The Process of Branding - Coursework Example

ESSAY – MARKETING “In a post-modern world, the process of branding has had to evolve from a managerial to a cultural orientation” – Critical AnalysisIntroduction: According to Jameson (1983), branding is the most efficient way to show potentiality of the business to the targeted customers. It is generally reflected via logos and company’s design element as well as via verbiage in marketing slogan, informational cosy and marketing materials. As a result of globalization, technological development, social evaluation and organizational changes in the 21st century, there was a rapid change in the term of product marketing or branding. The discipline of branding undergoes through a paradigm shifts from managerial to cultural orientation. In modern paradigm, the implication of branding has embodied to the managerial action, where the branding strategy was highly tended towards close managerial process. In the modern approach of brand strategy, firms were given more importance on the concept of brand equity to a company to increase its financial value (Veloutsou, 2009). But in post modern era, cultural orientation of brand has become the most important facet of marketing. Most of the companies believe that brand identity is an appraisal technique to influence product evaluation and target customer from different cultural background. Thus, the use of cultural oriented brand identification has become an important phenomenon of worldwide changes. In postmodern era, branding process of a firm should focus on cultural orientation rather than managerial branding process. Main Body: From an etymological point of view, the term ‘modern’ originated from the Latin word ‘modo’ mean right now. The modernism was built on the assumption of rationality, where parameter from all spheres of life forms organizations of community. Thus, instead of religious, it was a scientific embodies power where everything was proved by scientific formula and positivist method (Wattanasuwan, 2005). In modernism, the categories are clearly defined that, product design elicit short of psychological response from the customers and thereby, product design is crucial aspect in product branding. Thus, companies those are believed to develop branding image will bear the responsibility managerial decision. The epoch of modernise defines first half of the 20st century, i.e. the era of mass production. Many of the authors considered that, this was the time when postmodern era was started. It is a challenging task to specify the actual meaning of the term postmodern and time of its birth. Xie et al. (2008) opined that, postmodern as an incredulity perception towards metanarratives, that refers to the grand of philosophy, provided people with explanatory framework. The word first appears in 1807, and then gradually becomes extensive, later resulting into people’s disappointment in modernity. The main characteristics of postmodern era are hyper-reality, nostalgia, fragmentation and international boundary. Business organization can live in a harmony if they are capable enough to enter in different geographical area, different lifestyle, cultures and religious view. Hyper-realty is often considered as a result of giving more emphasis on identity development and creation of unique image (Baudrillard, 1983). In comparison to the modernism, postmodernism shows an eager interest to become fashionable, form relationships and become part of the customer’s lives. In postmodernism, old barriers tends to become disappear due to mass cultural difference, news and entertainment etc. Thus, the difference between modernism and postmodernism has raised the question that how business organiser also modify their branding strategy to enlarge its customer base. The branding revolution of 1950’s can be summarised as a changing view: branding concept mostly focus on target audience, aggressive promotion and advertisement to get customer attention, reinforce brand image within the targeted customer etc. According to Dyson et al. (1996), branding strategy depends on six different elements, namely memorable, meaningful, likeable, transferable, adoptable and protectable. In order to launch a product, the company must focus on these elements. The aim is to satisfy needs of the customers, who will remain loyal to the company and will buy product for longer time (Galbraith, 1971). This strategy is effective to serve less cost in creation of the new customer as well as retain the older ones Several literatures relating to the modern marketing suggest that it has not given enough emphasis on understanding customer belonging from different geographical locations. Population belonging from the targeted market are homogeneous from the point of view of different variables, namely, age, sex, income and religious, and thereby, they are supposed to have similar buying behaviour. It signifies that, customers are standardised and comprise stable, perceivable and analysable personalities. However, a change in paradigm has raised a number of unanswered questions within a given system of rules. Various scholars like Holt (2004) and Ibn and Abdul (2005), discussed that, the application of modern marketing is an asset for a company to survive for a longer period of time, but it lacks to provide sufficient justification. Based on the notion of social science, branding in postmodernism era cannot be explained independently, as it is clearly bounded by economic, social and cultural embeddedness (customer’s perception). Veloutsou (2009) opined that, branding is a social process that helps organizations obtain customer awareness and exchange products. However, in terms of many respects, today’s society is different from what it was in 1950s or 1960s. Changing behaviour of the customer involves new challenges in the field of product marketing and branding. The question is that, whether modification in branding concept is really required to understand fundamental principle of branding. As per the reputed practitioners, branding strategy in postmodernism required more specification of integrated marketing communication and brand identity. According to Fırat and Venkatesh (1993), the interpretation of branding strategy has shift from close managerial to multicultural and socially open approach. Regarding to academics, Wattanasuwan (2005) argued that, postmodernism branding strategy is evolving more towards a dynamic and evaluation process. Ibn and Abdul (2005) suggested that, brand management strategy should be used to enhance strategic orientation and move business in the highly competitive business world. Brand equity strategy, which was the main focus of modern era, is a set of process that includes effective-enhancing, high equity brand or portfolio of brands. However, it lacks in forming consistent communication to show respect and tolerance to the presence of other cultures. Veloutsou (2009) suggested that, the concept of brand orientation in postmodernism era is centred on the brand identity. The literature of postmodernism is vast and already extended with increasing velocity. Contribution to this literature comes from the variety of discipline and there are large differences among the perspectives made by them. Some contributor has described postmodern condition as a fragmentation, especially in marketing and branding communication. In order to obtain dominance in the targeted market, branding plays a key role. In contrast to the anthropological view, branding view on culture is the prime source of brand identity. Multiethnic brand advertisement plays a key role to communicate brand message among different cultural people. Making cultural specific brand or attach cultural symbol itself is a powerful mode to convey brand ménage among various culture. Galbraith (1971) defined that, in postmodern world, branding becomes a medium through which culture is communicated. Thus, the process of branding has become: culture-brand- customer, which is reverse to the modern social psychological approach. The cultural diversity and cultural-driven symbolic power has transformed the concept of branding from market driven to marketing driving force, where more emphasis is given to the blatant commercialisation of culture to ensure corporate gain (Xie et al. 2008). The cultural orientation branding concept links personality of different consumer that ensures reflection of the brand’s personality of the organization to achieve a stable customer-brand relationship. Thus, in postmodernism period, the concept of brand orientation is an approach that revolve around the creation, development and protection of the brand identity through which companies protect their customers and aims to achieve long-lasting customer base in terms of brand. Corporate sectors in postmodernism era give more priority on conceptualising more places maintaining the brand identity-oriented culture by integrating their marketing communication. Conclusion: This paper presents an integrated and holistic conceptual framework to address how the branding concept has evolved from managerial oriented approach to cultural oriented, from the period of modernism to postmodernism. Postmodernism is a change of era not only in terms of social, cultural and economic sense, but also in the field of product branding. Thus, the presumption of modern marketing approach seems to be obsolete and ineffective. The remarks on postmodern branding concept are nevertheless worth considering. Postmodernism marketing condition calls for major transformation in the way of branding strategy. Majority of the marketers in postmodern world has adopted change in their branding perspective in terms of economic, social and cultural environment. Brand managers now see themselves as a brand coordinator, whose main task is to achieve sustainable brand identity rather that brand equity. Branding no longer pretends as an instrumental discipline to affect customer behaviour from a particular society, rather has become reflexive and socio cultural process that defines postmodern society. Thus, in postmodernism period, brand identity has become an extremely important marketing concept to create a brand memorable, noteworthy and identifiable. Reference List Baudrillard, J., 1983. The ecstasy of communication, in Foster, H. (Ed.), The Anti aesthetic:Essays on Postmodern Culture, Bay Press, Port Townsend. pp.126-34. Dyson, P., Farr, A. and Hollis, N.S., 1996. Understanding, Measuring,and Using Brand Equity. Journal of Advertising Research, 6 (4), pp.9-21. Fırat, A.F. and Venkatesh, A., 1993. Postmodernity: the age of marketing. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 10(1), pp.227-49. Galbraith, J.K., 1971. The management of specific demand. The New Industrial State, revised2nd ed., Mentor, New York, NY. Holt, D. B., 2004. How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding, Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Ibn K. and Abdul.R., 2005. The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History, New York: Princeton University Press. Jameson, F., 1983. Postmodernism and consumer society, in Foster, H. (Ed.), The Anti-aesthetic:Essays on Postmodern Culture, Bay Press, Port Townsend,pp.111-25. Veloutsou, C., 2009. Brands as Relationship Facilitators in Consumer Markets. Marketing Theory, 9(1), pp.127-130. Wattanasuwan, K., 2005. The Self and Symbolic Consumption. The Journal of American Academy of Business, 6 (1), pp.179-18. Xie, C., Bagozzi, R P. and Troye, S.V., 2008. Trying to Prosume:Toward a Theory of Consumers as Co-creators of Value. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(1), pp.109-122. Read More