantage

Social networking has helped to create the perfect environment for advertising. It accounts for nearly a quarter of all time spent online and by July this year 500 million people worldwide were actively using Facebook.

Segal believes, 'As well as the sheer scale of the potential audience the internet gives the brands the chance to build the trust and loyalty which people have lost as we live more and more in an age of suspicion'.

As research shows that people have lost trust in business, politics and the media, he explains that, 'by using social networks to their advantage and by engaging on a personal level with customers, brands can rebuild that trust and turn customers into advocates'.

This requires a start to finish integrated strategy. It is the business of Emotio Design Group to help deliver a brand's vision, 'beginning with an analysis of the brand's business needs before designing and creating the website and the online solution'.

Look to the future

What is the next advertising platform for brands? To be honest there is no definite answer- the point is no one is supposed to know. Nobody predicted the phenomenon of Facebook.

What technology does promise us is that there will be an increase in channels to reach consumers, many through existing mediums.

Science suggests that advertising will become more personalised, targeting products at specific groups of people.

Segal suggests that in the near future, 'outdoor sites displaying adverts will pick up personal information about you from your phone or iPad and instantly tailors the advert to your lifestyle'. Impossible? No. Expensive? Yes, at first. The Internet has shown us over many years that everything becomes cheaper and more accessible.

Although future technology is promising, there is a danger of being too future focused and ignoring the potential of existing media. A lot of the old media is still consumer appealing. Radio and posters remain an effective way of attracting customers. Therefore, it would be unwise for companies to ignore existing mediums in favour of the next best thing, which may not be effective.

The best idea is to, 'carry on using existing channels but just make sure your messaging and campaign is right and the execution is perfect', advises Stephan Cheliotis. It is clear that, to build a brand does not mean jumping on the next best thing. How you utilise the media channel determines the success of the brand.

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