In this article you will learn What is branding in marketing, levels of branding, why Branding is important, how to Develop Your Brand? and Branding FAQs.
The topic of branding has taken center stage in product strategy. On the one hand, creating branded products calls for significant long-term marketing investment, particularly in the areas of advertising, promotion, and packaging.
Branding
Branding can increase a product’s value in the eyes of consumers, who regard it as an integral component of the product.
Making the product alone and leaving the brand building to others is frequently simpler and less expensive for manufacturers.
For instance, Taiwanese manufacturers produce a sizable portion of the world’s computers, electronics, and clothes, yet these goods are marketed under non-Taiwanese brand names.
Why Branding is important?
Most manufacturers eventually come to realize that the organizations that own the brand names hold the power. Strong brand names command high levels of consumer loyalty, or consumer franchise.
Companies that manufacture name-brand clothes, electronics, and computers might switch to cheaper suppliers in Malaysia and other countries instead of Taiwan. Because consumers are devoted to brands rather than specific producers, Taiwanese producers have little control over the loss of sales to less expensive suppliers.
However, South Korean and Japanese businesses haven’t historically made this error. For their products, they have actively invested in building up brands like Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Hyundai, Goldstar, and Samsung.
This indicates that there are enough consumers who choose certain brands over alternatives, even when the alternatives are given at slightly lower rates.
Companies are protected from the promotion strategy of rivals when they create brands with a strong consumer franchise. In order to build strong national or even international recognition and preference for its brand name, a provider should make significant investments.
What is a Brand?
A brand is any name, term, sign, symbol, design, or mix of these things that is used to distinguish one seller’s or group of sellers’ products from those of rivals.
In this way, a brand identifies a product’s manufacturer or provider.
Example of a brand
Consider a product like cola drinks. While cola drinks can be produced by any producer, only the Coca-Cola Company can produce Coke.
Presently, trademark laws exist in more than 160 nations, enabling brand owners to assert ownership of their brand names and trademarks through trademark registration. brands do not have expiration dates, and its owners have the exclusive right to use their brand name for an indefinite amount of time.
A brand communicates to customers a particular set of attributes, advantages, and services. It is a mark, a tangible sign, that defines the product. For instance, the greatest companies frequently offer a warranty of quality.
Levels of a brand’s meaning
A brand can convey meaning on up to four levels.
- Attributes
- Benefits
- Values
- Personality
1- Attributes
Certain product attributes are the first things a brand brings to mind.
Mercedes, for instance, offers attributes like well built, durable, highly engineered, fast, expensive, and high resale value. One or more of these attributes may be used by the firm to market the car.
Mercedes has long featured the slogan “Engineered like no other car in the world.” This served as a staging point for the car’s other attributes.
2- Benefits
Customers purchase benefits rather than attributes.
As a result, attributes must be transformed into functional and emotional benefits.
For instance, the quality of being durable could be translated into the functional benefit of not needing to buy a new car every few years.
The quality “expensive” could be interpreted as the emotional benefit “The car makes me feel important and valued.”
The benefit of being functionally and emotionally safe in the event of an accident may be interpreted as the quality “well built.”
3- Values
A brand can reveal information about the values of the consumer. High performance, safety, and status are therefore valued by Mercedes consumers. A brand marketer needs to pinpoint the precise car-buying groups whose values align with the benefits being offered.
4- Personality
A brand can also convey personality. Sometimes researchers inquire, “What type of person would this brand be if it were a person?”
A Mercedes vehicle may bring to mind of a rich, middle-aged business leader in the minds of consumers. People whose actual or desired self-images align with the brand’s image will be drawn to it.
How to Develop Your Brand?
→Decide who your target audience is.
→Create a mission statement.
→Define your values, attributes, and benefits.
→Make your visual assets.
→Find the voice of your brand.
→Promote your brand.
Tips for Small Businesses on Branding
→Consider your brand to be a person.
→Put consistency first.
→Adhere to a branding strategy.
→Keep your inspiration from becoming a copy.
→When hiring, use branding.
Branding FAQs
1- What Does Brand Mean in Marketing?
A brand is an abstract idea that makes it easier for consumers to recognize and associate with a specific business, item, or person.
2- What Are Examples of Brands?
Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola, Advil, and Tylenol are a few examples of brands.
3-What Is the Importance of a Brand?
Brands are significant because they provide value for both businesses and consumers. They also give a company a competitive advantage over its rivals in the market.
A firm’s customer base is increased by effective branding, which also fosters trust, credibility, and brand loyalty. These factors provide a company a competitive advantage in the market and a larger bottom line.
4- What Are 4 Types of Brands?
Although there are many different kinds of brands, the four most popular ones are corporate, personal, product, and service brands.
5- What Does Brand Equity Mean?
The value that a company’s product or service generates when compared to a generic version that is readily available to customers on the market is known as brand equity. Compare Advil to the generic ibuprofen products that are available on pharmacy shelves.
