QUALITIES OF A BRAND MANAGER (P.12)

QUALITIES OF A BRAND MANAGER

Brands owe their success to continued development, innovation and marketing. Beyond that, every good brand must have a talented manager to steer it to what the organisation expect-success, profit.

They most important quality such a manager needs is raw common sense. He does not have to books or fasting and prayer before knowing how to react to a brooding problem situation or to know how to take advantage of unique opportunities.

In addition, given the present day market where brands look alike in packaging and potency and even sell for the same price, a good brand manager needs a logical mind. He must have a good approach towards people, for an excellent manager uses people in creating wealth and successes.

Furthermore, such a manager needs a good dose of aggressive attitude as well, and be able to face and react fast to fact. He cannot push the brand ahead unless such a person is action oriented, not contended with the “me too” attitude.

The ability to coordinate is not negotiable. Why? Marketing jobs rely on people to achieve result. These people are important for different things, all in the interest of the brands. He must know how to build consumer confidence, relying on some cost-effective promotions. Being the person in the driving seat, the good brand manager needs a remarkably analytical brain with the tremendous ability to prompt people both inside and outside the company to be interested in the brand. It is not out of place for him to go round major supermarkets, once in a while, to see how his brands are represented on the shelves.

Also, he must possess the ability to  get along with a lot of very different people in the system like engineers as well as people in the commercial. They are important and can empower the brand opportunities. Listening to understand other people’s point of view and to be aware of the effect of his action on others, can also help. He must identify the various strengths and USPs (unique selling propositions) of the brand, device ways of propagating them.

All said, the role of a brand manger is all about communication and co-coordinating the activities of several different groups in the interest of the brand.

He must know that naming a product is absolutely critical to its success and that such a name should reflect the attitude of the product and also convey its benefits. Also, he ensures inexpensive packaging that motivates and prompts the consumer to take a purchasing decision.   

CORPORATE IDENTIFICATION (P.12)

CORPORATE IDENTIFICATION

Every organization strives to be unique in many ways as it struggles to distinguish itself by its products and services. It is based on this perception that organizations create unique identities to depict and project their corporate image. If all banks go with the same name and the same symbol and service, then there would be no distinction or differences.

It would be observed that some organizations are popular on the negative side, some on the positive, while many, even though doing well, are not popular. All of them require intensive image building for better public acceptability.

A good image goes with the Chief Executive who must believe in the best standard of business practices and develop a committed interest on how he expects to be seen by the public. The purpose of promoting corporate identity is not only for a company’s potential audience, but the general public who may come across its message. It must seek to be known more and more by the public with a good image.

Corporate identity is associated with mission statements, slogans, names, symbols, and colour peculiar to an organisation, its products and services preoccupation. There are times when a reconsideration of name, symbol and motto is necessary for a merger, acquisition, divestiture and introduction of new services different from others or to change from a company’s past activities which might not have been good enough.

Before deciding on trademarks, the following are to be considered.

Name

Everything is identified by its name, no matter how big or small it is. A good name is the pride of everyone. Names may be meaningful or meaningless, but this doesn’t matter. What matters is how the owners conduct themselves in the society. An organizations name is appropriate if it indicates its line of business. But names are sometimes given to immortalize someone or an environment. It may also be a qualifier of an event and/or action. For brevity, it is recommended that a long name be abbreviated.

Symbol

The symbol may be a sign, mark or character chosen to stand for or represent something. It may come in different forms, ranging from an ordinary drawing to artistic concepts or even pictures to project an impressive idea, which must agree with colours and the nature of the business. A good graphic artist, once given the concept, will produce an enhanced symbol to the admiration of everyone.

Motto

The motto is a worded slogan or phrase expressing a guiding principle or rule of conduct of an organisation. The message may be run on emotion, psychology or even pragmatism which will appeal to the larger public. In addition, the motto must be brief and well-crafted statements which are easy to pronounce. Some prefer to have a mission statement which expresses the philosophy of the organisation, its goals and aspirations.

 

Logo

Designs, graphics, logotypes and symbols, which should clearly depict the name and services provided by the organization, must be pondered on. It can even be an abbreviation of the company’s name, which is graphically expressed. It may also be to herald a product transformation. Logo and symbol are printed on letterheads, signboards, products, vehicles, gift items, stationery and on banners during special events. They are considered to be brand image of the products and services and also an in-house style and corporate image of the company. With the advent of the computer and its creative soft wares, better graphics can be produced in a matter of seconds.

 

Image

No good reputation is built over night. It involves a lot of planning, good will, outstanding performance, selfless service and at times, sense of patriotism.  This also involves activities that create lasting and positive impressions for the organisation. The image is the central point of public relations practice. That is the reason why the practitioner goes with many related professional names such as the image builder, image-maker and even, image merchant. Activities bordering on social responsibilities, community relations, lobbying, and special public-spirited programmes, are all geared towards achieving a better public image. It requires careful planning, development, implementation and control.

The corporate identification components discussed above are deliberate articulations to communicate the lines of service and interest of an organisation. They are primarily intended to register in the minds of the public and be easily recalled by those who come across any of its features. For the reputation to remain indelible, the organisation must be involved in deeds favourable and advantageous to the public, so that once the symbol is displayed anywhere, the name and services of the organisation instantly come to mind. The Boxer ‘B’ of Julius Berger, the ‘Elephant’ of the First Bank, the ‘Horse Stallion’ of the Union Bank and the ‘Green and White’ of the Nigerian flag, all linger on, in the mind and create a clear understanding on their stands. From whichever way it is seen, clear and impressive images may be used to monopolise or compete with others successfully.

FAMILY BRANDING (P.12)

FAMILY BRANDING

Family branding is a type of marketing tactic. It involves using one brand name to market multiple products. For example, a company may use one brand to market soap, lotion, hair shampoo, and nail polish. This differs from branding individual products, which involves giving each product its own name and image. For example, a company may sell lipstick and nail polish, giving each product line a separate marketing identity.

The idea behind family branding is that a company can make a wide range of products both desirable and profitable by giving them all one recognizable name. Then, by building recognition of this brand name, a company can also build customer loyalty. When the company introduces new products or even makes changes to existing products, it can depend on customer loyalty to ensure its market will purchase the new or altered product. Additionally, family branding, makes it possible to use an advertising campaign to successfully market a range of products instead of just one at a time.

Often, companies in the food industry use family branding techniques to market their products. For example, a company may make and sell bread, potato chips, frozen food, and condiments all under one highly recognizable name. This umbrella branding may mean such companies will sell more than they would with individual branding. Some consumers are more likely to choose a product with a familiar name over one that is less well-known, even if the known brand is more expensive.

There is a downside for companies that use family branding, however. In order to keep sales up, they have to maintain consistent levels of quality across their entire product line. If one of the products is perceived as being of lesser quality, this consumer perception could cause sales to drop for the whole family of products. Likewise, a brand that does have consistent quality could suffer if the company that makes it experiences bad publicity.

Interestingly, some companies use both family and individual branding. For example, a company may have a strong brand name, yet choose to market some of its products with individual branding. This may occur, for example, when a product is introduced to a new market. In such a case, individual branding can prevent problems for the family of products if the new product fails. Sometimes an individual brand may be more appropriate because the product is being introduced to another class of consumers; introducing a product designed for budget shoppers under the same brand intended for affluent shoppers may not produce the desired results.

CORPORATE BRANDING (P.12)

CORPORATE BRANDING

Corporate branding refers to a company applying its name to a product. The product and the company name become the brand name. The company can advertise several of its products under a single brand name in a practice referred to as family branding or umbrella branding.

By using corporate branding with a successfully marketed product, a company can familiarize consumers with its products and may create brand loyalty. If the public likes one product from this company, then they may seek out the brand name when buying other products. Corporate branding is usually only successful if the company is well known and sells reputable products with a positive image. One of the disadvantages of corporate branding is that the company can become identified with only one type of product.

To consumers, corporate branding represents a level of quality that they have come to expect from the company. They will expect every product with the same brand name to have the same level of quality that they are familiar with. The company can increase sales by comparing one of their more popular products with a similar product by another company, showing sales figures to back up their promise. The value of the brand is determined by the profits the products have made. If profits are high, then the manufacturer is able to charge more for their product.

When applying corporate branding to a product or products, companies need to follow a few guidelines. A corporate brand should be easy to recognize and attract attention. It should also be legally protectable and suggest the company or product image.

Ideally, the brand should be easy to pronounce and easy to remember. A premier brand product typically costs more to purchase than an economy brand. Consumers are paying for the name and the quality of product that name guarantees.

There are a few extensions to corporate branding. One brand name may be used for a number of products in family branding, or all the products may be given different brand names in a practice called individual branding. When large retailers buy goods in bulk and then put their own brand name on them, this is called store branding, label branding, or private branding. Co-branding is when two or more manufactures combine to sell their products. When a company sells the right to use their brand name to another company for use in another location or for non-competitive purposes, this is called brand licensing.

Corporate branding has the ability to make a product very successful. If the brand name has a track record of a guarantee of quality, then there are huge amounts of money to be made by using the name. However, just one shoddy product under the brand name may cause bad word of mouth, affecting sales of all the other products under the same name and causing irreversible damage to the company.

TYPES OF BRAND (P.12)

TYPES OF BRAND

Product

The most common brand is that associated with a tangible product, such as a car or drink.  This can be very specific or may indicate a range of products. In any case, there is always a unifying element that is the 'brand' being referred to in the given case.

Individual product

Product brands can be very specific, indicating a single product, such as classic Coca-Cola. It can also include particular physical forms, such as Coca-cola in a traditional bottle or a can.

Product range

Product brands can also be associated with a range, such as the Mercedes S-class cars or all varieties of Colgate toothpaste.

Service

As companies move from manufacturing products to delivering complete solutions and intangible services, the brand is about the 'service'.

Service brands are about what is done, when it is done, who does it, etc. It is much more variable than products brands, where variation can be eliminated on the production line. Even in companies such as McDonald's where the service has been standardized down to the eye contact and smile, variation still occurs.

Consistency can be a problem in service: we expect some variation, and the same smile every time can turn into an annoyance as we feel we are being manipulated. Service brands need a lot more understanding than product brands.

Organization

Organizations are brands, whether it is a company that delivers products and services or some other group. Thus Greenpeace, Mercedes and the US Senate are all defined organizations and each have qualities associated with them that constitute the brand.

In once sense, the brand of the organization is created as the sum of its products and services. After all, this is all we can see and experience of the organization. Looking at it another way, the flow also goes the other way: the intent of the managers of the organization permeates downwards into the products and the services which project a common element of that intent.

Person

The person brand is focused on one or a few individuals, where the branding is associated with personality.

Individual

A pure individual brand is based on one person, such as celebrity actor or singer. The brand can be their natural person or a carefully crafted projection.

Politicians work had to project a brand that is attractive to their electorate (and also work hard to keep their skeletons firmly in the cupboard). In a similar way, rock stars who want to appear cool also are playing to a stereotype.

Group

Not much higher in detail than an individual is the brand of a group. In particular when this is a small group and the individuals are known, the group brand and the individual brand overlap, for example in the way that the brand of a pop group and the brand of its known members are strongly connected.

Organizations can also be linked closely with the brand of an individual, for example Virgin is closely linked with Richard Branson. 

Event

Events have brands too, whether they are rock concerts, the Olympics, a space-rocket launch or a town-hall dance.

Event brands are strongly connected with the experience of the people attending, for example with musical pleasure or amazement at human feats.

Product, service and other brands realize the power of event brands and seek to have their brands associated with the event brands. Thus sponsorship of events is now big business as one brand tries to get leverage from the essence of the event, such as excitement and danger of car racing.

Geography

Areas of the world also have essential qualities that are seen as characterizations, and hence also have brand. These areas can range from countries to state to cities to streets and buildings.

Those who govern or represent these geographies will work hard to develop the brand. Cities, for example, may have de-facto brands of being dangerous or safe, cultural or bland, which will be used by potential tourists in their decisions to visit and by companies in their decisions on where to set up places of employment.