UNIT II

BRAND ASSOCIATION

Brand Associations are not benefits, but are images and symbols associated with a brand or a
brand benefit. For example- The Nike Swoosh, Nokia sound, Film Stars as with “Lux”, signature
tune Ting-ting-ta-ding with Britannia, Blue colour with Pepsi, etc. Associations are not “reasons-
to-buy” but provide acquaintance and differentiation that’s not replicable. It is relating perceived
qualities of a brand to a known entity. For instance- Hyatt Hotel is associated with luxury and
comfort; BMW is associated with sophistication, fun driving, and superior engineering. Most
popular brand associations are with the owners of brand, such as - Bill Gates and Microsoft,
Reliance and DhirubhaiAmbani.

Brand association is anything which is deep seated in customer’s mind about the brand.
Brand should be associated with something positive so that the customers relate your brand to
being positive. Brand associations are the attributes of brand which come into consumers mind
when the brand is talked about. It is related with the implicit and explicit meanings which a
consumer relates/associates with a specific brand name. Brand association can also be defined
as the degree to which a specific product/service is recognized within it’s
product/service class/category. While choosing a brand name, it is essential that the name chosen
should reinforce an important attribute or benefit association that forms it’s product positioning.
For instance - Power book.
Brand associations are formed on the following basis:

• Customers contact with the organization and it’s employees;

• Advertisements;
• Word of mouth publicity;
• Price at which the brand is sold;
• Celebrity/big entity association;
• Quality of the product;
• Products and schemes offered by competitors;
• Product class/category to which the brand belongs;
• POP ( Point of purchase) displays; etc

Positive brand associations are developed if the product which the brand depicts is durable,
marketable and desirable. The customers must be persuaded that the brand possess the features
and attributes satisfying their needs. This will lead to customers having a positive impression
about the product. Positive brand association helps an organization to gain goodwill, and
obstructs the competitor’s entry into the market.
BRAND VISION

BRAND AMBASSADORS

Brand ambassador is a marketing term for a person employed by a company to promote its
products or services within the activity known as branding. The brand ambassador is meant to
embody the corporate image in appearance, demeanor, values and ethics.[1]

Companies have been using people to represent their products for as long as advertising has
existed. The use of the title "ambassador" for such a person is, however, much more recent, and
attempts to lend this work more respectability by associating it to the activities of public service
goodwill ambassadors.

Celebrities from the worlds of entertainment and sports may be employed as brand ambassadors
in order to take advantage of their existing status. The term celebrity branding includes different
optional roles.
Some companies call persons engaged to promote products at trade shows and conventions
"brand ambassadors". However, such persons are usually known as "promotional models".

The term is sometimes also used about members of the public who are paid to promote a product.
If unpaid, they are usually known as "brand advocates.

Brand advocate is the marketing term for a loyal customer who is engaged into active promotion
of a brand or a product without being paid to do so. They do so because of their positive
experience with the brand.

Goodwill Ambassador is a collective term sometimes used as a substitute honorific title or a

title of honor for an Ambassador of Goodwill; but, most appropriately for a generic recognition,
it is a job position or description that is usually indicated following the name of the individual
recognized in the position. Goodwill ambassadors generally deliver goodwill or promote ideals
from one entity to another, or to a population.

A goodwill ambassador may be an individual from one country who resides in or travels to
another country, in a diplomatic mission (or international friendship mission) at a peer to peer
level; that is: country to country, state to state, city to city; or, as an intermediary representing
the people at the other extreme of an organization.

Goodwill Ambassadors have been an official (or unofficial) part of governments and cultures for
as long as diplomacy has existed; to exchange gifts and presents; humanitarian relief; or
development aid, using well known celebrities, scientists, authors, known activists, and other
high society figures. Goodwill missions of countries are usually carried out or overseen by the
head of state, and do not necessarily involve diplomatic credentials outside of a letter of
presentation (or letter of credence). However some states do issue credentials that include
diplomatic immunity for their goodwill ambassadors such as Haiti.[1]

Many governmental, multilateral, nongovernmental, and nonprofit organizations utilize goodwill

ambassadors to promote their programs and reach out to others with programs that are based on
good relations that are usually secular and apolitical. Among the organizations that use goodwill
ambassadors to deliver agendas include Sister Cities, the United Nations, organizations of the
United Nations, the African Union, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Rotary International, and
many others including the government of the United States of America as seen in 2009 when
former President Bill Clinton traveled to North Korea on a special goodwill mission.

A promotional model is a model hired to drive consumer demand for a product, service, brand,
or concept by directly interacting with potential consumers. A vast majority of promotional
models typically tend to be attractive in physical appearance. They serve to provide information
about the product or service and make it appealing to consumers. While the length of interaction
may be short, the promotional model delivers a live experience that reflects on the product or
service he or she is representing.
This form of marketing touches fewer consumers for the cost than traditional advertising media
(such as print, radio, and television); however the consumer's perception of a brand, product,
service, or company, is often more profoundly affected by a live person-to-person experience.

Brand Identity Brand Image

1 Brand identity develops from the Brand image is perceived by the receiver
source or the company. or the consumer.

2 Brand message is tied together in Brand message is untied by the consumer

terms of brand identity. in the form of brand image.

3 The general meaning of brand identity The general meaning of brand image is
is “who you really are?” “How market perceives you?”

4 It’s nature is that it is substance It’s nature is that it is appearance oriented

oriented or strategic. or tactical.

5 Brand identity symbolizes firms’ Brand image symbolizes perception of

reality. consumers

6 Brand identity represents “your Brand image represents “others view”

desire”.

7 It is enduring. It is superficial.

8 Identity is looking ahead. Image is looking back.

9 Identity is active. Image is passive.

10 It signifies “where you want to be”. It signifies “what you have got”.

11 It is total promise that a company It is total consumers’ perception about the

makes to consumers. brand.
Brand process

As you think about branding, keep the process in mind. Thinking through the issues in the
following list can help you position your brand and your organization for the long term and
prevent a host of short-term problems.

Determine what you’re branding.

Decide whether your brand will be your one-and-only or one of several brands in your
organization.

Research.

Investigate everything there is to know about your product and the market in which it will
compete.

Position your brand.

Define what makes your brand unique and how it will slot into an available space in the market
and in your customers’ minds.

Define your brand.

State what your brand stands for, what unique benefit it provides, what it promises
to consumersand associates, and the image that will permeate everything from
your marketingcommunications to your product design, business character, and consumer
experience.

Develop your brand identity.

Include all possible elements in your brand — brand name, logo, tagline, and other
brandsignature elements.

Launch your brand internally first.

Introduce your brand in-house before announcing it via publicity, advertising, promotions, and
presentations.

Manage your brand.

Develop brand champions, deliver a consistent brand experience, understand your brand’svalue,
leverage your brand’s reputation — with caution, and protect your brand through usage rules and
legal rights.
Monitor, evaluate, and update your brand.

Keep your brand relevant and credible in light of changes to your business.

The Step-by-Step Brand Building Process

Strong brands require careful thought and planning, extensive research, specific definition, test-
driving, and maintenance. We’ll help you accomplish all of these these steps to ensure the success
of your brand effort.

Step 1. Strategic Brand Audit

We’ve developed a comprehensive questionnaire designed to help you determine how best to
communicate what you’re about to your customers and to deepen their relationship with you. It
includes:

Your mission, vision, goals and objectives

What you do

Why it matters emotionally to your customers

What motivates your customers

What your competition is doing

What the marketing environment is like

If your brand were a person, how would you like customers to describe that person?

Sum up what you want to stand for in just one word

How do you want customers to feel when they encounter your brand?

What marketing and branding you’ve done so far, if any; what’s worked, and what hasn’t?

We’ll guide you through this foundational process to design the identity, positioning and
messaging that will strongly resonate with your customers. You can download the process tool
we use to facilitate this on the right.

Step 2. Key Message Statements

These three to six statements constitute the most concise way to convey everything a customer
or member of the press must know about you. Nothing more, and nothing less. We’ll get to the
essential definition of who you are, what you stand for, and why people will care. This will
become the foundation for all of your marketing communications as well as face-to-face contact
at all touch points.

Step 3. Creating your visual identity

Now it’s time to translate who you are into an image that speaks louder than words — that makes
customers intuitively feel how you want them to feel whenever they encounter your brand, and
helps inspire them to build an emotional bond with your company. This includes your logo, color
palette and all universal graphic design guidelines. This step can also include creating your
stationery system, storefront signage, and other visual components of your corporate identity
system.

Step 4. Developing your marketing communication plan

At this step we’ll decide what all the right touch points are, and what to give your customers at
those touch points: collateral, advertising, promotional giveaways, public relations activity,
events and trade shows. We’ll shape the plan that best fits your budget while delivering the
highest possible impact.

Step 5. Putting the plan into action

This is your launch phase: creating all the required marketing communications defined above
and getting them to their touch points. We’ll conceive, write, design and produce everything
you’ll need to start courting your customers and create a consistent brand experience.

Step 6. Maintenance & Refinement

After being launched, your brand and marketing communications must be continually monitored
to ensure the brand you intended to convey is the one that customers are receiving, and that this
brand resonates with them the way you want it to. You also have to make sure the brand is
portrayed exactly as planned across all touch points so that customers can have a consistent
experience and build trust in you. We’ll help you monitor, refine and maintain your brand for the
most consistent, most positive connection with your customers.
Brand personality

Brand personality is the way a brand speaks and behaves. It means assigning human personality
traits/characteristics to a brand so as to achieve differentiation. These characteristics signify
brand behaviour through both individuals representing the brand (i.e. it’s employees) as well as
through advertising, packaging, etc. When brand image or brand identity is expressed in terms
of human traits, it is called brand personality. For instance - Allen Solley brand speaks the
personality and makes the individual who wears it stand apart from the crowd. Infosys represents
uniqueness, value, and intellectualism.

Brand personality is nothing but personification of brand. A brand is expressed either as a

personality who embodies these personality traits (For instance - Shahrukh Khan and Airtel, John
Abraham and Castrol) or distinct personality traits (For instance - Dove as honest, feminist and
optimist; Hewlett Packard brand represents accomplishment, competency and influence). Brand
personality is the result of all the consumer’s experiences with the brand. It is unique and long
lasting.

Brand personality must be differentiated from brand image, in sense that, while brand image
denote the tangible (physical and functional) benefits and attributes of a brand, brand personality
indicates emotional associations of the brand. If brand image is comprehensive brand according
to consumers’ opinion, brand personality is that aspect of comprehensive brand which generates
it’s emotional character and associations in consumers’ mind.

Brand personality develops brand equity. It sets the brand attitude. It is a key input into the look
and feel of any communication or marketing activity by the brand. It helps in gaining thorough
knowledge of customers feelings about the brand. Brand personality differentiates among brands
specifically when they are alike in many attributes. For instance - Sony versus Panasonic. Brand
personality is used to make the brand strategy lively, i.e, to implement brand strategy. Brand
personality indicates the kind of relationship a customer has with the brand. It is a means by
which a customer communicates his own identity.

Brand personality and celebrity should supplement each other. Trustworthy celebrity ensures
immediate awareness, acceptability and optimism towards the brand. This will influence
consumers’ purchase decision and also create brand loyalty. For instance - Bollywood actress
Priyanka Chopra is brand ambassador for J.Hampstead, international line of premium shirts.

Brand personality not only includes the personality features/characteristics, but also the
demographic features like age, gender or class and psychographic features. Personality traits are
what the brand exists for.

BRAND AWARNESS

Brand awareness
Brand awareness is the probability that consumers are familiar about the life and availability of
the product. It is the degree to which consumers precisely associate the brand with the specific
product. It is measured as ratio of niche market that has former knowledge of brand. Brand
awareness includes both brand recognition as well as brand recall. Brand recognition is the ability
of consumer to recognize prior knowledge of brand when they are asked questions about that
brand or when they are shown that specific brand, i.e., the consumers can clearly differentiate
the brand as having being earlier noticed or heard. While brand recall is the potential of customer
to recover a brand from his memory when given the product class/category, needs satisfied by
that category or buying scenario as a signal. In other words, it refers that consumers should
correctly recover brand from the memory when given a clue or he can recall the specific brand
when the product category is mentioned. It is generally easier to recognize a brand rather than
recall it from the memory.

Brand awareness is improved to the extent to which brand names are selected that is simple and
easy to pronounce or spell; known and expressive; and unique as well as distinct. For instance -
Coca Cola has come tobe known as Coke.

There are two types of brand awareness:

1. Aided awareness- This means that on mentioning the product category, the customers
recognize your brand from the lists of brands shown.
2. Top of mind awareness (Immediate brand recall)- This means that on mentioning the
product category, the first brand that customer recalls from his mind is your brand.

The relative importance of brand recall and recognition will rely on the degree to which
consumers make product-related decisions with the brand present or not. For instance - In a store,
brand recognition is more crucial as the brand will be physically present. In a scenario where
brands are not physically present, brand recall is more significant (as in case of services and
online brands).

Building brand awareness is essential for building brand equity. It includes use of various
renowned channels of promotion such as advertising, word of mouth publicity, social media like
blogs, sponsorships, launching events, etc. To create brand awareness, it is important to create
reliable brand image, slogans and taglines. The brand message to be communicated should also
be consistent. Strong brand awareness leads to high sales and high market share. Brand awareness
can be regarded as a means through which consumers become acquainted and familiar with a
brand and recognize that brand.

BRAND EXTENSION

Brand Extension is the use of an established brand name in new product categories. This new
category to which the brand is extended can be related or unrelated to the existing product
categories. A renowned/successful brand helps an organization to launch products in new
categories more easily. For instance, Nike’s brand core product is shoes. But it is now extended
to sunglasses, soccer balls, basketballs, and golf equipments. An existing brand that gives rise
 to a brand extension is referred to as parent brand. If the customers of the new business have
values and aspirations synchronizing/matching those of the core business, and if these values
and aspirations are embodied in the brand, it is likely to be accepted by customers in the new
business.

Extending a brand outside its core product category can be beneficial in a sense that it helps
evaluating product category opportunities, identifies resource requirements, lowers risk, and
measures brand’s relevance and appeal.

Brand extension may be successful or unsuccessful.

Instances where brand extension has been a success are-

i. Wipro which was originally into computers has extended into shampoo, powder, and
soap.
ii. Mars is no longer a famous bar only, but an ice-cream, chocolate drink and a slab of
chocolate.

Instances where brand extension has been a failure are-

In case of new Coke, Coca Cola has forgotten what the core brand was meant to stand for. It
thought that taste was the only factor that consumer cared about. It was wrong.

BRAND IMAGE

Brand image is the current view of the customers about a brand. It can be defined as a unique
bundle of associations within the minds of target customers. It signifies what the brand presently
stands for. It is a set of beliefs held about a specific brand. In short, it is nothing but the consumers’
perception about the product. It is the manner in which a specific brand is positioned in the market.
Brand image conveys emotional value and not just a mental image. Brand image is nothing but an
organization’s character. It is an accumulation of contact and observation by people external to an
organization. It should highlight an organization’s mission and vision to all. The main elements of
positive brand image are- unique logo reflecting organization’s image, slogan describing
organization’s business in brief and brand identifier supporting the key values.

Brand image is the overall impression in consumers’ mind that is formed from all
sources. Consumers develop various associations with the brand. Based on these
associations, they form brand image. An image is formed about the brand on the basis of
subjective perceptions of associations bundle that the consumers have about the brand. Volvo
is associated with safety. Toyota is associated with reliability.

The idea behind brand image is that the consumer is not purchasing just the product/service but
also the image associated with that product/service. Brand images should be positive, unique
and instant. Brand images can be strengthened using brand communications like advertising,
packaging, word of mouth publicity, other promotional tools, etc.

Brand image develops and conveys the product’s character in a unique manner different from
its competitor’s image. The brand image consists of various associations in consumers’ mind -
attributes, benefits and attributes. Brand attributes are the functional and mental connections
with the brand that the customers have. They can be specific or conceptual. Benefits are the
rationale for the purchase decision.

Benefits of Brand Image:

There are three types of benefits: Functional benefits - what do you do better (than others
),emotional benefits - how do you make me feel better (than others), and rational
benefits/support - why do I believe you(more than others). Brand attributes are consumers
overall assessment of a brand.

Brand image has not to be created, but is automatically formed. The brand image includes
products' appeal, ease of use, functionality, fame, and overall value. Brand image is actually
brand content. When the consumers purchase the product, they are also purchasing it’s image.
Brand image is the objective and mental feedback of the consumers when they purchase a
product. Positive brand image is exceeding the customers expectations. Positive brand image
enhances the goodwill and brand value of an organization.

POSITIONING AND LEVERAGING THE BRANDS

Brand positioning refers to “target consumer’s” reason to buy your brand in preference to
others. It is ensures that all brand activity has a common aim; is guided, directed and delivered
by the brand’s benefits/reasons to buy; and it focuses at all points of contact with the consumer.

Brand positioning must make sure that:

Is it unique/distinctive vs. competitors ?

Is it significant and encouraging to the niche market ?

Is it appropriate to all major geographic markets and businesses ?

Is the proposition validated with unique, appropriate and original products ?

Is it sustainable - can it be delivered constantly across all points of contact with the consumer
?

Is it helpful for organization to achieve its financial goals ?

Is it able to support and boost up the organization ?

In order to create a distinctive place in the market, a niche market has to be carefully chosen
and a differential advantage must be created in their mind. Brand positioning is a medium
through which an organization can portray it’s customers what it wants to achieve for them and
what it wants to mean to them. Brand positioning forms customer’s views and opinions.

Brand Positioning can be defined as an activity of creating a brand offer in such a manner that
it occupies a distinctive place and value in the target customer’s mind. For instance-Kotak
Mahindra positions itself in the customer’s mind as one entity- “Kotak ”- which can provide
customized and one-stop solution for all their financial services needs. It has an unaided top of
mind recall. It intends to stay with the proposition of “Think Investments, Think Kotak”. The
positioning you choose for your brand will be influenced by the competitive stance you want
to adopt.

Brand Positioning involves identifying and determining points of similarity and difference to
ascertain the right brand identity and to create a proper brand image. Brand Positioning is the
key of marketing strategy. A strong brand positioning directs marketing strategy by explaining
the brand details, the uniqueness of brand and it’s similarity with the competitive brands, as
well as the reasons for buying and using that specific brand. Positioning is the base for
developing and increasing the required knowledge and perceptions of the customers. It is the
single feature that sets your service apart from your competitors. For instance- Kingfisher
stands for youth and excitement. It represents brand in full flight.

There are various positioning errors, such as-

Under positioning- This is a scenario in which the customer’s have a blurred and unclear idea
of the brand.

Over positioning- This is a scenario in which the customers have too limited a awareness of
the brand.

Confused positioning- This is a scenario in which the customers have a confused opinion of
the brand.

Double Positioning- This is a scenario in which customers do not accept the claims of a brand.

Positioning can be defined as follows:

Positioning is how a product appears in relation to other products in the market

Brands can be positioned against competing brands on a perceptual map.

A perceptual map defines the market in terms of the way buyers perceive key characteristics
of competing products.

The basic perceptual map that buyers use maps products in terms of their price and quality, as
illustrated below:

BRAND POSITIONING STRATEGIES :

A product can be positioned based on 2 main platforms: The Consumer and The Competitor.
When the positioning is on the basis of consumer, the campaigns and messages are always
targeted to the consumer himself (the user of the product)

The other kind of positioning is on basis of competition. These campaigns are targeted towards
competing with other players in the market.

Dettol television commercials always concentrate on advertisements, which show that this
product would give you more protection, then the others.

A number of positioning strategies might be employed in developing a promotional program.

The 7 such strategies are discussed below:

POSITIONING BY PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES AND BENEFITS:

 Associating a product with an attribute, a product feature or a consumer feature.
Sometimes a product can be positioned in terms of two or more attributes simultaneously. The
price/ quality attribute dimension is commonly used for positioning the products.

A common approach is setting the brand apart from competitors on the basis of the specific

characteristics or benefits offered. Sometimes a product may be positioned on more than one

product benefit. Marketers attempt to identify salient attributes (those that are important to

consumers and are the basis for making a purchase decision)

Consider the example of Ariel that offers a specific benefit of cleaning even the dirtiest of
clothes because of the micro cleaning system in the product.

Colgate offers benefits of preventing cavity and fresh breath.

Promise, Balsara’s toothpaste, could break Colgate’s stronghold by being the first to claim that
it contained clove, which differentiated it from the leader.

Nirma offered the benefit of low price over Hindustan Lever’s Surf to become a success.

Maruti Suzuki offers benefits of maximum fuel efficiency and safety over its competitors. This
strategy helped it to get 60% of the Indian automobile market.

POSITIONING BY PRICE/ QUALITY:

Marketers often use price/ quality characteristics to position their brands. One way they
do it is with ads that reflect the image of a high-quality brand where cost, while not irrelevant,
is considered secondary to the quality benefits derived from using the brand. Premium brands
positioned at the high end of the market use this approach to positioning.

Another way to use price/ quality characteristics for positioning is to focus on the quality
or value offered by the brand at a very competitive price. Although price is an important
consideration, the product quality must be comparable to, or even better than, competing brands
for the positioning strategy to be effective.

Parle Bisleri – “Bada Bisleri, same price” ad campaign.

POSITIONING BY USE OR APPLICATION:

Another way is to communicate a specific image or position for a brand is to associate it with
a specific use or application.

Surf Excel is positioned as stain remover ‘ Surf Excel hena!’

Also, Clinic All Clear – “Dare to wear Black”.

POSITIONING BY PRODUCT CLASS:

Often the competition for a particular product comes from outside the product class. For
example, airlines know that while they compete with other airlines, trains and buses are also
viable alternatives. Manufacturers of music CDs must compete with the cassettes industry. The
product is positioned against others that, while not exactly the same, provide the same class of
benefits.

POSITIONING BY PRODUCT USER:

Positioning a product by associating it with a particular user or group of users is yet another
approach. Motography Motorola Mobile Ad.n this ad the persona of the user of the product is
been positioned.

POSITIONING BY COMPETITOR:

Competitors may be as important to positioning strategy as a firm’s own product or services.

In today’s market, an effective positioning strategy for a product or brand may focus on specific
competitors. This approach is similar to positioning by product class, although in this case the
competition is within the same product category.

Onida was positioned against the giants in the television industry through this strategy, ONIDA
colour TV was launched with the message that all others were clones and only Onida was the
leader. “neighbour’s Envy, Owners Pride”.

POSITIONING BY CULTURAL SYMBOLS:

An additional positioning strategy where in the cultural symbols are used to differentiate the
brands. Examples would be Humara Bajaj, Tata Tea, Ronald McDonald. Each of these symbols
has successfully differentiated the product it represents from competitors.
BRAND IMAGE

Brand image is the current view of the customers about a brand. It can be defined as a

unique bundle of associations within the minds of target customers. It signifies what the brand

presently stands for. It is a set of beliefs held about a specific brand. In short, it is nothing but

the consumers’ perception about the product. It is the manner in which a specific brand is

positioned in the market. Brand image conveys emotional value and not just a mental image.

Brand image is nothing but an organization’s character. It is an accumulation of contact and

observation by people external to an organization. It should highlight an organization’s

mission and vision to all. The main elements of positive brand image are- unique logo

reflecting organization’s image, slogan describing organization’s business in brief and brand

identifier supporting the key values.

Brand image is the overall impression in consumers’ mind that is formed from all
sources. Consumers develop various associations with the brand. Based on these
associations, they form brand image. An image is formed about the brand on the basis of
subjective perceptions of associations bundle that the consumers have about the brand. Volvo
is associated with safety. Toyota is associated with reliability.

The idea behind brand image is that the consumer is not purchasing just the product/service but
also the image associated with that product/service. Brand images should be positive, unique
and instant. Brand images can be strengthened using brand communications like advertising,
packaging, word of mouth publicity, other promotional tools, etc.
Brand image develops and conveys the product’s character in a unique manner different from
its competitor’s image. The brand image consists of various associations in consumers’ mind -
attributes, benefits and attributes. Brand attributes are the functional and mental connections
with the brand that the customers have. They can be specific or conceptual. Benefits are the
rationale for the purchase decision.

Benefits of Brand Image:

There are three types of benefits: Functional benefits - what do you do better (than others
),emotional benefits - how do you make me feel better (than others), and rational
benefits/support - why do I believe you(more than others). Brand attributes are consumers
overall assessment of a brand.

Brand image has not to be created, but is automatically formed. The brand image includes
products' appeal, ease of use, functionality, fame, and overall value. Brand image is actually
brand content. When the consumers purchase the product, they are also purchasing it’s image.
Brand image is the objective and mental feedback of the consumers when they purchase a
product. Positive brand image is exceeding the customers expectations. Positive brand image
enhances the goodwill and brand value of an organization.