mkt3712 CH4: choosing brand elements to build brand equity

what is the impact of the change in logos on "branding seconds" for each logo?

a branding second was defined as the % of people who saw the logotype multiplied by the average time spent on it.

what is memorability?

a necessary condition for building brand equity is achieving a high level of brand awareness. brand elements that promote that goal are inherently memorable and attention-getting and therefore facilitate recall or recognition in purchase or consumption settings.

how can a brand name guard against these types of Internet hoaxes and scams which threaten to dilute a brand's equity?

a phased approach may be worth considering, beginning with a "cease and desist letter" to request counterfeiters to stop infringing on their trademark. - failure to comply could result in litigation under existing laws such as the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA), Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP), and so on. continuous vigilance to prevent counterfeiters from destroying a brand's trust and reputation is needed against the backdrop of the increasing prevalence of counterfeiting

what is spoofing?

a practice in which scam artists set up fraudulent Web sites which use variants of a brand's name to set up a series of URLs in order to attract unsuspecting actors and encourage them to spend money relies on consumers' inattention to minor variations in domain names including misspellings or additional letters included another version of spoofing that occurs is fraudulent e-mails that are sent on behalf of the brand to unsuspecting customers to obtain credit card information. these phishing attempts can be extremely harmful to a brand's reputation, as they can destroy consumer trust and harm a brand's reputation.

what are the downsides of abstract logos?

abstract logos can be quite distinctive and thus recognisable nevertheless, because abstract logos may lack the inherent meaning present with a more concrete logo, one danger is that consumers may not understand what the logo is intended to represent without a significant marketing initiative to explain its meaning. consumers can evaluate even fairly abstract logos differently depending on the shape.

what are the benefits of good packaging?

- 1 of the strongest associations consumers have with a brand is inspired by the look of its packaging. - can become an important means of brand recognition and convey or imply information to build or reinforce valuable brand associations. - structural packaging innovations can create a POD that permits a higher margin. new packages can also expand a market and capture new market segments. Packaging changes can have an immediate impact on customer shopping behavior and sales. 1 of the major packaging trends of recent years is to make both bigger and smaller packaged versions of products (as well as portions) to appeal to new market segments. also, certain lighter versions of packaging are being introduced, and sustainable packaging is being used, both of which mirror changing consumers' priorities with regard to packaging

what are the benefits of having logos and symbols?

- are often easily recognised and can be a valuable way to identify products, although consumers may recognise them but be unable to link them to any specific product or brand - their versatility: they are often nonverbal, logos transfer well across cultures and over a range of product categories. - logos can be easily adapted over time to achieve a more contemporary look abstract logos offer advantages when the full brand name is difficult to use for any reason. nearly half of all logos used a single color, and a third used either red or blue; additionally, 23 percent used black and white, and more than half of all logos featured a horizontal aspect ratio.

what are the drawbacks of using brand characters?

- can be so attention-getting and well-liked that they dominate other brand elements and actually dampen brand awareness. - often must be updated over time so that their image and personality remain relevant to the target market. (the more realistic the brand character, the more important it is to keep it up-to-date. One advantage of fictitious or animated characters is that their appeal can be more enduring and timeless than that of real people.) - some characters are so culturally specific that they do not travel well to other countries.

how to design good slogans?

- can play off the brand name to build both awareness and image - also can contain product-related messages and other meanings. (Consider the historical Champion sportswear slogan, "It Takes a Little More to Make a Champion." The slogan could be interpreted regarding product performance, meaning that Champion sportswear is made with a little extra care or with extra-special materials, but it could mean that Champion sportswear is associated with top athletes.) - this combination of superior product performance and aspirational user imagery is a powerful platform on which to build brand image and equity

what are the benefits of slogans?

- extremely efficient, shorthand means to build brand equity. - can function as useful "hooks" or "handles" to help consumers grasp the meaning of a brand—what it is and what makes it special. - an indispensable means of summarizing and translating the intent of a marketing program in a few short words or phrases - some help build brand awareness by playing off the brand name in some way, as in "The Citi Never Sleeps." others build brand awareness even more explicitly by making strong links between the brand and the corresponding product category. - can help reinforce the brand positioning as in "Staples. That Was Easy. - often become closely tied to advertising campaigns and serve as taglines to summarize the descriptive or persuasive information conveyed in the ads. - can be more expansive and more enduring than just ad taglines, though campaign-specific taglines may help reinforce the message of a particular campaign instead of the brand slogan for a certain period.

what are the benefits of characters?

- they are often colorful and rich in imagery, brand characters tend to be attention getting and quite useful for creating brand awareness. - can help brands break through marketplace clutter as well as help communicate a key product benefit. - human element of brand characters can enhance likeability and help create perceptions of the brand as fun and interesting. (A consumer may more easily form a relationship with a brand when the brand has a human or other character presence) - avoid many of the problems that plague human spokespeople (do not grow old or demand pay raises) - do not typically have direct product meaning, they may also be transferred relatively easily across product categories. - popular characters also often become valuable licensing properties, providing direct revenue and additional brand exposure.

what are some of the naming procedures?

1. Define objectives - in terms of the 6 general criteria we noted earlier, and in particular, define the ideal meaning the brand should convey - recognise the role of the brand within the corporate branding hierarchy and how it should relate to other brands and products - understand the role of the brand within the entire marketing program and the target market 2. Generate names - generate as many names and concepts as possible 3. Screen initial candidates - eliminate: names that have unintentional double meaning, that are unpronounceable, already in use, or too close to an existing name, that have obvious legal complications, that represent an obvious contradiction of the positioning 4. Study candidate names - collect more extensive information about each of the final 5 to 10 names - this step is expensive, marketers often search on a sequential basis, testing in each country only those names that survived the legal screening from the previous country 5. Research the final candidates - conduct consumer research to confirm management expectations about the memorability and meaningfulness of the remaining names - may show consumers the product and its packaging, price, or promotion so that they understand the rationale for the brand name and how it will be used - should also factor in the effects of repeated exposure to the brand name and what happens when the name is spoken versus written 6. Select the final name

how to achieve good packaging?

1. Identify the brand. 2. Convey descriptive and persuasive information. 3. Facilitate product transportation and protection. 4. Assist in at-home storage. 5. Aid product consumption. marketers must choose the aesthetic and functional components of packaging correctly to achieve marketing objectives and meet consumers' needs. - aesthetic considerations govern a package's size and shape, material, color, text, and graphics. Innovations in printing processes now permit eye-catching and appealing graphics that convey elaborate and colorful messages on the package at the "moment of truth"—the point of purchase - functionally, structural design is crucial. e.g. innovations over the years have resulted in food packages that are resealable, tamperproof, and more convenient to use—easy to hold, easy to open, or squeezable. brands which can incorporate thematic content into their packaging are therefore better able to communicate their message to consumers, which then becomes the basis for stronger consumer-brand relationships.

what are the criteria for choosing brand elements?

1. Memorability - easily recognised and recalled 2. Meaningfulness - descriptive and persuasive 3. Likability - fun & interesting, rich visual & verbal imagery, aesthetically pleasing 4. Transferability - within and across product categories, across geographic boundaries and cultures 5. Adaptability - flexible and updatable 6. Protectability - legally and competitively the first 3 criteria (memorability, meaningfulness, and likability) are the marketer's offensive strategy and build brand equity. the latter 3 (transferability, adaptability, and protectability) however, play a defensive role for leveraging and maintaining brand equity in the face of different opportunities and constraints.

why do firms change their packaging?

1. To signal a higher price, or to more effectively sell products through new or shifting distribution channels. 2. When a significant product line expansion would benefit from a common look. 3. To accompany a new product innovation to signal changes to consumers. 4. When the old package just looks outdated. In making a packaging change, marketers need to recognize its effect on the original or current customer franchise for the brand. Marketers must not lose the key package equities that have been built up. To identify or confirm key package equities, consumer research is usually helpful. If packaging recognition is a critical consumer success factor for the brand, how- ever, marketers must be especially careful. It would be a mistake to change the packaging so significantly that consumers do not recognize it in the store. Retailers' opinions can also be important too.

how to update slogans?

1. recognise how the slogan is contributing to brand equity, if at all, through enhanced awareness or image. 2. decide how much of this equity enhancement, if any, is still needed. 3. retain the needed or desired equities still residing in the slogan as much as possible while providing whatever new twists of meaning are necessary to contribute to equity in other ways. sometimes modifying an existing slogan is more fruitful than introducing a new slogan with a completely new set of meanings. - however, there are times when the slogan change is part of a broader repositioning, in which case a dramatic change in slogan can help signal a shift in the positioning of the brand.

what forms do logos come in?

2 extremes: - literal representations of the brand name, enhancing brand meaning and awareness - concrete or pictorial Certain physical elements of the product or company can become a symbol. Many technology brands use logos to convey information about brand benefits.

what is meaningfulness?

2 particularly important criteria are how well the brand element conveys the following: 1. general information about the function of the product or service 2. specific information about particular attributes and benefits of the brand the first dimension is an important determinant of brand awareness and salience; the second, of brand image and positioning

what is protectability?

Marketers should (1) choose brand elements that can be legally protected internationally, (2) formally register them with the appropriate legal bodies, and (3) vigorously defend trademarks from unauthorised competitive infringement. another consideration is whether the brand is competitively protectable. if a name, package, or other attribute is too easily copied, much of the uniqueness of the brand may disappear.

what is brand identity?

The entire set of brand elements makes up the brand identity, the contribution of all brand elements to awareness and image. The cohesiveness of the brand identity depends on the extent to which the brand elements are consistent. Ideally, marketers choose each element to support the others, and all can be easily incorporated into other aspects of the brand and the marketing program. Although the actual product or service itself is critical in building a strong brand, the right brand elements can be invaluable in developing brand equity.

what are URLs?

URLs (uniform resource locators) specify locations of pages on the Web and are also commonly referred to as domain names. anyone wishing to own a specific URL must register and pay for the name

what is adaptability?

because of changes in consumer values and opinions, or simply because of a need to remain contemporary, most brand elements must be updated. the more adaptable and flexible the brand element, the easier it is to update it

how can brand names improve brand awareness?

brand names that are simple and easy to pronounce or spell, familiar and meaningful, and different, distinctive, and unusual can obviously improve brand awareness 1. simplicity: reduces the effort consumers have to make to comprehend and process the brand name. short names often facilitate recall because they are easy to encode and store in memory. to encourage WOM exposure that helps build strong memory links, marketers should also make brand names easy to pronounce. also keep in mind that rather than risk the embarrassment of mispronouncing a difficult name. the way a brand is pronounced can affect its meaning, so consumers may take away different perceptions if ambiguous pronunciation results in different meanings. - use alliteration (repetition of consonants), assonance (repetition of vowel sounds), consonance (repetition of consonants with intervening vowel change), or rhythm (repetition of the pattern of syllable stress). - employ onomatopoeia—words composed of syllables that when pronounced generate a sound strongly suggestive of the word's meaning 2. familiarity and meaningfulness: it can tap into existing knowledge structures. it can be concrete or abstract in meaning. because the names of people, objects, birds, animals, and inanimate objects already exist in memory, consumers have to do less learning to understand their meanings as brand names. links form more easily, increasing memorability. the brand name may also suggest the product or service category. brand elements that are highly descriptive of the product category or its attribute and benefits can be quite restrictive, however. 3. differentiated, distinctive, and unique: more complex brand names are more easily distinguished. distinctive brand names can also make it easier for consumers to learn intrinsic product information. a brand name can be distinctive because it is inherently unique, or because it is unique in the context of other brands in the category. distinctive words may be seldom-used or atypical words for the product category, like Apple computers; unusual combinations of real words, like Toys"R"Us; or completely made-up words, such as Cognos or Luxottica. even made-up brand names, however, have to satisfy prevailing linguistic rules and conventions

why are there packaging innovations?

can both lower costs and improve demand. 1 important supply-side goal for many firms is to redesign packages and employ more recyclable materials to lower the use of paper and plastic. many consumer-packaged goods are being marketed in flexible packaging (as opposed to rigid packaging), again reflecting changing consumer trends. on the demand side, in mature markets especially, package innovations can provide a short-term sales boost.

why are memorability, meaningfulness and likability important?

consumers often do not examine much information in making product decisions. descriptive and persuasive elements reduce the burden on marketing communications to build awareness and link brand associations and equity, especially when few other product-related associations exist. often, the less concrete the possible product benefits are, the more important is the creative potential of the brand name and other brand elements to capture intangible characteristics of a brand

how can marketers make consumers extract meanings from brand names with made up words?

consumers were able to extract at least some product meaning from these essentially arbitrary names when instructed to do so. nevertheless, consumers are likely to extract meaning from highly abstract names only when they are sufficiently motivated.

what are the issues with URLs?

every three-letter combination and virtually all words in a typical English dictionary have been registered. the sheer volume of registered URLs often makes it necessary for companies to use coined words for new brands if they wish to have a Web site for the brand. Cybersquatting or domain squatting, as defined by government law, is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad-faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else. The cybersquatter then offers to sell the domain to the person or company who owns a trademark contained within the name at an inflated price. Under such cases, trademark holders sue for infringement of their domain names through the World Intellectual Property Organization

what are some linguistic issues that comes with brand names?

individual letters can contain meaning that may be useful in developing a new brand name. The letter X became popular (e.g., ESPN's X Games and Nissan's Xterra SUV) because X represents "extreme," "on the edge," and "youth." research has shown that in some instances, consumers prefer products with brand names bearing some of the letters from their own name the sounds of letters can take on meaning as well. some words begin with phonemic elements called plosives, like the letters b, c, d, g, k, p, and t, whereas others use sibilants, which are sounds like s and soft c. - plosives escape from the mouth more quickly than sibilants and are harsher and more direct. consequently, they are thought to make names more specific and less abstract, and to be more easily recognised and recalled. - sibilants have a softer sound, they tend to conjure up romantic, serene images and are often found in the names of products such as perfumes

why is brand name important?

it often captures the central theme or key associations of a product in a very compact and economical fashion can be an extremely effective shorthand means of communication (customers can notice the brand name and register its meaning or activate it in memory in just a few seconds) but because it is so closely tied to the product in the minds of consumers, however, the brand name is also the most difficult element for marketers to change

what are logos and symbols?

logos are a means to indicate origin, ownership, or association, ranging from corporate names or trademarks (word marks with text only) written in a distinctive form, to entirely abstract designs that may be completely unrelated to the word mark, corporate name, or corporate activities Nonword mark logos are also often called symbols

how do marketers devise made-up brand names?

marketers generally devise made-up brand names systematically, basing words on combinations of morphemes. a morpheme is the smallest linguistic unit having meaning. - Nissan's Sentra automobile is a combination of two morphemes suggesting "central" and "sentry." by combining carefully chosen morphemes, marketers can construct brand names that have some relatively easily inferred or implicit meaning.

what are some forms of brand names?

may be descriptive of the product function (Sleep Inn), be evocative of a certain feature (Quicken Loans), convey personality (Snapple), be completely synthetic and made up (Verizon), or reflect the founder (Dyson), among other brand name strategies

what is transferability?

measures the extent to which the brand element adds to the brand equity for new products or in new markets for the brand in general, the less specific the name, the more easily it can be transferred across categories and languages.

what are the benefits of jingles?

most valuable in enhancing brand awareness. they repeat the brand name in clever and amusing ways that allow consumers multiple encoding opportunities. consumers are also likely to mentally rehearse or repeat catchy jingles after the ad is over, providing even more encoding opportunities and increasing memorability.

what are jingles?

musical messages written around the brand. often have enough catchy hooks and choruses to become almost permanently registered in the minds of listeners—sometimes whether they want them to or not are not nearly as transferable as other brand elements. they can communicate brand benefits, but they often convey product meaning in a nondirect and fairly abstract fashion. the potential associations they might create for the brand are most likely to relate to feelings and personality and other intangibles.

what are guidelines to brand names?

must be chosen with the 6 general criteria of memorability, meaningfulness, likability, transferability, adaptability, and protectability in mind

why do marketers need to update slogans?

once a slogan achieves such a high level of recognition and acceptance, it may still contribute to brand equity, but probably as more of a reminder of the brand. - consumers are unlikely to consider what the slogan means thoughtfully after seeing or hearing it too many times. a potential difficulty arises if the slogan continues to convey some product meaning that the brand no longer needs to reinforce. - by not facilitating the linkage of new, desired brand associations, the slogan can become restrictive and fail to allow the brand to be updated as much as desired or necessary.

what are characters?

represent a special type of brand symbol—one that takes on human or real-life characteristics. brand characters typically are introduced through advertising and can play a central role in ad campaigns and package designs.

what are slogans?

short phrases that communicate descriptive or persuasive information about the brand. often appear in advertising but can play an important role in packaging and in other aspects of the marketing program.

why is package design important?

specialized package designers bring artistic techniques and scientific skills to package design in an attempt to meet the marketing objectives of a brand. - they decide on the optimal look and content of each element and choose which elements should be dominant in any one package—whether the brand name, illustration, or some other graphical element—and how the elements should relate to each other.

how can brand names reinforce brand associations?

the brand name is a compact form of communication, the explicit and implicit meanings consumers extract from it are important. the brand name can be chosen to reinforce an important attribute or benefit association that makes up its product positioning. a descriptive brand name should make it easier to link the reinforced attribute or benefit. however, brand names that reinforce the initial positioning of a brand may make it harder to link new associations to the brand if it later has to be repositioned. with sufficient time and the proper marketing programs, however, this difficulty can sometimes be overcome, but this is a long and expensive process.

why is packaging at the point of purchase important?

the right packaging can create strong appeal on the store shelf and help products stand out from the clutter. Many consumers may first encounter a new brand on the supermarket shelf or in the store. Because few product differences exist in some categories, packaging innovations can provide at least a temporary edge on the competition. For these reasons, packaging is a particularly cost-effective way to build brand equity. Note that consumer exposure to packaging is not restricted to the point of purchase and moments of consumption, because brand packages often can play a starring role in advertising.

how does colour play a role in packaging?

there is plenty of scope for improving brand awareness and forming brand associations. 1 of the most important visual design elements for a package is its color. some package designers believe that consumers have a "color vocabulary" when it comes to products and expect certain types of products to have a particular look. packaging color can affect consumers' perceptions of the product itself. like other packaging design elements, the colour should be consistent with information conveyed by other aspects of the marketing program.