Week 1 A
Week 1 A
1.2
What is a brand?
1.7
Five Levels of Meaning for a
Product
The core benefit level is the fundamental need or want that
consumers satisfy by consuming the product or service.
The generic product level is a basic version of the product containing
only those attributes or characteristics absolutely necessary for its
functioning but with no distinguishing features. This is basically a
stripped-down, no-frills version of the product that adequately
performs the product function.
The expected product level is a set of attributes or characteristics that
buyers normally expect and agree to when they purchase a product.
The augmented product level includes additional product attributes,
benefits, or related services that distinguish the product from
competitors.
The potential product level includes all the augmentations and
transformations that a product might ultimately undergo in the
future.
A brand is therefore more than a product, as it
can have dimensions that differentiate it in
some way from other products designed to
satisfy the same need.
Some brands create competitive advantages
with product performance; other brands create
competitive advantages through non-product-
related means.
Why do brands matter?
What functions do brands perform that make
them so valuable to marketers?
Importance of Brands to Consumers
Identification of the source of the product
Assignment of responsibility to product maker
Risk reducer
Search cost reducer
Promise, bond, or pact with product maker
Symbolic device
Signal of quality
Reducing the Risks in Product Decisions
Consumers may perceive many different types of risks in
buying and consuming a product:
Functional risk—The product does not perform up to
expectations.
Physical risk—The product poses a threat to the physical well-
being or health of the user or others.
Financial risk—The product is not worth the price paid.
Social risk—The product results in embarrassment from others.
Psychological risk—The product affects the mental well-being
of the user.
Time risk—The failure of the product results in an opportunity
cost of finding another satisfactory product.
Importance of Brands to Firms
Identification to simplify handling or tracing
Legally protecting unique features
Signal of quality level
Endowing products with unique associations
Source of competitive advantage
Source of financial returns
Can everything be branded?
Ultimately a brand is something that resides in
the minds of consumers.
The key to branding is that consumers perceive
differences among brands in a product category.
Even commodities can be branded:
Coffee (Nestle), bath soap ( Dove), flour (Ashirwad
Atta), salt (Tata Salt), oatmeal (Quaker), pickles
(mothers receipe), bananas (balaji), chickens
(Goodrej- real good chicken ),and even water
(Bisleri ) , People ( celebrities)
What is branded?
Physical goods
Services
Retailers and distributors
Online products and services
People and organizations
Sports, arts, and entertainment
Geographic locations
Ideas and causes
Retailers & Distributors :- loyalty in a store &
consumers learn to expect certain brands & products
from a store .
Shoppers Stop
Bigbazaar
Online Products & Services
Google
Ebay
Amazon
Flipkart …..
CAN ANYTHING BE BRANDED ?
Commodity :- a commodity is aYES
product so basic that it cannot be
physically differentiated in the minds of consumers . Commodities have
also become highly differentiated as strong brands have emerged in the
category . ex:- coffee , salt , flour , water .
A time when Evian was selling 20% more than budweiser
Physical Goods :- Consumer products
Services :-
Airlines
Telecommunications
Banking
Hospitality
Courier
People And Organization :- People and organization also can be viewed as
brands , considering public figures such as politicians , entertainers and
professional athletes . Public figures in some sense bring public approval &
acceptance & benefit from conveying a strong & desirable image .
Amitabh Bachan – beard look
Sports , Arts & Entertainment
Go Goa
Malayasia ( truly Asia )
Ideas & Causes
Savvy customers
Brand proliferation( rise in line & brand extension , ex:-
Vaseline )
Media fragmentation( interactive & non traditional
media )
Increased competition
Increased costs
Greater accountability
Company failed to understand the customer’s expectations &
went ahead to launch NEW COKE
Research had shown that – 68 % customers in US liked the
taste of the new formula developed by Coca-Cola
Corporation .the new formula tried to make it sweeter like
Pepsi .
Brand-product matrix
Grow and sustain Brand portfolios and hierarchies
brand equity Brand expansion strategies
Brand reinforcement and revitalization