Marketing Management

The core thought behind brand positioning is the idea that each brand (if at all noticed) occupies a particular point or space in the individual consumer’s mind, a point that is determined by that consumer’s perception of the brand in question and in its relation to other brands. The spatial distance between the points in that consumer’s mind reflects the subject’s perception of similarity or dissimilarity between products and brands.

Four  Important  Characteristics of Brand Positioning

The four salient characteristics of brand positioning are:.

1. Look to the Core Identity

The core identity by definition represents the central, timeless essence of the brand.… Read the rest

Brand personality is as if ‘making the brand come alive’. The attribution of human personality traits (seriousness, warmth, imagination, etc.) to a brand as a way to achieve differentiation. Usually done through long-term above-the-line advertising and appropriate packaging and graphics. These traits inform brand behavior through both prepared communication / packaging, etc. and through the people who represent the brand – its employees.

Brand personality is the way in which a brand speaks of its products or services shows what kind of person it would be if it were human. A brand without a personality has trouble gaining awareness and developing a relationship with customers.… Read the rest

The bottom line is that unless the role of a brand is simply to support other brands by providing credibility, the brand identity needs to provide a value proposition to the customer.

What is a brand value proposition?

Brand value proposition is a statement of functional, emotional, and self-expressive benefits delivered by the brand that provide value to the customer. An effective brand  value proposition should lead to a brand–customer relationship and drive purchase decisions.

The central concepts of functional, emotional, and self-expressive benefits of brand  value proposition  are explained below.

1. Functional Benefits

The most visible and common basis for a brand value proposition is a func ­tional benefit–that is, a benefit based on a product attribute that provides functional utility to the customer.… Read the rest

Brand Identity Traps represent approaches to creating an identity that are excessively limiting or tactical and that can lead to ineffective, and often dysfunctional, brand strategies. After these brand identity traps have been analyzed, a broader identity concept will be developed, its scope and structure discussed, and the value proposition and credibility that flow from it examined.

The Brand Image Trap

Knowledge of the brand image (how customers and others perceive the brand) provides useful and even necessary background information when developing a brand identity. In the brand image trap, however, the patience, resources, or expertise to go beyond the brand image is lacking, and the brand image becomes the brand identity rather than just one input to be considered.… Read the rest

A person’s identity serves to provide direction, purpose, and meaning for that person. Consider how important the following questions are: What are my core values? What do I stand for? How I want to be perceived? What personality traits do I want to project? What are the important relationships in my life?

A brand identity similarly provides direction, purpose and meaning for the brand. It is central to a brand’s strategic vision and the driver of one of the four principal dimensions of brand equity associations, which are the heart and soul of the brand. Nestle uses the term brand constitution to reflect the importance and reverence with which a brand identity should be held.… Read the rest