Managing a Brand Is Complicated - Essay Example

Competition in every field has made the markets turbulent which has prompted marketers to create a distinctive brand mage for their products. A brandgoes beyond the name or a logo or a slogan. It is the customers’ perception of the stimulus when the brand is presented (Berry & Lampo, 2004). Managing a brand according to Levin (2006) involves everything right from developing the product to packaging to creating a retail marketing strategy. It is also felt that managing the brand is the same as managing the business. This means developing a corporate culture that focuses all the delivery and support functions on meeting customers’ needs (Hutton, 2005). Brand management is the process that takes control of everything that a brand does and says, managing the way in which it is perceived by others (CIM, 2003). This requires understand what the brand stands for and how to position it as a brand is a combination of a product’s /service public image (Tregert & Westerlund, 2003). According to Aaker (2004) managing a brand requires engagement of its people, values and priorities, an innovative strategy, commitment to quality, concern for customers, adaptation to localization strategy, creating good company vibes, and most importantly the size and scope of the firm. Today employees are the critical link between the company and the customer. Brand management integrates the totally different perspectives of two different words – the company and the customer (CIM, 2003). Employees have to deliver the promise of the brand every moment. McDonalds strives to uphold the values of its brand and it is the employees that communicate the brand image effectively (Oakner, 2005). Hence it is important that company’s culture and operations should be aligned with the brand value to provide competitive advantage. When employees understand the company’s vision and business strategy, when they are taken into confidence and when internal communication is effective, brand equity is assured. This requires internal brand alignment where customer satisfaction is assured. Powerful brands are characterized by strong and enthusiastic leaders who have a passionate belief in a few values. Leaders have to live these values and not just talk about them and when they do so, the employees are more likely to be committed to delivering them (CIM, 2003). Having a focus on brand management gives rise to a corporate persona with a deeply felt set of values which enables the brad to have a clear attitude. Brand building requires prioritizing what is important. Most organizations concentrate on brand building only when they are prospering but do not bother about it when the sales and profits are threatened (Tregert & Westerlund, 2003). An organization must be able to maintain and enhance brand equity even during recession. Innovation makes the acceptance of new product offerings more likely. Organizations are reluctant to spend on R&D if does not enhance the brand value of the product. Organizations like Sony and Dell have brought their products to the customers in innovative and different ways thereby enhancing the bard value of their offerings (Aaker, 2004). Commitment to quality is essential which means that product offering must be able to deliver the brand promise (Aaker, 2004). For instance a bank must ensure that the appearance of the bank statement is understood and effectively managed. The firm must show that it is concerned about its customers. Southwest Airlines has been able to create a base of loyal customers simply because it has demonstrated enthusiastic efforts to please the customers. The decision to adopt localization or be global in their approach also affects the brand image. Both have potential benefits and firms like Sony adopt a little of both. This of course would have to be firm specific, which has to relate to the product and the country as well. Then, the people behind the brand are equally important. Normally people and organizations prefer to do business with those they respect and admire. They want to deal with companies that are socially responsible and have concern for all their stakeholders including their employees. Companies like HP and Johnson & Johnson have been able to generate respect for their values that has resulted in positive attitudes and loyalty, even when their products were challenged. Concern about the environment helps in managing the brand as did Shell and HP when they developed an environmentally friendly brand as part of their investment in renewable energy sources (Aaker, 2004). Esso did not take this stand and its sales reduced by 7 percent during the year. The firm size holds importance for the customers as they feel that a large, successful firm will be able to delver service and quality product. This implies that an organization must project the image of being dynamic and adaptive rather than one being slow-moving and clumsy. At the same time, just being large and established, while they can be trusted to deliver adequate products and services, they do not have any point of distinction and can also have a bureaucratic touch to their attitude. Such corporate brands are vulnerable and can provide no value proposition that will help differentiate and support a customer relationship. As dell could deliver a functional benefit with its direct model, it could customize the product and add the latest technology. This means value proposition is essential to manage the brand. Thus in managing a brand several factors have to be considered. While its people are the most important factors, which implies internal branding, other factors like the company culture, values, size, its stand on corporate social responsibility are equally important. A well managed business ensures a positive brand image. A focus on brand development and management is essential. A company has to understand what the brand stands for and the strategy should be in alignment with the overall mission of the organization. Managing a brand cannot be just handed over to another organization or a group of employees to handle the issue. It requires a strong leadership to cultivate the internal brand to ensure the right brand image that will be projected to the customers. References: Aaker, D. A. (2004). Leveraging the Corporate Brand. California Management Review. Vol. 46. No. 3 Spring 2004 Berry, L. L. & Lampo, S. S. (2004). Branding Labor-intensive services. Business Strategy Review, Vol. 15 Issue 1 CIM (2003). MANAGING AND DEVELOPING BRANDS. The Chartered Institute of Marketing. [Online] Available at: http://www.cim.co.uk/mediastore/brand_eguides/eGuide5.pdf [accessed 14 October 2008] Hutton, P. (2005). Managing the Brand for Outstanding Performance Written by Peter Hutton from Brand Energy Research. [Online] Available at: http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=61 [accessed 14 October 2008] Levin, J. (2006). Managing a Brand: Concept to Product. [Online] Available at: http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/oct2006/bs20061016_755749.htm [accessed 14 October 2008] Oakner, L. (2005). Managing your brand through your employees. [Online] Available at: http://www.brandchannel.com/images/Papers/97_InternalBrandAlignment.pdf [accessed 14 October 2008] Tregert, M. & Westerlund, F. (2003). Managing a Brand. [Online] Available at: http://epubl.luth.se/1404-5508/2003/134/LTU-SHU-EX-03134-SE.pdf [accessed 14 October 2008] Read More