10/21/2014

Brand Management
MK542E
Brand Identity and Positioning

Dr. Dildar Hussain

Assistant Professor
ESC Rennes School of Business
Office No. 327
dildar.hussain@esc-rennes.com

Chapter Overview
Overview
Recapping brand components
Make up of brand identity, its system and facets
Brand positioning and its role in marketing mix

Learning Objectives
Understanding brand personality and brand image
Understand how a brand image is built
Understanding role of brand positioning in the marketing mix
Discuss different brand positioning strategies

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Introduction

Brand management is to manage activities of branding

Developing a brand identity
Brand image
Brand personality
Brand positioning
And selecting appropriate communication plan

Part of brand equity creation consists of

brand positioning
Two important issues in brand positioning
Customers perception of a brand in relation
to competitors
Dimensions of brand as perceived by customers
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Brand Identity and Brand Identity System

A key component of branding

Unique set of functional and mental associations the brand
aspires to create or maintain
How a brand is perceived
Brand identity system
Consists of 12 dimensions organized around four perspectives
The brand as a product (product scope, product attributes,
quality/value, uses, users, country of origin)
The brand as organization (organizational attributes, local versus global)
The brand as person (brand personality, brand customer relationship)
The brand as symbol (visual imagery/metaphors and brand heritage)
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Brand Identity Elements - 1

Name
Name of an organization and/or product
Name could be descriptive, eponymous, suggestive,
or fanciful

Logo
Logo can be thought as flag distinctive, memorable, and
signaling value
Types of logo include marks (graphic symbols),
logotypes (name and symbol combined in a specific way),
and word marks (consisting primarily on typographic and
focusing on name rather symbol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FM-_WgPSUU
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Brand Identity Elements - 2

Tagline
Often referred to as slogan
A short verbal phrase that can serve a number of purposes
Providing descriptive information
Kinds of customers the company/product serves
Typically has a predefined relation to the logo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxXESwmC32Y

Design System
The organized system that creates companies and their brands recognizable and repeatable
visual identity
This includes distinctive color palette, typography
Secondary graphics or specific style of illustrations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDohoPavchc

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Brand Identity Facets -1

According to Kapferer (2004), brand identity has six facets

Brand physique
It includes tangibles like appearance of the brand
Shape of the Coke bottle, purple packaging of Cadbury, etc.

Brand Culture
Part of the brand from which it draws inspirations
Californian innovation for Apple and capitalism for American Express
Brand personality describes brands in terms of human
characteristics

Brand Identity Facets -2

Brand relationship
Brands ability to connect with people
It can sometimes be seen as a lover
Compare IBM and Apple both connect with different type of people

Brand reflection
Who is perceived to use the brand
Nike not only sporty but also a trendy youngster

Self-image
Consumers often buy brands to reflect their identity

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Brand Identity Facets - 3

Brand personality
Brands have personalities in much same way as humans
Brand personality describes brands in terms of human
characteristics
Brand personality is seen a valuable factor for creating
and maintaining a bond with customers
Five facets of brand personality
Sincerity (down to earth, honest, wholesome, cheerful)
Excitement (daring, spirited, imaginative, and up to date)
Competence (reliable, intelligent, and successful)
Sophistication (upper class, charming)
Ruggedness (outdoorsy, tough)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjrgt1kHodY
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Corporate Identity

Linked to concept of corporate brand

A strong identity is important for transmitting
a consistent internal and external image
among stakeholders

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Brand Image

Consumer perception of a brand

Less likely to have only one brand image
According to Sigmund Freud, ego and superego control
to a large extent the image and personality that people
would like other to have of them

Dimensions of brand image

Functional
Symbolic

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Brand Image Building

Brand image building represents what potential buyers register and retain about the
company or its products
A brand image can be built via integrated marketing communication, which includes
Advertising
Sales promotion
Sponsorship
Activities
The Internet
Direct mail
Brochures
Articles, stories, etc.
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Brand Positioning

Brand positioning is the market space a brand is perceived to occupy

It is in the stake holders minds in relation to the competitor products
Role of brand positioning in the marketing mix
Segmenting, targeting, positioning (STP) are sequential processes
and ultimately result in the final brand positioning according to
Kotlerian theories
Positioning is about attaching a permanent meaning to the brand
It tells what role brand plays in his/her life
What kind of value the brand will deliver?
Identifying the position
And achieving the chosen position

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Criteria for Successful Positioning -1

Ideally, the objective of positioning is to make people feel that there is no substitute
for the brand
Successful positioning is based on physical product and good marketing
communication
Six criteria for successful positioning
Relevance
Brand having a clear vision and concise meaning
To be crystal clear about what the brand stands for

Distinctiveness
Standing out
Brands failing in achieving distinctiveness will have to compete on price or promotion
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Criteria for Successful Positioning -2

Coherence
Need to have a coherent position
A brand positioned as premium but not available in
high image stores ??????

Commitment
Need to stay committed to positioning
Sometimes brands try to target more than one segment
(brand extension, stretching) for short term benefits

Durability - brands are not built overnight

Clarity through communication and a clear position
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Brand Positioning Strategies

Based on market segmentations

Age
Gender
Education
Social class
Race
Religion, etc.

Based on 4 Ps
Product features
Usage
Benefits, etc.
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Perceptual Mapping -1

A technique to determine a brands position in relation

to competitors on various dimensions
Brands can be positioned against competing brands
A simple perceptual map shows the positioning of brands
on two dimensions i.e., price and quality

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Perceptual Mapping - 2

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Perceptual Mapping - 3

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Perceptual Mapping Exercise

Draw a perceptual map of at least 5 international brands

Airlines
Automobiles
Cell phones
Laptop computers
Supermarkets
Hotels
Fast food restaurants
French Business Schools

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Case Study

DELL COMPUTER

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dildar.hussain@esc-rennes.fr

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