BRANDING

What is Branding?
 As has already been seen, Product Branding is one of the variables of
Product Mix(in which other variables like Product Range, Product Line,
Product Design etc. feature)
 Branding is the giving a definite name to the product so that one can
differentiate it from other products which are other ‘bundle of utilities’
offered by other brands . Eg. Titan, Bata, Godrej
 The brand of a product is an assurance in the minds of the consumer_
about what he can expect of the
a)product quality Eg. Baskin & Robins
b)valueEg. Toyota
c) image Eg. Apple I pod
d)personality. Eg. Versache
 It is but the naming of a product.
 Branding is a means of communication of the Marketer with the
consumer, bringing out the product’s identity →and pinning the
manufacturer of the product to a definite source as “made by XYZ”
 The purpose of branding is to create trust in the ‘Definite Name’ which
gives all the required functions,productcharqcteristics and satisfaction
level.
 Product differentiation is possible only through branding the product.Eg.
Surf competes with Ariel
 Branding a product creates a responsibility in the seller , to
a)adhere to good quality
b)consistency or standardization
c)to give reasonable prices,
d)to make reasonably true claims in his promotions and
e)in all ways, deal honestly with the public.

REQUISITES OF A GOOD BRAND NAME/ CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD

BRAND NAME1) A good brand name should symbolize the productEg.
Good-Night mosquito coil
 2)beeasy to remember_appealing to the ears, eyes and brain_ short,
sweet and attractive. Eg. Bata shoes, Tata Indica3) and should not
imitate other brands, which makes it illegal.Eg. EG.Gluco and Glucose
biscuits seem similar to the ordinary consumer.
Definition by A.M.A.
“A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of these,
which is intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or a group of
sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.”

BENEFIT OF BRANDING TO DIFFERENT PARTIES

To the Manufacturer:
1) It identifies the product and distinguishes it from other competing
products
2) It saves advertising cost if the brand name is popular
3) Enables advertising and Promotion due to the existence of a brand name
to identify the maker of the item.
4) Creates confidence in and goodwill for the products (once it becomes
well-known), thus widening the market.
5) Legal protection against imitations can be got by registering it.
6) Builds a loyal set of customers
7) Helps in segmenting the market
8) Helps to introduce new products, once the brand of the manufacturer
becomes popular.
9) Ensures _
a) standardization of the product.
b) Stability of prices
and thereby_ CREATES TRUST on the part of the consumer
10) Helps pushing off the products when they are Branded goods and
thereby→
11) Is trusted for ‘Wider distribution’ from state level→ to national→
to international
12) Helps the marketer to control the market using his goodwill or
Brand Image
13) Helps to establish one’s own price level based on one’s brand
name.
14) Builds Brand Image
To the Customers:
1) Brand is a means of Identification for customers
2) It indirectly ensures certain quality, value , features and status the
consumer expects, as manufacturer can be identified behind it.
3) Due to the same above reason, it assures fixed prices that will not
unduly vary.
4) Ensures Consumer Protectionagainst imitation, M.R.P. given.
5) Steady and regular supply of products ensured.
To the Distributor:
1) Widely popular brands easily sell and hence, distributors do not
hesitate to take them up.
2) They do not have to take any special selling efforts(promotion), if
it is a popular brand.
3) Helps in advertising and sales promotion (if the distributor is
doing the work)
4) Increased market share and control

ARGUMENTS AGAINST BRANDING

1) Builds unhealthy brand loyaltyin the customers’ minds and
hence BRAND MONOPOLY.
2) Brand names do not always assure quality.
3) Involves huge advertising costsin the initial stages .
Achieving the following marketing objectives makes the above
arguments ineffective:
1) It allows advertising which help “Repeat Sales”.
2) It helps controlling the share market.The distinct brand
name makes it more acceptable than a virtually identical
competitor.
3) It helps in stabilizing prices between identical brands.
4) Helps introducing more product linesunder the same
brand.
FUNCTIONS OF BRANDING/ ADVANTAGES OF
BRANDING/ROLE OF BRANDING
1. Product Differentiation _Branding helps to distinguish a
product from other similar products in the market.
2. Publicity _ It is the basis of enabling products to be
advertised. If the brand name of a business attains a name
and fame in the market ( goodwill)→popularized products
are remembered for a longer time
3. Distinctive Impression_ Create individual existance
4. Widens Market_ As brands can be advertised and thus
popularized, they are demanded everywhere and enjoy a
wider market.
5. Protection against Imitation _ A registered brand name and
mark offer protection from imitation of the product by
other manufacturers.
6. Better Quality of Goods _ Branded goods can be sold on
the basis of description alone. A brand is indicative of the
products’ characteristics, quality, price etc. The price of the
branded good can be compared with others on the basis of
the level it represents on the quality scale.
7. Introduction of New Products _ An already well-known and
respected brand can easily introduce new products in the
market as these will be easily accepted by the consumers to
be as successful as the other products of that brand.
8. Consumer Protection _ Prices of the branded goods are
printed on the package. Hence the consumer gains the
confidence that the retailer charge more than the printed
price. Besides the price of the branded goods will remain
the same in different locations and are not changed often
_ so as to gain consumer confidence.
9. Massive Asset_ Brand is a massive intangible asset,which
cannot be duplicated like the physical assets like building,
machinery, inventory etc.
 10.Permits Repeat Purchase_ Once a customer has liked a
brand he does not go for any other brandEg. A housewife
who is satisfied with Vim powder to wash utensils will not
ever go for Biz or Odopic etc. Without branding, repeat
purchases will come to a standstill.
11.Helps Distributors Survival_ Only well-known branded
goods are taken up by middlemen to ensure that they will
get sold away. In fact,the very survival of middlemen rests
on their ability to sell powerful branded products.
12.Most Important to Services_ In the case of services, where
there is no physical or visual checking of quality of the
product, but only the evidence of the satisfaction derived, a
brand name for the satisfying service provider is a must to
recognize them and go for repeat purchases. Eg. Emirates
airlines has been proven for the best set of flight services.

KINDS OF BRAND NAMES

Coined Name_ A purposely created name that stresses
more on producer’s identity. Eg.’Parker’has come to mean
pen.
Arbitary Name_ A nameneither relating to the product nor
the producer Eg.ABC Ltd.
Suggestive NameA name which suggests something about
the product or its functions.Eg. Band Aid sticking plaster.
Descriptive Name_ A Name that describes the product fully
Eg. Glucose Biscuits, Cocoa Sweats.

RELATED TERMS
Businessmen basically use three types of branding_ namely, (i) Symbols (Eg.
The Nike ‘Tick’, (ii) special names given to a product or range of products of a
business (Eg. Nakshatra Diamonds , Hamam soap ) and (iii) Name of the
business (Tata Steel, Godrej)
Brand Name_ It is a part of a brand consisting of a word, letter, group of words
or letters comprising a name which is intended to identify the goods or
services of the seller, and to differentiate them from the competitors.
Eg. Sony TV , Honda City car,
Parker Pen
Brand Mark_ A mark is the part of the brand which appears in the form of a
symbol, design or distinctive colouring or lettering. (Eg. The Nike ‘Tick’, The
two glasses of pouring milk for Cadbury)
Branding_ Branding is the process of giving a brand name to a product ,
designing a brand mark, establishing it and popularising it.
Trade Mark_ When a brand name is registered under the Trade &
Merchandise Act and legalised it becomes a trade mark. Thus registered
brands are trade- marks. So all trade- marks are brand names, but all brand
names do not represent trade- marks.
Definition of Trade Mark_ “a brand or part of a brand that is given legal
protection because it is capable of exclusive appropriation”.
Trade Name_ It is the business’s name. A trade name may also be a brand
name, but in such a case it serves two purposes, 1) to identify the
manufacturer and 2) the product
Eg. Godrej is the name of the business under which all its products like locks
,steel furniture, fridges, juices are made. Some of its products like the locks
dyes and steel furniture are manufactured under the Trade name cum Brand
name of Godrej, but some other products of it like Cinthol Soap Hamam are
manufactured under their individual brand names.)
Patents_ The patent is the registered P Intelligence that a business concern
uses in its materials or process of production or packing technology , which is
exclusive to themselves, and cannot be copied by any other business . The
business may have developed it in their own research & development
department or purchased the technology. It is denoted by a a circled capital
letter' P' as P
. Different patents give the right of exclusive use, for different lengths
of periods , depending on the extent to which it is a totally new finding . Any
duplication of the patented technology by other competitors gives the right to
sue them to the business, and even to demand that the profits made by using
their technology be turned over to them.
Copyright_ A copyright is to any original work of art, what patent is to
technology. Hence, literary work, music and art can be copyrighted by the
author . The copyrighted work gives exclusive right of ownership in selling or
performing to the author for his entire lifetime and for a further period of 50
years after his death. ' Copyright' is denoted through a symbol .
The exception to the rule of copyright is the use of the artistic work for the
purpose of teaching and research.
Q. Why is Trade Mark different from Patent?Ans. A Patent involves the
registering of intellectual formula or method/product/material found by the
R&D (Research & Development Department) of a business for their exclusive
use .Onthe other hand, Trade Mark is also a registered property of the
business for its exclusive use, but it is the registering of its brand name and not
intellectual finding. Besides patenting preserves the use for only a limited
number of years whereas a trade mark will belong to the business forever.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BRAND NAME AND BRAND MARK

Brand name
1. The Brand name is a word
/letter or set of letters by
which the manufacturer's
product is called similar to a
person's name.
2. The brand name is meant to
be vocalised
Brand Mark
1. The brand mark is a mark or
picture or letter which acts
as a symbol representing the
brand name.
2. The brand mark is for visual
recognition of the maker.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BRAND NAME AND GENERIC NAME

Brand Name
1. Brand represents the
manufacturer Eg. Lux
2. Therefore, brands are many.
3. A particular brand represents
Generic Name
1. Generic Name represents the
noun or functional Product Eg.
Soap
2. Generic name is one.
3. A generic name represents the
 the set of satisfying factors for similar function , shape , size of
which is ultimately bought the entire set of brands Eg.
Soap, pen, car
4. Brands can be advertised as the 4. Generic products cannot be
specific maker of the set of advertised as a specific maker
differentiating features are of set of differentiating features
cannot be advertised.
known.
5. 5.Brands may be born, may 5. Generic item has no death.
grow and die.
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Q. Define Branding
Q. Explain Branding as an element of the Product Mix.
Q. What are the benefits derived from Branding by (i) the manufacturer, (ii) consumers (iii)
Distributors?
Q. What are the arguments against Branding?
Q. “Branding is a waste , as it only gives a false image to the product , is an unfair means of
competition, and is expensive to maintain.” Critically analyze the statement.
Q. What are the requisites of a good brand name/ characteristics of a good brand name ?
Q. What are the function/Role/Advantages or Merits of Branding / How does branding
make a significant difference to modern Marketing?
Q. Wh.at are the different types of brand names? Give one example for each
Q. Write a note on(i) Brand Name (ii) Brand Mark) (iii) Copyright (iv) Trade Name (v) Trade
Mark vi) Patent vii) Branding
Q. Define Trade Mark.
Q. What is the need of patenting/ How does patenting help a marketer?
Q. What is the difference between brand name and generic name
Q. What are thedifferences between brand name and brand mark
Q. What are the differences between brand name and generic name