Advantages

Awarness and loyalty

Branding helps consumers develop a specific image that contains the qualities and characteristics
business owners want consumers to associate with their business and its products or services. For
example, cartoon images of a happy dog may help a consumer feel more comfortable using a
particular pet grooming service

Protection from competition

Brands offer a certain amount of legal protection from competition because of trademark law. A
trademark can be any unique word, device, or symbol that distinguishes a company. Nike's
swoosh and Apple's apple are both trademarked items.

Disadvantage

Increased expense

One major disadvantage of branding is the expense. Designing a brand involves significant
research, naming development, graphic design, and brand identity integration, which aren't
cheap. Business owners may feel pressured to increase the price of their products to compensate
for the increased expense, which could cause customers to switch products

Negative Attributes

If a product or service experiences a negative event, that will become attached to the brand. For
example, a massive recall or unintentionally offensive ad campaign can tarnish a company’s
brand and image, causing the company to need to build a whole new brand and identity to
recapture its place in the market.

Brand Equity

Brand equity means that a company has established a brand or product that is associated with a
certain product.For examples The Jack Daniels brand name is associated with Tennessee
Whiskey for a number of years. However, the brand name has been extended into barbecue
sauces and other condiments.
Steps

Introduce a Quality Product into the Marketplace – This may seem obvious but it is
extremely important to deliver a product that attracts a positive reaction from consumers. This
can be achieved through labeling, packaging, delivery or the value its offers to users.
Monitoring Trends and Competitors – A strong brand has the ability to adapt to changes in
the marketplace in order to stay relevant. To achieve this, marketers must monitor industry
trends and market conditions.
Build a Consistent Brand Image – It is important to reinforce your brand by providing a
consistent positive experience in the minds of consumers.
Consistency of Brand Messaging – When creating your brand messaging ensure that it is
easy to remember and reminds consumers about the qualities that they care most about.
Capture Customer Feedback – Since the real power of a brand exists in the mind of
consumers, it is necessary for marketers to always capture and analyze customer feedback.

Positioning is the space your brand occupies in the brains of your customers. It makes customers
view your product in a unique way and makes it stand out from the competition.For example
Colgate is positioned as protective.

Build amazing Value in your offerings

When a customer chooses your brand, he is most likely choosing it through all the
different products you have in your portfolio and the feelings he has for those products combined,
rather than picking a single product. Hence, the more value you add to each product that you
launch, the more likelihood of you having an excellent and well-managed brand equity.

Example – Samsung has many products but it is a clear market leader in Smartphones. However,
the brand equity which Samsung has earned in smartphones have rubbed across its televisions,
refrigerators and others.

2) Continuous Differentiation
A brand which was formed on the pillars of differentiation needs to continue the differentiation
over the years to stay alive and thrive in a tough business environment. A perfect example of this
scenario is Apple.

Example – Apple as a brand was known for its innovation and strong differentiation by
launching Ipad, Ipod, Iphone and others. It is with the iPhone that Apple is facing most challenges
in managing brand equity. Time and time again, Apple has to challenge the many smartphone
makers and differentiate its brand to rank on top

Importance of Brand Reinforcing

The marketers adopt this strategy to remind customers about the brand and its long-lasting
benefits. In order to keep the brand in the minds of the customer, several innovations, researches,
and creative marketing programs are made in line with the changing marketing trends.For
example Advertising is one of the most common and easy tool of brand reinforcement. By
showing the ads frequently on TV, Internet, Bulletins, Billboard, Radio, etc.

Brand Revitalizing strategies

1. Become Customer-Centric
Your customers are vital to the success of your brand. If you’re experiencing problems with a
flagging brand, one highly effective way to turn things around can be to really focus on them—
essentially, to find out what your customers want, and give it to them.

As an example, Delta Airlines recently instituted a more customer-centric approach that saved
the organisation from near-certain failure.
4. Reach Out to Your Community
Similar to appealing to customers, becoming a community-oriented brand can help you
revitalise your image and revive lagging sales.
One successful example of a community-oriented brand is Chipotle Mexican Grill, a restaurant
chain based in Denver, Colorado

 Steps to brand crisis

1. Anticipate and prepare: As with any marketing plan, preparation is essential. Develop
and strengthen your brand. Identify the key brand attributes that define your company. The
stronger your corporate reputation, the more likely you are to weather the storm with a less
severe impact and a shorter recovery time.
2. Define risk & react appropriately: Crises vary in intensity and potential damage to your
company. Assess the threat level by investigating the nature of the scandal, the damage
done, who is at fault and how much of your organization is affected. Once you’ve outlined
your steps to address the issue, move as quickly as you can.
3. Look long term: While it’s tempting to stop when the media quit calling, your work as a
marketer has just begun. Brand repair is a long-term process and requires a careful and
deliberate return to your original brand attributes. Work methodically to build trust with
your consumers and help guide their perception of you back to its original position.
4. Find an opportunity: Often, crises expose opportunities for companies. In the 1980s,
Tylenol overcame its crisis by implementing new safety measures that allowed the
company to position itself as a safety leader in the market. Think critically about the crisis
in order to identify and exploit these potential opportunities.

5. Transmedia Branding

transmedia branding prioritizes the audience, comprised of hopefully mostly intelligent people,
taking the calculated risk to engage and create a conversation.

 Interacting with customers (use of media, technology and how to engage customers)
1. Respond quickly

Encourage customers to engage with your brand on social media by providing fast, personal
replies. Quick responses can start conversations and defuse negative situations. Burt’s Bees,
which has more than 2.8 million Facebook followers, regularly responds to comments and
questions within minutes or hours. Many responses are signed by individual employees to
increase transparency and build trust.

2. Create compelling graphics

Beautiful, easy-to-understand graphics are some of the most important tools in your social media
arsenal. They stand out in a crowded news feed and provide a high-impact sharing option. Create
graphics that tell a story with text and imagery. Increase relevance by linking the graphic to a
related article on your website or blog. One graphic can be shared across Facebook, Pinterest,
Instagram, and Twitter, and don’t be afraid to add a personal comment: Facebook suggests that
businesses can boost engagement by combining a high-quality image with a short, instructive
caption.

3. Add value

Long-form social media tools such as blogs, Tumblr, and LinkedIn enable you to add valuable
content for your target audience. A manufacturing company might provide tips for extending the
lifetime of a product, for example, while an accounting firm might offer unexpected tax write-
offs. Post the link to other social media accounts to drive traffic back to the original post, and
encourage click-throughs with an attention-grabbing title, a compelling preview image and a
short comment.

Learning Outcome 2

 Brand portfolio

When large businesses operate under multiple different brands, services and companies, a brand
portfolio is used to encompass all these entities under one umbrella.For example consider the Hilton
brand. In addition to the Hilton Hotels and Resorts brand, the company also owns numerous other
business entities, which are all grouped under the brand portfolio name Hilton
Worldwide(Smallbusiness.chron.com, 2018)

Types of brand Portfolio

A sub-brand maintains the greatest distance from the parent company and may present
itself to the public as a somewhat separate organization.

An endorsed brand is presented as an offering of the parent company rather than as a

distinctly different line of products. If an organization introduces an entirely new brand, it
may use some of the parent company’s marketing heft and recognition to help the new
line gain momentum; these introductions are known as new brands.

 Advantages of brand portfolio

Brand portfolios allow businesses to compete in many different marketplaces with an

array of product lines. The different brands under which the company presents its
products and services allow the organization to differentiate its products from its other
lines. GM, for example, uses its Cadillac brand to compete in the luxury market,
participates in the work truck arena under the GMC brand and operates under the
OnStar brand in the in-car services marketplace. (Bizfluent.com, 2018)

Portfolio Size

The size of an organization’s brand portfolio can vary significantly from industry to
industry and even from business to business. While there is no ideal number of brands,
professional business consultants at McKinsey & Company recommend keeping brand
portfolios as small as possible to minimize administrative expenses associated with
operating multiple brands.

 Steps towards a smart brand portfolio

 Make sure that each brand has a well-defined role or set of roles to
playin each product-market context that it is expected to contribute. Each
brand needs to be actively managed in order to be successful within that
role.

2. Identify the strategic brands that will play a driver role in

supporting major businesses or product platforms in the future. A
brand is said to have “a driver role” when it drives the purchase decision
and defines the use experience. A brand with a driver role will represent
the offering and summarize its value proposition and lead the charge
against competitors into the product market

3. Understand the roles of sub-brands and endorsed brands when

deciding how to brand a new offering. A sub-brand will allow some
distance from a master brand, an endorsed brand more, and a new brand
the most. How much distance is needed? Three questions are involved in
branding new offerings and deciding whether a new brand is needed.

Brand portfolio strategy is intimately connected to the business

strategy, which specifies the product-market growth directions and the
associated value propositions. So you need to articulate the business
strategy(Brand and Marketing Consultancy | Prophet, 2018).

Brand Hierachy

A brand hierarchy is a means of summarizing the branding strategy by displaying the

number and nature of common and distinctive brand elements across the firm’s
products, revealing the explicit ordering of brand elements.

Types

The product–brand strategy

It is widely known that a brand is at the same time a symbol, a word, an object and a
concept: a symbol, since it has numerous facets and it incorporates figurative symbols
such as logos, emblems, colours, forms, packaging and design.

The line brand strategy

Deglaude Laboratories launched a product brand, Foltene: a single product associated

with a single benefit, the regrowth of hair. A strong TV advertising campaign made the
market explode and Foltene became the leader with a single product and a 55 per cent
market share(Anon, 2018).
  Product branding & why it is important?

1. United: Branding links your name, logo, online presence,

product/services and appeal to the masses. Make marketing skills
consistent and the content the same across all channels. This brings a
united and clear message to customers, future partnerships and their
competitors.

2. Asset: A brand is an asset. What you present to the public is a huge

chunk of your business. The worth is just as much as revenue and
sales. A lot is at stake; finances, creativity and time is on the
line. Branding will make the difference between revenue/sales and
debt/liquidation.

3. Sales: Speaking of sales, branding will create sales and revenue for
your business. You will make money based on how the branding
marketing strategies work out. Customers will be tempted to test you
out, and your results will determine if you make more sales.

4. Deliverance: Branding is a proclamation. You hereby state that you

will deliver on your promises and claims the company
makes. Everything the company stands for should be spread
throughout the organization too. Otherwise the company will be
disconnected and customers will be confused and grow distant. If you
are not willing to make promises you can't keep, don't state it on your
brand(Tungate, 2018).
 What is brand equity model?

In simple terms, “brand equity” is a construct that is designed to reflect the

real value that a brand name holds for the products and services that it
accompanies(Insightsassociation.org, 2018)
Application of brand equity model
1. Methodology
Keller’s model was originally developed for consumer markets. It has been tested for the B2B
context; more precisely on the government market (Kuhn et al., 2008), but there is no previous
research about its applicability on specific industrial markets. That gap in research was a trigger
for us

2. B2B brand equity One of the most intriguing concepts connected to B2B brands is certainly
the concept of B2B brand equity. Aaker (1991) points out that brand equity is a set of brand
assets and liabilities linked to a brand. This concept is found to be applicable across different
contexts including B2B markets (Aaker, 1996; Keller, 2003), however interrelationships between
the initial dimensions of the brand equity concept are still under research(Sinčić Ćorić and Jelić,
2015)
 How to assess your product through market research

Size of the market – this means identifying how big the market is, which is crucial in
determining whether or not there is room for your product. For example, if there are already
multiple businesses offering the same product, why are consumers going to need a new
option? If you proceed, you will need to make sure there is room for your product in the
market.

Growth – if your product has a market, you need to make sure there is room for growth and
that you will be able to push sales into the future. Just because there is high demand now,
doesn’t necessarily mean there will be continuous growth into the future.

Market share – market share basically means how much percentage of the market your
business holds. If you are losing market share to other businesses, or the market is already
full and there is no room to compete, you might want to consider moving on. If you cannot
hold the market, then you will not be able to reach customers(Stewart, 2018).

Focus Groups

Focus groups are usually conducted at focus group facilities. These facilities have one-way mirrors
so managers can listen to consumers' feedback about their products and services

Phone Surveys

Companies use phone surveys to further validate information obtained from focus groups and one-
on-one interviews.For example, a bank may conduct 300 phone surveys to measure how satisfied
customers are with its customer service.
Testing

Companies often take marketing research one step further with actual test marketing. For example,
the restaurant company may actually roll its chicken meal out into five of its 10 local restaurants,
advertising the meal on local television and radio and through coupon magazine
ads(Smallbusiness.chron.com, 2018).

Learning outcome 3

 What is brand extension?

Brand Extension is the use of an established brand name in new product categories. This new category
to which the brand is extended can be related or unrelated to the existing product categories.for example
For instance, Nike’s brand core product is shoes. But it is now extended to sunglasses, soccer balls,
basketballs, and golf equipments(Managementstudyguide.com, 2018).

 Advantanges & disadvantages of brand extension

a. It increases brand image.

b. The risk perceived by the customers reduces.
c. The likelihood of gaining distribution and trial increases. An established brand name increases
consumer interest and willingness to try new product having the established brand name.
d. The efficiency of promotional expenditure increases. Advertising, selling and promotional costs
are reduced. There are economies of scale as advertising for core brand and its extension
reinforces each other.

Disadvantages

e. Brand extension in unrelated markets may lead to loss of reliability if a brand name is extended
too far. An organization must research the product categories in which the established brand
name will work.
f. There is a risk that the new product may generate implications that damage the image of the
core/original brand.
g. There are chances of less awareness and trial because the management may not provide
enough investment for the introduction of new product assuming that the spin-off effects from the
original brand name will compensate.
h. If the brand extensions have no advantage over competitive brands in the new category, then it
will fail.

Fit vs leverage
A brand can be successfully be extended to a new category only if the consumer believes the brand is
logical fit where as leverage means when I person tell to consumer there is a x brand of this category,the
consumer can instantly figure out what the differentiation is and what the attributes are likely to
be(Brandextension.org, 2018)
  What is brand reinforcement?

The Brand Reinforcement majorly focuses on maintaining the Brand

Equity by keeping the brand alive among both the existing and new customers.

The Brand Revitalization is the marketing strategy adopted when the product
reaches the maturity stage of product life cycle, and profits have fallen
drastically.For example Mountain Dew, A Pepsi product, was launched in 1969
with the tagline “Yahoo Mountain Dew” that flourished in the market till
1990(Business Jargons, 2018).

 How to revitalize a brand?

1. Think of the product in new ways – when you redefine what something is or could be, you reframe its
context and it’s much easier to redefine what it can be used for. When you stop thinking of milk as a drink,
for example, and start thinking of it as a food, as Fonterra did, you change the scope of the product
you’re working with in so many ways.
2. Redefine who you want to be a brand to – if the current audience places a declining level of value on
it, think about who might be able to use it in ways that enable you to regain value. Starbucks redefined
the value of coffee globally by making coffee hip, urbane and tailored to individual taste. Now they’re
looking to do the same thing with tea. In a world that really does believe it’s seen or searched it all,
discovery is a powerful consumer motive.
3. Change what it looks like – sometimes changing the value of a commodity can be as simple as
changing how it appears to others. Think about the difference in pricing and perception between bottled
beer and beer on tap. However, new packaging alone won’t make up for a product that doesn’t add value.
What it can do is signal the unrealized value that you want consumers to take up on.
4. Formulate your offer in different ways – the water industry changed how we think of water by adding
vitamins and/or carbon dioxide and then segmenting those offers to specific audiences. Today, the world
spends more than $100 billion a year on bottled water. What could you do to what you have to make it
more than it is right now(Somma, 2018).

 Brand collaboration & partnership

Co-branding is a strategic marketing and advertising partnership between
two brands wherein the success of one brand brings success to its partner
brand, too. Co-branding can be an effective way to build business, boost
awareness, and break into new markets for example One of the biggest
benefits of co-branding campaigns is the opportunity to expose your product
or service to a brand new audience (Bernazzani, 2018).
 Benefits of brand partnership

Positive brand perception

A collaboration brings together the statuses of two separate brands in an effort

to benefit both of their reputations. This is why it’s essential that both partners
see eye-to-eye on target consumers and brand values

Innovation gets attention

A co-branded product demands attention, especially if it’s an item with a limited

run. Popular collabs can be talked about for years to come, continually
reinforcing brand awareness through nostalgic connections. If products have a
fruitful run, they can even be brought back to market like Hi-C’s Ghostbusters
drink, which was revived to promote the 2016 reboot.

Reach a new audience

Even companies based in the same industry can partner up if the market is large
enough. The fashion industry is a prime example, encompassing high street
brands as well as high fashion designers(Agency, 2018).

Global brands are brands that are recognized throughout much of the world.
Companies intending to create global brands need to do the following: Identify the
relative attractiveness of each market for your brand for example

Apple

Arguably the most successful global brand of our time, we can all learn a thing or two from
Apple. When it comes to its products(2012books.lardbucket.org, 2018).
A marketing strategy that aims to make a brand occupy a distinct position, relative to
competing brands, in the mind of the customer. For example, a car maker may
position itself as a luxury status symbol(Wilkinson, 2018).

References
Smallbusiness.chron.com. (2018). What Is a Brand Portfolio?. [online] Available at:
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/brand-portfolio-59047.html [Accessed 25 Mar.
2018].
Bizfluent.com. (2018). [online] Available at: https://bizfluent.com/facts-7484260-
brand-portfolio.html [Accessed 25 Mar. 2018].

References
Brand and Marketing Consultancy | Prophet. (2018). 10 Steps to A Successful Brand
Portfolio Strategy | Prophet Thinking. [online] Available at:
https://www.prophet.com/2012/09/10-steps-to-a-successful-brand-portfolio-
strategy/ [Accessed 25 Mar. 2018].

References
Anon, (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.wisdomjobs.com/e-
university/strategic-brand-management-tutorial-350/the-main-types-of-brand-
architecture-10992.html [Accessed 25 Mar. 2018].

References
Tungate, M. (2018). 10 Reasons Why Branding is Important to Your Company.
[online] Blog.envisionitsolutions.com. Available at:
http://blog.envisionitsolutions.com/10-reasons-why-branding-is-important-to-
your-company [Accessed 25 Mar. 2018].

References
Insightsassociation.org. (2018). Brand Equity Models and Measurement | Insights
Association. [online] Available at: https://www.insightsassociation.org/issues-
policies/best-practice/brand-equity-models-and-measurement [Accessed 25 Mar.
2018].

References
Sinčić Ćorić, D. and Jelić, D. (2015). Applicability of Keller’s brand equity model in
the B2B chemical market. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 28(1),
pp.1006-1017.

References
Stewart, C. (2018). How to Use Market Research to Assess a Market. [online]
Blog.marketresearch.com. Available at: https://blog.marketresearch.com/how-to-
use-market-research-to-assess-a-market [Accessed 25 Mar. 2018].
References
Managementstudyguide.com. (2018). Brand Extension - Meaning, Advantages and
Disadvantages. [online] Available at:
https://www.managementstudyguide.com/brand-extension.htm [Accessed 25 Mar.
2018].

References
Brandextension.org. (2018). [online] Available at:
http://www.brandextension.org/articles/flbe.pdf [Accessed 25 Mar. 2018].

References
Business Jargons. (2018). What is Brand Revitalization? definition and meaning -
Business Jargons. [online] Available at: https://businessjargons.com/brand-
revitalization.html [Accessed 25 Mar. 2018].

References
Somma, M. (2018). 9 Strategies To Revive Your Brand. [online] Branding Strategy
Insider. Available at: https://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2013/11/9-
strategies-to-revive-your-brand.html#.Wrc984hubIU [Accessed 25 Mar. 2018].

References
Bernazzani, S. (2018). 10 Examples of Successful Co-Branding Partnerships (And
Why They're So Great). [online] Blog.hubspot.com. Available at:
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/best-cobranding-partnerships [Accessed 25
Mar. 2018].

References
Agency, J. (2018). 4 Benefits of Brand Partnerships - JGM Agency. [online] JGM
Agency. Available at: http://www.jgmagency.co.uk/benefits-of-brand-
partnerships/ [Accessed 25 Mar. 2018].

References
Wilkinson, J. (2018). Market Positioning • The Strategic CFO. [online] The Strategic
CFO. Available at: https://strategiccfo.com/market-positioning/ [Accessed 25
Mar. 2018].

References
2012books.lardbucket.org. (2018). Global Branding Versus Global Positioning.
[online] Available at: https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/global-strategy/s09-
01-global-branding-versus-global-.html [Accessed 25 Mar. 2018].