Understanding Branding: Key Benefits and Strategies for Effective Stakeholder Communication
This presentation delves into the fundamentals of branding, highlighting its significance and impact on both consumers and businesses. By the end of the session, students will be equipped to identify the advantages of branding, explain its effectiveness over non-branding, and understand how different brands communicate various dimensions. Additionally, it explores stakeholder identification, communication strategies, and the varied perceptions of corporate brands. Participants will learn to build a consistent brand message that resonates with diverse audiences and meets stakeholder needs.
Understanding Branding: Key Benefits and Strategies for Effective Stakeholder Communication
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Presentation Transcript
Markoms B 2002-3 presentation #B304 Branding Background
Learning Outcomes • By the end of the session, students will be able to • list 5 benefits of branding • describe why branding works better than non-branding • list 5 examples of how different brands communicate different dimensions • describe with examples how the perception of a corporate brand varies dependent upon the stakeholder — product brand,employer brand etc.
Part 1 • GeneralRevision
Stakeholder Communications identify stakeholders identify needs and satisfaction identify current communication methods prioritise and set objectives build a consistent message implement control and evaluate
Identification of Stakeholders • External Stakeholders • shareholders and Financial Stakeholders • customers • distribution channels • pressure groups • media • Internal Stakeholders • staff • management
Stakeholder Satisfactionand Attitudes • If a stakeholder's needs are being met, they will be satisfied and have a positive attitude • If a stakeholder’s needs are not being met, they will be unhappy and have a negative attitude • NB: Communication Needs only
Part 2 • Branding Overview
Meeting the Customer’sNeeds and Wants the customer her requirements £50
The Offer: the Customer’s Perspective on Buying • our offer • physical attributes • price • psychological attributes • channel £60 • competitor offer • physical attributes • price • psychological attributes? • channel £30 £70
What the Customer Perceives: The Brand The totality of what the consumer takes into consideration before making a purchase decision (Picton & Broderick 2001)
Perceiving More Than Just the Product … Levi’s Jeans Product Five pocket western heavyweight denim jeans Brand The original and definitive jeans. The embodiment of jeans values (freedom, individuality, rebellion, sex,masculinity, originality and youth).
Basic Definition A Brand is defines as a name, logo or symbol that distinguishes a product from other products or commodities,and which is protectable in lawthrough intellectual property rights
Brand = Brand Image • Brand Image is defined as“the perception of the brand held by the market” • NB • brands do not exist in isolation • the perception depends on the audience
Exercise #1 • How do you view the following ‘brands’ as a customer and as a prospective employee? • Virgin Rail or Central Trains • UCE • Unilever
Dimensions of Brand Perceptions • Brand dimensions comprise • connative (physical functionality)(size, colour, etc. of Dyson) • cognitive (logical)(cyclone vortex) • affective (emotional)(trustworthiness of the Dyson brand)
What We Perceive Brand Potential Augmented Brand Much Markoms communicates information on attributes and benefits. This creates awareness and reinforces/change attitudes Basic Brand CoreBenefit
Part 3 • Branding Strategy
The Company Perspectiveof The Brand • The totality of what the consumer takes into consideration before making a purchase decision (Picton & Broderick 2001) • The totality of what a distribution channel takes into account when considering stocking our brand • The totality of what a potential shareholder takes into account before investing in a company
Benefits of Brandingto the Company • Benefits include • asset value(brand financial value, brand equity) • higher profit margins • protectable competitive advantage • resilience in a recession • facilitates experiential, vicarious and cognitive learning
Benefits of Brandingto the Customer • Benefits include • reduces the “misery of choice” • facilitates routine buying(key part of packaging) • useful when cognitive buying
Brand Strategy • Brand Strategy is defined as“to differentiate products and companies and to build economic value for both the consumer and owner”
Branding Strategy Options • Branding Strategy Options include • Corporate Branding Sony • Family Branding Kelloggs Rice Krispies • Product Line Branding Gillette, Heinz • Individual Branding Unilever, P&G • Own Label Tescoaka Private Label • Component Branding Intel
Successful Brands • Have superior physical attributes/benefits • Have superior psychological attributes/benefits • Are perceived as different from the competition • Have frequent and positive media coverage • Match the perceptual Field of the Target Audience(s)
Our Aims: Brand Equity andBrand Financial Value • Brand Equity is defined as“the value of the brand’s name, symbols, associations and reputations to all target audiences who interact with it”
Our Aims: Brand Equity andBrand Financial Value • Brand Financial Value is defined as“the financial expression of brand equity”
Building Brand Imageand Brand Values Brand Personality Brand Identity Brand ImageBrand Values
Brand Personality • Brand Personality is defined as“the fundamental essence of the brand”
Brand Identity • Brand Identity is defined as“the message cues used to convey the brand personality to create the brand image” • Marketing and Markoms can thus be thought of as the process of building Brand Identity
What We Want to Create:Brand Values • Brand Values are defined as“the meaning or meanings that brand generates in the minds of its target audiences”
Part 4 • Communicating The Brand
Message Cues • Anything and everything communicates through Intended and Unintended Message Cues • intended corporate ID, adverts • unintended fat cat salaries • Must have • integrated communications strategy • integrated message
‘On Brand’ • It is vital for all communications to be consistent and communicate ‘shared meaning’ to each stakeholder group • The message should be consistent across as many stakeholders as possible • i.e. all messages must be ‘On Brand’
Successful brands communicate consistent messages based on Core Message Themes which communicate • to all stakeholders • to all customers in a particular geographic region (regiocentric) or on a global basis (global or geocentric
Elements of a Good Message • “Good” messages • are consistent • have impact and gain attention • demonstrate how the brand is different • remind or persuade • are of practical value and relevant to the perceiver • use the same imagery and vocabulary as that used by the perceiver (match their perceptual field)
Markoms Branding Process positioningstrategy Message Themes quality, value helpfulness exciting, cool etc. appeals & executions etc. creative strategy interpretation language, visuals and sounds to enter into the perceptual field of the target audience brand personalityapproach
How Does a Brand Communicate? • Corporate Identity • logo, colours, fonts, signage etc. • Communications • letters, web pages, adverts • Behaviour • sales staff, customer service staff etc. • the product, the directors etc. (unintended and usually no control by marketing communications department)
Remember … • Different stakeholders have different perceptions of a brand making different interpretations (meanings) of an action • For example, 500 redundancies … • … is perceived as bad news by employees and the local community • … is perceived as good news by shareholders and city analysts
The Different ‘Brands’ ProductBrand Profile Strategy Pull Strategy Push Strategy InvestorBrand CorporateBrand ChannelBrand Internal CommunicationsStrategy EmployerBrand
Some Final Thoughts • Many people, especially young people are switching away from high visibility status brands (Melanie Klein No Logo) • 2003 fashions will have much smaller and more discreet brand labels • Love them or hate them, brands have been around for over 2000 years and are here to stay
Learning Outcomes • By the end of the session, students will be able to • list 5 benefits of branding • describe why branding works better than non-branding • list 5 examples of how different brands communicate different dimensions • describe with examples how the perception of a corporate brand varies dependent upon the stakeholder — product brand,employer brand etc.