Brand Building

BRAND BUILDING Ms.Geeta Nema Faculty Marketing -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract: Brand building includes every implementation of the brand , once it has defined. It is not focussing on the brand image, but knowing the role of brand in driving choice. It is not just about advertising, but consistently managing the brand at all intersections with the customer.Brand building, as the responsibility of brand management is a continuous cycle of reseach, planning, implementation and control. Creating a new brand begins with reseach and ends it first cycle with the consumer. Thereafter, the cycle begins again, this time focussing on monitoring research as part of the control process to ensure that the brand continues to meet consumers needs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The most distinctive skill of professional marketers is their ability to create,

maintain, protect and enhance brands. “Branding is the art and cornerstone of marketing”. We can define Brand as : A name, term, sign, symbol or design or a combination of them intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors. A brand can convey various levels of meaning:1. Attributes: A brand brings to mind certain attributes. Like- Mercedes suggests expensive , durable, high prestige automobiles. 2.Values: The brand says something about the producers values. LikeMercedes stand for high performance, safety and prestige. 3. Benefits: Attributes must be translated into functional and emotional benefits. 4. User : The brand suggests the kind of consumer who buys or uses the products .

BRANDING DECISION: The first decision is whether the company should develop a brand name for its product. The various branding decisions can be explained with the help of following diagram : Branding Brand Sponsor Brand Name Decision Decision Decision PURPOSE OF BRANDING :

Brand Strategy Brand Decision Repositioning Decision

As pre-packed products,especially in FMCG(Fast Moving Consumer Goods) sector,come into common use and are accepted in different socities,manufacturers are presented with an opportunity to exercise some control over the way their products are accepted by a rapidly growing,dispersed mass market.As markets become impersonal,with increasing physical and time distance between the manufacturer or producer and the customer, some way has to be found to maintain the association of a name and a product with it’s producer.In these circumstances the evolution of brands affords customers the opportunity of forming product perceptions in terms of packaging and design,product quality and performance,value

and image. The branding of products basically serve three purposes : 1. To conform to the legal patent protection the inventor may have . 2. To guarantee quality and homogenity in markets where buyers and producers cannot meet face to face . 3. To differentiate products in a competitive environment.

HOW TO BUILD A BRAND : Brand building is a continuos process.It includes every implementation of the brand once it has defined.It is not focusing on the brand image but knowing the role of brand in driving choice.It is not just about advertising,but consistently managing the brand at all intersections with the customer. Brand building involves various inputs,outcomes,and assesment.

INPUTS: 1. 2. 3. 4. • • • • • 5.

Identification of key customer groups or segments. Understanding customer expectations,needs and aspirations. Assesing competitive offering including substitutes. Building customer confidence by : Customising the product. Establishing key image of the brand. Dealer support - easy availability and push. Innovative communication and promotion schemes. Elegant packaging. Total brand management - both hardware and software aspects.

OUTCOMES : 1. Market share. 2. New customers attracted. 3. Customer loyalty index.

4. Increased profitabity. 5. Brand knowledge. ASSESSMENT : 1. Continuos feedback from customers as well as trade channels. 2. Scientific inquiry into customer satisfaction determining : • Who is the customer and profile of the target segment. • What constitutes customer satisfaction. • Designing the scale to measure customer satisfaction. • Measuring currrent levels of customer satisfaction. 3. Brand strength scores - The overall brand strength score is a composite of different weighted factors,each of which can be measured on a suitable scale.The key questions of measurement are as follows: • Leadership - Does the brand lead the market ? • Stability - Is there any established status of the brand ? Does it have a loyal or definite following ? • Market position - What are the prospects for the said brand in the current market.

Trend - Will the brand remain contemporary and relevant to target consumers in the long run ? Ascertain the nature of market segment whether the said brand has still found its relevance. •

CHECKLIST FOR BUILDING A BRAND:• • • • • • • • • • • • •

* What is your brands vision? * What values does your company subscribe to? * What are the good and bad features/attributes of your brand (company,product,service)? * What are the bad aspects of your brand and how can you dispose of them? * What are the practical benefits associated with each of the good features/attributes? * Can you extend those features and benefits to form emotional characteristics for the consumer? * What are the emotional reasons why customers might buy * your products/services? * What are the rational and emotional personality characteristics • of your brand? • * What can you do to bring these personality characteristics to life? • * How can you use the brand personality to attract and retain

• more customrers? • * How are you going to generate more trust in your brandcustomer relationship? THE BRANDING CYCLE:Brand building,as the responsibility of brand management, is a continuous cycle of research,planning, implementation and control. Creating a new brand begins with research and its first cycle with the consumer.Thereafter,the cycle begins again, this time focussing on monitoring reseach, as part of the control process to ensure that the brand continues to meet consumers needs. PRINCIPLES OF BRAND BUILDING:It is the brand which speaks of the product. The various principles of building a brand are:-

1. Choosing products with a meaning:The more ambitious the brand, and its system of values, the greater the degree of care required in choosing the product or service to launch the brand campaign. This should centre on the product which best represents the brands intention - the one which best supports brand potential to bring about change. 2. Brand language and Role of Communication:Brand language allows the brand to hold forth more freely. All communication must express the products specific attributes personality,culture and value and allow the brand to be presented in an appealing way. The brand language should be in a unified format in which to express themselves , different subsidiaries worldwide can adapt the theme of their message to the local market.

CONCLUSION :Building a brand means creating a familiar name and a positive image. Brand building requires Planning. A brand is everything an organization wants people, especially their target markets, to feel and beleive about its products and services. It is an asset that can be measured and leveraged.Various dimensions of brand knowledge and a scale of brand strength score were also proposed as a measurement of brand value. References: 1. Marketing Management - Millenium Ed. - Philip Kotler,Page 404,405,407. 2. Marketing Management - Frank Bradly - University College, Dublin page 515,516. 3. Product Management in India - R. Majumdar, Second Ed. , Page 51- 57.

4. The Oxford Text Book of Marketing - Keith Blois- page 486. ************