Brands, brands, and more brands. You're probably hearing an awful lot about them lately, largely because the success of franchises such as Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, and Candy Crush Saga means that everyone wants to create that 'next big big thing'. 

It's a noble cause, and there's no reason why people shouldn't strive to turn their title into a successful brand.

How though, do your turn a game into a globally-recognised cash cow?

Obviously, there isn't a all-encompassing answer, but developers can put one forward by listening to their customers and lending them a friendly ear. 

The customer is always right

During a panel at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2014, we sat down with some of the mobile industry's best and brightest to find out more about what it takes to create a brand that stands head and shoulders above the rest. 

Lima Sky's (Doodle Jump)  Armin Hummel kicked off proceedings by suggesting that anyone looking to build a brand must first forge a connection with their users.

"I think that a key element was to forge a connection with our users. We wanted to understand what they were looking for, what their recommendations were, and what they wanted to see in the future," he explained.

"That takes you to the next level because people appreciate it when you listen to their feedback on things like Facebook and Twitter, and then actually take action.

"As for building a brand, obviously we we're far away from what Rovio's done, but we're established."

Right on cue, Rovio's Marja Konttinen stepped in to offer her take, explaining that personal connections are indeed crucial.

According to Konttinen, having a brand means having a community who are 100 percent invested in your product. They need to feel attached, and they need to feel heard.

"We need to be able to make personal connections with everything we do in order to find that community," added Konttinen.

"Having a brand means that you have to create a brand that the audience wants to own, so you have to listen to them and pay attention to what they want to see."

You can see all the video presentations from Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2014 here.

Pocket Gamer Connects is the biggest mobile games show in Europe, which brings together the best speakers and delegates from across the industry and from all over the world.

To-date, Pocket Gamer Connects has been held in London and Helsinki, and the show will be heading back to the UK in January 2015.

To find out more about the latest show, head on over to www.pgconnects.com.