Branding

A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies a seller’s good or service. A concept brand is a brand associated with an abstract concept like breast cancer awareness or environmentalism. A commodity brand is a brand associated with a commodity. “Got milk?” is an example of a commodity brand.

History of Branding
Branding began as a way to tell one person’s cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp. Brands in the field of mass marketing originated with the advent of packaged goods in the 19th century. Industrialization moved the production of many household items from local communities to centralized factories. Factories established during the Industrial Revolution introduced mass-produced goods to sell their products to a wider market. It became apparent that a generic package for a good had difficulty competing with familiar, local products. Packaged goods manufacturers had to convince the market that the public could place just as much trust in the non-local product. Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola and Juicy Fruit gum were among the first products to be “branded” in an effort to increase the consumer’s familiarity.

By the 1940s, manufacturers began to recognize the way consumers were developing relationships with their brands in a social, psychological and anthropological sense. From there, manufacturers learned to build their brand’s identity and personality. This began the practice known as “branding,” whereby consumers buy “the brand” instead of the product.

Branding Concepts and Techniques

Proper branding can result in higher sales of not only one product, but on products associated with the brand as well. For example, if a customer loves Pillsbury biscuits, he or she is more likely to try other products offered by the company. Some people distinguish the psychological aspect of a brand from the experiential aspect. Psychological aspects include thoughts, feelings, perceptions and images associated with the brand. The experiential aspect consists of a consumer’s overall contact with the brand, otherwise known as the “brand experience”.

Brand image is a symbolic construct created within the minds of people. It consists of all the information and expectations associated with a product, service or the company. People engaged in branding seek to create the impression that a brand associated with a product or service has certain qualities that make it unique. A brand is therefore one of the most valuable elements in an advertising theme, as it demonstrates what the brand owner is able to offer in the marketplace. The art of creating and maintaining a brand relevant to a target audience is called brand management.

Brand orientation, meanwhile, refers to the concentration of an entire organization toward its particular brand. Brand orientation is developed in responsiveness to market intelligence. A brand which is widely known in the marketplace acquires brand recognition. When this recognition builds up to a point where a brand enjoys a critical mass of positive sentiment, it is said to have achieved brand franchise. Brand recognition is most successful when people can recognize a brand through visual signifies like logos, slogans and colors. The outward expression of a brand, including its name, trademark and visual appearance, is brand identity. This is in contrast to the brand image, a customer’s mental picture of a brand.