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UNH marketing instructor Peter Masucci in one of the classrooms in McConnell Hall on the campus.

"Branding is the whole process of creating an image in somebody’s mind and hopefully they recall that image in a time of need." Peter Masucci, marketing instructor at the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore School of Business

Nation branding, political branding, emotional branding, e-branding. People everywhere these days are touting branding campaigns to gain that competitive edge. The marketing maneuver is by no means "brand new." A quick Google for "branding" gleans 120 million entries — scores of books, sales pitches, tales of advice, and examples of businesses seeking a better profit margin.

But business beware: There’s no such thing as brand loyalty in a crowded market, says Peter Masucci, marketing instructor at the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore School of Business. And consum-ers are so pinched for time that today’s trend may be just a footnote in tomorrow’s Financial Times, he warns. With everyone in such a hurry, both in their personal and professional lives, companies strive to get it right the first time, said Diane Devine, vice president of marketing for High Liner Foods (USA) Inc., based in Portsmouth. High Liner Foods zeroes in on the fast-paced society with its latest product — an expertly prepared seafood, such as salmon with lemon dill, in a microwaveable pouch. On branding, Devine says, "It’s almost the consumer promise that you make.”

Bill Hurley, president of Infinite Imaging prepared for his workday at his York, Maine office.

Masucci, who became a professor after 30 years in the high-tech industry, said it is a matter of differen-tiating oneself from the competition, often starting with something as simple as a logo or a name. Simple steps, but prominent companies are building some elaborate campaigns around those steps.

AT&T, the former Ma Bell, launched the most aggressive branding campaign in its history last year to try to elbow its way to the top of a crowded telecommunications market. Consultants coined a new slogan, "Your World. Delivered." Hewlett-Packard’s recent branding campaign theme is, "The Computer is Personal Again.” Many television viewers would instantly recognize the little jingle for Intel, its "Intel Inside" commercials. That almost Pavlovian response is everyone’s quest, Masucci said. He compared it to driv-ing down a dusty road during summer and craving a Pepsi (with or without the model seen gulping the beverage on TV). "Branding is the whole process of creating an image in somebody’s mind and hopefully they recall that image in a time of need," he said. Devine, who is helping the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce re-examine its brand (she sits on the chamber’s board of directors), said the quickest way to success is taking the time to know yourself and your audience. She said part of the equation is discovering a niche or a hole, filling it, and delivering on that promise. But it all comes back to knowing your audience.

A brand image is how it is perceived, as opposed to a brand identification, how a company wants the brand to be perceived. Devine, who has more than 20 years experience as a marketing professional, pro-vided marketing expertise to the television show "Survivor." With the show, she pondered the image the producers wanted to convey. The words she came up with then were "fresh, edgy and unpredictable." Watch the show’s first season, or even the latest season, and you can tell she achieved that goal.

What’s in a name?

When Bill Hurley launched Portsmouth Copy back in 1998, his marketing efforts came in spurts of crea-tivity as he clocked long days and nights. "I was too busy," he said. "I really didn’t think about it.” Fast-forward to today and Hurley’s "baby," as he proudly calls his business, has a new name tied into a cohesive regional marketing strategy. Infinite Imaging, as his business became last year, marked an evo-lution long in the making. People knew the store as a high-speed print shop, but the business name did not showcase the array of services provided, nor its expanding coverage area.

Hurley’s customer base now stretches across southeastern New Hampshire and southern Maine. Infinite Imaging now has locations at Pease International Tradeport, downtown Portsmouth, and York, Maine. And Hurley said he is seeking sites in Dover and Exeter. As he re-examined his product — his brand — Hurley called in a specialist. He said he had the foresight to work with Heather Hurtt, an independent marketing consultant from Portsmouth, to guide him through the six-month transition. "It couldn’t have happened without expert advice," he said. "She gave us a wider reach. Infinite Imaging is so much more than that.” Devine, the marketing wiz for High Liner Foods, puts it another way. If you tell someone you work in sneakers, you might get a ho-hum response. But if you tell them you work in Nike, it’s immediately rec-ognizable as a market leader. It has instant buzz. Regardless of a company’s size, she said everyone should focus on their brand and their message and be able to consistently deliver on that. Devine describes it as a continuous work-in-progress, where people must reach out and interact with consumers to identify whether a strategy is working.

Know it when you see it

Devine said she sees successful brands across the Seacoast, places such as Stiletto, a store with a dis-tinct image — that of shoes and accessories — that would not be out of place in Boston or New York. Masucci finds examples everywhere, too, such as certain hybrid automobiles and the proliferation of organic foods. With organic foods, consumers are influencing the marketplace to meet their particular needs or cravings. As he sees it, companies that succeed generally are good at consistently producing a good product or those that are consistently getting their name out or reaching out to consumers. "If you don’t get into your customer’s mind, somebody else will," he said. "It doesn’t matter if a company is big or small, a brand is something you’ve got to nurture and grow.”

Hurley has found donating to local charities a rewarding effort and a fine way to promote his company (and look for Infinite Imaging in spots during New Hampshire Public Television broadcasts). His experi-ence at Infinite Imaging is that short- and long- term investments pay off. To that end he has invested $200,000 in new equipment in each of the last two years, and with results. Business was up last year 25 percent from the prior year. "You absolutely must get out there, there’s plenty of competition," Hurley said. Even with a loyal follow-ing, he added, "People are busy. People forget."