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In today's world, the market requires the business to business and stand out from
other companies. The problem that arises is therefore how to make this distinction
from competitors and maintain its uniqueness. Here is the problem of the brand
identity, which is to confer to a company or firm a real identity from a visual point
of view, a system of images and signs that identifies the market and make it easily
recognizable to consumers.
This is a task that is relegated to the graphics. And 'in fact the graphics that should
translate meanings, models and vision of a company signs and images that
become the true face of the company. The graphic then becomes his identity,
adaptable to the media, to be able to combine versatile, liquid so that it can
successfully cross all new mobile devices; in short, to accompany everything
about the company from the TV commercials to the envelope of the store, and so
on.
The graphic identity of a company is so publicly for all to see, accustomed buyers
to recognize it, establishes relationships with them, and seduces them with their
own messages. Hence, the best way to put on the market today is undoubtedly the
creation of a visual identity.
I chose this theme because this is the world that awaits me at the end of my
academic career. The life of a chart is accompanied by the creation of ever new
corporate identity, identity to be used in leaflets and brochures, graphics to be
declined in posters and other advertising materials. In a market in constant
competition, it is the work of a chart that can give added value to a company
rather than another. In a war made with images, who has the best tools you can
win.
I chose to design the visual identity of my future work as a graphic designer. I
think that approach the problem of self-promotion is a good way to test their skills
and addressing the real issues of the graphic design world.
THE BRANDING
LIFE OF A BRAND
To be successful, a brand must have some requirements such as: simplicity,
understandability, distinguishability, consistent with the product, ease of
pronunciation, of remembrance and evocation. From the point of view of the
consumer, the brand often allows to recognize the quality of the product because
the purchaser has a brand image that stems from past experiences or is influenced
by other people. The brand helps to identify the products, to facilitate the purchase
of new, and to repeat the purchase.
Then for a manufacturer to affix a brand is an advantage from several points of
view. Lets be remembered more easily, to protect it from imitations or - worse from counterfeits, to regularize the purchase. If the brand becomes a symbol of
quality and is able to offer prestigious promises, extend its scope and going to
operate on other markets with other products.
The brand always favors a higher level of quality because of the feared negative
reactions of a consumer, and fosters innovation (as the manufacturer maintains
progress and stimulates the firm or the company towards improvement.
With the acceptance of the brand, the company helps customers address the
acquisition, reassuring their uncertainties to purchase products they do not know,
and causes them to pay higher prices if successful. In the eyes of the consumer
thus seeks to establish a lasting image of quality, and therefore is a safe purchase
guarantee.
DEFINITION
As already mentioned, a brand must be autonomous, have a unique identity and
unmistakable. This identity is covered by all, messages and behaviors that define
the character of the company. To define the brand is part of its positioning.
Every consumer has in his mind a space reminiscent of the best brand for each
product category. Place yourself in the buyer's head means to highlight the
distinctive features of their own brand than its competitors, so that it is
remembered better and longer than the others.
The identity of the brand has a physical dimension linked to the products it sells; a
dimension related to his personality and character that is expressed through its
communication; a dimension of values, that is, the brand is a precise cultural
universe; a relational dimension, that is, the relationship between customer and
brand; and finally an identification dimension, where the brand is a mirror of its
current buyers. Customers of the brand identify with the characteristics of the
brand itself and form a picture of how they would like to be seen, because of the
brand consumers.
The brand can be understood by its products, from its name, a character that
personifies it, from the place of origin, the type of advertisement or the packaging
used. Its values can be identified by its main product, a name which is often
expressive of intentions, from the character or animal that symbolizes the brand
from logos or emblems graphics.
CREATION
The actual creation of the brand starts from further clarify the salient features of
its identity, that is, the vision of the brand (also called vision), namely the image
of a future scenario that the manufacturer pursues (famous that of Microsoft,
which was "a computer on every desk", or that of Walt Disney: "Make the happier
world"); deepen the brand's values, starting with the core values and develop
them; the mission (also called mission) that the company intends to carry on the
market, that is, what are the real actions to realize his vision; the territory in which
it intends to carry out its mission; the specific skills associated with the brand;
products and services that best describe the vision and mission; the style and the
typical language to use, signs and codes that you will find in all the messages and
all the campaigns; and the so-called "reflection", ie the customers to whom the
brand is turning.
CHANGE
The brand is subject to changes necessary to grow over time. He paradoxically
finds himself having to change, grow, to evolve to adapt to new contexts, in order
to maintain its strength on the market. At a time when the brand gets back in the
game, you have to be able to be faithful and consistent with the initial mission. So
the brand has to evolve while maintaining its distinctive features and some
continuity.
The brand's communication, undergoing changes with the times, is the most
subject to change appearance. But to do so that a change of communication does
not become even a change of identity, it is necessary that the brand maintains its
visual or verbal meanings, so that a change of style is not equivalent to a change
of the basic themes.
DECLINE
Because the brand maintains its strength, it is necessary to take two aspects live: a
cognitive and affective aspect. At the beginning of the relationship that is
established with the customer, the customer perceives the brand through its
messages and its differentiation. Over time then they create emotional ties that
make the familiar brand. When the perception of differentiation of the brand
begins to shrink, starts the brand's decline, even if the emotional relationship is
very strong.
To avoid the decline is always necessary to create differentiation, always
innovating the product and reinforcing the strength aspects, investing in
communication and advertising on the brand.
To defend and maintain the brand-customer relationship, companies often adopt
the loyalty programs. A loyal customer spends more in the brand and spread a
positive image.
For proper customer loyalty must be kept to a maximum product defects, and
must be offered the benefits that reward loyalty, translated into discounts or
special attention reserved only to him.
IMAGE COMPANY
(WHAT ARE: brand identity, corporate personality, brand image)
We use the term brand identity to denote the set of all the elements and visual
aspects, graphs and reports that determine the company recognition. All these
shall be to establish a unified and coherent language code, thus giving the
company an established aesthetic profile, recognizable from the outside and then
be stored by the customer. These findings regarding graphics and communication
determine the perception emotional level of a brand by consumers.
Different however is the corporate personality (or Corporate Identity), which
indicates how the company wants to be perceived to be on the market. Every
business, defining its vision, and its mission, seeking to build a mental picture of
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herself in it and sell it to the public. This is an office job marketing, he has to go to
establish a genuine personality of the company, its characteristics on an emotional
level, and its core values.
It can happen, however, that the image that the company wants to give of himself
does not match up with the image that the consumer has really done the business.
The concept of Corporate image (or Brand Image) describes this aspect, that is,
the mental representation that the consumer market has made the company. It may
happen that a company that wants to present itself as a young and innovative is
instead perceived antiquated and obsolete.
So in summary, a company must be able to build a very strong Corporate
Personality, by defining the characteristics of his personality. These characteristics
must then be translated visually into images and signs, creating a brand identity
consistent with the messages previously established.
And 'therefore essential to the very close link between the identity of the brand
and its consumers, because the image of the company will depend on its position
on the market, and thus its success. In fact, the Corporate Image measurably
influence at the time of purchase. If, as we said previously, the consumer buys not
only the product but above the image associated with the brand, it is necessary for
the companies to ensure that their brand image is positive, and this remains true
over time, that is, maintains the same initial values, and remain recognizable even
despite future developments.
When the Corporate personality and Brand Image perceived do not conform to
each other, we have a structural problem that must be corrected with the
redefinition of the image.
THE PRODUCT
The product is the cornerstone of marketing of a company communication. For a
technician, the product will be a set of components, shapes and materials. For the
consumer, in addition to the functionality, will also count the aesthetics, design,
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style, and of course the brand, the image, status that the product promises to
achieve. The psychological dimension sinks directly into the affective / emotional
sphere.
The product is then a set of tangible elements, such as weight, shape, color and
finish; and intangible, such as style, service, quality, warranty, and generally the
product image. These two categories influence each other and define the real
product. Because consumers do not buy physical objects but means to meet their
needs and desires, the product is bought for what it means.
Once identified the benefits that the product performs, we will define the quality,
packaging, style. Knowing the product is therefore essential for those who must
then communicate the values of the brand and implementing the communication
campaign.
They should be analyzed in the first place the basic functions performed by the
product. A differentiator is to see how the functions are carried out, and here some
companies try to add items or fashion or luxury features.
Another important element is the quality, which is a complex concept. Quality is
on the consumer and his psychological satisfaction. Total quality is given not only
by the true quality and the actual product, but also that linked to user satisfaction,
functionality, service and support company. The concept of quality, however, is up
and shaped by the company itself in its communication, always aimed at
enhancing the product.
Additional elements of differentiation and enhancement of product image are the
shape, style, color and design. Often some firms report the name of the product
designer to add to it more precisely value.
The form covers the structural aspects of the product (color, materials), but the
importance of design is also expressed by the presentation and display of
merchandise. The company seeks to apply the design not only to the product but
to all media. If you use an effective and distinctive design can transfer a unitary
identity image (from the logo, the signs, the establishments, to transportation, to
outlets). The same package becomes as simple packing a powerful tool of
communication, it takes aesthetic and exhibition functions. The role of packaging
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is central in the purchase stimulus. The package attracts the customer's attention
and stimulates an emotional reaction, reveals preferences and buying leads.
The services are elements of differentiation, because they can enrich the promise
of product. A service can range from a simple instruction booklet to an entire
warranty program and service company.
In conclusion, all aspects of the product require communicational contributions,
but among all the greater importance has design. This expresses the power of the
object and can give a unified look to the entire corporate image.
THE NAME
The choice of name (naming) is an important initial decision. So far the market
has seen very different names among them: the names of the founders of the
company (such as Barilla, Pirelli, Armani), fantasy names (such as Coca-Cola,
Fanta, Pepsi), acronyms (such as Fiat, Tim, IBM). Given the variety of names, it is
impossible to know what will be successful, but you can build on some criteria to
be met.
The name is thought depending on the brand and its future evolution, and then
based on its national or international territory. The name, therefore, must be:
Original, that does not already exist elsewhere, and must not conflict with the
original identity; adjustable, meaning you should be able to record in all countries;
simple, easily pronounced and remembered, always in line with the brand
personality; pronounceable and assonant, that besides being able to be
pronounceable by all countries, must not have pronunciations of dubious taste in
other countries; international, in the sense that it has no counterproductive
meanings in other languages (consider the case of the Fiat Ritmo, which changed
its name in the UK market since "Rhythm" in English is a term linked to the
menstrual cycle); global, that is, to use a name that is free from recordings
worldwide.
BRAND
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Registered the name, you have to design a brand that has always been part of
human communication. There is no company or group that does not have its own
brand. This expresses a sense of belonging and differentiation from others. Its
function has always been to distinguish and mark with a sign, but each brand is
more of a graphic sign is the representation of an organization, its aspirations and
its promises.
The matter of trade marks is governed by the Royal Decree of 21 giguno 1942, n.
929 (with subsequent modifazioni of 1992 and 1996), and is entirely focused on
its distinguishing feature: it must therefore distinguish and identify a certain
product or company. This distinctive feature is protected by law, so that it protects
the rights of its owner in case of copy, likeness, and any danger of confusion.
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MARKETING
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According to scholars, at the time of the final decision it is given by the emotional
aspect linked to the product, that is, as the brand was linked to the consumer in
terms of emotions and senses. In fact, emotions are the engine of society, and the
more one moves, the more it helps the memory, and we are driven to action and then - to buy. Freud himself says that often the thought of man escapes rational
control, and acts driven by desires, aspirations that are unpredictable from the
unconscious.
The emotional branding is the set of activities that create emotional bonds and
fidelity between the brand and the consumer, making the customer feel part of the
enterprise.
The consumer wants more and more that companies are open to their needs and
desires, wants the make the personal knowledge and incorporates the experiences.
The companies aim to create experiences that people fall in love: involving
consumers in meaningful experiences (think of the many festivals or events
created by the phone companies, such as WIND Music Award, or the TIM Cup,
etc.), generating sensory pleasures involving every sense, participate in the
everyday life of the people (creating news portals, blogs, deepening), tell stories
that carry meanings related to brand (think the storytelling in television
commercials or on the internet); all experiences in which the consumer can
identify with.
In fact, the emotional brand does not aim primarily to promote a product, but to
create a connection with the customer through narrative processes and interaction
with it. Among the emotional branding techniques include experiential marketing,
that is, the physical involvement of consumers in the brand's events; the guerilla
marketing, which is a set of unconventional generated by companies but disguised
as spontaneous action of communication; and Viral advertising, which is always a
commercial communication but rather is able to spread spontaneously among
people through word of mouth, embedding them. Newcomer has instant
marketing or micro campaigns shared on social networks but exploit issues or
trendy events. For the short time available, they require a particular speed and
creativity.
In this marketing strategy, it is important to know the relevant consumers. In this
field is essential the influence of women, especially mothers, which is between
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50% and 80%. Women seek products that inspire loyalty and to help them live a
better everyday life, and are primarily achieved through social networks, which
today represent an innovative and useful way to learn about the consumer, and
share advertising with other people.
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