What is Branding

  

Branding Decision

Packaging and branding really constitute two important product feature. In fact, psychologically they are third up with the product characteristics as packaging and branding do influence unconsciously the consumer evolution of the product. it is for this reason that packaging and branding will also be discussed

Brand

A brand or part of a brand consisting of word, letter, group of words or letters comprising a name which is intended to identify the goods or services of a seller or a group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.

One Brand is used, it becomes an integral part of the product. From the viewpoint of the manufacturer, middleman, or retailer, who is considering employing a brand, a brand can be defined as a device designed   

to assist in the process of creating, stimulating, strengthening or maintaining demand for his products.

Mostly brand is used in case of customer goods but industrial goods also use them often. Besides the manufacturers, wholesalers and retailer can also use brands.

Brand Decision

In the development of a marketing strategy for individual products, the seller has to confront the issue of branding. Branding can add value to a product and is, therefore, an intimate aspect of product strategy.

First, we should become familiar with the language of branding. Here are some key definitions

Brand: A name, term, sign, symbol, design or combination of them which is intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of the seller and to differentiate them from those of competitors.

Brand name: that part of a brand, which can be vocalized the utterable. Examples are Avon, Chevrolet, and UBC.

Brand Mark: that part brand, which can be recognized but is not utterable, such as a symbol, design, or distinctive coloring or lettering. Examples are the Air Canada maple leaf and the royal bank lion.

Trademark: a brand or part of a brand that is given legal protection because it is capable of exclusive appropriation. A trademark protects the seller's exclusive rights to use the brand name and/or brand mark.

Copyright: The exclusive legal right to reproduce, public, and sell the matter and form of a literary, musical, or artistic work.

Branding poses a number of challenging decision to the marketer. The three major decision are described in the following

Conditions Favourable To Branding

1. The product is easy to identify by brand or trademark.

2. The product quality is the best "value" for the price. and the quality is easy to maintain

3. Dependable and widespread availability is possible. When a customer starts using a brand wants to be able to continue using it.

4. The demand for the general product is large.

5. The demand is strong enough so the market price can be high enough to make the branding efforts profitable.

6. There are economies of scale. If the branding is really successful, costs should drop and profits should increase.

CHARACTERISTIC OF A GOODS BRAND OR BRAND NAME

1. A band should suggest something about the benefits/characteristics of the product, use or action. Example cold spot, Wear-Ever, Easy-Off, More-Power, Craftsman, and Beauty rest, Accutron. Spic & Span, Pop-Tarts, Mines Mind, Ultra Bride, and Dream Whip, Duz, Sunkist, Firebird suggests product use and action.

2. A brand should be easy to pronounce, sell, and remember, recognize Short name, Simple, one-syllable name. such as Tide, Crest, Puffs, Aim, Ban, And Raid are helpful.

3. A brand should be distinctive. Brand such as Mustang, Kodak, Xerox, Goodyear, Tylenol, Duracell, Peter England, Cafe Coffee Day, Tata Group, State Bank of India, Titan,  Bharti Airtel etc.

4. A brand should be capable of being registered and legally protected under the Trade Marks Act and other statutory or common laws.

5. A brand should be adaptable to new products that may be added to the product line. An innocuous (harmless) a name like Heinz, Adidas, or Jelinek may serve the purpose better than highly distinctive name suggestive of product benefits. Frigidaire is an excellent name for a refrigerator and other cold-image products. But when the manufacturer expanded this line of home appliances and added Frigidaire kitchen ranges, the name lost some of its sales appeals.

The brand makes it easy for a customer to identify products or services. The brand also assures purchasers that they are getting comparable quality when they reorder.

HOW TO SELECT A BRAND NAME

A superior product without a good name will nit as well as an average product with a superior name. The criteria for selecting a brand name are

1.The project of a meaningful image 

2.Uniqueness (remarkable) 

3.Memorability

4. Distinction and registerability.

5. Non-descriptive or hard to describe verbally.

6 Ability to offer long-term support to the product.

7.Non-negative association

8.Creative integration of all elements.

Manufacturer's Brand

Manufacturers brand are brands created by manufacturers These are sometimes called 'national brands' because the brand is promoted all across the country or in large regions. Such brand includes Whirpool, Ford, and IBM. many creators of service-oriented firms - McDonald's, spend a lot of money promoting their brands in the same way that other producers do.

Private/Dealer Brand

Private/Dealer Brands are brands created by a middleman. These are sometimes called 'private brand' Example of dealer brands include the brands of Kroger, Ace Hardware, and Sears. Some of these are advertised and distributed more widely than many 'national brands'

Blanket/Family Brands

Blanket/family brand is a brand name that is used for several products, e.g Kraft food products and Sears' 'Craftsman' tools and 'Kenmore' appliances. Manufacturers who brand their products face further choices.

STRATEGIES FOR FOUR BRAND NAMES

1)Individual brand names: This the policy is followed by Procter & Gamble (Tide, Bold, Dash, Cheer, Gain, Duz) and Canada Packers (Maple Leaf, York, Devon)

2)A Blanket family name for all products: This policy is followed by Heinz and General Electric.

3)Separate family names for all products: This policy is followed by sears (Kenmore for appliances, and Craftsman for tools).

4) Company trade name combined with individual product names: This policy is followed by Kellogg's (Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and Kellogg’s Raisin Bran) and Jon Labatt (Labatt’s Blue and Labatt’s Classic). Wholesalers and retailers must know product prices to plan their resale prices and to determine their profits.

Competitors in the same industry will often adopt different brand-name strategies. In the soap industry, Procter & Gamble favor individual brand name. P&G will use its name with the new product during the first six weeks each product to make it on its own. Colgate, on the other hand, makes much use of the phrase ‘the Colgate family’ to help its individual products along.