1.

Product

The goal of marketing research is to create products that are desired by the target
market(s) chosen as strategic markets in line with the organization’s goals. In
marketing, a product (a good, service, or idea), along with its perceived attributes and
benefits, creates value for the customer. Attributes can be tangible or intangible. Among
the tangible attributes are packaging and warranties as illustrated in Intangible
attributes are symbolic, such as brand image. Intangible attributes can include things
like image as well as the depth of the relationship between a service provider and a
customer. People make decisions about which products to buy after considering both
tangible and intangible attributes of a product. For example, when a consumer buys a
pair of jeans, they consider price, brand, store image, and style before making the
purchase. These factors are all part of the marketing mix.

Classifying Consumer Products

Consumers are really buying packages of benefits that deliver value, which always
includes some tangible aspects and some intangible aspects. The person who buys a
plane ride on United Airlines is looking for a quick way to get from one city to another
(the benefit). Providing this benefit requires a tangible part of the product (a plane) and
an intangible part of the product (ticketing, maintenance, and piloting services). A
person who purchases accounting services buys the benefit of having taxes completed
on the correct tax form (tangible part of the service) and having the taxes prepared
correctly by a trusted person (intangible part of the service).

Marketers must know how consumers view the types of products their companies sell
so that they can design the marketing mix to appeal to the selected target market. To
help them define target markets, marketers have devised product categories. Products
that are bought by the end user are called consumer products. They include electric
razors, sandwiches, cars, stereos, magazines, and houses. Consumer products that get
used up, such as Nexxus shampoo and Lay’s potato chips, are called consumer
nondurables. Those that last for a long time, such as Whirlpool washing machines
and Apple computers, are consumer durables.

Another way to classify consumer products is by the amount of effort consumers are
willing to make to acquire them. The four major categories of consumer products are
unsought products, convenience products, shopping products, and specialty products,
as summarized in Table 11.4. Unsought products are products unplanned by the
potential buyer or known products that the buyer does not actively seek.

Convenience products are relatively inexpensive items that require little shopping
effort. Soft drinks, candy bars, milk, bread, and small hardware items are examples.
Consumers buy them routinely without much planning. This does not mean that such
products are unimportant or obscure. Many, in fact, are well known by their brand
names—such as Pepsi-Cola, Pepperidge Farm breads, Domino’s pizza, Sure
deodorant, and UPS shipping.

In contrast to convenience products, shopping products are bought only after a brand-
to-brand and store-to-store comparison of price, suitability, and style. Examples are
furniture, automobiles, a vacation in Europe, and some items of clothing. Convenience
products are bought with little planning, but shopping products may be purchased after
months or even years of search and evaluation.

Specialty products are products for which consumers search long and hard and for
which they refuse to accept substitutes. Expensive jewelry, designer clothing, state-of-
the-art stereo equipment, limited-production automobiles, and gourmet restaurants fall
into this category. Because consumers are willing to spend much time and effort to find
specialty products, distribution is often limited to one or two sellers in a given region,
such as Neiman-Marcus, Gucci, or a Porsche dealer.

Classification of Consumer Products by the Effort Expended to Buy Them

Degree of Effort Expended by

Consumer Product Examples Consumer

Life insurance No effort

Unsought
Burial plots Some to considerable effort
products

Time-share condos Some to considerable effort

Soft drinks Very little or minimum effort

Bread Very little or minimum effort

Convenience
products
Milk Very little or minimum effort

Coffee Very little or minimum effort

Automobiles Considerable effort

Shopping
Homes Considerable effort
products

Vacations Considerable effort

Classification of Consumer Products by the Effort Expended to Buy Them

Degree of Effort Expended by

Consumer Product Examples Consumer

Expensive jewelry Maximum effort

Gourmet restaurants Maximum effort

Specialty products

Limited-production
Maximum effort
automobiles

2. Product life cycle

A product life cycle is the length of time from a product first being introduced to
consumers until it is removed from the market. A product’s life cycle is usually
broken down into four stages; introduction, growth, maturity, and decline.

Product life cycles are used by management and marketing professionals to help
determine advertising schedules, price points, expansion to new product markets,
packaging redesigns, and more. These strategic methods of supporting a product are
known as product life cycle management. They can also help determine when newer
products are ready to push older ones from the market.

How Does it Work?

As mentioned above, there are four stages in a product’s life cycle - introduction,
growth, maturity, and decline – but before this a product needs to go through design,
research and development. Once a product is found to be feasible and potentially
profitable it can be produced, promoted and sent out to the market. It is at this point that
the product life cycle begins.
The various stages of a product’s life cycle determine how it is marketed to consumers.
Successfully introducing a product to the market should see a rise in demand and
popularity, pushing older products from the market. As the new product becomes
established, the marketing efforts lessen and the associated costs of marketing and
production drop. As the product moves from maturity to decline, so demand wanes and
the product can be removed from the market, possibly to be replaced by a newer
alternative.

Managing the four stages of the life cycle can help increase profitability and maximise
returns, while a failure to do so could see a product fail to meet its potential and reduce
its shelf life.
Writing in the Harvard Business Review in 1965, marketing professor Theodore Levitt
declared that the innovator had the most to lose as many new products fail at the
introductory stage of the product life cycle. These failures are particularly costly as they
come after investment has already been made in research, development and
production. Because of this, many businesses avoid genuine innovation in favour of
waiting for someone else to develop a successful product before cloning it.

Stages

There are four stages of a product’s life cycle, as follows:

1. Market Introduction and Development

This product life cycle stage involves developing a market strategy, usually through an
investment in advertising and marketing to make consumers aware of the product and
its benefits.

At this stage, sales tend to be slow as demand is created. This stage can take time to
move through, depending on the complexity of the product, how new and innovative it
is, how it suits customer needs and whether there is any competition in the marketplace.
A new product development that is suited to customer needs is more likely to succeed,
but there is plenty of evidence that products can fail at this point, meaning that stage
two is never reached. For this reason, many companies prefer to follow in the footsteps
of an innovative pioneer, improving an existing product and releasing their own version.

2. Market Growth

If a product successfully navigates through the market introduction it is ready to enter

the growth stage of the life cycle. This should see growing demand promote an increase
in production and the product becoming more widely available.

The steady growth of the market introduction and development stage now turns into a
sharp upturn as the product takes off. At this point competitors may enter the market
with their own versions of your product – either direct copies or with some
improvements. Branding becomes important to maintain your position in the
marketplace as the consumer is given a choice to go elsewhere. Product pricing and
availability in the marketplace become important factors to continue driving sales in the
face of increasing competition. At this point the life cycle moves to stage three; market
maturity.

3. Market Maturity

At this point a product is established in the marketplace and so the cost of producing
and marketing the existing product will decline. As the product life cycle reaches this
mature stage there are the beginnings of market saturation. Many consumers will now
have bought the product and competitors will be established, meaning that branding,
price and product differentiation becomes even more important to maintain a market
share. Retailers will not seek to promote your product as they may have done in stage
one, but will instead become stockists and order takers.

4. Market Decline

Eventually, as competition continues to rise, with other companies seeking to emulate

your success with additional product features or lower prices, so the life cycle will go
into decline. Decline can also be caused by new innovations that supersede your
existing product, such as horse-drawn carriages going out of fashion as the automobile
took over.

Many companies will begin to move onto different ventures as market saturation means
there is no longer any profit to be gained. Of course, some companies will survive the
decline and may continue to offer the product but production is likely to be on a smaller
scale and prices and profit margins may become depressed. Consumers may also turn
away from a product in favour of a new alternative, although this can be reversed in
some instances with styles and fashions coming back into play to revive interest in an
older product.

❖ Product Life Cycle Strategy and Management

Having a properly managed product life cycle strategy can help extend the life cycle of
your product in the market.

The strategy begins right at the market introduction stage with setting of pricing. Options
include ‘price skimming,’ where the initial price is set high and then lowered in order to
‘skim’ consumer groups as the market grows. Alternatively, you can opt for price
penetration, setting the price low to reach as much of the market as quickly as possible
before increasing the price once established.

Product advertising and packaging are equally important in order to appeal to the target
market. In addition, it is important to market your product to new demographics in order
to grow your revenue stream.

Products may also become redundant or need to be pivoted to meet changing

demands. An example of this is Netflix, who moved from a DVD rental delivery model to
subscription streaming.

Understanding the product life cycle allows you to keep reinventing and innovating with
an existing product (like the iPhone) to reinvigorate demand and elongate the product’s
market life.

Examples

Many products or brands have gone into decline as consumer needs change or new
innovations are introduced. Some industries operate in several stages of the product life
cycle simultaneously, such as with televisual entertainment, where flat screen TVs are
at the mature phase, on-demand programming is in the growth stage, DVDs are in
decline and video cassettes are now largely redundant. Many of the most successful
products in the world stay at the mature stage for as long as possible, with small
updates and redesigns along with renewed marketing to keep them in the thoughts of
consumers, such as with the Apple iPhone.
Here are a few well-known examples of products that have passed or are passing
through the product life cycle:

1. Typewriters

The typewriter was hugely popular following its introduction in the late 19 th century due
to the way it made writing easier and more efficient. Quickly moving through market
growth to maturity, the typewriter began to go into decline with the advent of the
electronic word processor and then computers, laptops and smartphones. While there
are still typewriters available, the product is now at the end of its decline phase with few
sales and little demand. Meanwhile, desktop computers, laptops, smartphones and
tablets are all experiencing the growth or maturity phases of the product lifecycle.

2. Video Cassette Recorders (VCRs)

Having first appeared as a relatively expensive product, VCRs experienced large-scale

product growth as prices reduced leading to market maturation when they could be
found in many homes. However, the creation of DVDs and then more recently
streaming services, VCRs are now effectively obsolete. Once a ground-breaking
product VCRs are now deep in a decline stage from which it seems unlikely they will
ever recover.

3. Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles are experiencing a growth stage in their product life cycle as
companies work to push them into the marketplace with continued design
improvements. Although electric vehicles are not new, the consistent innovation in the
market and the improving sales potential means that they are still growing and not yet
into the mature phase.

4. AI Products

Like electric vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI) has been in development and use for
years, but due to the continued developments in AI, there are many products that are
still in the market introduction stage of the product life cycle. These include innovations
that are still being developed, such as autonomous vehicles, which are yet to be
adopted by consumers.

❖ Importance of the Product Life Cycle

Understanding the product life cycle can inform the strategic actions of a company or
business, allowing management and decision-makers to work out staff allocation and
resources, budgeting, and what should be prioritised, as well as the next areas for
innovation and development.

An overview of the product life cycle is integral to marketing and promotions as well as
informing long-term planning. In addition, it helps with streamlining processes within an
organisation.

It is always easier to make better decisions with accurate information and the product
life cycle can be an important facet of this.

When to Use the Product Life Cycle

The product life cycle can be used across your business from advertising to pricing and
innovation to marketing.

A new product can be promoted as a ground-breaking or an improvement on existing

products, while an established product can be promoted based on a long, successful
and trusted history in the marketplace.

The pricing of your product should also be informed by the life cycle, with newer
products being priced to entice buyers and more established products in their growth
stage can be priced higher.

Marketing strategies can also be based around the product life cycle, audience
awareness and market maturity means that a product will be marketed differently to a
new and emerging product. Consumers will also be aware of a product’s life cycle and
will know if you try to promote a new item as something that is well-established.

Of course, those products that are in decline or have saturated the market will need a
different strategy again, allowing you to maintain your position in the marketplace even
as you look at reinvigorating your product or innovating new ideas.

Product Life Cycle Marketing Strategies

As highlighted above, the product life cycle in marketing is also an important

consideration for businesses. Products need to be addressed differently according to
their position in the life cycle, as follows:

Development Stage Marketing Strategies

You don’t need to wait until your product fully launches to begin to build customer
interest. You can place your product with selected voices in your industry to start to
build a ‘buzz’ around your upcoming product or promote a limited release to create an
air of exclusivity and build anticipation for the full market release. An early, limited
release can create positive feedback that can be used to build awareness and
excitement around your product.

Introduction Stage Marketing Strategies

With the full launch of your product you can begin to promote it in earnest. This could
include reaching out to industry experts or influencers within your target market who can
review and promote your product, using their endorsement to create credibility and
reach a wider audience. This stage is all about educating the marketplace about the key
selling points and benefits of your product.

Growth Stage Marketing Strategies

At this point the focus shifts to establishing a brand presence to create customer loyalty
over any competitors. Marketing strategies at this point can include social media
advertising and promotion, search engine optimisation (SEO), content marketing and
partnerships with industry experts or influencers. Companies will also seek new
distribution channels, add additional features and develop support services. Exploring
new markets and e-commerce platforms as well as partnering with retailers could also
boost your customer base at this point.

Maturity Stage Marketing Strategies

As your product reaches maturity, you may feel that you can rest on your laurels and
reap the rewards of having an established product in the marketplace. However, work is
still required in order to position yourself as a leader in your field and differentiate
yourself from your competitors. As with the introduction stage, you could seek to
educate the marketplace, except this time it will be from a position of authority, letting
your customers know about the benefits of your product. This can be achieved via blog
posts and industry insights. In addition, you will want to continue improving your
product, offering more features for example, and informing your customer base of the
improvements and their associated benefits. This will help protect your product or
business as you reach the saturation stage…

Saturation Stage Marketing Strategies

Once the market becomes saturated you will need to lean into your brand and how it
differentiates you from the competition. You can tailor your marketing efforts to appeal
to specific customer segments in your market, highlighting their preferences and needs.
As well as directly targeting parts of your market, you need to strengthen your
relationship with your existing customer base. A more personalised customer
interaction, new product features, special product bundles with similar items, exclusive
packaging options, product personalisation, and customer loyalty programmes are just
some of the techniques that are used according to product and industry. This is when
the competition will be at its highest and there may not be many available tweaks to
your product, so excellent customer service is vital in order to maintain a good position
in the marketplace. To stay at the forefront, your customers need to know your product
(and business) is the best – and you need to back it up with your product, service, and
delivery. Good customer testimonials are a good addition for your marketing plan at this
time.

Decline Stage Marketing Strategies

Companies don’t want to see their product go into decline, but sometimes it can’t be
avoided. When the entire market goes into decline – as was the case with video
cassettes – it might be impossible (or at least inadvisable) to fight against the tide.
However, a decline doesn’t always mean a total collapse and strategies such as
improved advertising campaigns, reduced prices, new product features, improved
branding, or even new market penetration can allow you to flourish while other, lesser
products fall aside as the market balances out. The key is in emphasising the superiority
of your product and professionalism, using many of the same strategies from the
saturation stage. Of course, if a product goes or is going obsolete, then it is best to plan
for a timely exit from the market or a pivot to new products.

3. New product development process;

New Product Development Process

New product development refers to the process that goes into bringing a new product to
market, from brainstorming an idea to understanding if it fits into the market, ironing it
out to prototyping to final commercialization.

Although it can be a rather lengthy process that sometimes requires iteration, it’s all
done to ensure that your product is the best it can be before it reaches your customers
and solves their needs in the best possible way.

Let’s discuss the different stages involved in new product development.

 1. Idea Generation

The new product development process begins with idea generation, where you
brainstorm an idea (or ideas) that will help you solve an existing customer problem in a
new and innovative way. As you’re coming up with ideas that will help you solve
customer needs, it’s important to have a robust understanding of your target market and
the pain points they have that you want to solve.

Your initial idea generation stage can be as simple as saying “What if we did this?” and
then they become more ROBUST during the research stage.

2. Research

Once you’ve developed a product idea, the next step is conducting research to FLESH
IT OUT. There are various steps you can take to do this, like:

• Market research to understand the current sentiment in your industry and if there are
any holes that your product will fit into, and if there will even be demand for it.
• Competitor analysis to understand if customers think there are things your competitors'
products or services lack that you can incorporate into your product to better fit your
target market's needs.

During this stage, you can also get early feedback from customers about what they
think of your ideas before coming up with a final definition for your product. One of the
best ways to get this feedback is through surveys, where you can easily and quickly
collect information from existing customers. A high-quality tool like Lucky Orange can
help you create these surveys, and with it, you can ask multiple choice questions about
types of products they may be interested in, or more open-ended questions that give
you more insight into customer opinions.

This stage may include a bit of iteration because your research may tell you that you
need to refine your original ideas and adjust your research scope before moving on to
the next stage.
3. Planning

The third stage is planning, where you formulate a final product idea/definition based on
your initial idea and research and begin coming up with your plans to bring it to life.

When you define your final product, you’ll want to begin planning for what you’ll need in
order to create it. For example, if you’re creating a physical product, you’ll need to
source the necessary materials or find production partners that will assist in
manufacturing.

Planning also involves coming up with a marketing strategy that will help you effectively
market when your product is completed, pricing models that make sense for your
product, and that your customers will pay.

It’s also critical to identify the teams that will be involved in your product development
process that will help bring it to market, from the marketing teams that will promote your
product to any possible external partners that will assist with production.

4. Prototyping

The prototyping phase is when you come up with a sample product that is a mockup of
what will be created during mass production.

This prototype is often referred to as a minimum viable product (MVP), which is a basic
version of your tool, still similar to your final product, that will help you get a sense of
how it functions and identify any areas that need to be improved.

You may make multiple prototypes and go back and forth between this stage and the
testing stage before you have a finalized prototype.

5. Testing

Before launching your product you need to test it to ensure it will work as advertised and
effectively solve your customer needs. So, during this stage, you’ll share your
prototypes with target audiences and ask for actionable feedback on how the product
works.

Essentially, you want your product to be used in situations that are similar to real-world
use cases so you know exactly what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes the results of
your testing will require you to go back and make changes to your prototype, as
mentioned above.

Once you feel as though your prototype is finished and ready to solve your customer
needs, you’ll begin product development.

6. Product Development

This stage involves creating the final product that will be commercialized once
completed. You’ll use the insights gained from testing your MVP to make final touches
to your prototype, and begin mass production.

Depending on your type of business, you’ll likely have a different process for product
development. For example, if you’re a SaaS business, your internal software
development or programming teams will likely work to finalize code. If you create a
physical product, you may outsource labor for certain components and assemble final
products in your warehouse.

Whichever your process is, your planning stage should’ve helped you identify how your
product development will go.

7. Commercialization

The final stage of your new product development process is commercialization, where
you introduce your products to market. This is the culmination of your brainstorming,
research, iteration, where your audiences can finally make use of what you created.

You’ll enact your marketing plans to make your audiences aware of your new product,
and enact campaigns that will entice them to become customers.
Although this is the final stage, many businesses launch their products and, over time,
return to make improvements to their products based on customer feedback and market
changes to ensure they’re always providing the best possible customer experience.

4. Difference between branded and unbranded product

5. Branding concept

.
A brand concept consists of the core ideas behind a company's branding that pull
together its purpose and goals. A brand concept is all about how a brand makes you
feel, which becomes the base to build an entire brand and marketing strategy.
Branding

“A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one
seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers” - American Marketing
Association.

A brand can be conceived as an idea or an image that people will have in their minds
when they think about specific products and services or even the activities that are
associated with the company.

Therefore, this is just not about the physical feature which creates a brand but
moreover, it impacts the feelings of the consumers who develop belief and trust towards
the company or in its product. This physical and emotional sign is triggered when they
visualize the name, the logo, the identity, or even listen to the message communicated.

There are many identical products that flood the market, but brands are always unique.
For example, Coke, Himalayan Products, products of Amul, there are similar, but not
identical products of these ‘brands.’

“Branding is endowing products and services with the power of a brand” - Kotler &
Keller.

Branding is identified as a process of giving meaning to a specific organization,

company, product, or service by creating and designing an impact in the minds of the
consumers. This is actually a strategy that is designed by the organizations which helps
people to quickly identify and experience their brand, which eventually gives them a
reason to choose their products over the competitor’s product.
 ❖ Features of Branding

The features of Branding are as follows

Competitiveness

For a brand to truly be successful the needs are required to be focused as being
competitive in today’s world is very important. A company has an entire team who is
working behind a brand, to make that a hit. A successful brand goes beyond consumer
expectations to give a competitive edge cutting to the industry.
Distinctiveness

To create an identity of the brand, the creation needs to be highly distinctive from the
other. The world’s most popular brands, like Apple, Starbucks, or the BMW cars have
successfully created this impact in the minds of the customers. Take for instance the
Apple product which is renowned for its technical approach to design and technology
gets appreciation for the innovation in its products. Starbucks promises services across
the globe. Hence, we see that brands have a distinctive approach always.
Consistency

Being consistent is always the catch. It is highly important for the company to remain
consistent with the devotion it does to create the brand. They should maintain the flow
of efforts. Consistency will help the customers be familiar with the brand.

Leadership

The greatest brands in the world are always supported by the leaders who have the
power to inspire and continually aspire for their greatness. This works the same for a
sports team, and hence also for a large corporation or a small business, the most
successful business ought to have an influential leader backing them.
Functions of Branding

The functions of Branding are achieved by a consistent effort. There is a whole team
backing up the process of Branding and making efforts to keep a continued effect on the
minds of the customers. Branding is totally a mind’s game hence, it is the mind that will
help the branding to achieve its function effectively.

The features of branding are the actual function of branding as well, as the concept of
branding is only dedicated as an overall process. The functions done by branding are as
follows –

1. Differentiation.

2. Authenticity.

3. Value Setting and Centering.

4. Unification.

Importance of Branding in Today’s Age

Any company needs Branding so as to survive in the market and its credibility is built
only because of branding. A product can be differentiated on the basis of brandings
such as a bar of chocolate belonging to two different brands, hypothetically speaking
Nestle and Cadbury. Branding is more psychological than physical as it leaves a deep
impact on the consumers. The better a company is able to build its brand, the more
chances are of it retaining its credibility in the market. Branding is one of the most
important aspects of any company, no matter how big or small.

How to Revise Branding from Vedantu?

• Go through Branding- Concept, Features, Functions, and FAQs on Vedantu.

• Read the page carefully and then start taking notes.

• Write down the subtopics in your own words.

 • Use illustrations as much as possible as they help retain concepts in the
student’s mind.

• Re-read those areas that seem a bit tricky.

• Do not skip any portion of the page.

6. Branding challenges and opportunities

Branding presents both challenges and opportunities for businesses. Let's explore each:

Challenges:

1. Establishing Recognition: Building brand recognition can be challenging, especially in

competitive markets where many companies are vying for consumer attention. Breaking
through the noise and getting noticed requires significant effort and resources.

2. Maintaining Consistency: Ensuring consistent branding across all channels and

touchpoints can be difficult, particularly as a company grows or operates in multiple
regions. Inconsistencies can dilute brand identity and confuse consumers.

3. Adapting to Change: Markets, consumer preferences, and trends evolve rapidly.

Keeping up with these changes while staying true to the core values and identity of the
brand can be a delicate balancing act.

4. Managing Reputation: In the age of social media and instant communication, a

brand's reputation can be tarnished swiftly by negative reviews, scandals, or PR
mishaps. Maintaining a positive brand image and effectively managing crises is crucial.
5. Differentiating from Competitors: Standing out from competitors and communicating
unique value propositions effectively is challenging, particularly in saturated markets
where many products or services offer similar features.

Opportunities:

1. Building Trust and Loyalty: Effective branding can foster trust and loyalty among
consumers. By consistently delivering on promises, providing excellent customer
service, and building emotional connections, brands can create loyal advocates.

2. Expanding Market Reach: Strong branding can help businesses expand into new
markets or target different demographics. A well-established brand can provide a
competitive advantage when entering unfamiliar territory.

3. Driving Premium Pricing: Brands with strong reputations and perceived value can
command premium pricing for their products or services. Investing in branding can lead
to higher profit margins and increased revenue.

4. Innovating and Evolving: Branding offers opportunities to innovate and evolve to meet
changing consumer needs and preferences. Companies can leverage their brand equity
to introduce new products, services, or experiences.

5. Creating Brand Communities: Brands can foster communities of loyal customers who
share common values and interests. These communities provide opportunities for
engagement, feedback, and word-of-mouth marketing.
Overall, while branding presents challenges such as establishing recognition and
maintaining consistency, it also offers opportunities to build trust, expand market reach,
drive premium pricing, innovate, and create brand communities. Success in branding
requires a strategic approach, creativity, adaptability, and a deep understanding of
consumers and market dynamics.

7. Strategic brand management process

Strategic brand management involves the deliberate planning and execution of activities
to build, maintain, and enhance a brand's equity. It includes defining brand objectives,
analyzing its current state, crafting brand strategies, implementing them, and monitoring
and adapting as needed. This process helps businesses create a strong and consistent
brand identity, connect with target audiences, and drive brand loyalty and growth.
Creating and maintaining a strong brand is essential for success in today’s competitive
business landscape. A strategic brand management process helps companies achieve
this by providing a framework for developing and implementing a cohesive branding
strategy. Let’s understand more about it.

Must read: What is Brand Management?

Table of Content
• What is Strategic Brand Management?
• What is Strategic Brand Management Process?
• Identifying and Developing Brand Plans
• Designing and Implementing Brand Marketing Programs
• Measuring and Interpreting Brand Performance
• Growing and Sustaining Brand Equity

What is Strategic Brand Management?

Strategic brand management involves designing and implementing marketing programs
and activities to develop, measure, and manage brand equity. It involves developing a
comprehensive strategy to build and sustain a strong, positive perception of a brand
among consumers.

It aims to establish a strong emotional connection between a company and its

customers by developing a unique brand identity. Let’s understand the strategic brand
Management process.
 Difference Between Brand and Product

When it comes to marketing and sales, it’s important to understand the

difference between a brand and a product. These are the most often-used words
but how many of us...read more

Know Personal Branding and Why it is Now More Important Than Ever

To stand out professionally or as a business, you need to show more than your
skills. This is where personal branding comes in.

What is Strategic Brand Management Process?

The strategic brand management process refers to the activities and steps involved in
creating, developing, and maintaining a brand’s identity and reputation in the
marketplace. It comprises the following four steps:

1. Identifying and developing brand plans

2. Designing and implementing brand marketing programs

3. Measuring and interpreting brand performance

4. Growing and sustaining brand Equity

Difference Between Product Management and Brand Management

Product Management focuses on developing and improving products, aligning

with customer needs and market trends. Brand Management, on the other hand,
 concentrates on building and maintaining a brand's image, reputation,...read
more

Strategic Management: Definition, Importance and Objectives

Strategic management is the process of formulating and implementing strategies

to achieve the goals and objectives of an organization. Strategic management is
important in charting the future course of an...read more

1. Identifying and Developing Brand Plans

The strategic brand management process begins with clearly understanding what the
brand showcases and how it should be positioned with its competitors. This is achieved
through brand planning, which involves using three interlocking models.

Brand Positioning Model

It guides how to market the brand effectively to maximize its competitive advantages.
This involves identifying the brand's unique features, benefits, target audience, and
needs and preferences.

Brand Resonance Model

This involves creating a sense of loyalty and emotional connection between the
customer and the brand. It promotes repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth
recommendations. It describes creating intense, active customer loyalty relationships.

Brand Value Chain

It is used to track the brand's value creation process. This allows companies to
understand better the financial impact of their brand marketing expenditures and
investments and identify areas for potential improvement.
2. Designing and Implementing Brand Marketing Programs

It is essential to establish a strong brand position in customers’ minds. It is essential to

develop brand equity and foster deep customer loyalty. This process involves three
critical factors:

Brand Element

The initial choices of the brand’s visual, verbal, and sensory elements, including the
brand name, logo, slogan, packaging, and overall design, should be combined to
reinforce the brand’s unique identity and value proposition.

Marketing Activities

The marketing mix and supporting programs that promote the brand and create a
distinctive brand image. The brand should be integrated into marketing campaigns.
Moreover, communications create a consistent message reinforcing the brand’s values
and benefits.

Other Associations

Other indirect associations, such as the company, country of origin, distribution channel,
or other brands, may be linked to the brand. These associations can be leveraged to
enhance the brand’s reputation, value, and customer appeal.

3. Measuring and Interpreting Brand Performance

An effective brand equity measurement system is essential for managers to manage

their brands profitably. Implementing such a system involves three key steps:
conducting brand audits, designing brand tracking studies, and establishing a brand
equity management system.

Determining or evaluating a brand’s positioning often benefits from a brand audit. Once
marketers have determined the brand positioning strategy, they can implement
marketing programs to create, strengthen, or maintain brand associations. Brand
tracking studies collect information from consumers on a routine basis.
Experts do it through quantitative brand performance measures on several key
dimensions, which marketers can identify in the brand audit or other means.

4. Growing and Sustaining Brand Equity

Maintaining and expanding brand equity can be quite challenging. Brand equity
management activities take a broader and more diverse perspective of the brand’s
equity understanding. For instance- how branding strategies should reflect corporate
concerns and adjust them. Also, if at all, over time, geographical boundaries, multiple
market segments, etc.

Defining Brand Architecture

Brand architecture refers to a company’s overall strategy and guidelines for managing
its various brands. It involves deciding which brand elements should be used
consistently across all products sold by the company. Two key components of the brand
architecture are brand portfolios and brand hierarchies.

Managing Brand Equity over Time

Managing brand equity involves taking a long-term approach to marketing decisions.

This means recognizing that changes to a brand’s marketing program can impact
consumer knowledge and future marketing efforts. It also involves proactive strategies
to maintain and improve customer-based brand equity over time and reactive strategies
to address any difficulties or problems.

Managing Brand Equity over Geographic Boundaries, Cultures, and Market Segments.

It is essential to consider the impact of geographic boundaries, cultures, and market

segments on branding and marketing decisions to manage brand equity effectively. This
involves recognizing the diversity of consumers and developing appropriate branding
and marketing strategies to appeal to different segments.

When expanding a brand overseas, it is important to understand the specific cultural

and behavioural nuances of the target market segments to build brand equity. Global
 branding strategies must account for these differences and adapt the brand positioning
and marketing mix to resonate with local consumers

8.Brand Identity

brand identity
1. Coca-Cola

When you hear the name Coca-Cola, you probably picture its well-known logo, shown
above.

But you also might think of the polar bear, the color red, its "Share a Coke" campaign,
or the classic ribbon-like imagery featured on its cans. Here are two things that
comprise Coca-Cola's brand identity:

• Coca-Cola's brand identity begins with a red logo in script text. The red color elicits
confidence in the person who drinks a Coke, while the script typeface is all about
enjoyment. Coffee, for example, is a drink you have before work in the morning. Coca-
Cola is a drink you enjoy when you're done in the afternoon. This is the brand's "face."
• Coca-Cola prints its logo on a uniquely shaped bottle (it's true, no other beverages have
bottles exactly like it). This tells customers they're not getting an imitation — this is the
real thing. The brand develops credibility and trust this way.
 2. Hustle & Hope Greeting Cards

Hustle & Hope is a brand that positions their products as more than a greeting card.
Their stationary and cards tackle more difficult topics such as job hunting and personal
development.

By pairing simple inspirational messaging with a code on the back of the card that leads
to digital content and tips, the cards are meant to "level up" the recipient in some way.

Founder Ashley Sutton always wanted to start a stationery company, but after a career
working in some of the top Fortune 500 companies, she became passionate about
empowering people to be their best professional selves.

That's when she had an epiphany that would later become the basis of what makes her
company unique: "Why not sell cool greeting cards AND help people!" Here's how this
brand's identity is executed:

• All the paper products use modern, colorful designs that pop off the page and slogans
that go beyond generic well wishing.
• The experience of scanning the code is a novelty that makes an impression, both with
the product itself as well as its mission to drive an idea home.
 3. POP Fit

POP Fit has a beautiful brand with bright pinks, purples, and yellows, but that's not even
a main element of their brand identity. Perhaps one of the most stunning thing about
this brand is their radical representation found in all their messaging.

According to their website, "POP Fit Clothing was built on the idea that representation,
inclusivity, and body positivity matters in both fashion and media." This is why their
sizes range from XXS to 4XL and feature signature fabric with a four-way stretch.

• POP Fit's advertising supports their message of inclusivity, featuring women of color,
wheelchair users, and diverse body types. Their images are also un-retouched,
showcasing their diverse models realistically and respectfully.
• Their products solve for massive pain points in the athletic clothing industry, such as
sizing issues, lack of pockets, and transparency or rolling while doing squats and other
exercises.
 4. Burt's Bees

After humble beginnings in beekeeping and selling honey, Burt's Bees grew to meet the
need for all-natural and sustainable personal products. The company seeks to "make
thoughtful choices to reduce our impact on nature and work to protect biodiversity,
which preserves our own place in the world."

Their initial logo (pictured above) depicting the bearded founder underscores the feeling
of simplicity and modesty. This is in stark contrast to aesthetics that other beauty and
personal care products embody.

Here's how else the brand distances itself from flashiness, sticking to its nature-
obsessed focus:

• Burt's Bees responsibly sources ingredients for their products and use recyclable
packaging.
• They donate to conservation projects and other green initiatives.
 5. Asana

Asana's mission is "to help humanity thrive by enabling the world's teams to work
together effortlessly."

The founders began at Facebook, where it was clear that they needed a project
management and collaboration tool that would enable the teams to work together more
fluidly.

In Sanskrit, "Asana" refers to a specific pose in which yogis sit, and the company name
is in homage to the Buddhist principles of focus and flow.

This, along with their values of "doing great things, fast" and teamwork, is manifested
clearly in their visual brand, as well:

• Asana uses a lot of white space for focus with bursts of color to "inject energy" into the
workspace.
• The three dots in the logo are arranged together, signifying balance and collaboration.
6. Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery

Semicolon Books was born when owner/operator Danielle Mullen chose to seize the
day. After being diagnosed with a tumor on her ocular nerve, she was thinking about
legacy.

Then, without expectation or intention to open a store, she walked by the perfect space
for lease. Not long after, the spot was hers, and she was building shelves.
 The book store's mission is in "nurturing the connection between literature, art, and the
pursuit of knowledge; while also using the power of words to better our community."

Because of this, the brand is committed to the Chicago community and cultivating a
welcoming space for their customers:

• Their #ClearTheShelves initiative allows local students to take home any books they
want, free of charge, to impact literacy rates in Chicago.
• Residents are encouraged to BYOB, chill in the store, and talk with the owner, creating
an air of friendliness and camaraderie.
• Semicolon Bookstore supports local creators by featuring local artists in the gallery and
showcasing local authors.

You'll also notice that their visual brand demonstrates a Chicago vibe, while showing
people reading and enjoying the store.

Why is brand identity important?

You don’t need to have a large market share and a huge customer base like other well-
established brands. However, having a strong brand identity is critical if you want to
receive such benefits as customer loyalty, brand recognition, customer trust, and
constant growth. It helps represent your brand’s values and personality and convey
consistent messages across all marketing channels.

An increasingly competitive market makes brands come up with something new to

stand out. By creating a powerful identity for your company, you’ll be able to find an
appropriate position for your brand and create a unique design that people will
recognize. As a result, you’ll improve your brand awareness.

Now that you know why brand identity is important, let’s dig deeper and compare the
two terms that often evoke confusion.
Brand Identity vs. Brand Image

Brand identity is a set of visible elements like logo, design, and color that helps a
brand stand out among its competitors in consumers’ minds. A business owner’s team
selects a name, develops a logo, crafts messages and a certain way of communication,
creates shapes and visuals, and uses colors to shape a specific image in the minds of
consumers.

Brand image is the perception a consumer has about a particular brand after
interacting with it. Simply put, it’s a result of a company’s team’s efforts to create a
brand identity. If it is successful, they shape a positive image.

Now it’s time to walk you through the main components of brand identity.

Elements of Brand Identity

Brand identity isn’t merely a logo, it includes more components that you should
consider.

• Logo. Logos can be presented in the form of images, texts, and shapes that
depict a brand’s name and purpose. Of course, a logo is the key element of a
company’s identity since customers usually pay attention to it. You can also use
a text logo (a distinct text-only typographic treatment of a brand’s name). More
and more companies now choose text-only logos since they are easier to
remember.

• Font. Once you decide on your logo, you should think of the corporate font you
will use on your website and in different marketing campaigns. Find an attention-
grabbing and easy-to-understand font. The best fonts include Proxima Nova, TT
Norms Pro, and Helvetica Now. They are used by famous brands like Spotify,
Jeep, Bosh, Panasonic, and many more.

• Style consistency. By mentioning style, we mean visual elements of your brand.

You should be consistent when it comes to images and other visual elements on
your website or in promotional campaigns.
 • Shape and form. One more essential component is a shape or form that
represents your company and makes people recognize your product. Ensure that
you have memorable packaging and an interesting form. For example,
McDonald’s effectively utilized a unique element for promotion. Now the iconic
“M” form is known all over the world.

Now when you are acquainted with the key elements, let’s jump into the next section.

How to Create a Powerful Brand Identity

1. Analyze your ideal customer, unique value proposition, and competitors

2. Come up with unique visual elements for your brand that reflect your ideas

3. Think of the language you use to communicate with customers

4. Avoid several negative practices

5. Monitor your progress

To establish a strong brand presence, you need to have a powerful set of visual assets.
However, that’s not all. Check out the steps below to find out more.

1. Analyze your ideal customer, unique value proposition, and competitors

You need to conduct market research to understand your audience, unique value
proposition, and rivals. Firstly, make sure that you know your ideal customers and their
needs. By understanding your audience, you will be closer to developing a product that
people will admire.

Secondly, analyze your product and identify what makes you unique among others and
allows you to stand out. To develop a successful brand, you should know the difference
between your company and your rivals. Thirdly, create a clear mission statement that
includes your vision and objectives.
For example, Mercedes-Benz is an exclusive brand that demonstrates the success of
someone who has its products. The company communicates superiority and exclusivity.
This strong brand reflects German precision, quality, and discipline. The company
targets customers that are 25-45 years old and have high incomes. The brands’ clients
value luxury and comfort.

2. Come up with unique visual elements for your brand that reflect your ideas

Once you do your market research, create a logo that combines your values and
represents your product well. Remember, it helps customers recognize your brand and
come back.

A logo is always included in online and offline forms of promotion: email

campaigns, web push notifications, chatbots, posters, billboards, infomercials,
commercials, etc. Try brainstorming with your team to create something unique and
easy to recollect. Besides, it’s also imperative to develop appropriate packaging and an
interesting form.

Lots of women worldwide would recognize the product package from Tiffany & Co. — a
small but valuable blue box with jewelry. Now it has become the world’s most popular
package.

3. Think of the language you use to communicate with customers

At this step, you need to connect with your customers. For this purpose, use the
language that suits your brand personality. For example, if your company is laid-back,
use conversational language. It’s essential to use the same tone across all marketing
channels. Since people like storytelling, consider creating a story for your brand. It helps
build connections with your target audience and evoke certain emotions.

4. Avoid several negative practices

It’s critically important to avoid several things when developing a strong identity. First of
all, don’t communicate mixed messages to your audience so as not to confuse them.
You should always know what to say and use the language and visuals that fit your
company.
Secondly, be unique and innovative. Find ways to improve a product you want to offer
or add something special. For example, provide customers with a new feature or better
quality.

Thirdly and most importantly, remember to be consistent in your values, ideas, and
messages. You need to stick to your plan and use the same colors, font, elements, and
shapes when interacting with leads and customers.

5. Monitor your progress

Finally, track your performance metrics to know if everything goes right. Consider
leveraging Google Analytics, surveys, reviewing customer feedback on your product,
and checking social media to get an understanding of how well customers perceive your
brand. Moreover, surveys, reviews, and comments will help you figure out the areas that
require some changes. This, in turn, will enable you to improve the user experience.

Now let’s look at several examples.

Strong Brand Identity Examples

Visual elements stay in the minds of customers long after purchase. Let’s discover what
famous brands do to achieve such success among consumers.

Coca-Cola

This brand is an excellent example of a well-established company with a strong brand

identity. When customers hear the company’s name, they probably have several
associations with Coca-Cola. It can be its red logo, a polar bear, or its popular “Share a
Coke” campaign. The drink evokes feelings like happiness and joy.

Fashion To Figure

The brand that focuses on selling women’s plus-size apparel has a powerful brand
identity. The company has clear values and always tries to convey its central idea that
fashion is for everyone. The brand’s motto is “Fashion is a state of mind, not a size
range.” Hence, the company strives to provide its customers with the latest looks.

With a strong brand identity, you have a chance to reach the hearts of buyers and make
them recognize your company. Make sure that it includes your values, ideas, a
memorable logo, and colors that fit your product perfectly.

8. Customer-based brand equity

Customer-based brand equity (CBBE) is built on the concept that to build a strong brand
– it is important to understand how the customers think and feel about your product. For
a customer to love your product, you must build pleasant experiences around your
brand. If they experience positive thoughts, opinions, feelings, and perceptions about
your product, then it signals positive brand equity.
Customer-based brand equity shows the power of a customer’s attitude towards a
brand, and how it can lead to the success or failure of a brand. It emphasizes laying a
strong foundation that can create a positive attitude towards a brand.
Customer‐based brand equity is built on five important elements: value, performance,
trust, social image, and commitment. It is important to understand that these elements
are in the minds of customers, and hence, brands should build strategies to build these
permanently in the minds of customers. It should start by establishing a relationship with
the customer’s needs and the product offering. When a customer feels that the product
is the best for his needs, the relationship starts. This can be built to be raising
awareness about your product.
Once the customer knows about your product, it is important to deliver quality and
reliable performance every time. This is important to get deep-rooted imprint about your
brand in the customer’s mind. Once this is achieved, it can be further enhanced by
using attractive packing, excellent customer service, a colorful logo, and visual
advertising.
The final stage is to create an emotional bond with the customers by giving special
offers and discounts. This increases emotional response, thereby creating a strong
relationship with the brand.
Customer-Based Brand Equity Model
The most popular CCBE model is the Keller Model, which was designed by Kevin Lane
Keller, Professor of Marketing, and was published in his book, Strategic Brand
Management.
The CBBE model is based on a pyramid that explains ways to build strong brand equity
by focusing on understanding customers and designing their strategies based on
customers. When there is a strong connection between a brand and its customers, it
gives rise to positive brand equity.
The Keller model uses a pyramid to show the different levels of building brand equity
where the company has to understand the customers and shaping their strategies
accordingly.
The below image is the brand equity pyramid that is divided into four levels:
Level 1: Brand Identity
This is the first stage where you need to create brand awareness. In this stage, people
do not identify your brand and cannot distinguish your brand from other brands. Hence it
is necessary to build a strong identity by telling people about your brand.
Since it is the most significant step, it forms the base of the pyramid. This shows that it
is important to build a very strong identity from the start so that you can build upon it.
Level 2: Brand Meaning
After a brand has been able to capture the attention of the consumers, it is the next step
for the brand to provide more information about the product to its users. Consumers
want to know more about the usage, the problems that it can solve, how to use the
product, etc. In this stage, the customer wants to know more about the brand.
Brand performance and brand imagery are the two parts of brand meaning.
Brand performance is the most important aspect that can break or build a brand. Many
famous brands, such as Apple, Google, Bosch, etc. have built great brand equity due to
their extraordinary performance.
Brand imagery is the image that customers perceive about a brand. Customers have a
picture of a brand, and this comes due to how they want the product to be. For example,
customers expect a car brand to be luxurious and comfortable, while for a cosmetic
brand, the customer perceives it to be glamorous and beautiful.
There are various models to analyze customer behavior most popular being the Kano
Model and Critical to Quality Tree. Insights from the analysis can be used to build a
high-performing product.
Level 3: Brand Response
Customers have a certain expectations from a brand, and when it meets expectations,
the customer is happy and shows positive feelings. In case the brand is able to go
beyond the expectations of a customer, the brand will be able to create delight in the
mind of customers. This will lead to recommendations that will spread the word in the
market.
It is important to know what factors delight a customer. This will help a brand to work
further on these factors to gain an edge over the competition.
 Level 4: Brand Resonance
The final and the most difficult stage is brand resonance. This is a stage where the
brand the customer has built a strong relationship. This is a stage where customers are
highly engaged with the brand, and they are ready to participate in online forums, social
media, similar communities, and any events relating to the brand.
Customers are ready to recommend the brand to their friends and family, and they are
not ready to accept any other product other than the brand. This is the most difficult
stage to achieve.
For example, people who use Apple products do not switch to any other brand as they
feel deeply associated with it. Even when the prices are high, they still stick to their
favorite brand and advocate the brand.
Benefits of Customer-Based Brand Equity
One of the most valuable assets for a company is something that you can’t see or
touch, but can be only felt- it’s the brand. A brand is critical for the success of a
company as it depicts the customer’s feelings towards a product.
A strong brand brings huge benefits to the company:

• A strong brand creates strong brand equity as it allows a company to charge a premium
price for its products
• Products that have generated strong brand equity can also command greater respect in
the market
• Strong brand equity brings the advantage of easier product expansion with higher
confidence
• Customer-based brand equity drives higher financial gains to the company
• Marketing campaigns rolled out by a strong CCBE brand is very likely to get a greater
response
• Increases loyalty as customers are ready to stay by the company due to the trust they
have on the company
• Strong customer-based brand equity will help in higher negotiating power with vendors
and distributors which will lower the cost of production.
 UNIT-2
1. Identifying and establishing brand positioning;
Identifying and establishing brand positioning is a crucial aspect of building a successful
and distinctive brand. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you in this process:

1. Understand Your Audience:

- Define your target audience. Understand their needs, preferences, and behaviors.
Knowing your audience is essential for crafting a brand position that resonates with
them.

2. Define Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP):

- Clearly articulate what sets your brand apart from the competition. Identify the
unique benefits and values your brand offers to customers. This should be something
that addresses a specific need or desire in your target market.

3. Conduct a Competitive Analysis:

- Analyze your competitors to understand their strengths, weaknesses, and market
positioning. This will help you find a distinctive position in the market that can be
effectively communicated to your audience.

4. Identify Brand Personality:

- Define the personality of your brand. Is it fun and lighthearted, serious and
professional, or something else? Your brand's personality should align with the values
and preferences of your target audience.

5. Craft a Unique Brand Promise:

- Develop a compelling and concise brand promise that communicates the value and
benefits your brand consistently delivers. This should be a clear and memorable
statement that encapsulates what customers can expect.

6. Create a Positioning Statement:

- Develop a positioning statement that succinctly communicates your brand's unique
value and position in the market. This statement should address the target audience,
the unique value proposition, and the brand promise.
7. Align Brand Positioning with Brand Elements:
- Ensure that all elements of your brand (logo, colors, tagline, etc.) align with your
identified positioning. Consistency across these elements helps reinforce your brand's
position in the minds of consumers.

8. Test and Refine:

- Gather feedback from your target audience through surveys, focus groups, or other
methods. Use this feedback to refine your brand positioning as needed. Continuous
improvement is crucial in a dynamic market.

9. Communicate Consistently:
- Consistently communicate your brand positioning across all channels. Whether it's
through advertising, social media, or other marketing efforts, the message should be
clear, consistent, and aligned with your brand's positioning.

10. Monitor and Adapt:

- Keep an eye on market trends, customer feedback, and changes in your industry. Be
willing to adapt your brand positioning if necessary to stay relevant and competitive.

2.Defining and establishing brand mantras

A brand mantra is a succinct, memorable, and inspiring statement that captures the
essence of a brand. It serves as a guiding principle for the brand, encapsulating its core
values, purpose, and identity. Here's a step-by-step guide on defining and establishing
brand mantras:

1. Understand Your Brand Identity:

- Clearly define your brand's identity, values, and mission. Understand what sets your
brand apart and what it stands for. This foundational understanding is crucial for
creating a meaningful brand mantra.

2. Identify Core Values:

- Determine the fundamental values that drive your brand. These are the principles
that guide decision-making and behavior within your organization. The brand mantra
should align with and reflect these core values.
3. Define Brand Personality:
- Identify the personality traits that define your brand. Is your brand playful,
sophisticated, innovative, or reliable? This personality should be reflected in your brand
mantra.

4. Consider Audience Connection:

- Think about how your target audience relates to your brand. Consider their needs,
aspirations, and emotions. Your brand mantra should resonate with your audience on a
deeper level.

5. Keep it Concise:
- A brand mantra is meant to be short and memorable. Aim for brevity while ensuring
that it encapsulates the essence of your brand. Ideally, it should be a few words or a
short sentence.

6. Capture Purpose and Mission:

- Your brand mantra should convey the purpose and mission of your brand. It should
answer the question of why your brand exists and what it aims to achieve.

7. Align with Brand Promise:

- Ensure that your brand mantra aligns with your brand promise—the value or benefit
your brand consistently delivers to customers. The mantra should reinforce and support
the promise.

8. Inspire and Motivate:

- Craft a mantra that inspires both internal stakeholders (employees) and external
stakeholders (customers, partners). It should be motivating and reflect the passion and
dedication behind your brand.

9. Test with Stakeholders:

- Before finalizing the brand mantra, test it with key stakeholders, including employees
and target customers. Get feedback to ensure that it resonates and is well-received.
10. Integrate into Brand Messaging:
- Once finalized, integrate the brand mantra into your brand messaging. Use it
consistently across various touchpoints, including marketing materials, communications,
and branding collateral.

11. Revisit and Refine:

- Periodically revisit your brand mantra to ensure that it remains relevant and resonant
with your brand's evolution. Be open to refining it as needed, especially if there are
significant changes in your brand strategy or market dynamics.

3.Internal Branding

Internal branding is the practice of aligning and communicating a company's brand

values, mission, and identity to its employees. It focuses on creating a consistent and
positive internal brand experience to ensure that employees understand, embrace, and
embody the brand. Here's a brief overview of key aspects of internal branding:

1. Employee Engagement:
- Internal branding aims to engage employees by fostering a sense of belonging and
purpose. Engaged employees are more likely to understand and advocate for the brand.

2. Communication:
- Effective communication is crucial for internal branding. Companies use various
channels, such as internal newsletters, meetings, and digital platforms, to convey brand
messages and updates to employees.

3. Brand Training:
- Providing employees with training on the brand values, positioning, and messaging
ensures a consistent understanding and representation of the brand across all levels of
the organization.

4. Cultural Alignment:
- Internal branding helps align the organizational culture with the brand values. A
strong alignment contributes to a cohesive and unified workplace environment.
5. Brand Advocacy:
- Engaged and well-informed employees can become brand advocates. When
employees believe in the brand, they are more likely to represent it positively in their
interactions with customers, clients, and the public.

6. Recognition and Rewards:

- Acknowledging and rewarding employees who exemplify the brand values fosters a
positive internal culture. This recognition reinforces the importance of aligning individual
behavior with the overall brand identity.

7. Consistent Brand Experience:

- Internal branding ensures that employees understand how their roles contribute to
the overall brand experience. This consistency is crucial for delivering a unified
message to external stakeholders.

8. Feedback Mechanisms:
- Establishing mechanisms for feedback allows employees to contribute to the brand
development process. This can create a collaborative environment and a sense of
ownership among employees.

9. Leadership Involvement:
- Leadership plays a key role in internal branding. Leaders should embody the brand
values and actively communicate them to inspire employees. Leadership involvement
helps set the tone for the entire organization.

10. Continuous Monitoring and Adaptation:

- Internal branding is an ongoing process. Companies should continuously monitor
employee engagement, solicit feedback, and be willing to adapt internal branding
strategies to changes in the business environment or company culture.

By investing in internal branding, organizations can create a workforce that not only
understands the brand but also actively contributes to its success. This, in turn, can
positively impact external perceptions and customer experiences.
4.Brand audits brand personalities

Brand Audit
A brand audit is a thorough examination of a brand’s current position in the market
compared to its competitors and a review of its effectiveness. It helps you determine the
strength of your brand together with its weaknesses or inconsistencies and
opportunities for improvement and new developments.

Why do a Brand Audit

Strong brands make more money. The stronger your brand, the more powerful
your business. A powerful brand can inspire, captivate and engage your audience and
consequently dramatically increase your bottom line. However, even strong brands
need a reality check or health check to keep them on track.
A robust, consistent brand means you spend less money on attracting new customers.
Your current customers keep coming back to you, and you are able to charge a
premium price for your goods and services. A powerful brand also encourages referrals,
be they online in the social engagement arena or offline in physical form, and are
consequently a critical part of the brand and its profitability.
Equally, a weak, disconnected, out-of-touch brand will gradually see its market
shrink, falling sales and ultimately put you out of business.
A comprehensive brand audit will often reveal new growth opportunities for your brand,
and new ways to make your brand resonate with both existing and a new generation of
target customers who will represent your brand’s long-term future.

▪ A brand audit will help identify both the company and the customer viewpoint in
terms of:
o Business and brand resource strengths
o Value of the brand
o Awareness of the brand in the market
o Deficiencies of the brand
o New trends and market opportunities
o Outside threats
o New product development and future channels of profitability
o Competitive standing in the market
o Perception, image, reputation and attitude to the brand in the market
o Effectiveness of brand management efforts
Brand Personality
The term brand personality refers to a set of human characteristics that are attributed
to a brand name. An effective brand increases its brand equity by having a consistent
set of traits that a specific consumer segment enjoys. This personality is a qualitative
value-add that a brand gains in addition to its functional benefits.
A brand personality is something to which the consumer can relate. If the consumer
becomes a regular customer, they may start to identify parts of their own personality
with the brand personality.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Brand personality is a set of human characteristics that are attributed to a brand

name.
• Companies should accurately define their brand personalities so they resonate
with the right consumers.
• A company's brand should aim to elicit a positive emotional response from a
targeted consumer segment.
• The personal side of brand personality is so important especially in the digital
age of artificial intelligence and automation.
• Don't confuse brand personality with imagery, which consists of a company's
creative assets.

How Brand Personality Works

Brand personality is a framework that helps a company or organization shape the way
people feel about its product, service, or mission. A company's brand personality elicits
an emotional response in a specific consumer segment. The intention of building a
brand personality is to incite positive actions that benefit the business.

Customers are more likely to purchase a brand if its personality is similar to their own.
There are five main types of brand personalities with common traits:

1. Excitement: Carefree, spirited, playful, modern, trendy, and youthful

2. Sincerity: Kindness, thoughtfulness, and an orientation toward family values,
environmental sustainability, or care for workers and communities
3. Ruggedness: Rough, tough, outdoorsy, unfussy, and athletic
4. Competence: Successful, accomplished, and influential, which is highlighted by
leadership
5. Sophistication: Elegant, prestigious, exclusive, luxurious, and sometimes even
pretentious

Brand personalities are even more important, especially in the digital age where
automation and artificial intelligence (AI) technology is growing. As much as consumers
enjoy being able to shop online or have companies predict their preferences, studies
show that people still want personal interaction and direct customer service when it
comes to the way they do business with companies.1
Customers are more likely to purchase a brand if its personality is similar to their own.

Companies share their brand personality in a variety of ways. Marketing materials, both
written and visual, emphasize or communicate these qualities and values. If the brand
partners with celebrities or influencers, they should be people already known for those
qualities. How a business interacts with its industry or community can also
communicate its personality through events, product releases, or charitable
partnerships.

Brand Personality vs. Imagery

A company's brand personality should not be confused with its imagery. A company's
imagery is a series of creative assets that communicate the tangible benefits of its
brand. Conversely, a firm's brand personality directly creates an emotional association
in the mind of an ideal consumer group. Brand personality should influence the imagery
and other marketing materials that a company creates and uses.

It is important for a company to accurately define its brand personality so it resonates

with the appropriate consumer. This is because brand personality creates increased
brand equity and defines the brand's attitude in the marketplace. It is also the key
factor of any successful marketing campaign. In order to choose a brand's personality,
companies consider the five personality types and select the one the company wishes
to convey.

If, for example, a new outdoor apparel company wants to resonate with consumers, the
natural inclination is to create a brand personality that is rugged. But it is possible that
a competitor may have already positioned itself as the rugged outdoor apparel brand.
To set itself apart, the new company can position itself uniquely in the mind of the
customer by adopting a brand personality of sophistication. This differentiates the
brand as an upscale, high-end option to outdoor apparel, which attracts a specific type
of consumer.

6.Choosing brand elements to build brand equity

Brand elements are the building blocks of strong brand identities. Without them,
competing against other brands becomes a more challenging task.

Yet, most B2B brands today are lost in the ‘sea of sameness’. According to B2B
International, business-to-business professionals are struggling to differentiate their
brand.

This article shares guidelines on what to consider when choosing brand elements.
 ❖ WHY ARE BRAND ELEMENTS IMPORTANT?

To fully answer this question, we must first talk about brand equity.

Brand equity refers to the commercial value (or ‘worth’) of a brand in and of
itself. Organisations with strong brand equity have a clear sustainable competitive
advantage (SCA). This is because brands can’t be easily copied, unlike most types of
products.

According to Kevin Lane Keller’s widely-used equity pyramid, there are four steps to
achieving a strong brand:

✓ Raise brand awareness

✓ Communicate your brand’s meaning
✓ Encouraging positive brand responses
✓ Strive for brand resonance

✓ Brand elements play a vital role in this process (but especially for step 1). Without
them, prospects won’t be able to remember your brand and you’ll find it difficult to
encourage brand loyalty among your existing customers. This inevitably will have a
knock-on negative effect on your customer churn rate.

✓ When used properly and consistently, brand elements can also help you achieve
several strategic branding objectives like shaping your positioning strategy,
identifying your brand personality, and more.

❖ WHAT MAKES A GOOD BRAND ELEMENT?

1.

2. It’s worth remembering that the main goal of a B2B brand is to build long-term
relationships with customers. After all, B2B products and services tend to improve
the work of the buyers’ internal stakeholders—long after the initial purchase is made.

3. Because of this, trust is a crucial part of B2B branding. A strong brand element will
emphasise your organisation’s expertise in resolving the day-to-day challenges that
your target personas face.

4. They should also meet the following criteria:

5. Memorability

6. One of the most important conditions that a single brand element should meet is that
it must be memorable. This means it should grab the attention of the viewer and be
simple enough to facilitate instant recall or recognition. As referenced by Adobe in
 their ultimate guide to creating a brand strategy, your brand has 7 seconds to make
a meaningful impression - so make it memorable!

7. Meaningfulness

8. At the very least, a brand element should convey something about your offering,
whether it’s a product or service—or simply your organisation in general. In these
cases, meaning can be descriptive (as is the case for brand names) or persuasive
(i.e. taglines or slogans).

9. Likability

10. Likability refers to how well a brand element is written or designed (in the eyes of the
target persona). If it’s a visual element, does it make aesthetic sense? If it’s written,
does it ‘roll off the tongue’?

11. Adaptability

12. Customer needs change over time, which means that the market you’re in will also
change. For this reason, brand elements should always be adaptable and flexible in
case you must update them—no matter the asset.

13. Protectability

14. Brand elements should be protectable. From a legal standpoint, marketers should
formally register them with the relevant legal bodies whenever possible—especially
when it comes to logos. From a competitive standpoint, they should choose brand
elements that can’t be easily imitated.

❖ WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES FOR EACH TYPE OF BRAND ELEMENT?

15. Brand name

16. Brand names are arguably the most important element of a brand because it
captures the key ‘essence’ of your offering in an extremely concise way. Whereas a
blog post or eGuide is a thousand words or so (as is the case for most B2B content),
prospects can read or hear your brand name and register it in their memory
instantly.

17. For this to happen, your brand name must be easy to pronounce and spell.
Simplicity greatly reduces the time and effort needed to remember a name. It also
encourages online and offline word-of-mouth; people may not be comfortable
speaking about your brand if they don’t know how to pronounce it in the first place.
18. Another factor to consider is how familiar and meaningful the brand name is. Many
names are based on existing nouns and adjectives, which means that prospects can
spend less time trying to understand what they mean. However, you can still create
meaningful names out of made-up words—as long as it has unambiguous
connotations.

19. One tactic to improve the pronounceability and memorability of a brand name is to
use linguistic features to your advantage. A study conducted on sound patterns in
top brand names suggests that marketers should consider using brand names that
contain plosives such as ‘p’, ‘b’ and ‘t’, as well as sibilants like ‘s’ and soft ‘c’s.

20.

21. EXAMPLE: SALESFORCE

22. Salesforce is a strong brand name for a few reasons. Firstly, it’s a combination of
two existing words, which makes it easy to recall and pronounce. This is enhanced
even further by the use of sibilants (‘s’ and ‘c’).

23. Secondly, the name is suggestive of its product category and benefit; B2B prospects
can easily guess that Salesforce is a tool that helps your organisation sell better.

24. Lastly, the words ‘sales’ and ‘force’ are timeless in its meaning. Brand names that
are based on trends (such as slang) face an uphill battle because constantly
changing it confuses customers.
 ❖ LOGO

25. Every brand needs a logo. Even though brand names are the most important, logos
also play an essential role in building your brand equity.

26. Most of the time, the first interaction that someone has with your brand happens
when they see your logo. What’s more, every asset your brand owns has your logo
on it: your business cards, your website, your social media pages, and so on.
Therefore, your organisation must get it right the first time.

27. Logos come in all shapes and styles, from literal to pictorial to abstract. No style is
inherently better than others, but the way your logo is designed should be in line with
your brand values.

28. The key here is simplicity. A common mistake that organisations make is not
recognising the difference between logos and illustrations. Illustrations tend to have
intricate shapes and details, whereas logos are more minimal and recognisable from
a distance.

29. Because of this, your logo must be legible and scalable at any size. To achieve
scalability, your logo should be designed and saved as a vector file.

EXAMPLE: HUBSPOT

Hubspot’s logo is effective because its symbol (which resembles a hub and spoke
model) implies a sense of centrality. This is in line with their value proposition, which is
all about synchronising different departments and systems with the use of a single
platform.

COLOUR PALETTE

Colour is a key component of any brand identity (some companies have even
trademarked their signature colours!).

Colours influence how your brand is perceived by all stakeholders (internal and
external). To choose the right palette, you must take colour psychology into account.
Because the idea of trust is so important within a B2B context, most B2B brands use
blue to convey a sense of reliability and stability. Think IBM, Cisco, Salesforce, et
cetera.

There is, of course, a downside to using the same colours that many B2B brands use.
Standing out can become more challenging, especially when it comes to logos.

One way to overcome this is to pick shades and tints that your direct competitors aren’t
using, and experiment with different saturations. Tools like Adobe Color can help you
explore colour combinations and test if they’re visually accessible for all.
Building brand equity involves creating a strong and positive perception of a brand in
the minds of consumers. Brand elements are the visual, auditory, and sensory
components that help identify and differentiate a brand. Here are key brand elements
to consider when building brand equity:

1. Brand Name:

- Choose a memorable, easy-to-pronounce, and distinctive brand name. The name

should align with the brand's identity and be suitable for the target market.

2. Logo:

- Design a visually appealing and unique logo. The logo should be versatile and
easily recognizable across various mediums. It often serves as a visual representation
of the brand.

3. Tagline or Slogan:

- Craft a short and memorable tagline or slogan that encapsulates the brand's
essence. This can help communicate the brand's unique value proposition and create a
lasting impression.

4. Color Palette:

- Select a consistent color palette that reflects the brand's personality and resonates
with the target audience. Colors can evoke emotions and contribute to brand
recognition.

5. Typography:

- Choose fonts and typography that align with the brand's personality. Consistent
typography across all brand materials contributes to a cohesive visual identity.

6. Jingles or Sounds:
 - If applicable, create a distinctive jingle or sound that becomes associated with the
brand. This can enhance brand recall and create a unique auditory identity.

7. Packaging Design:

- If your brand involves physical products, invest in attractive and functional

packaging design. Packaging can be a powerful visual cue and contribute to the overall
brand experience.

8. Brand Characters or Mascots:

- Introduce memorable characters or mascots if they align with your brand. These
can create a more personal connection with consumers and enhance brand recall.

9. Brand Story:

- Develop a compelling brand story that communicates the brand's history, values,
and mission. A well-crafted narrative can help consumers connect with the brand on a
deeper level.

10. Brand Positioning:

- Clearly define your brand's positioning in the market. This involves identifying your
target audience, differentiating your brand from competitors, and articulating your
unique value proposition.

11. Consistency Across Touchpoints:

- Ensure consistency in the application of brand elements across all touchpoints,

including advertising, social media, packaging, and customer interactions. Consistency
builds brand recognition and trust.

12. Brand Associations:

 - Develop positive associations by aligning the brand with certain values, causes, or
lifestyle elements. This can help create a more favorable perception among the target
audience.

13. Brand Extensions:

- Consider extending the brand into related product or service categories. Successful
brand extensions can contribute to brand equity by leveraging existing brand
recognition.

When choosing brand elements, it's essential to consider how each element
contributes to the overall brand identity and the perception you want to create in the
minds of consumers. Consistency and authenticity are key factors in building and
maintaining brand equity over time

7.Designing Marketing Programs to Build Brand Equity

At core of building brand equity is marketing programs or strategies. Marketing
activities can facilitate in increasing brand awareness as well as in creating the right
brand image.

Marketing activities can be weaved around product, pricing and distribution channel. But
the way these marketing activities are carried out has gone under revolutionary change
owing to the modern technological driven world.

Reason why modern world is different can be understood from consumer as well as
company’s perspective. Today’s consumer is well informed about the product or service
she is purchasing, reason been digital connectivity through internet, mobile etc.

Product reviews are readily available forums or social networking sites, where in
consumer can read understand experience of other consumers. Consumer have more
access to customized products, there are websites which lets you design your own t-
shirts or hoodies.

Many of consumer purchase decision are made online; internet along with technology
has given convenience to consumer. From companies perspective new technology
frontiers has improved the way they understand consumer.

Companies maintain large database storing consumption behavior; analyze this

database to create consumer expectation matching products and services.

Marketing tactics can be implemented by emails, forums on social networking sites etc.
Internet retailing has created new supply chain model for companies, which is a
challenge as well convince, because traditional distributes and agents have made way
to courier services. For example products ordered from Dell are design, assembled in
company’s warehouse and then sent to customers.

Traditional marketing activities revolve around product, pricing and channel

distribution. However, efforts are always on to make sure marketing activities truly
reflect brand image and develop strong brand equity. One the marketing concept
developed is called experiential marketing. This unique concept is associated with
brands and experience consumer has with it.

For example American Express, has been sponsor of US open for years, they have
created marketing plan especially for their card holders. The card holders are part of
daily draws, where winner are eligible to court side seats among many other freebies.

Another marketing technique popular among markets is a form of direct marketing.

Brands like Amway and Avon have followed this technique for some time now. In this
form of marketing focus is on individual consumer and not a large group, their habits are
recorded and on that basis other products are suggested.

Flora 2000 is online florist who deliver flowers all around the globe, time to time they
send reminders of important events like mother’s day or valentine day with special deals
to consumer, knowing consumer had previously made purchase around that period.

Online retailer Amazon uses another marketing technique where they suggest a product
to consumer after getting nod from them. Amazon takes permission from consumer
before sending recommendation. This permission marketing enables companies to build
unique brand image leading to strong brand equity.

Product remains first frontier for consumer to create opinion for brand. Marketing
strategy around product is to highlight not only core benefits but also process or easy by
which purchase is done there by creating a long term relationship with consumer where
periodical information exchange can occur.

Pricing is crucial for brand image. To establish price, product cost should not be the
only consideration. But consumer perception for potential product value and sensitivity
to price is also of equal importance.

Competitor’s price also cannot be ignored because price war will not benefit anyone in
the market. An effort has to be made to educate the consumer about cost of serving
them, for them to understand price of product.

Products are sold either through direct marketing channels or indirect marketing
channels. These channels also play an important role in building brand equity.

Again channel choice is dependent on product. Industrial product preferred way would
be direct channel. But there are various factors like product category, customization,
price, complexity which play a role in deciding marketing channel.
Marketers have to develop marketing programs keeping in mind above discuss
points to build a strong consumer based brand equity.

8.Integrating Marketing Communication to Build Brand Equity

Marketing programs play an important role in building up of brand equity. These
marketing programs are related to product, price and distribution channels. And these
programs are necessary to create brand image and also to build brand awareness. This
task is done through medium of marketing communication, in its most form is
advertising.

Marketing communication is essential in establishing point of similarity, as well point of

difference with competition, making an impression in consumer’s mind leading to
development of strong consumer based brand equity and also to develop long- lasting
relationship.

Marketing communication needs to be flexible in current technology driven

environment where consumer are internet savvy and have access to information.
Traditional communication avenues like TV ads have to undergo subtle changes.

Advent of digital video recorders has seen consumer watching their favorite program
post actual telecast. But a trend observed here is that consumes tend to skip ads in
recorded program. If that is the case than fortune spent of getting spots won’t translate
into effective communication.

Today’s youth tend to spend more time playing video games and not on watching
television. So communication developed should follow certain criteria to prove its
effectiveness.

For marketing communication to be effective in conveying its message a simple cycle

has to be understood. Marketers need to understand the present state of brand
awareness and brand image within consumer’s mind and then ask question, do
they want to be in current state. Now design communication in whatever form
required that will take to desired level, while clearly stating similarity and difference from
competitors. Finally, research consumers to understand whether desire effect or brand
knowledge has been created.

But what factors need to be considered in designing this marketing communication?

The intended consumers should be able to get a chance to experience the
communication. So if consumers watch cartoon network and ad is not ESPN then end
consequences are already written.

Next communication needs to be catchy so consumer would stop and look through it.
Once consumer is all attention then communication should be properly designed to
pass the message across.

Consumer should not be left wandering about meaning. The important part is measure,
effectiveness of communication that is whether there is change in direction for
consumer as intended. Looking at above steps, it is easy to conclude that it is
challenging and difficult to design and execute marketing communication process.

There are various marketing options available to marketers. Each option has its own
strength and weakness. Advertisement is one the most common form of marketing
communication; this can be done through television, radio, magazines, newspaper,
direct approach, etc.

Television is good medium to target large audience and greater geographical area,
thereby reducing dollar cost per customer. However this medium can be expensive and
may not create a strong impact.

Radio on other hand has lesser geographical coverage and audience, thereby creating
focus on selective audience and reducing cost. However radio again can only have
audio and cannot grab attention the way visuals can.

Magazines and newspaper can provide good coverage with greater information content.
However it is just visual and may not generate desirable consumer response.

Other form of marketing communication are direct marketing which includes door to
door, phone calls and mail, then, marketing at point of purchase through cut outs and
display, another way through billboards which can have both visual as well as audio.

Marketers also extensively use promotional activity for marketing communications.

These are of two types’, consumer promotion and trade promotion. Consumer
promotion can be in form of sampling, evident at malls and super market, another way
by providing coupons and various other schemes. Trade promotion is targeted for
channel partner like retailers, distributors and these could be in form cash incentives
etc.

To design a complete marketing communication program, marketers have to

ensure that they are able to establish connection with consumer and able to
effectively communicate about brand, there by creating a strong brand awareness
and image. This will ensure in creating a strong consumer based brand equity.

9.information processing model of communication

The Information Processing Model of Communication is a conceptual framework that

explains how humans send, receive, and process information in the communication
process. Developed by Shannon and Weaver in the 1940s, and later expanded by
other scholars, this model provides a systematic representation of communication as
an information exchange. The model consists of several key components:

1. Sender:
 - The process begins with a sender who has information to convey. The sender
encodes the message into a format that can be transmitted to the receiver. Encoding
involves converting thoughts and ideas into a symbolic form, such as words, images, or
gestures.

2. Message:

- The message is the information, idea, or emotion that the sender wishes to
communicate. It can be verbal, non-verbal, written, or symbolic in nature.

3. Channel:

- The channel is the medium through which the message is transmitted from the
sender to the receiver. Channels can include face-to-face communication, written
documents, electronic communication (emails, text messages), or other means.

4. Noise:

- Noise refers to any interference or distortion that may affect the clarity or accuracy
of the message during transmission. Noise can be external (such as loud sounds),
internal (psychological factors), or semantic (misinterpretation of words or symbols).

5. Receiver:

- The receiver is the individual or group for whom the message is intended. The
receiver decodes the message, interpreting the symbols or signs to understand the
sender's intended meaning.

6. Feedback:

- Feedback is the response or reaction from the receiver back to the sender. It
indicates whether the message was understood as intended. Feedback can be verbal
or non-verbal and helps in adjusting and refining future communication.
7. Context:

- The context encompasses the environmental and situational factors that surround
the communication process. It includes the physical setting, social and cultural
elements, and any other contextual cues that may influence interpretation.

8. Decoding:

- Decoding is the process by which the receiver interprets and understands the
encoded message. It involves translating symbols or signs back into the original
thought or idea intended by the sender.

9. Encoding:

- Encoding is the process by which the sender converts thoughts, ideas, or emotions
into a symbolic form that can be communicated. This involves choosing words, creating
visual representations, or using other means to convey the message.

The Information Processing Model of Communication is linear in its representation, but

it's important to note that communication is often more complex and dynamic, with
feedback loops and the potential for multiple sources of noise. This model, however,
serves as a foundational framework for understanding the basic elements and
processes involved in communication.

10.Marketing communication options.

Marketing communication involves the strategies and channels through which

companies promote their products, services, or brand to their target audience. There
are various marketing communication options available, each serving specific purposes
in reaching and engaging with customers. Here are some common marketing
communication options:

1. Advertising:
 - Paid promotional messages delivered through various media such as television,
radio, print, online banners, social media, and more. Advertising aims to create
awareness, generate interest, and drive action.

2. Public Relations (PR):

- Building and maintaining positive relationships between a company and its publics.
PR activities include media relations, press releases, event management, and crisis
communication to shape a favorable public image.

3. Content Marketing:

- Creating and distributing valuable and relevant content to attract and engage a
target audience. Content marketing includes blog posts, articles, videos, infographics,
and other formats that provide information and build brand authority.

4. Social Media Marketing:

- Utilizing social media platforms to connect with audiences, build brand awareness,
and drive engagement. Social media marketing includes organic posts, paid advertising,
influencer collaborations, and community management.

5. Email Marketing:

- Sending targeted messages directly to a group of people via email. Email marketing
is effective for building customer relationships, promoting products, and delivering
personalized content.

6. Direct Marketing:

- Communicating directly with potential customers through channels like direct mail,
telemarketing, or email. Direct marketing aims to generate immediate responses and
create a one-on-one connection.
7. Influencer Marketing:

- Partnering with influencers, individuals with a significant following on social media or

other platforms, to promote products or services. Influencer marketing leverages the
trust and credibility influencers have with their audience.

8. Sales Promotions:

- Short-term incentives or discounts aimed at encouraging sales or other desired

customer actions. This includes promotions, coupons, contests, and loyalty programs.

9. Event Marketing:

- Creating and participating in events to promote products or build brand awareness.

This can include trade shows, product launches, sponsorships, and experiential
marketing.

10. Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

- Optimizing online content to improve its visibility in search engine results. SEO aims
to drive organic (non-paid) traffic to a website or online platform.

11. Publicity Stunts:

- Unconventional and attention-grabbing events or activities designed to attract media

coverage and generate buzz around a brand or product.

12. Mobile Marketing:

- Marketing strategies designed for mobile devices, including mobile-optimized

websites, in-app advertising, and location-based marketing.

13. Guerrilla Marketing:

 - Creative and unconventional marketing tactics that rely on surprise and
unconventional approaches to grab attention in public spaces.

14. Word of Mouth Marketing:

- Encouraging customers to share positive experiences and recommendations about

a brand or product. This can happen organically or through referral programs.

Choosing the right mix of marketing communication options depends on factors such as
the target audience, marketing goals, budget, and the nature of the product or service
being promoted. An integrated approach that combines multiple channels often yields
the most effective results.
 UNIT-3

1.Leveraging secondary brand associations to build brand equity

There are many direct ways to create strong brand equity. Marketing strategies can be
designed to aim and cater to different brand elements such as the logo, style, symbols,
etc. Additionally, a lot of marketing efforts go toward the product, price, and the
distribution network.
These direct marketing approaches are focused on the features of product categories
and the product itself. Furthermore, a lot of time goes on structuring the price range,
choosing the best distribution channels, and of course, reaching the right customers
with your marketing efforts.
How you reach your customers is entirely up to you. However, some channels have
more advantages than others. For example, television ads are a great way to reach a
broad audience. You can also throw some promotional efforts into your marketing mix.
These marketing approaches are well known and often used. But how do you
accomplish successful brand building for brand extensions?

Brand Building for Brand Extensions

Brand building for brand extensions is easier than starting from scratch. You can use
existing knowledge. Furthermore, you can also use the positive brand awareness that
the parent brand already has. That gives you a running start. In other words, you can
leverage secondary brand association in your favour and establish strong brand equity.
You have more than one option when it comes to taking advantage of the benefits that
the parent brand brings. You can associate your brand extension with existing
distribution channels and companies and target the same areas as the parent company.
Furthermore, you can use brand ambassadors or sponsorship events to draw on the
positive brand image.

Secondary Brand Associations

Secondary brand associations sometimes play a crucial role. For example — if the
consumers aren’t aware of your brand extension. In that case, the consumers will be
indifferent. However, existing knowledge of the parent brand can make them more
aware and more open to your extension. This is called knowledge transfer, and every
brand extension can benefit from it.
Prior Knowledge
Therefore, associating your brand extension with your corporate brand should be your
first step. Take Nokia for example. As a well-known phone manufacturer, they didn’t
want to miss out on transferring that knowledge when they introduced a new product
category — Nokia 3G Booklets.

Country of Origin
It’s important to associate your new brand extension with memorable, impactful
elements like the country of origins. Here’s one example. The BMW associates their
brand heavily with Germany. In the automotive world, Germany stands for reliability,
effectiveness, and durability. Therefore, it’s only natural that the BMW wants to be
associated with those terms.

Distribution Channels
Brand extensions can benefit from already penetrated markets. The parent companies
that have a stronghold and have already breached one market segment can use that to
their advantage for their brand extensions. However, this doesn’t work in every case. If
your brand extension doesn’t cater to the same segment, it won’t benefit from the efforts
of the parent company.

Co-Branding and Secondary Brand Associations

You can also align your brand extension with a different company. This is co-branding,
and it involves joining forces with other companies within the same product category.
The perfect example is the Star Alliance. This alliance consists of sixteen different
airline companies.
Co-branding is beneficial because it decreases the overall cost. Introducing your new
brand is much cheaper with co-branding. Furthermore, it’s much easier to position such
an alliance on the market.
However, co-branding is far from perfect. The number one problem is that you lose
control over the development process, at least to a certain degree. Moreover, you might
also get lost in the crowd, so to say.

Brand Visuals and Partners as Secondary Brand Associations

Popular Brands
You can also use visuals like logos and symbols to your advantage. What’s more, they
don’t have to be your own — you can partner up with another brand. Take Sony’s
console with Star Wars characters as an example. Sony’s looking to raise the
awareness of their new product by using brand awareness from Star Wars.
However, like anything else, this strategy isn’t perfect. Some brands can stand the test
of time — others can’t. So choose the brands you partner up with carefully, as their
popularity might be fleeting (take the Twilight franchise as an example). If you choose
poorly, you’ll have to do another round of brand partnering.

Celebrities
Another strategy you can implement is celebrity endorsements. With the popularity of
social media celebrities on the constant rise, this method is proving itself quite
successful. However, just like brands, chose the stars you partner up with very carefully.
You don’t want someone who endorses everyone. That will cause the consumers to
have less faith in their opinion. It will, consequently, lead to a decrease in the perceived
value of your brand. Not to mention fame is fleeting.

Third-Party Endorsements
You can also partner up with a third-party brand that’s relevant to your product category.
There is no single perfect strategy. What’s more, it’s often best to use a mix of
approaches and marketing strategies to achieve the desired level of brand knowledge.
That’s the only way to create strong brand equity.
2.Conceptualising the leveraging process

Leveraging, in a business context, refers to the strategic use of resources or capabilities

to gain a competitive advantage. The leveraging process involves identifying, utilizing,
and optimizing these resources to enhance overall business performance. Here's a
conceptual guide to the leveraging process:

1. Identify Core Competencies:

- Begin by identifying the core competencies or strengths of your business. These

could be unique skills, technologies, intellectual property, or other capabilities that set
your company apart from competitors.
2. Assess Market Opportunities:

- Analyze the market to identify opportunities where your core competencies can be
leveraged for a competitive advantage. This could involve addressing unmet customer
needs, entering new markets, or creating innovative solutions.

3. Strategic Partnerships:

- Explore opportunities for strategic partnerships that can complement or enhance

your existing capabilities. Collaborating with other businesses can provide access to
additional resources, expertise, or distribution channels.

4. Technology Integration:

- Evaluate how technology can be leveraged to improve efficiency, enhance products

or services, or create new business models. This might involve adopting new
technologies or adapting existing ones to suit your business needs.

5. Brand and Reputation Leveraging:

- Leverage your brand and reputation as assets. Building a strong brand image and
maintaining a positive reputation can enhance customer trust, loyalty, and willingness to
engage with your products or services.

6. Employee Skills Development:

- Invest in the development of your employees' skills and knowledge. A well-trained

and skilled workforce can contribute significantly to your business's ability to innovate
and adapt to changing market conditions.

7. Financial Resource Optimization:

- Optimize your financial resources by allocating funds strategically. This may involve
investing in research and development, marketing initiatives, or cost-effective measures
to improve operational efficiency.
8. Customer Feedback and Insights:

- Leverage customer feedback and insights to understand market needs and

preferences better. Use this information to refine products, services, and customer
experiences to gain a competitive edge.

9. Global Expansion:

- Explore opportunities for global expansion by leveraging your core competencies in

new markets. This could involve exporting products, forming international partnerships,
or establishing a global supply chain.

10. Risk Management:

- Identify potential risks and challenges associated with your leveraging strategies.
Develop risk mitigation plans to address these challenges and ensure that the
leveraging process is sustainable.

11. Continuous Monitoring and Adjustment:

- Regularly monitor the performance of your leveraging strategies and be prepared to

make adjustments based on market dynamics, changes in technology, or shifts in
customer preferences.

12. Measuring and Evaluating Impact:

- Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of your

leveraging efforts. Regularly evaluate and assess whether the desired outcomes are
being achieved.

13. Adaptive Innovation:

 - Foster a culture of adaptive innovation within the organization. Encourage
employees to think creatively and propose new ways to leverage existing resources or
develop new ones.

By systematically conceptualizing and implementing the leveraging process, businesses

can optimize their resources, capitalize on opportunities, and position themselves for
sustained success in a competitive environment.

3.Co-branding

Co-branding is a marketing strategy that utilizes multiple brand names on a good or

service as part of a strategic alliance. Also known as a brand partnership, co-branding
(or "cobranding") encompasses several different types of branding collaborations,
typically involving the brands of at least two companies. Each brand in such a strategic
alliance contributes its own identity to create a melded brand with the help of unique
logos, brand identifiers, and color schemes.

The point of co-branding is to combine the market strength, brand awareness, positive
associations, and cachet of two or more brands to compel consumers to pay a greater
premium for them. It can also make a product less susceptible to copying by private-
label competition.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Co-branding is a marketing strategy that utilizes multiple brand names on a

good or service as part of a strategic alliance.
• Co-branding can boost the reputation of two or more brands, depending on the
strategy employed. There are four distinct strategies including market
penetration, global brand, brand reinforcement, and brand extension strategy.
• For example, Citi AAdvantage cards that give you American Airline miles when
you spend money incentivizes both companies.
Understanding Co-Branding
Co-branding is a useful strategy for many businesses seeking to increase their
customer bases, profitability, market share, customer loyalty, brand image, perceived
value, and cost savings. Many different types of businesses, such as retailers,
restaurants, carmakers, and electronics manufacturers, use co-branding to create
synergies based on the unique strengths of each brand. Simply put, co-branding as a
strategy seeks to gain market share, increase revenue streams, and capitalize on
increased customer awareness.

Co-branding can be spurred by two (or more) parties consciously deciding to

collaborate on a specialized product. It can also result from a company merger or
acquisition as a way to transfer a brand associated with a well-known manufacturer or
service provider to a better-known company and brand. Co-branding can see more
than just name and brand associations; there may also be a sharing of technologies
and expertise, capitalizing on unique advantages of each co-branding partner.

A co-branded product is more limited in terms of audience than a broad, single-name

corporate product. The image it conveys is more specific, so companies must consider
whether co-branding can yield benefits or if it would alienate customers accustomed to
a single name with a familiar product identity.

Companies should choose co-branding partners very carefully. As much as a company

can benefit from a relationship with another brand, there can also be risks. A good
strategy is to slowly roll out a co-branded product or service before publicizing and
promoting it, thereby giving the marketplace time to vet it.

Co-Branding Strategies
According to branding and marketing experts, there are four distinct co-branding
strategies:

1. Market penetration strategy: A conservative strategy that seeks to preserve the

existing market share and brand names of two partnered or merged firms.
2. Global brand strategy: Seeks to serve all customers with a single, existing global
co-brand.
3. Brand reinforcement strategy: Exemplified by the use of a new brand name.
4. Brand extension strategy: The creation of a new co-branded name to be used
only in a new market.

Co-Branding vs. Co-Marketing

Co-branding and co-marketing are similar concepts in that both involve partnerships
between brands that seek to bolster their marketing efforts, but they differ in how they
are executed. Co-marketing aligns the marketing efforts of two partners but does not
result in the creation of a new product or service. Co-branding, by design, is based on
the creation of a new product or service.

Co-Branding Examples
Co-branding is all around you. Consider these examples:

• Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos: Specialty food item co-developed by Yum!
Brands, Inc. and PepsiCo subsidiary Frito-Lay, Inc.
• "Your favorite music, one tap away": An Uber and Pandora Media collaboration
that lets Uber riders create Pandora playlists to use during trips
• Citi AAdvantage cards: Citi credit cards that earn American Airlines miles with
qualifying purchases
• Supermarket foods: Pillsbury baking mixes with Hershey's chocolate; Kellogg's
cereal with Smucker's Jif peanut butter
• Nike+: A Nike Inc and Apple Inc partnership that has connected activity tracking
technology in athletic gear with iPhone apps and the Apple Watch.
Co-branding is a marketing strategy where two or more brands collaborate to create a
joint product or service that leverages the strengths of each brand. This collaboration
allows the partners to share resources, enhance brand equity, and reach a broader or
different target audience. Here are key aspects of co-branding:

1. Types of Co-branding:

- Ingredient Branding: One brand is positioned as an essential component or

ingredient of another brand's product.

- Complementary Branding: Brands with products that complement each other but do
not directly compete join forces.

- Same-company Co-branding: Different brands owned by the same company

collaborate on a product or service.

2. Objectives of Co-branding:

- Expand Market Presence: Reach new or broader markets by tapping into the
existing customer bases of both collaborating brands.

- Enhance Credibility: Associating with a reputable brand can enhance the credibility
and perceived quality of a product or service.

- Leverage Expertise: Combine the unique strengths, skills, or expertise of each brand
to create a more compelling offering.

- Increase Brand Awareness: Generate buzz and visibility by associating with a well-
known brand, potentially attracting new customers.

3. Examples of Co-branding:

- Nike and Apple: Collaboration on Nike+ technology, integrating fitness tracking

features into Nike's athletic shoes.

- Starbucks and Spotify: Partnership to create Starbucks playlists on Spotify, offering

a co-branded music experience.

- GoPro and Red Bull: Joint marketing efforts and product bundles, leveraging the
adventurous and extreme sports lifestyles associated with both brands.
4. Benefits of Co-branding:

- Risk Sharing: Shared investment and risk, allowing brands to pool resources for
marketing, product development, and distribution.

- Access to New Markets: Reach different customer segments or enter new

geographic markets through the partner brand's existing channels.

- Enhanced Perceived Value: Combining brands can create a product with a

perceived higher value than individual offerings.

- Competitive Advantage: Stand out in a competitive market by offering unique and

collaborative products or services.

5. Challenges of Co-branding:

- Brand Alignment: Ensuring that the values and image of both brands align to prevent
potential conflicts.

- Coordination Issues: Challenges in coordinating marketing efforts, product

development, and other aspects of collaboration.

- Risk of Brand Dilution: Potential harm to brand image if the partnership is not well-
received or if the quality of the co-branded product is not up to expectations.

6. Legal Agreements:

- Establish clear legal agreements outlining the terms of the partnership, including
responsibilities, intellectual property usage, and revenue-sharing arrangements.

7. Marketing and Promotion:

- Collaborate on marketing and promotional activities to maximize the impact of the

partnership. This can include joint advertising, social media campaigns, and events.

8. Customer Communication:
 - Clearly communicate the value proposition of the co-branded product to customers.
Transparency about the collaboration and how it benefits the consumer is essential.

Co-branding can be a powerful strategy when executed effectively, offering benefits for
both brands involved. Successful co-branding requires careful planning, communication,
and alignment of values to create a mutually beneficial partnership.

4.Licensing

Licensing is defined as a business arrangement, wherein a company authorizes another

company by issuing a license to temporarily access its intellectual property rights, i.e.
manufacturing process, brand name, copyright, trademark, patent, technology, trade
secret, etc. for adequate consideration and under specified conditions.

The firm that permits another firm to use its intangible assets is the licensor and the firm
to whom the license is issued is the licensee. A fee or royalty is charged by the licensor
to the licensee for the use of intellectual property right.

For example: Under licensing system, Coca-Cola and Pepsi are globally produced and
sold, by local bottlers in different countries.

In finer terms, it is the simplest form of business alliance, wherein a company rents out
its product based knowledge in exchange for entry to the market.

Why Licensing?

The overseas company enters into a licensing agreement with another company based
in the domestic country, for a specified period of time. The two primary reasons for
entering in the licensing agreement are:

• International expansion of a brand franchise.

• Need for commercialisation of new technology.
Generally, a firm opts for license its products, when the firm holds that the consumer’s
acceptance of the product is high. It helps the licensee to differentiate the product from
other products offered by the competitors in the market. Further, it also assists the
licensing company in reaching new customers at a low price.
Benefits and Limitations

In licensing, the licensor gets the advantage of entering the international market at little
risk. However, the licensor has little to no control over the licensee, in terms of
production, distribution and sales of the product. In addition to this, if the licensee gets
success, the firm has given up profits, and whenever the licensing agreement expires,
the firm might find that it has given birth to a competitor.

As a prevention measure, there are certain proprietary product components supplied by

the licensor itself. Although, innovation is considered as the appropriate strategy so that
the licensee will have to depend on the licensor.

On the other hand, the licensee acquires expertise in production or a renowned brand
name. It expects that the arrangement will increase the overall sales, which might open
the doors to the new market and help in achieving the business objectives. However, it
requires a considerable capital investment, to start the operations, as well as the
developmental cost is also borne by the licensee.

Licensing plays a crucial role in product and brand management, providing companies
with opportunities to expand their reach, generate additional revenue, and enhance
brand value. Licensing involves granting permission to another party to use certain
intellectual property rights, such as trademarks, patents, copyrights, or designs, in
exchange for agreed-upon terms and compensation. In the context of product and
brand management, licensing can be used in various ways. Here are some key aspects
to consider:

1. Brand Licensing:

- Definition: Brand licensing involves allowing another company to use your brand
name, logo, or other brand elements on their products or services.

- Benefits: This can help extend the brand's presence into new product categories or
markets without the company having to manufacture or distribute the products
themselves.

- Examples: Apparel companies licensing their brand for accessories, home goods, or
fragrances.

2. Product Licensing:
 - Definition: Product licensing allows a company to use specific patents, designs, or
technology owned by another entity to create and sell products.

- Benefits: Companies can leverage specialized technology or features without having

to invest in their development.

- Examples: Licensing a patented technology for use in manufacturing processes or

incorporating a patented feature into a product.

3. Character Licensing:

- Definition: This involves licensing fictional characters, celebrities, or sports figures for
use in products or promotional activities.

- Benefits: Associating a popular character or personality with a product can enhance

its appeal and marketability.

- Examples: Licensing movie characters for toys, cartoons characters for apparel, or a
celebrity's image for a fragrance line.

4. Co-Branding and Cross-Promotion:

- Definition: Co-branding involves two or more brands collaborating on a product,

while cross-promotion involves promoting each other's products.

- Benefits: Companies can combine their strengths and reach a broader audience.

- Examples: Nike and Apple collaborating on the Apple Watch Nike+, or Starbucks
and Spotify offering cross-promotions.

5. License Agreements:

- Terms and Conditions: Clear terms and conditions outlining the rights,
responsibilities, and limitations of both parties are crucial.

- Royalties and Compensation: Define how the licensee will compensate the licensor,
whether through upfront fees, ongoing royalties, or a combination.
6. Protecting Brand Integrity:

- Quality Control: The licensor often has the right to maintain quality control over how
its brand is represented and used.

- Brand Guidelines: Provide guidelines to ensure consistency in branding across

licensed products.

Effective licensing strategies require careful planning, legal considerations, and ongoing
management to protect the brand and ensure a mutually beneficial relationship between
the licensor and licensee.

5.Celebrity endorsement

Celebrity endorsement is a marketing strategy where a brand uses a celebrity's fame or

social influence to promote its products or services. This collaboration is intended to
leverage the celebrity's credibility, popularity, and appeal to enhance the brand's image
and reach a wider audience. Here are key considerations and aspects of celebrity
endorsements:

1. Brand Image and Fit:

- Relevance: The chosen celebrity should align with the brand's values, target
audience, and overall image. The partnership should feel natural and authentic to
consumers.

2. Target Audience:

- Demographics: Consider the demographics of the celebrity's fan base and whether
they match the brand's target audience.

- Credibility: The celebrity should have credibility and influence over the target
audience.

3. Authenticity and Believability:

- Genuine Connection: Consumers are more likely to respond positively when there is
a genuine connection between the celebrity and the product or service.
 - Personal Use: If the celebrity is known to use or appreciate the product in real life, it
adds authenticity.

4. Risk Management:

- Controversy and Scandal: Assess potential risks associated with the celebrity,
including controversies or scandals. These can have a significant impact on the brand's
image.

- Contractual Protections: Include provisions in contracts to handle potential reputation

issues or breaches of conduct.

5. Contractual Agreements:

- Terms and Conditions: Clearly outline the expectations, responsibilities, and

compensation for both parties.

- Exclusivity: Specify whether the celebrity is exclusive to the brand or can endorse
competing products.

6. Long-Term vs. Short-Term Relationships:

- Campaign Duration: Decide whether the endorsement is for a specific campaign or a

longer-term ambassadorship.

- Consistency: Long-term relationships can provide continuity and build a stronger

association between the celebrity and the brand.

7. Measuring ROI:

- Metrics: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of the
endorsement, such as sales, brand awareness, or social media engagement.

- Market Research: Conduct market research to assess the impact of the

endorsement on consumer perceptions.
8. Activation across Platforms:

- Social Media: Leverage the celebrity's social media presence for endorsement
campaigns, as it provides a direct channel to their fan base.

- Events and Public Appearances: Use the celebrity in public appearances, events,
and other marketing activities to maximize exposure.

9. Legal Compliance:

- Endorsement Guidelines: Ensure compliance with advertising and endorsement

guidelines to maintain transparency with consumers.

- Intellectual Property: Address issues related to the use of the celebrity's image and
intellectual property.

Celebrity endorsements can be powerful tools for brand promotion, but their success
depends on careful selection, strategic planning, and effective management of the
partnership. Brands must continually assess the evolving relationship to ensure it
remains beneficial for both parties.

6.Sporting in product and brand management

Sports play a significant role in product and brand management, and the association
with sports can be a powerful strategy for building brand awareness, enhancing brand
image, and connecting with a diverse audience. Here are several ways in which sports
are integrated into product and brand management:

1. Sponsorship and Endorsements:

- Team Sponsorship: Brands often sponsor sports teams, leagues, or events to gain
visibility through logo placement on jerseys, stadium signage, and promotional
materials.
- Athlete Endorsements: Brands may collaborate with athletes to endorse products,
leveraging the athlete's credibility and fan base to enhance the brand's image.

2. Branded Merchandise:
- Sports Apparel and Equipment: Companies produce and sell branded sports
apparel, footwear, and equipment associated with particular sports or teams.
 - Licensed Merchandise: Brands may obtain licenses to produce and sell merchandise
featuring sports team logos, player images, or other related content.

3. Event Marketing:
- Hosting or Sponsoring Events: Brands host or sponsor sports events, competitions,
or tournaments, creating opportunities for direct engagement with the target audience.
- Product Launches: Sporting events can serve as a platform for launching new
products, with promotional tie-ins to the event.

4. Community Engagement:
- Youth and Community Programs: Brands engage with local communities by
sponsoring youth sports programs, providing equipment, or supporting community
events.
- Sports Education: Brands may support initiatives that promote sports education and
awareness, aligning with the values of healthy and active living.

5. Digital and Social Media:

- Social Media Campaigns: Brands leverage social media platforms to connect with
sports fans, using engaging content, challenges, and promotions.
- Live Streaming and Content Creation: Brands may create and sponsor digital
content, including live streams, podcasts, and videos related to sports and athletes.

6. Product Innovation and Technology:

- Sports Technology: Brands invest in or develop technologies that enhance sports
performance, such as wearable fitness trackers, smart sports equipment, or sports-
related apps.
- Collaboration with Athletes: Brands collaborate with athletes to co-create and
endorse innovative products, showcasing a commitment to performance and quality.

7. Cause Marketing:
 - Sports-Related Charities: Brands align with sports-related charities or causes,
demonstrating corporate social responsibility and connecting with consumers who share
similar values.
- Campaigns with Social Impact: Brands use sports-related campaigns to raise
awareness and funds for social or health issues.

8. Brand Activation at Events:

- Experiential Marketing: Brands create interactive experiences at sports events,
allowing fans to engage with the brand through games, demonstrations, and product
trials.
- In-Stadium Branding: Presence within stadiums, including branded signage and
interactive displays, enhances visibility and brand recall.

9. Global Reach:
- International Sponsorship: Brands sponsor global sports events to reach a diverse,
international audience.
- Cross-Cultural Appeal: Sports provide a universal language, allowing brands to
connect with diverse cultures and markets.

Sports-related strategies in product and brand management require a deep

understanding of the target audience, effective collaboration with sports entities, and a
commitment to authenticity in aligning the brand with the values and passion associated
with sports. Whether through sponsorship, endorsement, or product development, the
integration of sports into brand strategies can create lasting connections with
consumers.
7. Cultural and other events
Cultural and other events play a significant role in product and brand management,
providing opportunities for brands to connect with their target audience, build brand
awareness, and enhance consumer engagement. Here are ways in which events can
be leveraged in product and brand management:

1. Event Sponsorship:
- Branding Opportunities: Brands can sponsor cultural or community events to gain
visibility through logo placements, banners, and other promotional materials.
- Targeted Exposure: Sponsoring events relevant to the brand's target audience helps
in reaching the right demographic.
2. Product Launches:
- Showcasing New Products: Events provide a platform for launching and showcasing
new products to a captive audience.
- Media Coverage: Events attract media attention, offering an opportunity for press
coverage and generating buzz around product launches.

3. Experiential Marketing:
- Interactive Experiences: Brands can create interactive experiences at events to
allow consumers to directly engage with products.
- Samples and Demos: Offering product samples or demonstrations can lead to
immediate feedback and potential sales.

4. Cultural Relevance:
- Aligning with Themes: Brands can align themselves with cultural events or festivals,
demonstrating an understanding and appreciation of local or global cultures.
- Customized Campaigns: Tailoring marketing campaigns to match the cultural
context of an event can enhance brand resonance.

5. Brand Activation:
- Engagement Activities: Brands can organize activities, contests, or games to
encourage attendee participation and interaction.
- Brand Ambassadors: Utilizing brand ambassadors or influencers at events can
amplify the brand message.

6. Community Engagement:
- Supporting Local Causes: Brands participating in community events or supporting
local causes can enhance their image and foster a sense of community engagement.
- CSR Initiatives: Incorporating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives into
event participation can positively impact brand perception.

7. Event-Exclusive Merchandise:
- Limited Editions: Creating event-exclusive products or merchandise can drive
demand and create a sense of exclusivity.
 - Collectibles: Items tied to events can become collectibles, creating a lasting
connection between the brand and the consumer.

8. Social Media Integration:

- Live Coverage: Brands can leverage social media for live coverage of events,
sharing real-time updates, photos, and videos.
- Hashtag Campaigns: Creating event-specific hashtags can encourage attendees to
share their experiences on social media, increasing brand visibility.

9. Data Collection and Feedback:

- Surveys and Feedback Stations: Events provide an opportunity to collect valuable
feedback from consumers through surveys and feedback stations.
- Customer Insights: Gathering data at events can help brands better understand
consumer preferences and behaviors.

10. Post-Event Marketing:

- Content Creation: Repurpose event content for post-event marketing, such as
creating highlight reels, blog posts, or social media stories.
- Follow-up Campaigns: Engage with attendees after the event through targeted
follow-up campaigns, promotions, or loyalty programs.

Effective integration of events into product and brand management requires strategic
planning, a deep understanding of the target audience, and alignment with the brand's
values and objectives. Brands that successfully leverage events can create memorable
experiences, strengthen consumer relationships, and differentiate themselves in the
market.
8.Third party sources
In the context of product and brand management, third-party sources refer to external
entities, other than the brand or company itself, that provide information, insights, or
services related to the management of products and brands. These sources can offer
valuable perspectives, data, and expertise to help companies make informed decisions
and improve their brand strategies. Here are some common types of third-party sources
in product and brand management:

1. Market Research Firms:

 - Role: Companies often rely on market research firms to gather and analyze data
related to consumer behavior, market trends, and competitive landscapes.
- Services: These firms conduct surveys, interviews, and studies to provide
comprehensive insights into market dynamics, helping brands make informed decisions
about product development, pricing, and positioning.

2. Industry Reports and Publications:

- Role: Publications, reports, and studies produced by industry-specific organizations
or independent research entities can provide valuable information about market trends,
consumer preferences, and competitive benchmarks.
- Examples: Reports from organizations like Nielsen, Euromonitor, and industry-
specific publications.

3. Consulting Firms:
- Role: Consulting firms offer strategic advice and expertise in various aspects of
product and brand management, including market entry strategies, brand positioning,
and portfolio management.
- Services: They may conduct audits, provide strategic recommendations, and assist
with the implementation of brand strategies.

4. Social Media Analytics Tools:

- Role: Third-party tools and platforms that specialize in social media analytics can
help brands monitor and analyze online conversations, sentiment, and engagement
related to their products.
- Benefits: Brands can gain insights into consumer opinions, identify trends, and
assess the impact of marketing campaigns.

5. Intellectual Property and Trademark Databases:

- Role: Companies often use third-party databases to conduct searches and
assessments of intellectual property, including trademarks and patents, to ensure brand
and product names are unique and legally protectable.
- Examples: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), European Union
Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), and similar national or regional offices.

6. Retail Analytics Platforms:

 - Role: Platforms that provide data analytics for retail channels can offer insights into
product performance, sales trends, and consumer behavior in various retail
environments.
- Benefits: Brands can optimize their product assortment, pricing strategies, and
promotional efforts based on retail analytics.

7. Consumer Review Platforms:

- Role: Third-party review platforms, such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, or Amazon customer
reviews, can provide valuable feedback from consumers about products and brand
experiences.
- Benefits: Brands can monitor and respond to customer feedback, identify areas for
improvement, and leverage positive reviews in their marketing.

8. Advertising and Media Agencies:

- Role: Advertising and media agencies can provide expertise in creating and
executing brand campaigns, managing media placements, and optimizing marketing
strategies.
- Services: They may handle creative development, media planning, and campaign
analytics.

Utilizing these third-party sources strategically can enhance a company's understanding

of the market, consumer perceptions, and competitive landscape, ultimately contributing
to more effective product and brand management strategies.
 UNIT-4
1.Brand Equity

Brand equity describes the level of sway a brand name has in the minds of
consumers, and the value of having a brand that is identifiable and well thought of.
Organizations establish brand equity by creating positive experiences that entice
consumers to continue purchasing from them over competitors who make similar
products.

This is done by generating awareness through campaigns that speak to target-

consumer values, delivering on promises and qualifications when consumers use
the product, and loyalty and retention efforts. By offering consumers loyalty
incentives such as points that can be exchanged for discounts or a free product on
their birthday, they are more likely to continue to purchase from your brand rather
than moving on to a competitor. Awareness and experience are the two key tenets
of brand equity.
• Awareness: Can consumers easily identify your brand? Messaging and
imagery surrounding your brand should be cohesive so consumer can
always identify it, even for a new product. What kinds of values do
consumers associate with the brand? Perhaps they think of sustainability,
quality, or family friendly qualities.
• Experience: How have first hand experiences with your brand gone? This
could mean that the product performed the way it was supposed to, that
encounters with brand representatives and customer service teams have
been accommodating and helpful, and that loyalty programs have been
worthwhile.

✓ Why is Brand Equity Important: The Effect on the Bottom Line

A key benefit of establishing positive brand equity is the benefits it can have
on ROI. Organizations that leverage the power of branding often earn more money
than competitors, while spending less - whether on production, advertising, or
elsewhere. For example, positive brand equity enables brands to charge price
premiums. When consumers believe in the values put forth by a brand and the
quality of their products, they will pay higher prices to purchase from that brand.
Additionally, should an organization want to add new product offerings, marketing
them under the same umbrella brand will help the new product take off faster, as
trust has already been established.

Brand equity can positively affect the bottom line in the following ways:
Order Value per Customer
If your brand has a positive brand equity, people are more likely to spend more
money to purchase those products.This results in higher profit margins. It may cost
companies the same amount as competitors to make a product. However,
consumers are willing to pay for the brand name. For example, a pair of designer
shoes rather than those of a less well known or generic brand.
Reputation & Less Ad Spend
If your products have a good reputation, people will seek you out as their go-to
brand. This results in less money being spent via advertising and leads to
increased sales when you launch a new product due to established trust.
• Customer Lifetime Value: If your customers are loyal to your brand, they
will purchase more from you. Apple is regularly regarded as one of the
organizations with the highest brand equity. Apple users tend to own othe r
Apple products, while Android users do not generally have a loyalty to a
specific PC technology provider.
• Customer Loyalty: Customers are 7 times more likely to forgive brands
they are loyal to for mistakes. Additionally, consumers are 9 times more
likely to try new products from brands they are loyal to.
• Stock Price: Strong brand equity can increase stock market process for
organizations, out of the expectation that it will continue to perform.
How to Build Brand Equity
There are obvious payoffs to establishing brand equity, but it takes a lot of work
and research upfront to build and maintain this status. It begins with conducting
research into the values and needs of a target audience, as well as identifying what
makes your brand different. Once established, organizations must continue to
spread awareness to earn new business, while fostering loyalty among existing
customers.
Understand Your Why
In Simon Sineck’s book Start with Why, he argues that compelling organizations
have a purpose behind their brand. Too many advertisers focus on the How (How
my product will make your day easier) versus the Why (Why does this organization
do what it does). For companies like Apple, their Why is immediately apparent.
They defy the status quo and stretch what’s possible. Because their advertising
focuses on their brand (and not their computers), they were able to expand their
product lines into new areas such as phones and music, where other computer
companies failed.
Test your Messaging
When creating messaging, it is still important to test your positioning with
consumers. How do they react? What do they respond best to? Are you addressing
their pain points? Are you creating the type of message they will stop and engage
with? Developing messaging and creative elements should be a data-driven
process, informed by what your specific consumers are drawn to. This is especially
crucial in today’s fragmented market.
Drive Awareness
Once you have a compelling message, you must drive awareness for both your
brand and your company focus. This often means emphasizing brand values over
product attributes, and emotional connections over conversions. In a world
focused on the next immediate transaction, it can be hard to advocate for such
long-term planning. Brand campaigns must run on longer timelines for consumers
to register messages and connect them back to branded products. This increase on
brand focus will yield to results down the line if done correctly.
Maintain Consistency
Once your brand is established, be consistent. This includes using consistent
typefaces and style guides. Treat your brand like a writer would treat a character.
Even if the advertising idea is good, if it is outside of your brand’s “personality”,
don’t pursue it.
Customer Experience
Due to the rise of social media and the individual consumer’s voice, brands are no
longer just defined by what advertisements say. Brands are what consumers
discuss or perceive. Having a focus on the customer and putting them in the center
of your company will help elevate your overall brand. Consider Amazon’s review
system. The site encourages users to be active in reviewing products and
communicating with sellers to ensure they get exactly what they need - rather than
just making a sale. When choosing between immediate transactional value and the
needs of the customer, they choose the customer. Amazon understands that taking
this long-term approach to customer experience will have a better impact on the
bottom line.

Social media is also a great way to get face time, so to speak, with your actual
consumers. For example, Nike has a dedicated Twitter page (NikeSupport) to
respond to consumer needs 24 hours a day in seven languages. This provides
insight into where your brand may be missing the mark, which can then be used for
optimizations.
How to Measure Brand Equity
Brand equity can seem like and abstract concept that is difficult to measure or
quantify. Depending on the goals of your branding efforts, there are multiple
methods that can be used to measure equity through brand tracking efforts. Brand
tracking not only provides an understanding of a brand campaign’s ROI, but can
help to measure awareness, association, and more. These studies focus on either
business impact metrics - retention, conversions, price - or consumer impact
metrics such as consumer research, sentiment analysis, etc.

Here are a few ways to measure goals from a branding perspective:

Financial

For those looking to assign a numeric value to a brand, consider the following
•
o Company Value: To measure the brand equity, you could think of the
firm as an asset. When subtracting the tangible assets from the overall
value of the firm, you would be left with the brand equity.
o Market Share: What is your company’s market share? Leaders in the
market tend to have a higher brand equity.
 oRevenue potential: What does the revenue potential look like for your
product? How does this compare to your company’s current revenue?
Product Value

A good way to measure this would be to compare a generic product with the
branded product. In the case of soap, Unilever can measure if women were more
likely to purchase Dove over the store brand. Additionally, you could consider what
users may be prefer - for example, Coca Cola compared to Pepsi.
Brand Audit

Conducting a brand audit can also help you get a better understanding of how your
brand is performing. To begin a brand audit, review comparison sites, social
channels, and web analytics. Pull this data together to see how consumers are
talking about you and if this is inline with the vision for your brand.
Brand Association - Keller’s Brand Equity Model
This model was developed by Dartmouth professor Kevin Lane Keller and
emphasizes the need to mold the feeling associated with a brand’s products. By
creating positive associations with your products, you can shape how customers
think about your brand. The model is based on a hierarchy of brand equity that
begins with a brand establishing their identity and differentiation, and is fully
realized when the brand establishes resonance and connection with target
consumers. By understanding where your brand is in the pyramid, you can get a
better idea of how much brand equity you have, and what the next steps should be
to further establishing your brand in the consumer conscious. The steps consist of:

o Brand Awareness
o Communicating the Idea behind a Brand
o Understanding Customer Response
o Brand Resonance/ Connection
Understanding Consumer Perception
Although not as quantifiable, mapping consumer perception to your brand is also
an important aspect of understanding brand equity.
• Recall and Recognition - Do people remember your brand without a prompt
(unaided brand awareness) or do they need an aide? (aided
awareness). Understanding how familiar people are with your brand can help
you address any gaps in the market.
• Emotions Associated with the Brand - Failing to address negative
emotions with your brand can be a costly mistake. Even if your brand holds a
monopoly of the market, consumers who are eager to switch will do so as
soon as a competitor grows into maturation.
Examples of Companies with High Brand Equity
There are a few brands that stand out as those who have mastered positive brand
equity. These brands have achieved consistent, identifiable design, unaided
awareness, and, in many cases, unwavering consumer preference over
competitors.
Apple Computer
In 1997, John Sculley, a former executive at Pepsi who went to Apple, said to the
Guardian, "People talk about technology, but Apple was a marketing company. It
was the marketing company of the decade." In the 1990s, Apple nearly went out of
business. As Marc Gobe, author of Emotional Branding, said “It goes beyond
commerce. This business should have been dead 10 years ago, but people said
we've got to support it.” This support comes from the loyalty of Apple product
users, so that when Steve Jobs returned to Apple, there was a base for him to build
upon.
As Simon Sinek said, “People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.”
Many companies tried to make the switch from computers to other products, but
failed. They had spent the majority of their time highlighting features (for example:
Gateway was certainly qualified to make flat screen TVs, but their new products
never caught on with the public.) Apple on the other hand focused on the brand
and its relationship with the consumer. They dared consumers to challenge the
status quo right alongside them, so when they introduced revolutionary products
such as the iPod or iPhone, consumers were eager instead of confused. Focusing
on brand creates customer relationships and unties a company in a single
direction.
Coca-Cola
Nowhere is the emphasis on brand more prevalent than in the constant debate of
Pepsi versus Coca-Cola. While Pepsi shares may be higher due to its diversified
portfolio, Coke still outshines Pepsi in both companies’ key product lines. The
Pepsi Challenge campaign in the 1980s forced the Coca-Cola company to take a
look at their product line in one of their marketing campaigns (The Pepsi
Challenge). Coke even sweetened their drink to try to meet consumer demand, but
was faced with backlash. Coca-Cola began focusing on its brand more so than the
product. They emphasize how Coca-Cola brings families together using
relationships and nostalgia (i.e. Share a Coke campaign). The brand uses a logo,
font, and color scheme that are immediately identifiable.
We continue to see instances of brand over product today. In fact, Adidas
recently announced plans to move away from short-term metrics to focus on overall
brand health. The brand’s Global Media Director called out the focus on short -term
and conversion-focused campaigns that are popular now in order to deliver on
quarterly earning expectations. Their hope is to move away from this model, to use
a 60/40 ratio of long-term brand building campaigns and short-term conversion
campaigns.

As demonstrated by these and other brands, establishing positive brand equity can
have a marked effect on the bottom line. With this in mind, organizations should
devote resources to building out these campaigns with customer values and
experience in mind.

2.Designing and Implementing Branding Strategies

Customer based brand equity is created when brand knowledge comprising of brand
awareness and brand image are at highest level in customer mind. Brand awareness
level is raised in customer by first understanding consumer taste, preference and
present level of awareness. This analysis leads to designing of marketing programs and
outcomes of those programs are also recorded. Designing of marketing programs is a
complex process as it may have to encompass wide range of product and brands.
Purpose of all marketing program is to maximize brand equity and also to capture or
create long lasting impression in consumer mind.

Branding strategies deal with creating brand names, logos, style etc. for it to be
distinguished from competitors and also whether product brand should be
separate from corporate brand or a separate brand away from other individual
brands. Implication of branding strategies is that it creates brand awareness for
consumer to ascertain point of difference and point of similarity with competitors.
Second implication is brand image for association of brand equity from brand to product.

Brand-product matrix looks to explain brand portfolio and brand extension strategies. In
the matrix all products offered under different brands are represented by a row. This
helps marketers understand the current brand line and explore further opportunity in
expanding the product line. In the matrix all current existing brand are represented in
form of column referred to as brand portfolio. The brand portfolio analysis is essential to
design and develop new marketing strategies to target a given product category.

Product line facilitates marketers to devise strategy with regards to future treatment for
a given brand. This strategy focuses on decision, as to whether product line can be
extended or new variants of existing product should be introduced. When taking brand
extension decision companies needs to carry SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity,
Threat) analysis to fully understand market conditions, current category structure and
environmental( economic, social, political, regulatory) dynamics. This analysis will give
companies product line and categories to follow active branding strategy.
Active branding strategy with respect to product line involves creating multiple
brands; this provides depth to the branding process. For example- car maker
General Motors, it created multiple brands to expand the product class category from
SUV to sports car. This sort of strategy is also used by consumer goods giant P & G
and Unilever. By creating individual brands companies can create different marketing
strategies. This strategy ensures no market in given industry remains un-tapped.

Brand product matrix helps in showcasing different brand in any given product category.
In that respect Brand Hierarchy is graphical representation of company’s products and
its brands. Hierarchical structure starts with corporate brand and then showcases
different product category and below brands. This sort of presentation helps devise
marketing strategy at many levels and forms. There is no fix way to go about
formulating marketing strategy but generally it can fit into 3 categories. First strategy
gives more importance to corporate brand and less prominence to product brand.
Second strategy sees importance been given to two or more product brands and some
highlighting to the corporate brand. Third strategy looks at promoting only the product
brand and there is no mention of corporate entity at all.

Another brand building strategy which has gain prominence in recent times is cause
marketing or social responsibility marketing. In cause marketing company
contributes some amount of revenue generate from product sales towards designated
cause. For example- American Express started RED campaign along with U2 singer
Bono where in 1 percent of card charges were dedicated to fight AIDS in Africa. This
sort of marketing improves brand awareness as well as brand image and it can
generate sense of pride not only for consumers but also for employees.

There are various ways through which a successful brand build strategy can be created,
maintained and enhanced. But one things which comes out from exploring different
strategies is that companies have to proactive in designing marketing campaign and
react accordingly to challenges of dynamic environment.

3.Product Mix

Definition: The Product Mix also called as Product Assortment, refers to the
complete range of products that is offered for sale by the company. In other words, the
number of product lines that a company has for its customers is called as product mix.

The Product Line refers to the list of all the related products manufactured or marketed
by a single firm. The number of products within the product line are called as the items,
and these might be similar in terms of technology used, channel employed, customer’s
needs and preferences or any other aspect. For example, the product lines of ITC are
FMCG, Hotels, Paper Board and Packaging, Agribusiness.

The product mix has four dimensions: Breadth, Length, Depth, and Consistency.
The Breadth of a product mix shows the different kinds of product lines that firm
carries. Simply, it shows the number of items in the product line. This dimension of the
product mix represents the extent to which the activities of the firm are diversified. In the
example below, there are 4 product lines that show the width of the ITC.

The Length of a Product mix refers to the number of items in the product mix. In the
example below the length is 11. As in the foods line, the number of items is 3, in
cigarettes is 3 and so on.. On adding all the items, we get the length of a product.

The Depth of a product mix refers to the variants of each product in the product line.
For example, in the example below, curry, pastes, biryanis, conserves, etc. shows the
depth of the foods product line.
The Consistency of a product mix shows the extent to which the product lines are
closely related to each other in terms of their end-use, distribution requirements,
production requirements, price ranges, advertising media, etc. In the above example, it
is clear that ITC’s product lines are less consistent as these perform different functions
for the buyers.

These terms in a product assortment help the firm to take a decision regarding the
addition or removal of the product items in the product lines. Generally, the firms
introduce a new product item into the existing product line as it is easy to gain the
customer support for the new product due to the customer’s familiarity with the existing
product line.

4.Brand Hierarchy

Brand hierarchy, otherwise known as brand architecture, refers to

the brand strategy behind the relationships between various parts of a business.
Broadly speaking, this strategy is best summarized by grouping products and services
according to their associated similarities and differences
Understanding brand hierarchy
As companies grow, so too do their product ranges. Brand hierarchies help businesses
and indeed consumers communicate vital brand elements and feature differences
between individual products in a range.
Brand hierarchy is important for the simple fact that many businesses overlook
the strategy entirely. These businesses tend to have a preoccupation with releasing
products and services without first thinking about the relationship between them.
As a result, the association between offerings is vague and not reflective of the
wider brand. Consumers then become confused and unable to make a purchasing
decision, which negatively impacts on revenue and profits.
Establishing a robust brand architecture is not difficult and can be performed at any
stage of business development. However, those who focus their efforts on product
development at the expense of brand hierarchy may encounter a costly rebrand in the
future.
The three types of brand hierarchy
Corporate, umbrella, and family brands
The highest level of the hierarchy is corporate, family, or umbrella brands. This level
uses cohesive and consistent naming and identity structures, ensuring that individual
products and services are homogenous throughout the range. The corporate strategy is
particularly useful for large parent companies that have many divisions or subsidiaries.
For example, Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup and Heinz Tomato Ketchup both share
similar visual branding on their labels. They also feature the corporate brand Heinz in
their names, reducing confusion among consumers, and increasing brand equity in the
process.
Endorsed brands
Endorsed brands are those that have been endorsed by a parent brand that is either a
corporate, umbrella, or family brand itself. In theory, the endorsement from the
parent brand adds credibility to the endorsed brand in the eyes of consumers. In this
approach, products are linked or grouped according to brand identity itself. They do not
rely on homogeneous naming or aesthetics.
For example, parent company Microsoft lend their brand identity and credibility to Office,
Xbox, Windows, and Bing. But each endorsed brand in isolation is distinct in the sense
that it is not immediately recognizable as being owned by Microsoft.
Individual
Individual brands are consumer-facing brands where no explicit link between the
product and its parent brand is promoted. In many cases, there is also no link between
individual brands themselves.
This is a common occurrence when parent brands acquire smaller brands with high
equity among consumers. Here, the parent brand is irrelevant and often detrimental
to brand equity compared to the individual products it takes ownership of.
Coca-Cola uses this strategy to their advantage, having acquired brands such as Fanta,
Sprite, and Dasani that were successful in their own right. Further investigation will
reveal the connection to Coca-Cola, but these brands continue to exist in original,
recognizable forms.
Benefits of incorporating brand hierarchy strategy
• Reduces customer confusion. Businesses offering a line of unrelated products
confuse consumers as to the brand they are trying to create and convey.
Establishing proper brand hierarchy lessens this confusion, establishes
consistency, and leads to increased brand equity.
• Reduces competition. In some cases, sub-products achieve such popularity
with consumers that the weaker core brand loses popularity. Brand hierarchy
strategies focus on strengthening the primary brand so that products under its
“umbrella” do not compete with or undermine each other.
 • Provides clarity. When brands are visually or otherwise segregated with a
hierarchy, it allows businesses to develop a marketing strategy for each. Since
each brand will have its own target audience and brand story, clarity reduces
the chances of brand dilution or improper messaging.

5.Introducing and Naming New Products and Brand Extension

For a given company, there can be variety of product and services under different
brands. Brand-product matrix is used to better understand current offering of the
company. This matrix helps companies understand product line (product category) and
brand portfolio (brands for different products). Similarly, brand hierarchy concept helps
companies understand association among offered brands. Brand product matrix and
brand hierarchy are essential tools for companies when they are looking for brand
extension or launching new products. But they are factors which affect brand extension
and naming of product.

Typically, any given company would fall in any of the following four categories in terms
future expansion strategies; with current products and current market companies deal
with market penetration strategy; with new products and current market companies deal
with product development strategies; with current products and new market companies
deal with market development strategy; and with new products and new market
companies deal with diversification strategy. Clearly companies have to tackle tactical
and strategically brand extension and naming of new products almost at any stage of
growth.

For a given brand extension, it can be in form, where companies decide to expand
product category under current parent brand family. This sort of extension may be
through adding new flavor, different size packing. Another form of brand extension is
category extension, here companies introduce new product category this may or may
not be under the parent brand. Companies while introducing new brand has option
either to create a new brand altogether or extend the current parent brand or
combination of parent brand as well as new brand.

Although there is high rate of failure for introduction of new brands, companies
do try to expand product category or introduce new product category at some
point. Success of this has many advantages for the company.

1. It enhances how consumer look at brand, if brand has strong consumer brand
equity then new product would have high rate acceptance to further strengthen
brand image.
2. If a corporate brand or product brand, known for quality and robustness
introduces a new product then this product has more recognition in consumer as
they are aware of credibility thereby reducing risk associated with new product.
3. If brand extension is due to great demand for the brand among consumers, then
even distribution channel is more welcoming for the new product.
 4. Cost associated with marketing communication and sales promotion for new
product as brand extension is reduced as consumers are already aware of the
parent brand.
5. Brand extension again helps eliminating cost associated with research and
development of altogether new product and packaging of the new product.

Brand extensions also facilitates in different ways process of firming position of parent
brand in mind of consumer. It helps parent brand state its true positioning in the market.
It helps cater to new customers there by creating exposure for parent brand in
consumer mind. It helps rejuvenate the parent brand, meaning it increases brand
awareness and brand image and lead way to further brand extension programs.

Brand extension also has share of disadvantages. First with increase in available
product it can create uncertainty in consumer mind as to which product is right for her.
Second, distribution channel maybe overwhelmed with product offering from different
brands that they may not encourage introduction of another brand extension. Third, if
brand extension is too much success then it may jump on current sales of parent brand,
if brand extension fails position of parent brand would also suffer in the market.

From the above it is clear that brand extension have advantages as well as
disadvantages. But for any brand extension strategy to succeed companies need to
comprehend current brand knowledge and also undertake market research to clearly
understand consumer expectation before coming to brand extension decision.

6.Tactical branding decisions

Tactical branding decisions involve the day-to-day and short-term actions that a
company takes to implement its broader brand strategy. These decisions are often more
focused on specific, immediate objectives and can have a direct impact on how a brand
is perceived by its target audience. Here are key areas of tactical branding decisions:

1. Visual Identity:

- Logo and Design Elements: Decisions regarding the design and composition of the
brand's logo and other visual elements that contribute to its overall identity.

- Color Palette: Choosing and maintaining a consistent color palette that aligns with
the brand's personality and resonates with the target audience.
2. Messaging and Communication:

- Copywriting: Crafting compelling and consistent messaging that communicates the

brand's values, benefits, and unique selling propositions.

- Tone of Voice: Deciding on the appropriate tone of voice for brand communication,
whether it's formal, casual, humorous, or authoritative.

3. Brand Positioning:

- Competitive Differentiation: Identifying and emphasizing the unique qualities or

benefits that set the brand apart from competitors.

- Target Audience Refinement: Adjusting the brand's positioning to better resonate

with a specific demographic or market segment.

4. Product Packaging:

- Design and Information: Making decisions about the packaging design, including
graphics, colors, and the presentation of product information.

- Sustainability Considerations: Incorporating environmentally friendly packaging

materials and messaging.

5. Promotions and Campaigns:

- Seasonal Campaigns: Creating and executing marketing campaigns tied to specific

seasons, holidays, or events.

- Discounts and Special Offers: Deciding on the timing and structure of discounts,
promotions, and limited-time offers.

6. Social Media Presence:

- Content Strategy: Planning and executing content that aligns with the brand's
messaging and engages the target audience on social media platforms.
 - Community Engagement: Responding to comments, feedback, and building a
community around the brand on social media.

7. Event Sponsorship and Partnerships:

- Event Selection: Choosing events, sponsorships, or partnerships that align with the
brand's values and target audience.

- Activation Strategies: Planning and implementing activities or promotions tied to

sponsored events.

8. Customer Experience:

- Service Standards: Setting and maintaining standards for customer service that
reflect the brand's values.

- Feedback Integration: Incorporating customer feedback to make immediate

improvements in the customer experience.

9. Digital Presence:

- Website Optimization: Ensuring the brand's website is user-friendly, up-to-date, and

aligned with the overall brand image.

- Online Advertising: Deciding on the timing and content of digital advertising

campaigns.

10. Employee Training and Brand Advocacy:

- Training Programs: Implementing training programs to ensure employees

understand and embody the brand values.

- Internal Communication: Keeping employees informed about brand updates and

encouraging them to be brand advocates.
Tactical branding decisions require a balance between consistency and adaptability.
While maintaining a cohesive brand identity is crucial, brands also need to be agile in
responding to market changes and consumer feedback. Regularly evaluating the
effectiveness of tactical decisions and making adjustments based on performance
metrics is essential for ongoing brand success.

7.Pre-launch and launch management

Pre-launch and launch management are critical phases in introducing a new product,
service, or brand to the market. Effective planning and execution during these stages
can significantly impact the success of the launch. Here's a guide to pre-launch and
launch management:

Pre-launch Management:

1. Market Research:

- Understand the Market: Conduct thorough market research to identify consumer

needs, market trends, and potential competitors.

- Target Audience: Define and understand your target audience to tailor your
marketing strategies accordingly.

2. Product Development and Testing:

- Prototype Testing: Test the product or service internally and gather feedback from a
select group of users.

- Refinement: Use feedback to refine the product, ensuring it meets or exceeds

customer expectations.

3. Brand Positioning and Messaging:

- Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Clearly define the unique features or benefits that
set your product apart.
 - Brand Messaging: Develop compelling and consistent messaging that
communicates the brand's value proposition.

4. Targeted Marketing Strategy:

- Segmentation: Identify specific market segments and tailor marketing strategies to

address their unique needs.

- Channels: Determine the most effective marketing channels to reach your target
audience (social media, email, influencers, etc.).

5. Pre-launch Teasers and Buzz:

- Teaser Campaigns: Generate excitement and anticipation through teaser campaigns

or sneak peeks.

- Engagement: Encourage audience engagement through social media, contests, or

exclusive pre-launch events.

6. PR and Media Relations:

- Press Releases: Distribute press releases to relevant media outlets.

- Media Kits: Prepare media kits with essential information about the product,
company, and launch event.

7. Distribution and Logistics:

- Supply Chain Readiness: Ensure that production and distribution channels are ready
to meet demand.

- Retail Partnerships: If applicable, secure agreements with retail partners for product
placement.

Launch Management:
1. Launch Event Planning:

- Event Type: Plan whether the launch will involve a physical event, virtual event, or a
combination.

- Invitations: Send out invitations to key stakeholders, influencers, media, and

customers.

2. Digital Presence:

- Website Launch: Ensure that the product is prominently featured on the company
website.

- Social Media Activation: Implement a comprehensive social media strategy for the
launch day and beyond.

3. Sales and Distribution:

- Online Availability: Make the product available for purchase online.

- Retail Rollout: Coordinate with retail partners for in-store availability.

4. Customer Support Readiness:

- Customer Service: Prepare customer service teams for potential inquiries and
support needs.

- FAQs and Resources: Provide customer-facing resources such as FAQs, guides,

and tutorials.

5. Monitoring and Analytics:

- Tracking Metrics: Use analytics tools to monitor the success of the launch in real-
time.
 - Feedback Collection: Gather customer feedback and reviews to understand their
experiences.

6. Post-launch Marketing:

- Sustained Marketing: Continue marketing efforts beyond the launch to maintain

momentum.

- Email Campaigns: Implement email campaigns to follow up with customers and

encourage ongoing engagement.

7. Adaptation and Iteration:

- Feedback Analysis: Analyze feedback from customers, media, and stakeholders for
areas of improvement.

- Iterative Enhancements: Use insights to make iterative enhancements to the product

or marketing strategies.

8. Celebrating Success:

- Acknowledgment: Acknowledge and celebrate the success of the launch with the
team and stakeholders.

- Gratitude: Express gratitude to customers, influencers, and partners who contributed

to the launch.

Both pre-launch and launch phases require close coordination across various
departments, including marketing, product development, sales, and customer support.
Regular communication and flexibility are crucial to adapt to unforeseen challenges and
capitalize on emerging opportunities during this dynamic period.

8.Product recalls.

A product recall is an action taken by a company to remove a product from the market
due to safety concerns, defects, or regulatory non-compliance. Handling a product recall
effectively is crucial for protecting consumers, preserving the brand's reputation, and
complying with legal and regulatory requirements. Here are key steps involved in
managing a product recall:

1. Establish a Recall Team:

- Designate a cross-functional team comprising representatives from various

departments such as quality control, legal, public relations, customer service, and
supply chain management.

- Appoint a recall coordinator to oversee and manage the entire recall process.

2. Risk Assessment and Investigation:

- Conduct a thorough investigation to identify the root cause of the issue, whether it's
a safety concern, quality defect, or regulatory violation.

- Assess the potential risks and impact on consumer safety and brand reputation.

3. Legal and Regulatory Compliance:

- Understand and comply with relevant laws and regulations governing product recalls
in the jurisdictions where the product is sold.

- Notify regulatory authorities promptly and follow their guidelines for reporting and
managing recalls.

4. Communication Planning:

- Develop a comprehensive communication plan that includes internal and external

stakeholders.

- Determine the key messages and ensure consistency in communication across all
channels.

5. Consumer Notification:
 - Notify consumers promptly and clearly about the recall through various channels,
such as press releases, social media, the company website, and direct communication
(emails, letters).

- Provide clear instructions on what actions consumers should take (return, repair,
replacement, etc.).

6. Retailer Communication:

- Inform retailers and distributors about the recall, providing them with instructions on
how to handle affected products.

- Coordinate with retailers to remove the recalled products from shelves.

7. Product Retrieval and Disposal:

- Implement an efficient and secure process for retrieving recalled products from the
market.

- Establish proper disposal methods for recalled items, ensuring they are rendered
unusable or safely disposed of to prevent further distribution.

8. Replacement or Repair Programs:

- Determine whether the recalled product can be replaced, repaired, or refunded to

consumers.

- Clearly communicate the process for consumers to receive replacements or refunds.

9. Monitor and Update:

- Continuously monitor the progress of the recall and keep stakeholders informed of
any updates.

- Regularly update consumers and the public on the status of the recall, including
progress and resolution.
10. Post-Recall Analysis:

- Conduct a post-recall analysis to understand the effectiveness of the recall process.

- Identify areas for improvement and implement corrective actions to prevent similar
issues in the future.

11. Rebuilding Trust:

- Develop strategies to rebuild trust with consumers, retailers, and the public.

- Consider additional measures, such as enhanced quality controls, improved testing,

and transparent communication, to prevent future issues.

12. Documentation and Reporting:

- Maintain thorough documentation of the entire recall process for legal and regulatory
compliance.

- Report to relevant authorities and stakeholders on the completion of the recall

process.

Handling a product recall requires transparency, swift action, and a commitment to

consumer safety. Companies should be proactive in addressing the issue,
communicating effectively, and taking steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.