What is The Kapferer Brand Identity Prism?

Brand Identity: Values and meanings of the brand for the consumer

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  Before introducing the idea of the Kapferer Brand Identity
Prism, let’s first play some word association:
What do you think of when you think of Land Rover?

 Their superior off-road capability, perhaps, or

 Their rugged and honest design?
 Their heritage-laden legacy, maybe, or
 Their versatility and durability?

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 Whatever you think of, it’s likely to be positive. And why is that?
The answer’s simple: because Land Rover have done a brilliant job
defining their brand. Powerful brands like Land Rover are easy to
recognise: their values are clear and they nurture the type of
customer loyalty that businesses crave.

Now, not all of us have the available resources of a well-established

brand like Land Rover, but that doesn’t mean we can’t aspire to
achieving the same goals: displaying brand values clearly,
consistently and in a way that’s true to the business’ ethos.

And, whether you’re a start-up or an industry powerhouse going

through a rebrand, one way you can do this is by applying the
Kapferer Brand Identity Prism to your business.

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 First thing’s first: what is a brand identity?
what a brand identity is – a consistent visual projection of your
business, products and services.

David Aaker, hailed as the Father of Modern Branding, defines brand

identity as, “…a unique set of brand associations that the brand
strategist aspires to create or maintain.”

Jeff Bezos, Amazon overlord and world’s filthy-richest man, puts it in

slightly more colloquial terms: “Branding is what people say about you
when you’re not in the room.”

Client Services Director, Mark Bower, says: “Your brand identity is how
you project yourself to – and how you want to be seen by – the outside
world.”

Brand Identity: Values and meanings of the brand for the consumer

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 The Kapferer Brand Identity Prism

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 Brand Physique (It is the set of the brand’s physical features, which are evoked
1. in people’s minds when the brand name is mentioned.)
A brand, first and foremost, should have ‘physique’ with physical specifications
and qualities. It is made of a combination of either salient objective features
(which immediately come to mind when the brand is quoted in a survey) or
emerging ones. Physical appearance is important but it is not all. Nevertheless,
the first step in developing a brand is to define its physical aspect:
What is it concretely? What does it do? What does it look like? The physical facet
also comprises the brand’s prototype: the flagship product that is representative
of the brand’s qualities.

Example: Coca Cola in all its communications lays special emphasis on the ‘Coke
Bottle’ and how it looks. For markets where Coke entered for the first time, it
always starts with the traditional Coke bottle. In fact to no surprise, Coke cans
also have a outline of the iconic coke bottle. Therefore, the physical appearance
of the brand remains intact.

Also, colour of the product (say Black in the case of Coke), should be a part of
the physique. And if so, you can never imagine a colourless Coke. There could be
variants of different colours but the brand colour will never change

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2. Brand Personality (What kind of person if it were a human)
A brand has a personality. By communicating, it gradually builds up character. The way
in which it speaks of its products or services shows what kind of person it would be if it
were human. This is a tough task to implant a product as a human in the mind of
consumers. Therefore, brands rope in famous personalities to endorse the product. The
brand and the celebrity being roped should sync in personality therefore forming an
important facet of Kapferer Brand Identity Prism.

Example: Mountain Dew, a drink from PepsiCo, promises thrill and adventure and
therefore always loops in celebrities who are seen close to sports.

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 Brand Culture:
3. is the system of values and basic principles on which a brand has to
base its behaviour (products and communication)
Many associations in this area are linked to the country of origin;
Coca-Cola appeals to American values, Mercedes-Benz to German
ones and Citroën to French ones.

A Brand should have its own culture and brands with strong culture
end up being ‘cult’. Both product and communication should reflect
this culture.
Brands targeting masses focus on culture which is common to a
wider chunk of population or vice versa. Late entrants to the
market prefer choosing a niche targeting a particular culture and
evolve big in due course of time.

Brand culture plays an essential role in Kapferer Brand Identity

Prism and helps differentiating brands. It indicates the ethos whose
values are embodied in the products and services of the brand.

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Brand culture plays an essential role in Kapferer Brand Identity Prism and helps
differentiating brands. It indicates the ethos whose values are embodied in the
products and services of the brand.
Example: Royal Enfield motorcycles in India have a cult following as the brand
has a very strong culture. Though started slow but the brand is the fastest
growing in the motorcycle industry in India both in terms of following as well
as market share.
Brand Culture is very much influenced by the country of origin. Other global
brands such as Apple, Nike, IBM adhere to an idea which is more globally
accepted.
Royal Enfield is an Indian motorcycle
manufacturing brand with the tag of "the oldest
global motorcycle brand in continuous
production“. It is now a subsidiary of Eicher
Motors Limited, an Indian automaker. The
company makes the Royal Enfield Bullet, and
other single-cylinder motorcycles. First produced
in 1901, Royal Enfield is the oldest motorcycle
brand in the world still in production, with the
Bullet model enjoying the longest motorcycle
production run of all time.
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4. Relationship
Indeed, brands are often at the crux of transactions and exchanges between people.
This is particularly true of brands in the service sector and also of retailers. Once the
consumers build a relationship with the brand, the brand can demand consumers to
do things which it believes in.

Example: Nike bears a Greek name that relates it to specific cultural values, to the
Olympic Games and to the glorification of the human body. Nike suggests also a
peculiar relationship, based on provocation: it encourages us to let loose (‘just do
it’). Nike in India created amazing TVC celebrating women athletes featuring Deepika
Padukone. Here the brand is in a position to ask its consumers to ‘Just Do It’ because
it has nurtured a relationship. The ad campaign was named Da Da Ding.

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 Reflection (Who is the stereotypical customer)
5. A brand is a customer reflection. When asked for their views on certain car brands,
people immediately answer in terms of the brand’s perceived client type: that’s a
brand for young people! for fathers! for show-offs! for old folks! Because its
communication and its most striking products build up over time, a brand will always
tend to build a reflection or an image of the buyer or user which it seems to be
addressing.

Example: A majority of apparel brands portray a model in the age group of not who
they are targeting, but the age group which the consumer thinks he/she belongs on
buying that brand. In reference to the below ad, only a minuscule percentage of
people in the age group (as shown in the image) will buy a Louis Vuitton suit. The
consumer group will be much older for the product, however all those consumers will
perceive to look younger with an ad featuring a young model.

When thinking in terms of reflection, in the

case of Coca-Cola you could describe the
consumer base as 15 to18 year olds (with
values such as fun, sporty and friendship),
while the actual target group of this brand is
far broader.

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 Self Image (aspirational)
6.
Finally, a brand speaks to our self-image. If reflection is the target’s
outward mirror (they are …), self-image is the target’s own internal mirror
(I feel, I am …). Through our attitude towards certain brands, we indeed
develop a certain type of inner relationship with ourselves. And therefore,
these brands always communicate to push the limits.

Example: BMW India launched a campaign for people who see themselves
driving a BMW, no matter now or future. The campaign went on TV as Don’t
Postpone Joy. Below is the TVC asking to drive a BMW sooner

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 Self-image is kind of a mirror the target group holds
up to itself. A Porsche driver who thinks others will
think he is rich because he can afford such a flash car.
Research has shown that Lacoste users see
themselves as members of a sporty club, even if they
do not actively play any sports.

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 The Kapferer Brand Identity Prism
6.

If reflection is the target’s outward mirror (they are …),

self-image is the target’s own internal mirror

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 The Kapferer Brand Identity Prism

If reflection is the target’s outward mirror (they are …),

self-image is the target’s own internal mirror

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 The Kapferer Brand Identity Prism

If reflection is the target’s outward mirror (they are …),

self-image is the target’s own internal mirror
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 The Kapferer Brand Identity Prism

If reflection is the target’s outward mirror (they are …),

self-image is the target’s own internal mirror

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 Key Points
Kapferer’s Brand Identity Prism contains six unique elements that make up the overall
perception and image of your brand.

Six elements are: Physique, Personality, Culture, Relationship, Reflection, Self-image.

 Physique refers to the common design elements that allow a customer to quickly
separate your brand from the rest of the market.
 It is common in the advertising world for brands to develop a personality and then
maintain that personality over long periods of time.
 Some of the key elements of your brand may be deeply rooted in local culture.
 Building relationships with your customers is a powerful way to build a lasting
brand name.
 A brand should reflect the personality and identity of the target market.
 The image that the brand has in the world has an impact on the self-image of the
buyers themselves.

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