Branding

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What is Branding?

Branding is the process by which both a brand and brand identity are developed through selecting and blending tangible and intangible attributes to differentiate a product, service or corporation (See also: Corporate Reputation, Online Reputation) in an attractive, meaningful and compelling way. An association is being made between the (name of the) product and various values, images, awareness, recognition, qualities, features and benefits.

It is also described as the process of building a unique and favorable image for a product or company that differentiates it in the minds of prospects and end users from other competitors. The process typically involves creating a unique name, symbol, design and other things that can distinguish the brand from others.

Benefits of Branding. Advantages

One of the main questions in establishing a proper branding strategy is: Should we establish our own brand name or should we engage exclusively in reseller brands (private labels or own label brands? Medium-sized companies with limited resources and specialized knowledge may prefer to sell their products without having their own brand. However, there are considerable benefits of (own) branding:

1. Consumer Behavior Influences buying patterns in a profitable way.
2. Customer Loyalty: Through brand recognition and awareness, branding gives company the opportunity to increase the amount of loyal and profitable customers.
3. Corporate Image: Strong brands increase the corporate image, thus making it easier to launch new brands and obtain more acceptance by distributors and consumers.
4. Product Identification: Brand names makes it easier for the company to process orders and determine problems.
5. Segmentation: Branding helps the company to segment markets.
6. Legal Protection: The brand name and logo of the company can provide legal protection of unique product features, which competitors may seek to copy.
7. Higher perceived value: Enables premium pricing.

Disadvantages of Branding. Cons

Some of the potential drawbacks of branding are:

1. Cost: High costs associated with creating and maintaining a strong brand.
2. Risks: Risk of brand dilution or negative associations.
3. Static: Once established, the flexibility/adaptability to changing market conditions or consumer preferences is limited.

Source: Kotler, P. (2003) Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control. 11th edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall

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Information Sources Various sources of information regarding Branding. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops. A Service-Oriented View on Marketing Service-Dominant Logic, Perspectives on Marketing Presentation about a service-dominant logic mindset in marketing, including the following sections: 1. Getting the logi... The Internet / Social Media Revolution Social Media, Internet Strategy, Internet Impact, Digital Revolution Video shows how fast social media is growing. And gives a clear status of the position of social media by 2014. Great s... Martin's Trust Model: The Trust Matrix Trust, Corporate Reputation, Corporate Branding, Corporate Image An important determinant of the reputation of your brand, company or sector is TRUST. In the financial sector for exampl... Brand Stretching and Extension Brand Management, Brand Identity, Global Brand, Meta Brand Presentation that is mainly about Brand Stretching and branding in a Global Context. The presentation includes many exam... Branding Cities: City Branding City Branding, Branding Strategies This presentation is about city branding. It explains how to successfully brand cities. The following sections are inclu... Country Branding: Branding a Country Country Branding, Place Branding This presentation is about branding a country or another geographic location. Next to the outline, there are several cou... Video Introduction of Branding Initial Understanding of Branding 4-minute intro to what a brand is and what branding is. We live in a brand saturated world. That is why it so important... Introduction to Managing Brands Brand Management, Brand Loyalty, Brand Equity Presentation about brand management. Table of content: MANAGING BRANDS FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE - Brand Loyalty: bra... Sports Marketing needs to be done by Professionals Sponsoring Strategy, Sponsoring Implementation, Brand Management Lou Imbriano explains sports marketing (sponsoring) has a bad name in companies because a lot of people are doing it poo... How Sponsoring Enhances and Supports other Marketing Elements Initial Understanding of the Added Value of Sponsoring Fiona Green explaines that sponsoring is valuable to support and enhance other marketign elemenets such as CRM, PR, adve... Understand the Basics Behind Sport Sponsoring Initial Understanding of Sport Sponsoring A sponsorship is a business contract between a company and an individual, a club, a team or an event in which the compan... Jennifer Aaker on Branding Jennifer Aaker on Branding Jennifer Aaker explains the difference between brand and branding: - "Branding" is just the tip of the iceberg (the mar...

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Compare also: Brand Personality  |  Brand Identity Prism  |  Unbranding  |  Cross-Branding  |  Unaided Recall  |  Brand Recognition  |  Brand Equity Model

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