Brand Management Syllabus

UNIT I

Basics understanding of Brands, Definitions, Branding Concepts, Functions

of Brand, Significance of Brands, Different types of Brands, Co-branding,
Store brands, Strategic Brand Management Process, Building a strong
brand, Brand Positioning,

UNIT II

Establishing brand values, Brand vision, Brand Elements, and branding for
Global Markets and competing with foreign brands. Brand Image Building,
Brand Loyalty Programs, and Brand Promotion Methods.

UNIT III

Brand adoption practices, Different types of brand extension, Factors

influencing Decision for extension, Rebranding and Re-launching, Role of
brand ambassadors, celebrities, and online Brand Promotions.

UNIT IV

Measuring Brand Performance, Brand Equity Management, Global

Branding strategies, Brand audit, Brand equity Measurement, Brand
Leverage, Role of Brand Managers, Branding challenges & opportunities.
UNIT 1

Introduction

The commodity marketplace is flooded with various brands. The

requirement of the seller’s brand to stand out among other parallel brands
is crucial.

Hence, there is fierce competition among the sellers to make their products
or services stand out in the market, thereby winning new consumers and
retaining the existing ones. To remain competitive in the marketplace,
strong brand management is required.

Brand Management begins with understanding the term 'brand'.

BRAND

“A name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one
seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. The legal
term for a brand is trademark. A brand may identify one item, a family of
items, or all items of that seller. If used for the firm as a whole, the preferred
term is trade name.” - American Marketing Association.

● “A name, term, sign, symbol, design, or a combination of these used

to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and
to differentiate them from those of competitors.”– A product-oriented
definition.
● “The promise of the bundles of attributes that someone buys and
provide satisfaction . . .” – A consumer-oriented definition

The fundamental purpose of branding is differentiation. A brand is a means

of differentiating the seller’s product from other competing products.

BRAND MANAGEMENT

Brand management is the art of creating a brand and

maintaining it. It is nothing but developing a promise to the
consumer, materializing that promise, and maintaining the same
for a product, a group of products, or services.
Competent Brand Management includes building brand identity,
launching the brand, and maintaining the brand position in the
market. Brand management builds and maintains the corporate
image of a business.

HISTORY OF BRANDING

Branding Terminologies
Brand It is the degree to which a specific product/service is recognized
Association within its product or service category. For example, a person
asking for Xerox wants to actually make true copies of a paper
document.
Brand It is the extent to which the consumer knows and can recall the
Awareness brand.
Brand When two brands in the same product line, offered by a company
Cannibalism target the same market segment, and compete with each other
by eating away the market share.
Brand Equity It is the positive differential effect on the consumer about the
branded product or service after knowing the brand. It is the
potential of the brand to impact the business.
Brand It means using a successfully established brand name for one
Extension segment to enter another segment in the same brand market.
Brand It is using a successful brand name to launch a new or modified
Extension product under a new category.
Brand Image It is the perception a consumer develops for a brand as reflected
by the brand associations and holds in memory.
Brand Image or It is the association or belief the customer has towards a brand. It
Brand is not quantifiable.
Description
Brand Brand is seen as if how it was if it were a human being.
Personality
Brand When one company introduces new brands in the same product
Proliferation lines with the aim to cover every market segment for that product
line.
Brand Promise It is the functional and emotional benefits that a customer
receives when he experiences the products or services of a
brand.
Brand When marketers recognize the declining status of a brand and
Rejuvenation or extend the life of the brand by adding new product features,
Revitalizing packaging, or presentation, it is called Brand Rejuvenation.
Brand Strength It is the measure of a customer’s attachment to the brand. It is
or Brand quantifiable.
Loyalty
Brand It means using a successful brand name to explore a different
Stretching market.
Brand Recall It is the ability of the consumer to generate and retrieve the brand
in their memory.
Brand Value It is the total value of a brand as a separable asset when it is
sold, or included in a balance sheet. It is quantifiable and
considered as an accounting issue.
Chain Store Multiple outlets that are owned and controlled in common, have
same central buying and merchandising and sell similar
merchandise.
Co-branding Alliance of multiple brands to launch a product or service in the
market.

Commodity It is a raw material or a primary agricultural product that can be

bought or sold.
Consumer Brand Strength + Brand Image.
Brand Equity
Differentiation The ability of a brand to stand apart from its competitors.
E-Business The business running on an electronic platform such as the
Internet.
E-Commerce Buying and selling processes are enabled by electronic means
such as the Internet.
Exchange The act of obtaining something desired by offering something.
Export It is entering a foreign market by selling the goods (maybe with a
little modification) that are manufactured in the home country of a
business.
Family Brand It is when a parent brand is associated with multiple brands with
brand extension.
Fashion A contemporary style accepted in the given field.
Global Exposing brand into foreign markets.
Branding
Lifestyle A person’s pattern of living as expressed in their activities,
interests and preferences.
Market It is a marketing strategy of dividing a broad target market into
Segmentation groups of consumers, businesses, or countries having common
needs, interests, and priorities, and then designing and
implementing strategies to target them.
Market Share It is the percentage of the market's total sales earned by a
particular company over a specified time period.
Marketing Mix It is the selection of different Ps (Product/Service, Price, Place,
and Promotion) an organization uses to bring the product or
service to the market.
Multi-Brand It is the coherent collection of brands, sub-brands, and co-brands
Portfolio included in the overall offering of the company, where each brand
has a defined place and role.
Parent Brand The one under which a company launches a new product.
Sub-Brand The one which is associated with the already established brand.

Functions of Branding

Branding is a powerful instrument of promotion that performs the following

functions:

(i) Distinctiveness:

A brand name creates a distinctive impression among the customers. For

instance, different brands of soap such as ‘Cinthol’, ‘O.K.’, ‘Lux’, Tears’,
‘Vigil’, etc. create different impressions upon the users, though the article is
the same, i.e., soap. Thus, a branded product enjoys a distinct or separate
identity.

(ii) Publicity:

A brand name enables its holder to advertise his product without any
difficulty. Once a brand name becomes popular, people remember it for
long.

(iii) Protection of Goods:

Generally, the branded products are packed in suitable containers or

wrappers which provide protection to the goods against heat and moisture
and facilitate convenient handling. Customers derive many other benefits
from the branded products. They are assured of the quality of the branded
products.

(iv) Consumer Protection:

The prices of branded products are fixed by the manufacturers and are
printed on the packages. This protects the interest of the consumers
because the retailers cannot charge more than the printed prices. The
prices of branded goods remain fixed at different places and over a
considerable time.

(v) Wide Market:

Branded products are quite popular and have a wide market. The
wholesalers and retailers readily handle the branded products that are
advertised.

(vi) Customer Loyalty:

Branding ensures better quality at competitive prices. Branded products are

available in all parts of the country at uniform prices. This tends to create
brand loyalty on the part of customers. They ask for the goods by their
brand name such as Taj Mahal (tea leaves), Nescafe (Coffee), Tata
(Iodised Salt), Natraj (Pencils), etc.

Advantages to businesses

There are many advantages to businesses that build successful brands.

a. Higher Prices:

For highly branded products, consumers are prepared to pay a premium for
products or services that simply deliver core benefits, they are the expected
elements that justify a core price.

b. Higher Profit Margins:

Businesses that operate successful brands are also much more likely to
enjoy higher profits. A brand is created by augmenting a core product with
distinctive values that distinguish it from the competition.
c. Better Distribution:

A brand differentiates itself from the competition, the customer recognizes

the added value in an augmented product and chooses that brand in
preference, This creates demand and awareness in the market, and it is
easy to distribute the product in the market.

d. Customer Loyalty:

Successful brands are those that deliver added value in addition to the core
benefits. Alternatively, the consumer may be looking for the brand to add
meaning to his or her life in terms of lifestyle or personal image. Brands
such as Nike, Mercedes, Sony, or Microsoft ensure guarantee of quality.
Consistent high quality and performance generate customer loyalty.

TYPES OF BRANDS

A. According to the Market Area:

Brands based on the target market area:

1. Local Brand:

In this, the brands are decided keeping the local markets in mind. Thus,
there are different local brands for different markets.

2. Regional Brand:

In this, the brand name is for a particular region. Different regions will thus
have different brand names. The entire country may be divided into regions
like North, South, East, West, Central, etc.

3. National Brand:

When a particular product is available with the same brand name

throughout the country, it is referred to as a national brand.

4. International Brand:
When a particular product is available with the same brand name
throughout the world, it is known as an international brand.

A. According to the Number of Products:

A brand can also be classified based on the number of products it covers.

On this basis, brands can be of the following three types:

i) Family brand:

When all the products of a company are marketed with the same brand
name in different market segments, it is called a family brand.

For example, the Reliance Group uses its parent name to brand various
product lines like Reliance Petrochemicals, Reliance Communications,
Reliance Retail, etc.

ii) Product Line Brand:

When a company decides to give different names to different product lines

then it follows product line branding.

For example, Hindustan Unilever uses this strategy to brand its various
product lines like soaps, beverages, detergents, etc.

iii) Individual Brand:

When the company uses different names for the products in the same
product line, it is called an individual branding strategy.

For example, different individual brands of soaps are used by HUL like
Lifebuoy, Rexona, Vivel, etc.

C. According to Ownership:

Here, ownership determines the type of brand. Two types of brands are
based on ownership, which are as follows:

i) Manufacturer's Brand:
When the name of the manufacturer of the product is used for branding the
product, it is called the manufacturer's brand.

For example, it uses the name Samsung for branding its products like
smartphones, TVs, ACs, etc.

ii) Middlemen's Brand:

In this type of branding, instead of the manufacturer, it is the middlemen

whose name is used as the brand. The middlemen may be wholesalers,
retailers, etc.

Co-Branding

● Co-branding is a form of partnership, where two companies or brands

share their brand names, logos, etc., on one project, one product, or
one piece of software.
● Co-branding presents one offer, using the combined resources and
marketing power of two (or more) brands to sell it.
● 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.

Aim of Co-Branding

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.

Advantages of Co-branding

1. Expanded Reach:
Co-branding allows brands to tap into each other’s customer bases,
potentially reaching audiences they might not have accessed on their own.

2. Shared Costs:

Marketing and product development can be expensive. By collaborating,

brands can share the financial burden, making ventures more
cost-effective.

3. Increased Trust:

If a consumer trusts one brand and sees it partnering with another, they
might be more inclined to trust the second brand by association.

4. Innovation:

By combining the expertise and resources of two brands, there’s potential

for unique products or services that neither could have developed alone.

5. Risk Diversification:

If a new product fails, the blame and financial repercussions are shared,
making it slightly less risky than if a single brand ventured alone.

6. Enhanced Customer Value:

Customers can benefit from the combined strengths of both brands, often
receiving a product or service that’s of higher value than what either brand
could offer individually.

Disadvantages of Co-branding

1. Reputation Risk:

If one brand faces a scandal or negative publicity, it can potentially tarnish

the reputation of its co-branding partner.

2. Mismatched Brand Values:

If the brands don’t align in terms of values or target audience, the
collaboration might confuse customers or dilute brand identity.

3. Shared Profits:

While costs are shared, the profits from the venture also need to be
divided, which might result in lower returns than solo ventures.

4. Complex Decision-Making:

With two or more brands involved, decision-making processes can become

more complicated, leading to potential delays or conflicts.

5. Overdependence:

If one brand becomes too reliant on its partner for success, it might face
challenges if the partnership ends or if the other brand faces difficulties.

Co-Branding Strategy

Co-branding, the art of blending two brands for mutual benefit, isn’t just
about slapping two logos together. It’s a strategic move, aimed at
leveraging the strengths of both brands. Some of the most effective
co-branding strategies that businesses employ are

Market penetration

Meaning: This strategy involves two brands collaborating to

penetrate and establish a strong presence in a specific market
segment or demographic.

How it works: By combining the strengths and resources of both

brands, they can more effectively target and appeal to a particular
market segment.

Example: A high-end fashion brand partnering with a luxury car

brand for a limited edition vehicle. Both brands target the affluent
 market, and by collaborating, they can offer something unique to this
demographic.

Benefits:
· Enhanced visibility in the target market.
· Combined marketing efforts lead to cost savings.
· Mutual benefit as both brands gain access to each other’s
customer base.

Global brand strategy

Meaning: This strategy is employed when brands collaborate to

expand their reach globally, tapping into new international markets.

How it works: One brand with a strong presence in one region

partners with another brand dominant in another region.

Example: An Asian skincare brand partnering with a European

beauty retailer to introduce its products to the European market.

Benefits:
· Faster entry into foreign markets.
· Reduced risks associated with international expansion.
· Leverage local knowledge and the reputation of the partner
brand.

Brand reinforcement strategy

Meaning: Here, brands collaborate to strengthen and reinforce their

brand images or to revitalize a brand’s image.

How it works: Brands with similar values and images come together
to offer something that reinforces what they stand for.
 Example: An eco-friendly clothing brand partnering with a
sustainable footwear brand for a “green” fashion line.

Benefits:
· Reinforces brand values and image.
· Appeals to a loyal customer base of both brands.
· Can rejuvenate interest in older or stagnating brands.

Brand extension strategy

Meaning: This strategy involves brands venturing into product

categories or markets they haven’t previously explored.

How it works: A brand partners with another that has expertise in a

different product category, allowing the first brand to “extend” its
offerings.

Example: A popular coffee brand partnering with a chocolate brand

to introduce coffee-flavored chocolates.

Benefits:
· Diversification of product portfolio.
· Risk mitigation, as the brand is venturing into a new category
with a partner that has expertise in that area.
· Potential for tapping into a new customer segment

Co-Branding Examples

Tata Starbucks

Partnership: Tata Global Beverages and Starbucks formed a

partnership to open Starbucks outlets in India.
 Branding: The stores are co-branded as “Tata Starbucks” and offer a
blend of Starbucks’ global expertise with Tata’s local knowledge

Hero Honda

Partnership: Hero MotoCorp, an Indian motorcycle manufacturer,

had a long-standing joint venture with Honda, a Japanese automaker.

Branding: The partnership resulted in the co-branded motorcycles

known as “Hero Honda” until the companies decided to part ways in
2010.

Co-marketing vs. co-branding

Co-marketing occurs when two firms align their promotional campaigns

without necessarily creating a new, physical product or service. For
example, a music streaming service might agree to co-market with a
vehicle manufacturer. These partners may use a commercial to advertise
both the functionalities of the music streaming service and the quality of the
vehicle's sound system.

In contrast, co-branding is the process of partnering with other businesses

to develop a new brand in the form of a product or service. For example, a
candy brand might partner with an ice cream company to create a new
candy-flavored ice cream bar. When business leaders decide to co-brand
with each other, they share ideas and resources to develop a new product
or service and market it effectively to consumers.

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.

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. Identify and Establish Brand Positioning and Values
2. Designing and implementing brand marketing programs
3. Measuring and interpreting brand performance
4. Growing and sustaining brand equity

1. Identification of the Planning Process

 ● In this step of brand management, a company needs to understand
the values of strategic planning and ensure that it is adhered to by all
the company departments.
● A company’s values should be aligned with the strategic planning
process, and the focus should be on achieving the company’s vision
and mission.
● The planning process should be effective to make the other steps
effective in the strategic management process.

2. Brand Positioning

● Brand Positioning is the act of designing a proposal for the company

and analyzing its position in the market.
● In this step, a company tries to convince the consumers about the
company’s advantage over the other brands available in the market.
● With brand positioning, a consumer also understands the various
associations of the company that are linked to the brand.

3. Implementation of Brand Marketing

● The marketing of the brand is essential for effective working in the

market. In this step, a company must create a brand that is
acceptable to consumers.
● It includes choosing and designing the elements of the brand.
Elements of the brand include logos, symbols, images, and slogans.
● A marketer of the company will use these brand elements to promote
the brand in the market.
● It also includes creating strong, unique, and favorable brand
associations that can support the marketing programs and activities.

4. Measuring the Brand Performance

● After the step of brand marketing, the next step is to measure the
performance of the brand. Here, measuring means understanding the
effects of the marketing programs of the brand.
 ● With this step, a company can understand the value chain of the
brand by analyzing the financial impact of brand marketing
expenditures and investments.

5. Equity growth and sustainment of brand

● In the last step, a company needs to define its brand strategy. A

company can use techniques like brand-product matrix, brand
hierarchy, and brand portfolio tools to define the same.
● Brand equity management ensures the success of the company’s
future marketing programs.
● For measuring equity growth and brand sustainment, a market should
consider international factors, market segments, and types of
consumers.
● It can provide accurate and timely information for making better
decisions in the short and long run.

General Steps of Brand Building

The Brand stays in the minds of consumers and helps the company to grow
its market share and revenue. Here are a few basic steps to build a strong
brand:
● Study the market, need of the hour, competitors, and target audience.
Study the purpose of what you wish to accomplish through the brand.
● Decide brand personality, culture, and profile. Think of distinctive
features to stand out from the competitors.
● Identify how the stakeholders perceive the brand. Bridge the
perception gaps.
● Decide where you want the brand to position in the market.
● Create a plan and work on strategies where you want to place the
brand.
● Communicate the brand to consumers via TV ads, social media,
online marketing, etc.
● Make sure the consumers remember the brand.
 ● Evaluate if the consumers are influenced in the right way and if you
have accomplished the purpose.

Brand Positioning

● Brand positioning is an act of designing the company’s offering and

image to occupy a distinct place in the mind of the target market. –
Philip Kotler
● Brand positioning is a marketing strategy brands develop to establish
the uniqueness of their brand and convey its value proposition.
● It begins with a positioning statement, which companies use internally
to identify their target audience and build their brand identity.
● The purpose of positioning your brand is to make clear to your
consumers what you stand to offer and why you’re uniquely
positioned to serve them

Characteristics Of A Good Brand Positioning Strategy

Relevant
The positioning strategy you decide should be relevant according to the
customer. If he finds the positioning irrelevant while making the purchase
decision, you’re at a loss.

Clear
Your message should be clear and easy to communicate. E.g. Rich taste
and aroma you won’t forget for a coffee product gives out a clear image
and can position your coffee brand differently from competitors.

Unique
A strong brand positioning means you have a unique, credible, and
sustainable position in the customers’ minds. It should be unique or it’s of
no use.
Desirable
The unique feature should be desirable and should be able to become a
factor that the customer evaluates before buying a product.

Deliverable
The promise should have the ability to be delivered. False promises lead to
negative brand equity.

Points of difference
The customer should be able to tell the difference between your and your
competitor’s brand.

Recognizable Feature
The unique feature should be recognizable by the customer. This includes
keeping your positioning simple, and in a language that is understood by
the customer.

Validated by the Customer

Your positioning strategy isn’t successful until the time it is validated by the
customer. He is the one to decide whether you stand out or not. Hence, try
to be in his shoes while deciding your strategy.
Examples of brand positioning
McDonald’s brand positioning
McDonald’s sets itself apart by promoting to its customers both exceptional
service and consistency among its food products, across its many
locations. The company’s dedication to delighting its customers through
subliminal customer satisfaction and dedication to improving its operations
is received through the way the brand positions itself.

Dove’s brand positioning

Through its personal care products, Dove sets itself apart by focusing on
the natural and real beauty of women. Their brand positioning strategy
emphasizes how all women can embrace their authentic selves through the
use of their products. Dove utilizes brand campaigns and other marketing
tactics to position itself in an impactful way while resonating with their
customers.

UNIT II

Establishing brand values, Brand vision, Brand Elements, and branding for
Global Markets and competing with foreign brands. Brand Image Building,
Brand Loyalty Programs, and Brand Promotion Methods.

Brand Values
Brand values can be defined as the foundational beliefs that a company
stands for. They refer to the “ideals” guiding the brand’s actions, such as
environmental protection, diversity, solidarity, or transparency.
Brand values give meaning to the existence and actions of the brand and
form an essential part of the brand’s core identity

Examples of brand values are

● Integrity
● Value for money
● Innovation
● Reliability
● Craftsmanship
● Compassion
● Sustainability
● Transparency
● Flexibility
● Customer satisfaction
Importance of Brand Value
● Brand values matter because some consumers may choose products
or services based on their understanding of a company's underlying
values.
● Often, brand values reflect what's important to the company's target
audience, which can motivate consumers to purchase products or
services.
○ For example, a potential customer might choose to go to a
specific grocery store chain because it has a reputation for
excellent customer service. They might also buy a certain car
because the automobile manufacturer's brand represents
reliability.

Brand values and guiding principles

● A brand’s values are, in effect, a set of guiding beliefs that an
organization inherently follows and upholds in pursuit of its mission.
They define what the brand stands for.
● A brand’s guiding principles are the ‘how’ the brand should act and
behave to meet these values and achieve its goals.

Examples of brand values and guiding principles

Brand value: Transparency
Guiding principle: Communicating to customers about the origin
and manufacture of our products. To be transparent by showing our
publishing our pricing strategy in detail.

Brand value: Freedom

Guiding principle: Promoting a remote-first work culture that allows
employees to work from anywhere in the world.

Brand value: Simplicity

Guiding principle: We ensure that our brand communications are
clear, easy to understand, and aren’t overloaded with too much
information for the customer.
Brand Vision

Brand vision is the projection of the brand's future that establishes a social
presence. It should ultimately reflect the company's mission and values,
and it will be the foundation on which the business grows.

A brand vision should also explain what the business wants to achieve and
help guide every business decision. Having a strong brand vision requires
a strong brand identity and brand mission.

Brand vision vs. brand identity

Brand vision defines your company's future, while brand identity
establishes the visible elements of your brand that distinguish it from
competitors. The logo, color design, font choice, and slogans represent
brand identity.

Brand vision vs. brand mission

Brand mission focuses on the present, while the brand vision focuses on
the future. When you talk about what your brand will look like 5 years from
now and how it'll be relevant for future generations, that reflects how you
envision your brand. What you want your brand to achieve is your brand
vision.

A brand mission is about what your brand accomplishes and how your
company sustains those efforts based on the business's core beliefs and
values. These core beliefs and values should reflect your own and remind
you, your customers, and employees of the brand's purpose, ultimately
solving a consumer problem.

Importance of Brand Vision

Brand vision can help provide direction, differentiate you from
competitors, and drive brand activity.
Provides direction
● Brand vision serves as a compass for growing your business. For
instance, if you want to provide another service or add another
product to your business portfolio, you can refer to your brand vision
to confirm if it aligns with your brand identity and mission.
● Establishing a brand vision can help you build a strong marketing
strategy. Furthermore, it strengthens employee engagement.

Differentiates from the competition

● Having a clear sense of why your brand exists and what you want it
to achieve will strengthen your brand identity, differentiating it from
competitors.
● Brand vision is part of your brand's personality and an extension of
your core values. Overall, brand vision provides a clearer purpose of
your company goals that customers can choose to get behind if they
resonate with it.

Drives brand activity

● With a clear brand vision statement that reflects a strong brand
identity and mission statement, you'll gain a better idea of how to
market your products and services.

Elements of a Brand
There are eight essential elements of a brand as given below:

1. Brand Name: This is what people get to see

everywhere. It must be as simple and memorable as
possible, meaningful, easy to pronounce, and unique.
2. Logo: This can be anything from a piece of text to
abstract designs. It may be entirely unrelated to the
corporate activities. It must be relevant to the product
or service, iconic, and attractive.
3. Tone: This is how the seller communicates with the
consumer. It can be professional, friendly, or formal. It
builds the consumer’s perception of the brand.
4. Jingle: It must be pleasant to hear and hum, relevant
to the product, easy to remember, and easy to
understand over a large age group to connect
consumers with the brand.
5. Slogan: It summarizes the overall value proposition. It
should be short, easy to remember, and catchy. For
example, KFC’s slogan is “Finger-Lickin’ Good” and
Britannia’s is “Eat Healthy, Think Better”.
6. Packaging: It needs to be catchy and advertising,
drawing people to see the product inside. Also, it
needs to be compact, yet attractive.
7. Universal Resource Locator (URL): It forms the
domain name on the internet. A seller can register all
prospective variations of brand name URLs or can buy
the existing URL of a business.
8. Characters/Mascots: It is a special symbol, either
still, animated, or a real-life entity such as an animal or
a human character. For example, Vodafone’s Zoozoo
characters are played in its various advertisements by
humans wearing special white body suits.
Brand Identity
● It specifies that a brand has a goal that is different from the goals of
other parallel brands in the same market segment and it has
resistance to change.
● It is defined clearly and does not change over time. Brand identity is
fixed in nature being tied to fixed parameters such as the brand’s
vision, objective, field of competence, and overall brand charter.

Six Faces of Brand Identity

Brand identity can be represented by the six faces of a hexagon or a prism
as shown below

Brand Physique:
● It is the tangible and physical added value, as well as the backbone
of a brand. It considers a physical aspect of the brand:
 ● How it looks, what it is, and the flagship product of the brand, which
represents its qualities. For example, the dark color of Coke and
colorless Sprite.

Brand Personality:
● If a brand were a person, what kind of person would it be? Would it
be sincere (TATA Salt), exciting (Perk), rugged (Woodland),
sophisticated (Mercedes), elite (Versace)? The brand has a
personality that speaks for its products and services.
● When a famous character, spokesperson, or figurehead is used for
branding, it gives the brand an instant personality.

Culture:
● It is the set of values that governs and inspires the brand.
● Countries of origin, presence of brand over geographically diverse
regions, changing society, etc., play an important role in building a
brand’s culture.

Customer Self-Image:
It is what the brand can create in the customer’s mind and how the
customers perceive themselves after purchasing the product of a brand.

Customer Reflection:
It is the perception of a customer about the brand after using the brand. For
example, “The Thunderbird I purchased is value for price. It is giving me
the pleasure of leisure riding. Thanks to Royale Enfield.”

Relationship:
● Brands communicate, interact, and transact with the consumer. It is
the mode of conduct that defines the brand.
● This factor is vital for service brands.
● For example, in banking a cordial relationship develops faith in the
customers when it comes to handling their money with respect.

Branding for the Global Market

 ● Global branding is the process of creating a brand image that's
consistent in markets all over the world.
● The purpose of global branding is to help people from a variety of
countries and cultures recognize your brand.
● While some brands choose to cater to a more local, centralized
market, global brands choose to market to any country or region that
carries their offerings.
● Their marketing and messaging stay the same all over the world,
except for minor language or cultural adjustments. By keeping this
branding consistent, global brands can share their values overseas
and locally.

Benefits of global branding

These are some of the major benefits of global branding:
● Offers more consistency: Both brands and consumers can benefit
from the consistency of global branding. While brands can spread
their message across all continents, consumers can be sure they're
getting the same quality of product whether they're in, for example,
France or Brazil.
● Increases customer awareness: When the company you work for
sells products around the world, more people may become familiar
with your company's offerings. This familiarity may cause consumers
to search for your product instead of one they haven't seen as often.
● Reduces marketing costs: Rather than changing your campaign
based on local markets, your brand can save money on marketing by
keeping your advertisements and messaging consistent around the
globe.
● Saves on production costs: When you can keep your package
design the same across the world, this can save your brand money
on production costs. Along with saving money, this can contribute to
less waste, which might be good for the environment.
● Improves brand value: Engaging In global branding can potentially
increase the monetary value of the organization.
 ● Offers more economic stability: Companies that sell to more
markets tend to have more financial stability. Even if one of their
markets provides economic challenges, other segments in that
company's diverse audience base may continue to purchase at the
same pace.
● Optimizes profits: Ultimately, using an effective global branding
strategy can increase your overall sales, which might boost revenue

Potential drawbacks of global branding

Following are some of the potential disadvantages of expanding into
international markets, along with some possible solutions:
● Duration:
○ It can take a company months or potentially years to become
established in a new market. If you want to expand into
international markets, it's important to create a realistic
schedule of how long it might take to develop your branding and
increase sales in that market.
● Financial risk:
○ Diversifying your target market can have an increased financial
risk, as you might not see a return on your branding investment
immediately. Before you decide to engage in a global branding
strategy, make sure that you have enough in the budget to
sustain your other marketing efforts for several months or
longer.
● Legal issues:
○ Expanding into international markets can sometimes mean
encountering unfamiliar legal issues, such as those posed by
local legislation. That's why it's crucial for companies to
research any local or national regulations that might affect the
distribution, marketing, or sales of their products or services in
international markets.

Factors Affecting Global Branding

 Culture of Consumers:
● The values the consumers follow.
● The customs they observe.
● Particular symbols and language they use.
● The tone of their behavior.
● Consumer’s level of income and buying power.

Economic Status of the country

● Power supply.
● Infrastructure.
● Communication systems.
● Distribution systems.

Laws and Regulations

● Is it lawful?
● Political stability of the country.

Brand Loyalty
● Brand loyalty occurs when a customer chooses to repeatedly
purchase a product produced by the same company instead of a
substitute product produced by a competitor.
● For example, some people will always buy Coke at the grocery store,
while other people will always purchase Pepsi.

Types of Brand Loyalty

1. Hard-Core Brand Loyalty
● Hard-core brand loyal customers are extremely overexcited
regarding a particular brand and only positively associated with
it.
● That means the customer has had an exceptional experience,
meaning they recollect the brand with fondness.
● Generally, a brand with hard-core customers will be
characterized by the best innovative skills in their products such
 that they will impress a section of customers such that they
cannot buy their products from other brands.

2. Split Loyal Customers

● Split customers refer to those who love more than one brand
but limit their choice to two or three brands.
● Such customers make the best target base for most companies.
By incorporating a limited nudge and engaging such customers
in their native language

3. Shifting Loyal Customers

● The shifting loyal customers refer to the ones with a mixture of
hard-core and split-loyal customers.
● Generally, such customers will buy their products from one
brand over a certain period and then change their loyalty to
another brand. After that, they will remain loyal to the second
brand.

4. Switching Customers
● The switching customers are not loyal to a particular brand. For
various reasons, the switchers will keep on buying their
products from different brands.
● For instance, if a customer bought an iPhone today and might
love to buy an Android phone when they shop next. That means
such customers will want to experience new products every
time they shop.

FACTORS OF BRAND LOYALTY

Brand loyalty is the positive probability that a satisfied customer would buy
the same products or services repeatedly. Certain factors which influence
brand loyalty amongst customers is as follows.

1. Product Quality: High-quality products ensure high customer

satisfaction which helps induce brand loyalty among customers.
2. Brand Image: A customer-friendly brand image that offers consistent
brand equity is a positive driver for making customers loyal to a brand.
3. Perceived Value: The value offered by the brand versus the price paid is
of importance. If the customer feels it has value, it creates brand loyalty in
the consumer's mind. Value can be increased by a loyalty discount or a
loyalty program by companies.
4. Switching Cost: If a cheaper option is available with similar product
quality, customers can switch their brand, and hence it is an important
factor.
5. Availability & Service: Good products must be available when a
customer requires them to create customer loyalty., good after-sales
service also adds value to a positive mindset.
6. Customer Psychology: Sometimes brand loyalty is totally dependent
on customer psychology, where good products can have no loyalists and
poor products can have a following.

Brand Promotion
Brand promotion involves informing, reminding, persuading convincingly,
and influencing the buyers to drive their purchasing decision in favor of a
brand. It also focuses on building a loyal and long-term customer base.

The process involves

● Marketing the brand name and logo rather than individual products
● Popularising the mission statement and focusing on building brand
equity
● Gaining publicity through mass marketing strategies and enhancing
brand perception
● Sometimes, making use of the existing customer base to promote the
brand.

The importance of Brand Promotion

Brand Promotion is not only beneficial to business houses but also to
consumers.
Benefits To The Business
● It helps the business to build a long-term brand.
● Sometimes helps in building the overall market share in the short
term as well.
● It reminds the loyal customers how well the brand has served them
over the years and persuades their purchasing decision towards their
branded products.

Benefits To Consumers
● It educates the customers about the quality, quantity, price, use, and
availability of their branded products.
● It saves the time and effort of the customer in making a purchasing
decision as they are well informed.
● It gives them greater freedom of choice and prevents dishonest
traders from exploiting them

Difference between Brand Promotion and Product Promotion

● Brand promotion is a broader and long-term strategy where the firm
makes an effort to build and maintain a brand image along with the
trust of the buyers which helps them make their foundation, as a
brand, stronger. For example,
○ Nestle uses the tagline “Good Food, Good Life” which not only
promotes a particular product but the entire Nestle brand.
○ Some firms try to establish themselves as the leaders in
innovation just like Philips does by using the tagline “Innovation
and You”.

● On the other hand, product promotion is a short-term process that

solely aims at promoting a particular product of the brand.
● It mainly focuses on providing information regarding the availability of
features and uses of the product to the targeted customers.
● It is all about simulating the demand for a particular product by
creating awareness and highlighting its importance
 ○ For example, KitKat is one of the products of the Nestle brand.
When an advertisement particularly Kitkat bar is promoted, it
falls under product promotion.

Methods Of Brand Promotion

The following are the four popular methods used by marketers to promote
their brands.
● Advertising:
○ Advertising is the method of spreading awareness about the
brand through various traditional media (newspapers,
television, etc.) or new media (social media, blogs, etc.).
Although it is a convenient and economical process, it lacks a
personal touch.
● Publicity:
○ It refers to the method of promoting the brand by publishing
commercially significant headlines about it or its owner in a
medium or airing favorable presentations for which the sponsor
doesn’t directly pay. Mass media covers these events which
enhances the public image of the brand and hence earns high
credibility with mass appeal. However, marketers don’t have
much control over publicity.
● Packaging:
○ When a product is sealed in a nicely designed wrapper, it not
only gives a noticeable identity to the product but also builds the
image of the brand. Nowadays, firms are favoring innovatively
designed wrappers to pack their products. Even the customers
are willing to pay more for the convenience, dependability, and
appearance of the packages.
● 360° Campaign:
○ A 360° campaign uses a combination of different marketing
channels to promote a brand. Usually, a successful campaign
can boost sales unbelievingly.