6.4 Branding
One of marketing's objectives is to create a unique position for a given product in the minds of customers. One way organisations try to do this is by branding because brands are a means of readily identifying products. Thus, shopping becomes easier and quicker for the customer. For example, consider the range of products represented by the brands on page 410 of your textbook. How much longer would your shopping take if you had to make conscious choices between each manufacturer's product in each product type rather than choosing your preferred brand.
As you will find in your readings, branding in services is more likely to relate to the organisation's image. We will cover this further in later chapters.
Consider this
Think about a maritime or logistics organisation you are familiar with and consider the image it promotes. Why does the organisation promote that particular image?
Your next reading will discuss the decisions involved in marketing products. It introduces the terminology associated with branding, the types of brand strategies that can be used and the legal difficulties faced by brands. The article by Fletcher (2001) is of interest because it questions what is meant by the term 'brand'.
In your text
Kotler et al. (2004) Chapter 11, pp. 404-417, 'Individual product decisions'.
Reading 6.3
Fletcher, A. 2001, 'Brand mania: I'm confused', Management Today , September, p. 35.
Activity 6.4
Consider the product/service you chose in Activity 6.1. Does it have a brand name? If not, is there a supplier in the market who is currently using a brand name for a similar product? Now:
- Analyse that brand name according to the criteria for creating a good brand name in Figure 6.2.
- How did the brand name rate, and could you suggest a better one?
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Figure 6.2 Characteristics of a good brand name
Source: Quester et al. (2004, p. 279)