1) Strong branding
Be bold with your branding and work on building association for your brand with a particular colour, symbol or ethos. The most successful brands are those that use strong and consistent marketing messages, create a personality and build their profile as a leader in their market.

2) Create an emotional connection
The recent John Lewis advert, in which a small boy waits impatiently in the run up to Christmas, only for viewers to discover that he is eager to present his parents with a Christmas gift, is a good example of how brands can market themselves by creating a strong emotional link with the audience. By creating a marketing campaign that resonates with people, you are not only creating standout for your brand but also promoting yourself as a brand with values.

3) Use and understand online
Online media and social networking sites have become an extremely effective marketing tool in recent years. With brands such as Old Spice creating viral campaigns that spread quickly and achieve global recognition, brands can make the most of this by using social networks and channels such as YouTube to promote themselves. Upload videos, create a Facebook and Twitter profile, set-up a LinkedIn group. All of these are effective ways of marketing your brand.

4) Novelty
When Cadbury launched its gorilla TV advertising campaign, everyone was intrigued by the incongruity as a giant gorilla playing the drums bore no relation to chocolate sales. It was memorable and because the advert didn’t play by the rules of marketing messaging being directly related to the product, it became an instant hit. Make your marketing messages stand out by thinking creatively in a way that will resonate with your audience.

– Mike Spicer is CEO of Pulse Group.