The Marketing Mix - Products and Brands - Research Paper Example

The Marketing Mix: Products and Brands Introduction Fournier (2008) argues that s have relationships with the brands theyuse in their daily lives. She also argues that this relationship goes beyond the brand loyalty because brand loyalty is merely repeat purchases as a result of cognitive consumer behavior. In this regard, she argues that brand loyalty, while it may provide for a fertile ground for and understanding of consumer-brand relationship does not in itself mean consumer-brand relationship. Ajgaonkar (2014) seems to support this idea by arguing that for most people, the brands they use in their lives go beyond just serving them as products but act like humans in their lives by affecting their lives in a number of ways. In his argument, he argues that brands play a role that is higher than just consumable products. People feel better by having these brands just like the feel better by having their friends around. These brands, like Apple, make them think different and like Coca Cola, they bring happiness in their lives. Fournier (2008) argues that the best way to identify how brands act as partners who consumers can have a relationship with is by looking at the characteristic of human relations. She identifies that relationships between two or more humans are characterized by the following; A reciprocal exchange Any relationships must have an exchange between two parties and it is this exchange that makes the relationship to be meaningful to those in a particular relationship. In the context of branding, the brand gives the consumer a product which he or she can use in his or her needs while the consumer gives some money (financing) to the brand. Purpose A relationship must have a purpose, giving some form of meaning to those who are in it. In the context of the brand and the consumer, this purpose is gained by the fact that the consumer has a need that needs to be met and the brand needs to make money for its owner in order for it to continue being in existence. Multiplex phenomena A relationships is a multiplex phenomena, happening in multi-dimensions with each dimension either being independent of the others or co-dependent, depending on the relationship (Fournier, 2008). In normal human relationships for instance, one person can have many people with whom they have a relationship. These relationships range from romantic, business, familial, or even intellectual relationships. The relationships between a person and his teacher may not necessarily affect the relationship between him and his spouse. In the scenario of a relationship between a brand and a consumer, the consumer can have relationships with many brands without affecting the relationship with any of the brands. For instance, a person can have a relationship with his car brand, his cologne brand and his cell phone brand. He can have all these three relationship together without affecting any one of them. At the same time, the brands will have a relationship with several people without necessarily affecting one person. Relationships evolve over time Relationships evolve over time, either for the best or for the worst, thus they are supposed to be reciprocal. If at some time one person in a relationship refuses to reciprocate and the other person in the relationship is seen to be the only one sacrificing for the relationship, this person is likely to want to quit the relationship and start another with someone else who is more appreciative. The same case applies to the issue of consumer-brand relationship. If the brand does not reciprocate over time by making itself better, the consumer will be tempted to move on. On the other hand, if the brand has reciprocated by improving itself and the customer is not willing to pay more, the brand will prefer others who want to appreciate its new value. Vargo and Lusch (2004) say that the old view of marketing had the disadvantage of gaining its concepts from economics. Because of this, the maiden view of marketing was predicated on the exchange of physical goods. However, the modern marketing view is quite different due to the new concept of serving customers and giving them an experience of using the products or services that the consumers have. This new concept leads to a point where customer and brand relationship is to be anticipated. Examples With regard to automobile brands, a good example can be a Mercedes Benz. An individual can buy this product not only because he or she needs a means of transport, but also because this brand gives him or her some meaning of his life. The person will not only be loyal to this brand (not the product) but will have a meaningful relationship with it. The Mercedes Benz gives the person personality, meaning and even a sense of being. They will not only choose to use this product because it is a good product, but because they feel that having it or using it brings to their life happiness, meaning and purpose (Stuart, 1993). This is the same criteria that a person may follow when choosing a person to have a relationship with, regardless of whether it is a spouse or just a friend. The same can be said of any fast food restaurant. Different people go to different restaurants not only depending on the quality of the products and service in that restaurant, but also because of the social status they get by going there. In this case, the fast food restaurant reciprocates by giving the customer a meaning and definition of who he or she is, and in turn the customer reciprocates by being faithful to the brand. A good example is the MacDonald’s fast food restaurant. Some individuals may like it while others may not like it. Those who like it are likely to be loyal to it because they feel that they have something they like about relating to it in terms of its values and ethics. This is similar to a personal relationship where an individual chooses his or her friends based on their values, ethics and beliefs. References Ajgaonkar, S. (2014, September). Brands & The Role: They Play In Consumer Life. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from AFAQS: The Planning Room: http://www.afaqs.com/planning-room/article/61_Brands--The-Role-They-Play-In-Consumer-Life Fournier, S. (2008). Consumers and Their Brands: Developing Relationship Theory in Consumer Research. Journal of Consumer Research, Inc., 24 , PP. 343-372. Stuart, G.W. (1993, July 15). The Role of Brands in Consumer Markets: Brand names offer consumers information and consistency in a complex market. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from Fee, The Free Man: http://fee.org/the_freeman/detail/the-role-of-brands-in-consumer-markets Vargo, S.L. & Lusch, F.B. (2004). Evolving to a New Dominant Logic for Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68 , PP. 1-17. Read More