Dolchai, who began his agency three years ago, said the newcomers to the market would seek their own niche strength while helping companies with brand-building.

Amid an economic slowdown, when customer loyalty to brands falls, businesses look for new inspirations for building brands, Dolchai said.

"I can see next year's trend, in which consumers will take a significant part in brand-building," he said.

Dolchai has spent more than 20 years in marketing. He has worked with leading advertising agencies, including two years with Leo Burnett, 10 years with Ogilvy & Mather, and 18 years with Dentsu Young and Rubicam Ltd (DYR), where he started as art director and became chief executive officer. He resigned from DYR in April 2004 to form his own branding firm.

Business clients at Dolchai's Brandscape have grown from two - Major Group and Thanachart - to about 40 today, including Siam Discovery, Loft, Lolane, Siam Cement Group, Prema Gold, Seagull and the Esplanade complex.

In addition to Brandscape, Dolchai has also set up two new business units - Brandity and Bbalm - to look after all creative work, such as logo design, advertising and image management, marketing and brand activation.

Dolchai says that brand building has become a strategic move for companies over the past five to six years. And it will continue. Companies with entertainment and lifestyle-related products will focus on building brands that strengthen their bonds with customers. These companies include entertainment centres, theatres, restaurants and even banks.

"Branding has its own journey, without a lifetime. Brands cannot get old but need to be spruced up all the time," he said.

He said a strong brand was built on clear values and emotional connection with consumers. And telling the brand "story" is quite significant in order to communicate those values in the right perspective and a human context.

"Some companies have a good branding strategy, but they cannot communicate them in a way their individual customers can understand. A good strategy should be run with good communication skills," said Dolchai, adding the brand's message must connect with viewers at many levels beyond mere aesthetics in order to resonate and be remembered. The more the audience views a message that speaks to them on an emotional level, the more likely they are to comprehend and remember the work.

"Business organisations should focus on building the brand culture. The brand-building process should start from within, and all employees should become ambassadors in communicating the brand outside," said Dolchai.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation