Brands and Branding
A brand is a unique feature, name, design or a symbol that identifies a product by making it different from the competitors’ products. For instance the Coca Cola brand has stood the test of time as the official logo that identifies the customers to the products of the Coca-Cola Company. Likewise the apple logo identifies Apple Companies electronics. Each and every company requires branding itself so as to attract the right customers for its products. Additionally branding acts as a valuation process which makes the customers to associate given goods or services with delivery of value in what is known as a value proposition. Branding helps a certain commodity gain a long term impression in the eyes of the consumers who begin associating a product with posterity or long term benefits (Bush & Hunt 2011). Among the important terms used in branding as a form of marketing is commodity branding; a specific feature that ascertains a certain good, a make represents branding of cars among other electronics while concept branding associates people especially celebrities to a certain activity aimed at creating public awareness such as environmental conservation activities.
The topic of brands and branding is multifaceted because it encompasses many concepts with regard to business operations and marketing. There arise the need to appreciate brands identity and reputation. Additionally there is need to explore and create new realities to counter fresh perspectives which then creates a multi-sensory experience for the customers. Apparently this summarizes the act of marketing into being an experience that triggers all the five senses of the customer into making them make a purchase that they would have not purchased. This is because marketing is an essential part of any business undertaking which is aimed at attracting new customers, maintaining current customers as well as reminding the existing loyal customers that the product still exists. The scope of this paper is therefore limited in context by the need to apply theoretical and conceptual issues covered in this course. Marketing issues regarding branding, brands and their relevance to industries, strategic marketing, cultural phenomenon, demographics, multi-cultural contrast, and consumption patterns; strategic planning among other issues encompassed in the field of marketing is critically analyzed (Asker 2008).
The theoretical aspects engulfed in the topic of branding are theoretical dating back to the years in the 1100 B.C to 500 B.C as well as periods in the 13th century. Industrial revolution brought a major drift on branding as industries began creating awareness on the economies of scale accrued from large scale production of goods and services. As companies began to produce goods for the international markets where most of the consumers were traditionally accustomed to local manufacturers, the idea of associating companies to their brands became logical. Companies dealing in packaged goods such as Juicy Fruit Gum, Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, Quaker Oats, and Pears Soaps found branding to be the way to familiarize with their customers (Gustave, 2008). Among key players in revolutionizing the idea of branding was James Walter who made theories regarding trademarks.
As more and more companies were being set up to mark the industrial revolution, companies were forced to develop slogans and advertisements which were showed on televisions and broadcasted on radio. By the year1940 companies were synonymous with the fact that marketing developed a psychological, social and emotional relationship between them and their commodities (Andreas & Michael, 2010). Traditional branding practices were transformed in the 1980’s when companies began using celebrities and athletes to associate their products with value and equity. With time, companies have come to appreciate the need for differentiation, focusing and costing as a prerequisite to attracting potential customers. This is because commodities associated with brand value have been known to brand their companies which make them marketable to shareholders as well as the customers. Currently, recognized brands have been implied as having the power to communicate with the customers by impacting on their emotional senses. Likewise brands have had the power to attract the attention of the media leading to publicity marketing through social media. This is because of the post modernistic use of celebrities in advertising products.
The idea behind branding is supported by brand theories as well as marketing theories. Therefore brand marketing is an aggregate of these two theories which collectively attempts to illustrate how culture, value, products, science, technology and quality can be combined to satisfy customer’s needs. This is possible through the creation of extensive social campaigns aimed at increasing product visibility as well as imprinting the goods or services into the minds of the consumers. The brand theory emphasizes that branding makes a product credible in the eyes of the consumer. It also states that a brand can be used as a measure of product reliability as well as a social enterprise. The competitiveness of a brand therefore represents the overall competitiveness of a company. On the other hand the marketing theory is represented by the 4P’s of marketing. The 4P’s represent price strategies, product differentiation, and promotion and place (Asmussen, Harridge & Farquhar 2010).
A marketing manager has to ensure that his products are positioned conveniently so that it reaches the target customers. Promotion on the other hand concerns itself with creating awareness and desire in the target customers. Again there is the issue of brand enterprise which specializes in ensuring that a certain good or services attains a competitive edge over its rivals. These necessities the need for a company to market its products by fostering its communication tools among them being public relations, advertising and promotion (Diller, Shedroff & Rhea 2006). In the event that these communication tools are integrated with market segmentation then the business will be able to attract the right customers. On the other hand, the marketing theory has been advanced by the advent of the internet which led to the introduction of network marketing. This is an electronic technology where the internet integrated with computers is used as a network for transmitting media thus facilitating marketing.
Generally, the marketing theory has been essential in supporting the applicability of the branding theory. The internet has changed the concept of branding which is now shifting its focus into the electronic media. Businesses are branding their commodities using websites which are created specifically to inform the customers on any new advancement or generally educating customers on several emerging issues regarding product use. Social media is being used to brand companies as well as their products even though there arise the risk of negative publicity accruing from falsified propaganda spread by rivals over social networks (Edelman 2010). Collectively these two theories form brand marketing which describes the need for marketing in creating awareness. Thus marketing goes hand in hand with product branding. To this extent it is worth noting that companies do not create brands. Companies only produce goods and ensure that it creates the necessary tools, resources, actions and means through which the product is highlighted into becoming a brand.
Postmodern marketing has continuously been innovative with the advancement of communication. This is because communication is a key aspect in influencing the consumers into making a purchase. It is also the media through which a business reaches out to the consumers thus affecting their perception of products. As a result they are triggered into fantasizing about the experience which makes them want to have the adventure that comes with purchasing certain goods or services. It is through communication that a company also promises the customers on their initiative and admiration to fulfill their wants by providing value as well as giving the customers a value proposition. This further means that a suitable marketing strategy has to influence the buyer’s emotions. Good branding makes the customers feel that they are bound to benefit emotionally if they made the purchase. Another essential in marketing and branding is the need to ensure that the marketing strategies used by a business matches the consumption habits, choice, likes and lifestyle of the target buyers of a good or final users of a given service (Kapferer, 2008). It is therefore prudent to note that unlike traditional marketing literatures which emphasized on the need for attaining a certain level of satisfaction in order to attract customer loyalty, modern organizations are more absorbed into the use of marketing to brand their products. With such strategies it is evident that some goods and services attract customer loyalty even through the fail to offer the lowest prices or the best quality as their advertisements promise. This means that branding as a way of marketing is essential in creating customer loyalty.
The second factor towards attracting customer loyalty as stated by Schroeder and Salzer-Morling is the need to know the business environment. Among the factors inherent in knowing a business environment are the cultural beliefs of the consumers as well as their religious beliefs, language, and traditional practices (Holt 2004). By so doing, a business is expected to keep abreast with the branding needs of the consumer and also such information would be helpful in knowing what the consumers want and making possible strategies towards satisfying their each and every need. For instance, Muslim as a religion is dominant in some countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa therefore a company envisioning a globalization plan has to be vigilant on the environment in which it invests. The Islamic religious beliefs prohibit them from purchasing pork or products made of pork. Again, the religion emphasizes on some pertinent procedures that have to be followed while slaughtering, processing, displaying, storing, and preparing and selling to the Muslim dominated markets. First and foremost is the need to observe hygiene. Second is the need for sanitation.
A qualitative research conducted on the Malaysian market regarding a brand product called Halal provides a deeper insight into the concept of branding as both a cultural and a consumption phenomenon. Muslim societies have had a long tradition of using Arabic as their media of communication. It is the language with which Quran is written thus all the Muslims have an understanding of Arabic (Zambardino & Goodfellow 2007). As a marketing strategist, using the word halal which means permissible is a good idea towards branding a product. The applicability of the term in the food processing industry associates it with food that is not forbidden. For any marketer who wants to target and penetrate such a market as the Malaysian or Middle East consumers, he or she needs to be aware of the Halal regulations as it is set by the Department of Islamic Development. Again there is the Halal agenda which is yet to be incorporated into Muslim dominated states so as to guard the consumers against risks associated with cultural and consumption dynamics.
Even though this initiative started in Malaysia is strongly believed to have an impact on the Muslims in the country, if the initiative is implanted in major Muslim states then manufacturers will be forced to rebrand their products with the halal logo so as to avoid losing out on their other market segments as a result of religious and cultural differences. The first mover companies which will be fast in adjusting to make investments in the Islamic markets with these regulations will be favored by these implementations and as a result such companies will increase their chances of gaining a large segment of the market. With such branding initiatives, the governments in these Islamic dominated economies are bound to benefit from manufacturers, the public and marketers. This is owed to the fact that ISO certified products or those with the HACCP or GMP marks will be disregarded in these markets thus giving way to Halal branded goods thus governments will gain much more revenues through taxes and tariffs (Brodie & Chernatony 2009).
Looking at the role of emotions, family ties and national perception on a given product, it becomes rife that consumers can become loyal to a certain brand because of their passionate or emotional ties to these products. Holts’ theoretical perception of branding supports that players brand their sports teams and in the process they become a brand by themselves. The case scenario of David Beckam connotes the applicability of this theory. Because of the player brand, the fans become emotionally attached to these sports team as well as individual players who play an iconic role in the games. In the end the fans become loyal to the team just because of an individual player who brands the team with much passion. With time, the fans become emotionally connected to a sports team of club to the extent of purchasing their jerseys at whatever cost and also attending their games despite the entrance fee (Boyle & Magnusson 2008). This is because the jerseys are a show of loyalty.
The other idea revolving around the emotional attachment and family ties is that certain families become accustomed to a certain brand. This concept can be attached to the fact that children are more often than not likely to follow the path created by their parents. This trend can be mildly referred to as heritage as it reflects back on the cultural phenomenon. At a national level, people are always loyal to their countries despite their geographical location. This trend is majorly shown in goods of ostentation which people prefer to keep as a souvenir for the next generations. In the dimension of sporting activities, people tend to be emotionally connected to their national teams. People residing in the United States have always traced back to their roots to show how emotionally attached they are to their national teams during international events (Zambardino & Goodfellow 2007). This example brings us to the appreciation of the value of consumers and brands on marketing. Reflecting back on the marketing theory, then these scenarios support the importance of marketing in creating emotional desires that can only be satisfied after watching a game or associating yourself with a certain product in the form of a sports activity or a given service.
Looking at branding as a social issue reveals that social media has played a pertinent role in attracting customers from diverse geographical locations hence limiting the negative effects that were experienced from unfavorable demographic trends. Again branding has been essential in promoting the use of social media to delineate people from polarization brought about by multicultural contrast. The advancement of social networking sites has been facilitated by the advancement of the internet and communication technologies. From the introduction it is acknowledged that both the marketing and branding theories support the role of social media which can either create a negative or a positive brand identity. The use of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Google Plus, YouTube among other social media have transformed traditional media (Dunn 2010). This is majorly attributed to the fact that modern social media has enhanced connections between two or more people who can creatively share ideas over an online platform. This media is also being used to give highly specialized services because they are cheap and readily available. Facebook is among the most used media for branding products. If well managed, these media tools have proved to build personal customer relationships as compared to traditional media. It also allows dedicated customers to keep in touch with the marketing teams for various companies thus help them air their views about preferred product modifications.
Based on relevant researches conducted to determine the role of social media in creating a brand identity, it was identified that profit making organizations used social media to establish their brands by creating an image to be associated with their commodities. The brand created by these companies is aimed at targeting certain segments of the society via speedy communications. This is often done using celebrities in what is known as celebrity branding strategies. Celebrity branding can also be defined as branding activities where a prominent or a famous person is made to become a brand ambassador (Jan, Kristopher & Bruno 2011). As an ambassador, the celebrity will be obligated to use his or her social status to influence people into buying a product, attracting donations for charities and at times featuring in advertisements. Celebrities selected for this purpose have to ensure that they attend public relation events or create their own line of products or services under a given company name so as to increase its marketability.
Celebrity branding is interconnected to social media because most celebrities have Facebook timelines and Twitter handle where they can interact with the desirable customers thus influencing them into making purchases. The scope of social media has been pushed further with the realization that companies can make short videos and broadcast them over YouTube with the intent of reaching out to internet users who use social media to decide on the products to purchase. Such trends have been vibrant on social media inform of pop-up windows which contain links to specific company websites where a potential customer can order for goods in the event that the company supports online selling platforms. Among the products that have benefited from the use of social media and celebrity branding have been companies dealing in fragrances and clothing. With these trends many licensed products now bear celebrity names such as Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and David Beckham (Tildesley & Coote 2009).
There is also voice advertisements that can be accessed through links shared on social media. This strategy has been mostly used by musicians because most of them have distinctive voices that make them a brand all together. Research proved that companies that use sports professionals or athletes have had a huge impact on their brands. Among the most prominent celebrity branding is the Nike Golf Apparel where they use an iconic figure of Tiger Woods. Woods was signed up by Nike Corporation on a sponsorship deal to use his successful brand name to brand the Nike golf apparel (Tan 2010). There are pictures on social media that identify Tiger Woods with the Nike Company and since consumers believe that celebrities are undistinguishable from quality, fashion and style. They are coerced into buying Nike apparels among other products from the same company. Customers especially teenagers and youths have found themselves subscribing to friendship with celebrities over social media so as to keep up with the marketing trends posted by the celebrities as brand endorsements.
Looking at the place of corporate social responsibility in modern organizations, it is acknowledgeable that CSR is continuously becoming an important concept for companies aimed at branding themselves as well as their goods and services. From a conceptual point of view, CSR acts like an implied contract between a firm and the neighboring society. Therefore the concept of social responsibility goes a long way into limiting multicultural contrast as well as attaining the career objectives for the neighboring communities. With the increasing awareness on the need for growth of ethical consumers and the moralized brand-scape, organizations are branding themselves as being oriented towards environmental conservation. Organizations that have in the past shown active participation in saving the environment have had an easy time luring customers to its products. The world seems to be revolutionizing the traditional forms of production and forms of energies which polluted the environment leading to such negative effects as global warming. Environmental conservation organizations have brought up the green issue so as to promote corporate consciousness as well as driving corporates into ethical dealings as a way of earning a reputable brand name (Chen 2010).
The criticality with the use of CSR as a branding tool emanates from the realization that branding is not limited to the concept of adding value to services or goods. Branding is a wide concept that covers the need for ethical dealings among corporates. For companies to brand themselves, they need to integrate green values and become socially responsible so as to foster positive publicity with the neighboring communities. Additionally the incorporation of CSR and green issues into an organizational system will act as a differentiation strategy in the markets which have been crowded with competition and rivalry between many companies. Sustaining a positive publicity on the other hand has the effect of creating corporate competitive advantage. Coupled with the realization that branding has become a major tool for differentiation, proper use of brand name and brand significance can become a core asset in wading off competition. Then advertisements can be used to further persuade the customers into making a purchase. The concept of a ethical branding has been embraced by several companies among them being the Shell Company whose newspaper advertisement are prominent with scenic beauty with a visually attractive and green countryside where a fox is seen grazing while in the background, there is an oil refinery (Jansson, Marell & Norlund 2010). Other companies such as Marks and Spencer have made big strides in the garment industry by embracing corporate social responsibilities.
In addition to corporate social responsibilities there is the emerging trend of corporate identity which comes in handy when defining ideologies on the interfusion of business ideas. It further relates to business ethics which associates a given business with the need to provide safe goods and services. Corporate identify refers to the corporate branding where a company is identified using its logo or slogan but postmodern marketing refers to corporate identity as representing the way in which an organization interacts with its stakeholders. CSR, CI and business ethics have receive much focus in the recent past with some business analysts suggesting that CI to be used in creating uniqueness. CSR should be used as differentiation tool while ethics should be used as a bridge between the two thus in the eyes of the customers, they will be convinced into believing that the firm is devoted into providing value and at the same time being involved in environmental conservation initiatives. Corporate brand has been known to relate to Corporate Identity (Klein 2008). This is true because identity is a tool that improves the publicity of an organization thus increasing the chances that an organization will become a brand name.
There are several advantages that can be accrued from developing a corporate identity or a corporate brand. In the eyes of a consumer, a corporate identity is synonymous with an ethical brand which means that customers are more willing to purchase goods that have been accredited as being an ethical brand (Henry 2012). The process of ethical branding begins with the enactment of a value chain where the customers are provided with valuable products which emphasize on the principle of honesty. The value chain and value proposition process is further supported by enacting a sound corporate social responsibility plan which will likely have an impact on the buying behavior of the customers. By combining these strategies with environmental conservation initiatives such as the use of green branding, then a company will benefit from increased customer loyalty. Brand ethics also affects the attitude of the buyers towards a given company thus it is prudent for a company to indulge in any social activity that will improve its credibility among the customers. Consumer based organizations have shown support for green branding by introducing certification as a way of authenticating fair trade. Certification also ensures that the procedure for securing economic justice is simplified so as to earn consumers trust.
In conclusion, branding has proved an essential ingredient to boosting marketing activities. There are many forms of branding beginning with product branding, celebrity branding and .corporate branding (Friedman 2011). Among the emerging trends in the postmodern marketing is the concept of green branding. All these forms of marketing complement each other because they collectively influence the value chain and attainment of a value proposition. In giving the customers valuable services, a firm gains customer loyalty in return which promotes its marketing efforts. Coupled with other marketing strategies, branding is a powerful too in helping a firm reach out to the customers as well as achieving a competitive advantage.
List of References
Andreas, M & Michael, H 2010, User of the world unite: The challenges and opportunities of social media, Business Horizons, 53, 59-68
Asker, D 2008, Strategic market management, (8th Ed.), University of California, Berkeley, John Wiley and Sons Inc.
Asmussen, B., Harridge, M & Farquhar, J 2010, The internet based democratization of brand management: The dawn of a new paradigm or dangerous nonsense? Proceedings of the 39th EMAC European Marketing Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark, June
Boyle, B & Magnusson, P 2008, Social identity and brand equity formation. A comparative study of collegiate sports fans, Journal of Sports management, 21 (4), 497-520
Brodie, R & Chernatony, L 2009, Towards new conceptualizations of branding: Theories of the middle range. Marketing Theory, Vol. 9, 1, pp. 95-100
Bush, R & Hunt, S 2011, Marketing theory: Philosophy of science perspectives.
Chen, Y 2010, The drivers of green brand equity: Green brand image, green satisfaction and green trust, Journal of Business Ethics, 93, 307-319
Diller, S., Shedroff, N., & Rhea, D 2006, Making Meaning: How Successful Businesses Deliver Meaningful Customer Experiences, New Riders, Berkeley, CA
Dunn, H 2010, Social media as a branding tool in heterogeneous organizations: A collection case study approach, master of art, School of Clemson University
Edelman, D 2010, Gaining an edge through digital marketing, McKinsey Quarterly, 3, pp. 129-134
Friedman, M 2011, A ‘brand’ new language: Commercial influences in literature. Cengage Press, United States
Gustave, S 2008, The Bridge at the End of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability, Caravan Books, United Kingdom
Henry, J 2012, Genuine Jersey: Branding and Authenticity in a Small Island Culture. Island Studies Journal 7 (2): 235–58.
Holt, D 2004, How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding, Harvard University Press, Harvard MA
Jan, H., Kristopher., H & Bruno, S 2011, Social media? Get serious: Understanding the functional building blocks of social media, Business Horizons, In Press, Corrected Proof, and Available Online 5 February 2011.
Jansson, J., Marell, A, & Norlund, A 2010, Green consumer behavior: determinants of curtailment and eco-eco-innovations design, Journal of Consumer Marketing, 27, 358-370
Kapferer, J 2008, The new strategic brand management – Creating and sustaining brand equity long term, 4th Ed., Kogan page.
Klein, B 2008, Brand Names, In David R. Henderson (Ed.). Concise Encyclopedia of Economics (2nd Ed.), Library of Economics and Liberty, Indianapolis
Tan, D 2010, Success Factors in Establishing Your Brand, Franchising and Licensing Association, Retrieved from http://www.flasingapore.org/info_branding.php
Tildesley, A & Coote, L 2009, This brand is me: A social identity based measure of brand identification. Advance in consumer Research, Vol. 36, pp. 627-628.
Zambardino, A & Goodfellow, J 2007, Being affective in branding? Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 27-37.
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|
Are you looking for a similar paper or any other quality academic essay? Then look no further. Our research paper writing service is what you require. Our team of experienced writers is on standby to deliver to you an original paper as per your specified instructions with zero plagiarism guaranteed. This is the perfect way you can prepare your own unique academic paper and score the grades you deserve.
Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.
[order_calculator]