10.01: Brand Image

For a small company, it's usually best to keep them as closely related as possible, to avoid customer confusion.

Brand Image

Your company's corporate image might be the same as your brand image, or they might be somewhat different.

Brand image is usually closely associated with a specific product or service, or a set of products or services.

Quality and consistency

Over time, the consistent quality of your product or service will help you build your reputation. Keeping your product or service consistent is important, so people know what to expect.

Reviews of others

Reviews from other people who have interacted with your company or have experience with your brand can be a big factor in customer perception. The satisfaction or dissatisfaction your past customers have experienced can attract or deter others. These might be reviews from people who your potential customers know personally, or they might be reviews in the media or online. It's easy to research a product online and find out what other people think of it.

Brand familiarity

The age and reputation of the brand and corporate image is important. Familiarity with a brand can be the deciding factor in a sale. If you are shopping for electronics and see a brand you recognize with a reputation you trust, you may choose that brand instead of a similar product with a name you don't recognize. For example, you might trust a Sony product more than a brand you have never heard of. Of course, if you have a negative impression of Sony, you might choose the other brand. Familiarity and age of the brand are only useful if they create a positive reputation.

Price

The price you set for your products or services affects how people perceive them. The more expensive the item, the higher the expectations people will have. Higher priced items tend to have more prestige and status, but quality will have to be high enough to make people think the product or service is worth the high price. Lower priced items can attract people who are looking for deals. Most people don't want to pay more than they have to in order to get the sort of product they want. You need to learn about your target market and what those people are willing to pay for this type of product or service, so you don't set prices too high or low.

Type of customer

The type of customer associated with your brand affects how your brand is perceived. You can help control this through advertising and marketing. For example, if you are targeting retired adults, you can use retired adults in your advertisements. Some customers will define your brand based on people who they personally know or have heard of who are loyal to your brand. This might be positive, or it might not. If you are able to get celebrity endorsements for your product or service, this can influence others to imitate the celebrity's behavior and choose your brand, too.

Packaging and presentation

The way you package and present your product or service affects customer perception and can be a good way to reinforce your marketing message and personality. Your company's Web site, logo, name, and packaging all affect how people perceive you.

Brand dominance

The way your brand compares and ranks against competing brands is another factor in customer perception. If your brand dominates the market for this product or service, this affects how people view you. Brand dominance is usually a good thing, since many customers are looking for the trusted, bestselling brand. Some customers are looking for smaller, alternative brands with specific specialized strengths. Specializing instead of dominating can be a good strategy for a small company to compete in a market that already has one or more dominant brands.

Why might you want to keep your corporate and brand image separate? (Select the best answer.)

To create multiple brand names, all under the same corporation.

Where you advertise

When you create an advertising plan, where you advertise is just as important as how you advertise. For example, advertising in high end magazines will create a different brand image than advertising in a discount catalog. The places you advertise should be consistent with the marketing message and personality you are trying to convey. Choose places to advertise where your target market will be most likely to see the ads, and make sure they are places that your target market respects.

Where it's sold

Where your product or service is sold is another factor in creating your brand image. Your product might only be available in high-end stores, or it might be found in discount stores. It might be found in many different types of places, or customers might have to seek it out. Some locations create more prestige than others. If a product is difficult to find or only carried by high-end retailers, this adds to its prestige. However, status and prestige might not be important to your marketing message. For example, convenience might be the most important thing about your product, so you want to make the product available in many convenient locations for your customers.

Company integrity

Your company's integrity is its ethical and moral commitment to responsible behavior toward society and the environment. People will notice if your company is helping, hurting, or indifferent toward society and the environment.

Customer service history

Your customer service is also something you can demonstrate over time. People will notice and remember how your company deals with problems and mistakes. If you treat customers well, they will speak well of you. If you are committed to fixing any problems or dissatisfaction, even if you don't have to, customers will respect you and be likely to return.

1. Mia's dry cleaning company opens locations that will be as convenient as possible for its target market. 2. Darnell maintains a high level of excellence in his tutoring lessons, so customers will always know what to expect 3. Mayumi's company donates money to help improve parks in the community. 4. Ibrahim puts advertisements for his cologne in men's and women's fashion magazines 5. Simon decides to buy a name brand product because it is the bestselling product of its type. 6. Beth only buys brands of cereal that she recognizes. 7. Huang spends time designing attractive boxes for his toys. 8. Dan is deciding on a brand of car to buy, so he asks his friends and family for recommendations. 9. Shanice makes it a top priority to resolve any customer problems or complaints as quickly as possible 10. Taylor's company sells board games, and their advertisements show families playing the games. 11. Gisela sets the prices at her restaurant higher than average, so customers will know her food is special.

__4__ Where you advertise __5__ Brand dominance __1__ Where it's sold __3__ Company integrity ___6__ Brand familiarity __7__ Packaging and presentation __9__ Customer service history __2__ Quality and consistency __11__ Price __10__ Type of customer _8__ Reviews of others

corporate image, or corporate identity,

is the perception that people have of your company.