Brand

A brand is the identity of a specific product, service, or business. A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol, color combination or slogan. The word branding began simply as a way to tell one person's cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp. A legally protected brand name is called a trademark. The word brand has continued to evolve to encompass identity - it affects the personality of a product, company or service. A concept brand is a brand that is associated with an abstract concept, like breast cancer awareness or environmentalism, rather than a specific product, service, or business. A commodity brand is a brand associated with a commodity. Got milk? is an example of a commodity brand. In the automotive industry, brands were originally called marques, and marque is still often used as a synonym for brand in reference to motor vehicles.

Concepts Brand is the personality that identifies a product, service or company (name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or combination of them) and how it relates to key constituencies: customers, staff, partners, investors etc. Some people distinguish the psychological aspect, brand associations like thoughts, feelings, perceptions, images, experiences, beliefs, attitudes, and so on that become linked to the brand, of a brand from the experiential aspect. The experiential aspect consists of the sum of all points of contact with the brand and is known as the brand experience. The psychological aspect, sometimes referred to as the brand image, is a symbolic construct created within the minds of people, consisting of all the information and expectations associated with a product, service or the company(ies) providing them. People engaged in branding seek to develop or align the expectations behind the brand experience, creating the impression that a brand associated with a product or service has certain qualities or characteristics that make it special or 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 themarketplace. The art of creating and maintaining a brand is called brand management. Orientation of the whole organization towards its brand is called brand orientation. Careful brand management seeks to make the product or services relevant to the target audience. Brands should be seen as more than the difference between the actual cost of a product and its selling price - they represent the sum of all valuable qualities of a product to the consumer. A brand which is widely known in the marketplace acquires brand recognition. When brand recognition builds up to a point where a brand enjoys a critical mass of positive sentiment in the marketplace, it is said to have achieved brand franchise. One goal in brand recognition is the 1

identification of a brand without the name of the company present. For example, Disney has been successful at branding with their particular script font (originally created for Walt Disney's "signature" logo), which it used in the logo for go.com. Consumers may look on branding as an important value added aspect of products or services, as it often serves to denote a certain attractive quality or characteristic (see also brand promise). From the perspective of brand owners, branded products or services also command higher prices. Where two products resemble each other, but one of the products has no associated branding (such as ageneric, store-branded product), people may often select the more expensive branded product on the basis of the quality of the brand or the reputation of the brand owner.

Brand Name Brand name is one of the brand elements which helps the customers to identify and differentiate one product from another. It should be chosen very carefully as it captures the key theme of a product in an efficient and economical manner. It can easily be noticed and its meaning can be stored and triggered in the memory instantly. Choice of a brand name requires a lot of research. Brand names are not necessarily associated with the product. For instance, brand names can be based on places (Air India, British Airways), animals or birds (Dove soap, Puma), people (Louise Phillips, Allen Solly). In some instances, the company name is used for all products (General Electric, LG). Features of a Good Brand Name A good brand name should have following characteristics: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. It should be unique / distinctive (for instance- Kodak, Mustang) It should be extendable. It should be easy to pronounce, identified and memorized. (For instance-Tide) It should give an idea about products qualities and benefits (For instance- Swift, Quickfix, Lipguard). It should be easily convertible into foreign languages. It should be capable of legal protection and registration. It should suggest product/service category (For instance Newsweek). It should indicate concrete qualities (For instance Firebird). It should not portray bad/wrong meanings in other categories. (For instance NOVA is a poor name for a car to be sold in Spanish country, because in Spanish it means doesnt go).

Process of Selecting a renowned and successful Brand Name 1. Define the objectives of branding in terms of six criterions - descriptive, suggestive, compound, classical, arbitrary and fanciful. It Is essential to recognize the role of brand within the corporate branding strategy and the relation of brand to other brand and products. It is also essential to understand the role of brand within entire marketing program as well as a detailed description of niche market must be considered. 2. Generation of multiple names - Any potential source of names can be used; organization, management and employees, current or potential customers, agencies and professional consultants. 3. Screening of names on the basis of branding objectives and marketing considerations so as to have a more synchronized list - The brand names must not have connotations, should be easily pronounceable, should meet the legal requirements etc.

4. Gathering more extensive details on each of the finalized names - There should be extensive international legal search done. These searches are at times done on a sequential basis because of the expense involved. 5. Conducting consumer research - Consumer research is often conducted so as to confirm management expectations as to the remembrance and meaningfulness of the brand names. The features of the product, its price and promotion may be shown to the consumers so that they understand the purpose of the brand name and the manner in which it will be used. Consumers can be shown actual 3-D packages as well as animated advertising or boards. Several samples of consumers must be surveyed depending on the niche market involved. 6. On the basis of the above steps, management can finalize the brand name that maximizes the organizations branding and marketing objectives and then formally register the brand name.

Brand Attributes Brand Attributes portray a companys brand characteristics. They signify the basic nature of brand. Brand attributes are a bundle of features that highlight the physical and personality aspects of the brand. Attributes are developed through images, actions, or presumptions. Brand attributes help in creating brand identity. A strong brand must have following attributes: 1. Relevancy- A strong brand must be relevant. It must meet peoples expectations and should perform the way they want it to. A good job must be done to persuade consumers to buy the product; else in spite of your product being unique, people will not buy it. 2. Consistency- A consistent brand signifies what the brand stands for and builds customers trust in brand. A consistent brand is where the company communicates message in a way that does not deviate from the core brand proposition. 3. Proper positioning- A strong brand should be positioned so that it makes a place in target audience mind and they prefer it over other brands. 4. Sustainable- A strong brand makes a business competitive. A sustainable brand drives an organization towards innovation and success. Example of sustainable brand is Marks and Spencers. 5. Credibility- A strong brand should do what it promises. The way you communicate your brand to the audience/ customers should be realistic. It should not fail to deliver what it promises. Do not exaggerate as customers want to believe in the promises you make to them. 6. Inspirational- A strong brand should transcend/ inspire the category it is famous for. For example- Nike transcendent Jersey Polo Shirt. 7. Uniqueness- A strong brand should be different and unique. It should set you apart from other competitors in market. 8. Appealing- A strong brand should be attractive. Customers should be attracted by the promise you make and by the value you deliver.

Brand Positioning - Definition and Concept Brand positioning refers to target consumers reason to buy your brand in preference to others. It is ensures that all brand activity has a common aim; is guided, directed and delivered by the brands benefits/reasons to buy; and it focusses at all points of contact with the consumer. Brand positioning must make sure that:

Is it unique/distinctive vs. competitors ? Is it significant and encouraging to the niche market ? Is it appropriate to all major geographic markets and businesses ? Is the proposition validated with unique, appropriate and original products ? Is it sustainable - can it be delivered constantly across all points of contact with the consumer ? Is it helpful for organization to achieve its financial goals ? Is it able to support and boost up the organization ?

In order to create a distinctive place in the market, a niche market has to be carefully chosen and a differential advantage must be created in their mind. Brand positioning is a medium through which an organization can portray its customers what it wants to achieve for them and what it wants to mean to them. Brand positioning forms customers views and opinions. Brand Positioning can be defined as an activity of creating a brand offer in such a manner that it occupies a distinctive place and value in the target customers mind. For instance-Kotak Mahindra positions itself in the customers mind as one entity- Kotak - which can provide customized and one-stop solution for all their financial services needs. It has an unaided top of mind recall. It intends to stay with the proposition of Think Investments, Think Kotak. The positioning you choose for your brand will be influenced by the competitive stance you want to adopt. Brand Positioning involves identifying and determining points of similarity and difference to ascertain the right brand identity and to create a proper brand image. Brand Positioning is the key of marketing strategy. A strong brand positioning directs marketing strategy by explaining the brand details, the uniqueness of brand and its similarity with the competitive brands, as well as the reasons for buying and using that specific brand. Positioning is the base for developing and increasing the required knowledge and perceptions of the customers. It is the single feature that sets your service apart from your competitors. For instance- Kingfisher stands for youth and excitement. It represents brand in full flight. There are various positioning errors, such as1. Under positioning- This is a scenario in which the customers have a blurred and unclear idea of the brand. 2. Over positioning- This is a scenario in which the customers have too limited a awareness of the brand. 3. Confused positioning- This is a scenario in which the customers have a confused opinion of the brand. 4. Double Positioning- This is a scenario in which customers do not accept the claims of a brand.

Brand identity The outward expression of a brand, including its name, trademark, communications, and visual appearance.[8] Because the identity is assembled by the brand owner, it reflects how the owner wants the consumer to perceive the brand - and by extension the branded company, organization, product or service. This is in contrast to the brand image, which is a customer's mental picture of a brand.[8] The brand owner will seek to bridge the gap between the brand image and the brand identity. Effective brand names build a connection between the brand personality as it is perceived by the target audience and the actual product/service. The brand name should be conceptually on target with the product/service (what the company stands for). Furthermore, the brand name should be on target with the brand demographic.[9] Typically, sustainable brand names are easy to remember, transcend trends and have positive connotations. Brand identity is fundamental to consumer recognition and symbolizes the brand's differentiation from competitors. Brand identity is what the owner wants to communicate to its potential consumers. However, over time, a product's brand identity may acquire (evolve), gaining new attributes from consumer perspective but not necessarily from the marketing communications an owner percolates to targeted consumers. Therefore, brand associations become handy to check the consumer's perception of the brand.[10] Brand identity needs to focus on authentic qualities - real characteristics of the value and brand promise being provided and sustained by organizational and/or production characteristics.[11][12

Visual brand identity

The visual brand identity manual for Mobil Oil(developed by Chermayeff & Geismar), one of the first visual identities to integrate logotype, icon, alphabet, color palette, and station architecture to create a comprehensive consumer brand experience. The recognition and perception of a brand is highly influenced by its visual presentation. A brands visual identity is the overall look of its communications. Effective visual brand identity is achieved by the consistent use of particular visual elements to create distinction, such as specific fonts, colors, and graphic elements. At the core of every brand identity is a brand mark, or logo. In the United States, brand identity and logo design naturally grew out of the Modernist movement in the 1950s and greatly drew on the principles of that movement simplicity (Mies van der Rohes principle of "Less is more") and geometric abstraction. These principles can be observed in the work of the pioneers of the practice of visual brand identity design, such as Paul Rand, Chermayeff & Geismar and Saul Bass.

Brand extension and brand dilution

The existing strong brand name can be used as a vehicle for new or modified products; for example, many fashion and designer companies extended brands into fragrances, shoes and accessories, home textile, home decor, luggage, (sun-) glasses, furniture, hotels, etc. Mars extended its brand to ice cream, Caterpillar to shoes and watches, Michelin to a restaurant guide, Adidas and Puma to personal hygiene. Dunlop extended its brand from tires to other rubber products such as shoes, golf balls, tennis racquets and adhesives. There is a difference between brand extension and line extension. A line extension is when a current brand name is used to enter a new market segment in the existing product class, with new varieties or flavors or sizes. When Coca-Cola launched "Diet Coke" and "Cherry Coke" they stayed within the originating product category: non-alcoholic carbonated beverages. Procter & Gamble (P&G) did likewise extending its strong lines (such as Fairy Soap) into neighboring products (Fairy Liquid and Fairy Automatic) within the same category, dish washing detergents. The risk of over-extension is brand dilution where the brand looses its brand associations with a market segment, product area, or quality, price or cachet. Multi-brands Alternatively, in a market that is fragmented amongst a number of brands a supplier can choose deliberately to launch totally new brands in apparent competition with its own existing strong brand (and often with identical product characteristics); simply to soak up some of the share of the market which will in any case go to minor brands. The rationale is that having 3 out of 12 brands in such a market will give a greater overall share than having 1 out of 10 (even if much of the share of these new brands is taken from the existing one). In its most extreme manifestation, a supplier pioneering a new market which it believes will be particularly attractive may choose immediately to launch a second brand in competition with its first, in order to pre-empt others entering the market. Individual brand names naturally allow greater flexibility by permitting a variety of different products, of differing quality, to be sold without confusing the consumer's perception of what business the company is in or diluting higher quality products. Once again, Procter & Gamble is a leading exponent of this philosophy, running as many as ten detergent brands in the US market. This also increases the total number of "facings" it receives on supermarket shelves. Sara Lee, on the other hand, uses it to keep the very different parts of the business separate from Sara Lee cakes through Kiwi polishes to L'Eggs pantyhose. In the hotel business, Marriott uses the name Fairfield Inns for its budget chain (and Ramada uses Rodeway for its own cheaper hotels). Cannibalization is a particular problem of a "multibrand" approach, in which the new brand takes business away from an established one which the organization also owns. This may be acceptable (indeed to be expected) if there is a net gain overall. Alternatively, it may be the price the organization is willing to pay for shifting its position in the market; the new product being one stage in this process.

Brand equity Brand equity refers to the marketing effects and outcomes that accrue to a product with its brand name compared with those that would accrue if the same product did not have the brand name. Fact of the well-known brand name is that, the company can sometimes charge premium prices from the consumer .[1][2][3][4] And, at the root of these marketing effects is consumers' knowledge. In other words, consumers' knowledge about a brand makes manufacturers and advertisers respond differently or adopt appropriately adept measures for the marketing of the brand. [5][6] The study of brand equity is increasingly popular as some marketing researchers have concluded that brands are one of the most valuable assets a company has.[7] Brand equity is one of the factors which can increase the financial value of a brand to the brand owner, although not the only one.[8]Elements that can be included in the valuation of brand equity include (but not limited to): changing market share, profit margins, consumer recognition of logos and other visual elements, brand language associations made by consumers, consumers' perceptions of quality and other relevant brand values. Measurement There are many ways to measure a brand. Some measurements approaches are at the firm level, some at the product level, and still others are at the consumer level. Firm Level: Firm level approaches measure the brand as a financial asset. In short, a calculation is made regarding how much the brand is worth as an intangible asset. For example, if you were to take the value of the firm, as derived by its market capitalization - and then subtract tangible assets and "measurable" intangible assets- the residual would be the brand equity.[7] One high profile firm level approach is by the consulting firm Interbrand. To do its calculation, Interbrand estimates brand value on the basis of projected profits discounted to a present value. The discount rate is a subjective rate determined by Interbrand and Wall Street equity specialists and reflects the risk profile, market leadership, stability and global reach of the brand.[9] Product Level: The classic product level brand measurement example is to compare the price of a noname or private label product to an "equivalent" branded product. The difference in price, assuming all things equal, is due to the brand.[10] More recently a revenue premium approach has been advocated.[4] Consumer Level: This approach seeks to map the mind of the consumer to find out what associations with the brand the consumer has. This approach seeks to measure the awareness (recall and recognition) and brand image (the overall associations that the brand has). Free association tests and projective techniques are commonly used to uncover the tangible and intangible attributes, attitudes, and intentions about a brand.[5] Brands with high levels of awareness and strong, favorable and unique associations are high equity brands.[5] All of these calculations are, at best, approximations. A more complete understanding of the brand can occur if multiple measures are used. Brand loyalty Brand loyalty, in marketing, consists of a consumer's commitment to repurchase or otherwise continue using the brand and can be demonstrated by repeated buying of a product or service, or other positive behaviors such as word of mouth advocacy.[1] Brand loyalty is more than simple repurchasing, however. Customers may repurchase a brand due to situational constraints (such as vendor lock-in), a lack of viable alternatives, or out of 7

convenience.[2] Such loyalty is referred to as "spurious loyalty". True brand loyalty exists when customers have a high relative attitude toward the brand which is then exhibited through repurchase behavior.[1] This type of loyalty can be a great asset to the firm: customers are willing to pay higher prices, they may cost less to serve, and can bring new customers to the firm. [3][4] For example, if Joe has brand loyalty to Company A he will purchase Company A's products even if Company B's are cheaper and/or of a higher quality. From the point of view of many marketers, loyalty to the brand in terms of consumer usage is a key factor:

Loyalty A second dimension, however, is whether the customer is committed to the brand. Philip Kotler, again, defines four patterns of behaviour: 1. 2. 3. 4. Hard-core Loyals - who buy the brand all the time. Split Loyals - loyal to two or three brands. Shifting Loyals - moving from one brand to another. Switchers - with no loyalty (possibly 'deal-prone', constantly looking for bargains or 'vanity prone', looking for something different).

Factors influencing brand loyalty It has been suggested that loyalty includes some degree of pre-dispositional commitment toward a brand. Brand loyalty is viewed as multidimensional construct. It is determined by several distinct psychological processes and it entails multivariate measurements. Customers' perceived value, brand trust, customers' satisfaction, repeat purchase behaviour, and commitment are found to be the key influencing factors of brand loyalty. Commitment and repeated purchase behaviour are considered as necessary conditions for brand loyalty followed by perceived value, satisfaction, and brand trust.[5] Fred Reichheld,[6] one of the most influential writers on brand loyalty, claimed that enhancing customer loyalty could have dramatic effects on profitability. Among the benefits from brand loyalty specifically, longer tenure or staying as a customer for longer was said to be lower sensitivity to price. This claim had not been empirically tested until recently. Recent research [7] found evidence that longer-term customers were indeed less sensitive to price increases. Importance of brand Branding is a very powerful component in business. The brand must have a logo to make branding easier and more possible. The consumers decide if they will buy a product or use a service based on how they view the brand. The brand itself tells us or let us imagine how good or bad the product is even if we never tasted it before! All that brand promotion and advertising really do tell us how great a brand can be (like Nike). Once a customer likes your brand he/she will definitely come back for repeated services or products. The qualities of the product or services are ensured through the customers minds from the brand image.

Brand is not only convenient for businesses for repeated customer purchase but also easier for customers to filter out the countless generic items. Brand gives consumers the reason to buy it and wastes less time for consumer to choose. There are ways to improve a brand from advertising such as viral campaign (more trustworthy), online ads, print ads and commercials. Another way is to improve your product or services that will reinforce the brand. This is a good way to promote your brand by always being in the cutting edge or customers first image. The qualities of your products and services will reinforce the brand. Advertise as much as possible to spread that message and make it into a cult brand. Branding doesnt only benefit the business but you as well (yes I mean it). The brand you choose reflects who you are and expresses yourself on what you like to do and be able to join the community of like minded people. Branding is a win: win situation for both the businesses and the loyal customers.

The aim of branding is to clearly associate an organization, product or service with an image or identity in the audience's mind. The brand should associate this image or identity with the quality and characteristics of the product or service. A solid brand shows and tells the public quickly what an organization represents and what it has to offer. The role of brand life cycle in the brand life The concept of brand life is firstly described as the distinguishing of separate stages in which a brand is introduced to the market, the sales of products (marked with brand) are increasing and later decreasing. In the last stage, a brand may be related to other products. It should be noted that in this case the concept of brand life is explained by invoking the PLC stages. In addition, one of the brand functions is the extension of PLC. The mentioned arguments base the necessity to discuss the links between the brand life and PLC by identifying the main common features/aspects of link. R. Lapainskait et al. (2006) give the following main benefits of the concept of life cycle: it helps to increase the generable income and to decrease expenses much more than it appears from the first sight; better decisions should emerge from a more precise and realistic evaluation of income and expenses in the PLC stage; thinking based on the life cycle determines long-time profitability; the concept of life cycle helps the directors to understand and compare the expenses of acquisition to the expenses of exploitation and repair, i.e. to get a precise balance between the expenses of investment and expenses of exploitation. In scientific literature, the PLC is most often described by distinguishing four stages (the first stage introduction, the second stage growth, the third stage maturity and the fourth stage - decline). Scientists (Robins, 2005; Grantham, 1997; and etc.) are discussing about the identification of specific stages of the brand life, i.e. the first three stages (introduction, growth, maturity) are not usually discussed; however, it is noted that the fourth stage, the decline, is complicated as a brand may be renewed, expanded and etc. On the other hand, while discussing PLC, L.M. Grantham (1997) states that different stages differ in duration and notes that the introduction of a product and stages of development (according to the author, it includes the stages of growth and maturity) constitutes a half of the product life cycle. Therefore, with reference to the criteria of imminence and irreversibility the author emphasizes that the modelling of brand life cannot be related to the sales as an essential and decisive factor. While discussing the issues of brand management, J. Groucutt (2006) emphasises the links between the cycles of the product life and the brand life, i.e. the author notes that one cycle is the base for the 9

other one. While discussing the concept of product life, K. Clancy et al. (2004) discuss the issue of life a well managed brand will exist forever? For a consumer, the brand value is an essential idea of the concept of brand life. On the other hand, the concept of PLC indicates the general situation of a product in the market, while the brand life cycle is based not only on a product, but on the consumers, their behaviour and opinion as well. In this way PLC is related to brand by invoking the dimension of brand awareness when the relation between time and value is revealed. In this case, it is important for a brand that the awareness of a brand is increasing. Thus it is possible to claim that the idea of brand life cycle is firstly based on the PLC stages, including the main elements of brand, e.g. brand identity, brand image and etc. The substantiation of brand life cycle relates to PLC (when the goals / actions of a company are emphasised) and a consumer (when the expected result is emphasised) as a brand does not exist without a product. The concept of brand life cycle includes not only the distinguishing of the main stages, but the characteristics of every stage as well. While analyzing the role of PLC in the context of brand life, it is necessary to find out the main stages of PLC and brand life cycle, and to present the main characteristics of these two cycles, when the communicative function becomes a link among a company (producer), brand and consumer as well. While analyzing the interaction of PLC and brand life cycles, it is possible to distinguish the main characterizing factors that reveal the features typical for a specific stage. The brand life is revealed by emphasizing the criterion of result. According to J. Groucutt (2006), L.M. Grantham (1997) and other scientists, it is possible to state the following main providences: 1. In the introduction stage of PLC a product is new. Consumers no little about it and therefore the habits of consumption are not developed. The majority of purchases are probationary. Only those consumers who like novelties buy the new product. Having evaluated the purchased product, they spread the information for the surrounding people. In this way, more and more consumers, seeking to acquire the product, appear. If a company is able to interest more and more consumers with a new product, the sales volumes and income are growing rapidly. In the introduction stage of brand life, the brand is new and unknown. The company usually performs communication and information communication. The purpose is to enter into a primary relation with a consumer. 2. In the growth stage of PLC, more and more consumers recognize the product, the habits of consumption are in the process of formation. It is important for a company to sustain a rapid growth of sales volumes by attracting as much potential consumers as possible. This is achieved by compiling more and more information about consumers behaviour and needs. However, the sales volumes stabilize and start decreasing. The new consumers purchase only a very little part. The present consumers purchase the usual amounts and do not intend to increase them. In the growth stage, the brand is already known; however, the circle of loyal consumers is only in the process of formation. Precisely in this stage, the company actively develops communication meant for the formation of brand image, i.e. it is tried to acquire the favour of consumers and to entrench the brand. 3. In the maturity stage of PLC, the sale of a product stabilizes and starts decreasing. The general number of consumers does not change, later it starts decreasing as new products satisfying this need appear in the market. The sales volumes are decreasing. In this stage, the brand has its consumers; however the company seeks for long-time attachment. 4. In the decline stage of PLC, the sales of the product are constantly decreasing. New products appear in the market. The company usually does not take any radical measures as when the sales volumes extremely decrease, the product may be simply recalled from the circulation. The company usually stops the production of the product before it becomes detrimental. Then the PLC ends. In this

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stage, the company firstly seeks to sustain the loyal consumers, i.e. attachment to the brand. It is necessary to mention that the brand may be repositioned in this stage.

Brand management It begins with having a thorough knowledge of the term brand. It includes developing a promise, making that promise and maintaining it. It means defining the brand, positioning the brand, and delivering the brand. Brand management is nothing but an art of creating and sustaining the brand. Branding makes customers committed to your business. A strong brand differentiates your products from the competitors. It gives a quality image to your business. Brand management includes managing the tangible and intangible characteristics of brand. In case of product brands, the tangibles include the product itself, price, packaging, etc. While in case of service brands, the tangibles include the customers experience. The intangibles include emotional connections with the product / service. Branding is assembling of various marketing mix medium into a whole so as to give you an identity. It is nothing but capturing your customers mind with your brand name. It gives an image of an experienced, huge and reliable business. It is all about capturing the niche market for your product / service and about creating a confidence in the current and prospective customers minds that you are the unique solution to their problem.

The aim of branding is to convey brand message vividly, create customer loyalty, persuade the buyer for the product, and establish an emotional connectivity with the customers. Branding forms customer perceptions about the product. It should raise customer expectations about the product. The primary aim of branding is to create differentiation. Strong brands reduce customers perceived monetary, social and safety risks in buying goods/services. The customers can better imagine the intangible goods with the help of brand name. Strong brand organizations have a high market share. The brand should be given good support so that it can sustain itself in long run. It is essential to manage all brands and build brand equity over a period of time. Here comes importance and usefulness of brand management. Brand management helps in building a corporate image. A brand manager has to oversee overall brand performance. A successful brand can only be created if the brand management system is competent. Following are the important concepts of brand management: Definition of Brand

Brand Name

Brand Attributes

Brand Positioning

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Brand Identity

Sources of Brand Identity

Brand Image

Brand Identity vs Brand Image

Brand Personality

Brand Awareness

Brand Loyalty

Brand Association

Building a Brand

Brand Equity

Brand Equity & Customer Equity

Brand Extension

Co-branding

Brand identity It stems from an organization, i.e., an organization is responsible for creating a distinguished product with unique characteristics. It is how an organization seeks to identify itself. It represents how an organization wants to be perceived in the market. An organization communicates its identity to the consumers through its branding and marketing strategies. A brand is unique due to its identity. Brand identity includes following elements - Brand vision, brand culture, positioning, personality, relationships, and presentations.

Brand identity is a bundle of mental and functional associations with the brand. Associations are not reasons-to-buy but provide familiarity and differentiation thats not replicable getting it. These associations can include signature tune(for example - Britannia ting-ting-ta-ding), trademark colours (for example - Blue colour with Pepsi), logo (for example - Nike), tagline (for example 12

Apples tagline is Think different),etc. Brand identity is the total proposal/promise that an organization makes to consumers. The brand can be perceived as a product, a personality, a set of values, and a position it occupies in consumers minds. Brand identity is all that an organization wants the brand to be considered as. It is a feature linked with a specific company, product, service or individual. It is a way of externally expressing a brand to the world. Brand identity is the noticeable elements of a brand (for instance - Trademark colour, logo, name, symbol) that identify and differentiates a brand in target audience mind. It is a crucial means to grow your companys brand. Brand identity is the aggregation of what all you (i.e. an organization) do. It is an organizations mission, personality, promise to the consumers and competitive advantages. It includes the thinking, feelings and expectations of the target market/consumers. It is a means of identifying and distinguishing an organization from another. An organization having unique brand identity have improved brand awareness, motivated team of employees who feel proud working in a well branded organization, active buyers, and corporate style. Brand identity leads to brand loyalty, brand preference, high credibility, good prices and good financial returns. It helps the organization to express to the customers and the target market the kind of organization it is. It assures the customers again that you are who you say you are. It establishes an immediate connection between the organization and consumers. Brand identity should be sustainable. It is crucial so that the consumers instantly correlate with your product/service. Brand identity should be futuristic, i.e, it should reveal the associations aspired for the brand. It should reflect the durable qualities of a brand. Brand identity is a basic means of consumer recognition and represents the brands distinction from its competitors. Sources of Brand Identity 1. SYMBOLS- Symbols help customers memorize organizations products and services. They help us correlate positive attributes that bring us closer and make it convenient for us to purchase those products and services. Symbols emphasize our brand expectations and shape corporate images. Symbols become a key component of brand equity and help in differentiating the brand characteristics. Symbols are easier to memorize than the brand names as they are visual images. These can include logos, people, geometric shapes, cartoon images, anything. For instance, Marlboro has its famous cowboy, Pillsbury has its Poppin Fresh doughboy, Duracell has its bunny rabbit, Mc Donald has Ronald, Fed Ex has an arrow, and Nikes swoosh. All these symbols help us remember the brands associated with them. Brand symbols are strong means to attract attention and enhance brand personalities by making customers like them. It is feasible to learn the relationship between symbol and brand if the symbol is reflective/representative of the brand. For instance, the symbol of LG symbolize the world, future, youth, humanity, and technology. Also, it represents LGs efforts to keep close relationships with their customers. 2. LOGOS- A logo is a unique graphic or symbol that represents a company, product, service, or other entity. It represents an organization very well and make the customers wellacquainted with the company. It is due to logo that customers form an image for the product/service in mind. Adidass Three Stripes is a famous brand identified by its corporate logo. Features of a good logo are : a. It should be simple. b. It should be distinguished/unique. It should differentiate itself. 13

c. d. e. f.

It should be functional so that it can be used widely. It should be effective, i.e., it must have an impact on the intended audience. It should be memorable. It should be easily identifiable in full colours, limited colour palettes, or in black and white. g. It should be a perfect reflection/representation of the organization. h. It should be easy to correlate by the customers and should develop customers trust in the organization. i. It should not loose its integrity when transferred on fabric or any other material. j. It should portray companys values, mission and objectives. The elements of a logo are: k. Logotype - It can be a simple or expanded name. Examples of logotypes including only the name are Kelloggs, Hyatt, etc. l. Icon - It is a name or visual symbol that communicates a market position. For example-LIC hands, UTI kalash. m. Slogan - It is best way of conveying companys message to the consumers. For instance- Nikes slogan Just Do It. 3. TRADEMARKS- Trademark is a unique symbol, design, or any form of identification that helps people recognize a brand. A renowned brand has a popular trademark and that helps consumers purchase quality products. The goodwill of the dealer/maker of the product also enhances by use of trademark. Trademark totally indicates the commercial source of product/service. Trademark contribute in brand equity formation of a brand. Trademark name should be original. A trademark is chosen by the following symbols: (denotes unregistered trademark, that is, a mark used to promote or brand goods); SM (denotes unregistered service mark) (denotes registered trademark). Registration of trademark is essential in some countries to give exclusive rights to it. Without adequate trademark protection, brand names can become legally declared generic. Generic names are never protectable as was the case with Vaseline, escalator and thermos. Some guidelines for trademark protection are as follows: a. b. c. d. e. Go for formal trademark registration. Never use trademark as a noun or verb. Always use it as an adjective. Use correct trademark spelling. Challenge each misuse of trademark, specifically by competitors in market. Capitalize first letter of trademark. If a trademark appears in point, ensure that it stands out from surrounding text.

Brand Image

Brand image is the current view of the customers about a brand. It can be defined as a unique bundle of associations within the minds of target customers. It signifies what the brand presently stands for. It is a set of beliefs held about a specific brand. In short, it is nothing but the consumers perception about the product. It is the manner in which a specific brand is positioned in the market. Brand image conveys emotional value and not just a mental image. Brand image is nothing but an organizations character. It is an accumulation of contact and observation by people external to an organization. It should highlight an organizations mission and vision to all. The main elements of positive brand image are- unique logo reflecting organizations image, slogan describing

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organizations business in brief and brand identifier supporting the key values. Brand image is the overall impression in consumers mind that is formed from all sources. Consumers develop various associations with the brand. Based on these associations, they form brand image. An image is formed about the brand on the basis of subjective perceptions of associations bundle that the consumers have about the brand. Volvo is associated with safety. Toyota is associated with reliability. The idea behind brand image is that the consumer is not purchasing just the product/service but also the image associated with that product/service. Brand images should be positive, unique and instant. Brand images can be strengthened using brand communications like advertising, packaging, word of mouth publicity, other promotional tools, etc. Brand image develops and conveys the products character in a unique manner different from its competitors image. The brand image consists of various associations in consumers mind - attributes, benefits and attributes. Brand attributes are the functional and mental connections with the brand that the customers have. They can be specific or conceptual. Benefits are the rationale for the purchase decision. There are three types of benefits: Functional benefits - what do you do better (than others ),emotional benefits - how do you make me feel better (than others), and rational benefits/support why do I believe you(more than others). Brand attributes are consumers overall assessment of a brand. Brand image has not to be created, but is automatically formed. The brand image includes products' appeal, ease of use, functionality, fame, and overall value. Brand image is actually brand content. When the consumers purchase the product, they are also purchasing its image. Brand image is the objective and mental feedback of the consumers when they purchase a product. Positive brand image is exceeding the customers expectations. Positive brand image enhances the goodwill and brand value of an organization. To sum up, Brand image is the customers net extract from the brand.

Brand identity vs. brand image No.s Brand identity

Brand identity develops from the source or the company.

Brand image is perceived by the receiver or the consumer.

Brand message is tied together in terms of brand identity.

Brand message is untied by the consumer in the form of brand image.

The general meaning of brand identity is who you really are?

The general meaning of brand image is How market perceives you?

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Its nature is that it is substance oriented or strategic.

Its nature is that it is appearance oriented or tactical.

Brand identity reality.

symbolizes

firms

Brand image symbolizes perception of consumers

Brand identity desire.

represents

your

Brand image represents others view

It is enduring.

It is superficial.

Identity is looking ahead.

Image is looking back.

Identity is active.

Image is passive.

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It signifies where you want to be.

It signifies what you have got.

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It is total promise that a company makes to consumers.

It is total consumers perception about the brand.

Focus on shaping your brand identity, brand image will follow. Brand Equity - Meaning and Measuring Brand Equity

Brand Equity is the value and strength of the Brand that decides its worth. It can also be defined as the differential impact of brand knowledge on consumers response to the Brand Marketing. Brand Equity exists as a function of consumer choice in the market place. The concept of Brand Equity comes into existence when consumer makes a choice of a product or a service. It occurs when the consumer is familiar with the brand and holds some favourable positive strong and distinctive brand associations in the memory.

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Brand Equity can be determined by measuring: Returns to the Share-Holders.

Evaluating the Brand Image for various parameters that are considered significant. Evaluating the Brands earning potential in long run. By evaluating the increased volume of sales created by the brand compared to other brands in the same class. The price premium charged by the brand over non-branded products. From the prices of the shares that an organization commands in the market (specifically if the brand name is identical to the corporate name or the consumers can easily co-relate the performance of all the individual brands of the organization with the organizational financial performance. OR, An amalgamation of all the above methods.

Factors contributing to Brand Equity 1. 2. 3. 4. Brand Awareness Brand Associations Brand Loyalty Perceived Quality: refers to the customers perception about the total quality of the brand. While evaluating quality the customer takes into account the brands performance on factors that are significant to him and makes a relative analysis about the brands quality by evaluating the competitors brands also. Thus quality is a perceptual factor and the consumer analysis about quality varies. Higher perceived quality might be used for brand positioning. Perceived quality affect the pricing decisions of the organizations. Superior quality products can be charged a price premium. Perceived quality gives the customers a reason to buy the product. It also captures the channel members interest. For instance - American Express. 5. Other Proprietary Brand Assets: Patents, Trademarks and Channel Inter-relations are proprietary assets. These assets prevent competitors attack on the organization. They also help in maintaining customer loyalty as well as organizations competitive advantage. Brand Equity & Customer Equity

Brand Equity is defined as value and strength of the Brand that decides its worth whereas Customer Equity is defined in terms of lifetime values of all customers. Brand Equity and Customer Equity have two things in common Both stress on significance of customer loyalty to the brand

Both stress upon the face that value is created by having as many customers as possible paying as high price as possible.

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But conceptually both brand equity and customer equity differ. While customer equity puts too much emphasis on lower line financial value got from the customers, brand equity attempts to put more emphasis on strategic issues in managing brands.

Customer Equity is less narrow alternative. It can overlook a brands optional value and their capacity effect revenues and cost beyond the present marketing environment.

Just as customer equity can persist without brand equity, brand equity may also exist without customer equity. For instance I may have positive attitude towards brands - McDonald and Burger King, but I may only purchase from McDonalds brand consistently.

To conclude, we can say brands do not exist without consumer and consumer do not exist without brands. Brands serve as a temptation that utilizes other intermediaries to lure the customers from whom value is extracted. Customers serve as a profit-medium for brands to encash their brand value. Both the concepts are highly co-related.

Brand Extension - Meaning, Advantages and Disadvantages Brand Extension is the use of an established brand name in new product categories. This new category to which the brand is extended can be related or unrelated to the existing product categories. A renowned/successful brand helps an organization to launch products in new categories more easily. For instance, Nikes brand core product is shoes. But it is now extended to sunglasses, soccer balls, basketballs, and golf equipments. An existing brand that gives rise to a brand extension is referred to as parent brand. If the customers of the new business have values and aspirations synchronizing/matching those of the core business, and if these values and aspirations are embodied in the brand, it is likely to be accepted by customers in the new business. Extending a brand outside its core product category can be beneficial in a sense that it helps evaluating product category opportunities, identifies resource requirements, lowers risk, and measures brands relevance and appeal. Brand extension may be successful or unsuccessful. Instances where brand extension has been a success arei. ii. Wipro which was originally into computers has extended into shampoo, powder, and soap. Mars is no longer a famous bar only, but an ice-cream, chocolate drink and a slab of chocolate.

Instances where brand extension has been a failure arei. In case of new Coke, Coca Cola has forgotten what the core brand was meant to stand for. It thought that taste was the only factor that consumer cared about. It was wrong. The time and money spent on research on new Coca Cola could not evaluate the deep emotional attachment to the original Coca- Cola. Rasna Ltd. - Is among the famous soft drink companies in India. But when it tried to move away from its niche, it hasnt had much success. When it experimented with fizzy fruit 18

ii.

drink Oranjolt, the brand bombed even before it could take off. Oranjolt was a fruit drink in which carbonates were used as preservative. It didnt work out because it was out of synchronization with retail practices. Oranjolt need to be refrigerated and it also faced quality problems. It has a shelf life of three-four weeks, while other soft- drinks assured life of five months.

Advantages of Brand Extension Brand Extension has following advantages: 1. It makes acceptance of new product easy. a. It increases brand image. b. The risk perceived by the customers reduces. c. The likelihood of gaining distribution and trial increases. An established brand name increases consumer interest and willingness to try new product having the established brand name. d. The efficiency of promotional expenditure increases. Advertising, selling and promotional costs are reduced. There are economies of scale as advertising for core brand and its extension reinforces each other. e. Cost of developing new brand is saved. f. Consumers can now seek for a variety. g. There are packaging and labeling efficiencies. h. The expense of introductory and follow up marketing programs is reduced. 2. There are feedback benefits to the parent brand and the organization. a. The image of parent brand is enhanced. b. It revives the brand. c. It allows subsequent extension. d. Brand meaning is clarified. e. It increases market coverage as it brings new customers into brand franchise. f. Customers associate original/core brand to new product, hence they also have quality associations. Disadvantages of Brand Extension 1. Brand extension in unrelated markets may lead to loss of reliability if a brand name is extended too far. An organization must research the product categories in which the established brand name will work. 2. There is a risk that the new product may generate implications that damage the image of the core/original brand. 3. There are chances of less awareness and trial because the management may not provide enough investment for the introduction of new product assuming that the spin-off effects from the original brand name will compensate. 4. If the brand extensions have no advantage over competitive brands in the new category, then it will fail.

Brand Pyramid the Branding Concept At the top of the pyramid is the brand that exists at the top of the customers mind. This is the happy and the most desired condition that any marketer seeks. Example: Say when we think of online search engines what is the first brand that comes into your mind? This is "Top of The Mind" This the place that always stays deep within you and you always tend to stick to the brands that are top of the mind. You may hesitate shifting the brands as they are now very much part of your desire. So for me when i think of it its "GOOGLE", So is for you ! 19

The next level is of all the other brands that are recalled by the customer in an unaided form.(brand awareness) The customer is asked to recall as many brands as he or she is able to whenever one thinks of a product. Example: Now i ask you what other brands that you can think when it comes to Search Engines? So the brands that you can name first now is due to the awareness that it has created. Say "Yahoo !" , This is one brand that comes next after "GOOGLE" , so the possibility of "Yahoo !" one day becoming your top of the mind brand is high ! Brand recognition is the third level and perhaps the lowest level. And also known as brandrecall. Here customers are aided in recalling or recognizing brands or associating brands with a product class. This is important at the point of purchase. The contribution of awareness to building up equity for the brand can be gauged by the fact that high awareness creates associations in the customers mind. He or she is able to associate different images with the brand and this in turn can help generate a customers liking for it. It can also lead to a large base of committed customers, and all these benefits in turn will help the firm have more leverage in the market place.

Why do we need a brand position? A brand position tells people who we are, what we stand for and how we operate. It aligns the public face of the university with its vision. A brand is more than a logo it is a palette of images, colours, language and attitude. The Strategy Behind the Brand Position -A brand is not something dreamt up by a good graphic designer. It is based on a strategy that aligns it with the attributes and values of the University itself. In developing a brand, you will typically start with a lot of information that seems to be far too broad too express in a simple way. How can the university possibly come up with a brand position that conveys its broad array of offerings to such a broad range of target audiences? The main processes involved are grouping and distillation grouping together like attributes and finding ways to represent them more simply. Brand Positioning Strategies A product can be positioned based on 2 main platforms: The Consumer and The Competitor. When the positioning is on the basis of CONSUMER, the campaigns and messages are always targeted to the consumer himself (the user of the product) Peter England always campaigns their product concentrating on the consumer, the user of its product. Louis Philip also concentrates on this kind of campaigns. The other kind of positioning is on basis of COMPETITION. These campaigns are targeted towards competing with other players in the market. Dettol television commercials always concentrate on advertisements, whichshow that this product would give you more protection, then the others. A number of positioning strategies might be employed in developing a promotional program. The 7 such strategies are discussed below:

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POSITIONING

BY

PRODUCT

ATTRIBUTES

AND

BENEFITS

Associating a product with an attribute, a product feature or a consumer feature. Sometimes a product can be positioned in terms of two or more attributes simultaneously. The price/ quality attribute dimension is commonly used for positioning the products. A common approach is setting the brand apart from competitors on the basis of the specific characteristics or benefits offered. Sometimes a product may be positioned on more than one product benefit. Marketers attempt to identify salient attributes (those that are important to consumers and are the basis for making a purchase decision)

Consider the example of Ariel that offers a specific benefit of cleaning even the dirtiest of clothes because of the micro cleaning system in the product. Colgate offers benefits of preventing cavity and fresh breath. Promise, Balsaras toothpaste, could break Colgates stronghold by being the first to claim that it contained clove, which differentiated it from the leader. Nirma offered the benefit of low price over Hindustan Levers Surf to become a success. Maruti Suzuki offers benefits of maximum fuel efficiency and safety over its competitors. This strategy helped it to get 60% of the Indian automobile market. BY PRICE/ QUALITY

POSITIONING

Marketers often use price/ quality characteristics to position their brands. One way they do it is with ads that reflect the image of a high-quality brand where cost, while not irrelevant, is considered secondary to the quality benefits derived from using the brand. Premium brands positioned at the high end of the market use this approach to positioning. Another way to use price/ quality characteristics for positioning is to focus on the quality or value offered by the brand at a very competitive price. Although price is an important consideration, the product quality must be comparable to, or even better than, competing brands for the positioning strategy to be effective. Parle Bisleri Bada Bisleri, same price ad campaign. POSITIONING BY USE OR APPLICATION Another way is to communicate a specific image or position for a brand is to associate it with a specific use or application. Surf Excel is positioned as stain remover Surf Excel hena! Also, Clinic All Clear Dare to wear Black.

POSITIONING BY PRODUCT CLASS Often the competition for a particular product comes from outside the product class. For example, airlines know that while they compete with other airlines, trains and buses are also viable alternatives. Manufacturers of music CDs must compete with the cassettes industry. The product is positioned against others that, while not exactly the same, provide the same class of benefits. POSITIONING BY PRODUCT USER

Positioning a product by associating it with a particular user or group of users is yet another approach. Motography Motorola Mobile Ad.n this ad the persona of the user of the product is been positioned. 21

POSITIONING

BY

COMPETITOR

Competitors may be as important to positioning strategy as a firms own product or services. In todays market, an effective positioning strategy for a product or brand may focus on specific competitors. This approach is similar to positioning by product class, although in this case the competition is within the same product category. Onida was positioned against the giants in the television industry through this strategy, ONIDA colour TV was launched with the message that all others were clones and only Onida was the leader. neighbours Envy, Owners Pride. POSITIONING BY CULTURAL SYMBOLS

An additional positioning strategy where in the cultural symbols are used to differentiate the brands. Examples would be Humara Bajaj, Tata Tea, Ronald McDonald. Each of these symbols has successfully differentiated the product it represents from competitors. Brand Repositioning and Types of Brand Repositioning Brand Repositioning is changing the positioning of a brand. A particular positioning statementmay not work with a brand. For instance, Dettol toilet soap was positioned as a beauty soap initially. This was not in line with its core values. Dettol, the parent brand (anti-septic liquid) was known for its ability to heal cuts and gashes. The extension's 'beauty' positioning was not in tune with the parents germ-kill positioning. The soap, therefore, had to be repositioned as a germ-kill soap (bath for grimy occasions'') and it fared extremely well after repositioning. Here, the soap had to be repositioned for image mismatch. There are several other reasons for repositioning. Often falling or stagnant sales is responsible for repositioning exercises. After examining the repositioning of several brands from the Indian market, the following 9 types of repositioning have been identified. These are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Increasing relevance to the consumer Increasing occasions for use Making the brand serious Falling sales Bringing in new customers Making the brand contemporary Differentiate from other brands Changed market conditions.

It is not always that these nine categories are mutually exclusive. Often one reason leads to the other and a brand is repositioned sometimes for a multiplicity of reasons.

Lipton Yellow

Label

Tea:

Lipton Yellow Label Tea was initially positioned as delicious, sophisticated and premium tea for the global citizen. The advertisements also echoed this theme. For instance, all the props and participants in the advertisements were foreign. It is possible that this approach did not find favour with the 22

customers. The repositioning specifically addressed the Indian consumer through an Indian idiom.

Maharaja

the

positioning:

Dishwasher in its initial Stages was possibly seen as an exotic product. Thus, Maharajapositioned it as a product aimed at the upper crust. Thus, the positioning statement was your guests get Swiss cheese, Italian Pizza ...... you get stained glassware.'' But Indians are reluctant to use dishwashers because of deeply embedded cultural reasons. Thus, the message had to be changed to appeal to the Indian housewife. Thus the positioning was changed to Bye, Bye Kanta Bai'' indicating that the dishwasher signaled the end of the servant maid's tyranny. The brand, therefore, was repositioned from a sophisticated, aristocratic product to one that is functional and relevant to the Indian housewife.

Visa Card - the Positioning: Visa Card had to change its positioning to make itself relevant to customers under changed circumstances. Initially it asked the customer to pay the way the world does'' (1981). This is to give its card an aura of global reach. But as more and more cards were launched on the same theme, to put itself in a different league, it positioned itself as the world's most preferred card'' (1993). To highlight the services it provided, it shifted to the platform of Visa Power (1995). This focus on explaining the range of services available with the card continues till date (Visa Power, go get it).

Celebrity Endorsements - A Brand Building Concept The billions of dollars spent per year on celebrity endorsement contracts show that celebrities, like Liz Hurley, Britney Spears and Tiger Woods, play an important role for the advertising industry. This shows that the practice of using super stars in advertising generates a lot of publicity and attention from the public. The underlying question is, if and how the lively interest of the public in the rich and famous can be effectively used by companies to promote their brands and consequently increase revenues. CELEBRITIES AS SPOKESPERSONS Companies frequently use spokespersons to deliver their advertising message and convince consumers of their brands. A widely used and very popular type of spokesperson is the celebrity endorser. The reason for using celebrities as spokespersons goes back to their huge potential influence. Compared to other endorser types, famous people achieve a higher degree of attention andrecall. They increase awareness of a companys advertising, create positive feelings towards brands and are perceived by consumers as more entertaining. Using a celebrity in advertising is therefore likely to positively affect consumers brand attitudes and purchase intentions. SOURCE CREDIBILITY AND ATTRACTIVENESS A central goal of advertising is the persuasion of customers, i.e., the active attempt to change or modify consumers attitude towards brands. In this respect, the credibility of an advertisement plays an important role in convincing the target audience of the attractiveness of the companys brand. Pursuing a celebrity endorsement strategy enables advertisers to project a credible image in terms of expertise, persuasiveness, trustworthiness, and objectiveness.

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To create effective messages, celebrity advertisers also have to consider the attractiveness of the spokesperson. Source attractiveness refers to the endorsers physical appearance, personality, likeability, and similarity to the receiver, thus to the perceived social value of the source. The use of (by corresponding standards) attractive people is common practice in television and print advertising, with physically attractive communicators having proved to be more successful in influencing customers attitudes and beliefs than unattractive spokespersons. This behavior mainly goes back to a halo effect, whereby persons who perform well on one dimension, e.g. physical attractiveness, are assumed to excel on others as well, e.g. happiness and coolness. Simply assuming that a person just has to be famous to represent a successful spokesperson, however, would be incorrect, with a considerable number of failures proving the opposite. Very well accepted and attractive super stars have failed in turning their endorsements into success. The late '80s saw the beginning of celebrity endorsements in advertising in India. Hindi films and TV stars as well as sportspersons began encroaching on a territory that was, until then, the exclusive domain of models. There was a spurt of advertising, featuring stars like Tabassum (Prestige pressure cookers), Jalal Agha (Pan Parag), Kapil Dev (Palmolive Shaving Cream) and Sunil Gavaskar (Dinesh Suitings). Of course, the first ad. to cash in on star power in a strategic, long-term mission statement kind of way was Lux soap, a brand which has been among the top three in the country for much of its lifetime. Detergents on the other hand ran the whole gamut from Lalitaji (the antithesis of celebrity) to Shekhar Suman, stepping into the lives of ordinaryhousewives. In the much talked about Shah Rukh-Santro campaign, the organisation wanted to overcome the shortcoming of an unknown brand, Korean at that. The objective was to garner faster brand recognition, association and emotional unity with the target group. The Santro ad. showed the highest recall amongst auto ads.. despite average media spends for the category. Even the ill-fated Home Trade had hits going up to seven lakhs a day after their campaign featuring Hrithik, Shah Rukh and Sachin. Basically, celebrity endorsements give a brand a touch of glamour, and the hope that a famous face will provide added appeal and name recognition in a crowded market. In the battle for the mind, you get the customer excited by showing him a known face, and an effective demand is created. This would normally work best when the concerned brand has close substitutes, or has a need for differentiation, or requires quick entry in a short lifecycle category. Apart from this memorable bit, using a celebrity is supposed to lend instant credibility as well as aspirational values to the brand ----- a hope to get people to follow the Pied Piper. For instance,usage of sports personalities in footwear advertising (where the consumer feels that as Sachin wears Adidas, so should he). But here, the marketer needs to be really disciplined inchoice of celebrity and the celebrity needs to match the product. For instance, Cokes Daler Mehndi campaign suffered from this very problem-----it wasn't aspirational enough. On the other hand, Videocon is using Shah Rukh cleverly to lift the brand from the masses to a moreupmarket, techie image. Sports people have always been celebrities. Only now, the advertising industry is trying to cash in on their mass appeal. In the field of sports, the cricketers take the lions share of advertisement contracts for their wide mass appeal where this sport is considered as a religion and Sachin as God. The much sought-after players of Indian Cricket are: Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virendra Shewag. Apart from cricket and cricketers other sport and sportspersons also attract considerable endorsement money. Leading tennis players like Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati (J Hampstead, Adidas), footballer Baichung Bhutia (Reebok, Omega), chess wizard Viswanathan Anand (NIIT), golfers Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa (Mizuno of Japan), Narain Karthikeyan ( Tata group, Amaron, Kingfisher and JK Tyres) attract sizeable endorsementmoney among others. In an attempt to fly deeper into the hearts of Indian travellers, tourism promotion boards from the South East Asian region are now looking at Indian ambassadors. Topping the list is Tourism 24

Malaysia, which is in negotiations to sign up both Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai as its brand ambassadors to promote this predominantly Muslim tourist destination among the Indians. Not to be left behind, the Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) is also planning to ink a similar deal with the Indian cricket team.

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