Report on

“STUDY OF EFFECTIVE BRAND MANAGEMENT AT EDAINFRONT

SOLUTIONS PVT LTD”

BY

…………………..
…………………..
Submitted to

VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY,

BELAGAVI

In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the

degree of

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Under the guidance of

INTERNALGUIDE EXTERNAL GUIDE

Dr…………………. ………………..

Professor Marketing officer

 CERTIFICATE I

This is to certify that the project work entitled “ Study of Effective Brand Management at
Edainfront Solutions Pvt Ltd.” is a record of bonafide work carried out by
…………………….under my supervision towards partial fulfillment of the management
Programme course (MBA) of ………………university name………….

Place: (Student name)

Date: Project Guide

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take an opportunity to thank all the people who helped me in collecting
necessary information and making of the report. I am grateful to all of them for their time,
energy and wisdom.

Getting a project ready requires the work and effort of many people. I would like all those
who have contributed in completing this project. First of all, I would like to send my sincere
thanks to (Guider Name) for his helpful hand in the completion of my project.

Student name

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

Chapter1: Introduction

Chapter2: Industry profile and Company Profile

Chapter3: Theoretical Background

Chapter4 : Analysis and Interpretation data

Chapter 5: Findings, Conclusion & Recommendations.

Bibliography

annexure

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 Executive summary

Training is an integral part of the work situation and is closely related to the career and
promotion structure. So practical training could be taken as a beginning of a process of in
doctrines into the ways of a business organization and it is the first step which would be helpful
in future prospect. Training makes the concept clear and help in facing the actual situations.

I got the opportunity to learn valuable things regarding management. It was my fortune to get the
training in a very healthy atmosphere. The management of the company offered learning
situation sufficient facilities and training opportunities to fulfill the objectives of training.

The project assigned to me was effective Brand Management. In my project report I have
studied the importance of effective Brand Management at Edainfront solutions Pvt Ltd.

This Project has really exposed me to a far new world and I sincerely hope that “Edainfront
solutions Pvt Ltd” Will find my study equally valuable as found it in shaping my career.

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 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

BRAND

The word brand, derives from the practice of branding. Farmers and cowboys alike used a
steaming hot branding iron to burn the initials of the owner on livestock. This enabled farmers to
recognize their own cattle and buyers to distinguish the cattle of certain farmers from other,
possibly inferior ones.

Many sources have their own description for the word brand and that definition has changed
over the course of time quite dramatically. At least in the view of some modern experts on
brands and brand management. The American Marketing Association (AMA) states that brands
are a name, sign, symbol, design or a combination of them that are intended to identify products
or services of one seller and to differentiate them from those of another seller. This definition
includes many traditional elements of brands such as the factors related to visual identity and
clear external elements associated to companies and brands.

The previously mentioned definition of a brand has been the principle concept behind how
corporate leaders, stakeholders and employees understand the brand. The concept has been in the
general understanding of people for nearly a century. However, the concept requires refining and
development into more modern standards and definitions. The American Marketing Associations
definition is still valid, but many adjustments need to be made to it in order for it to become
feasible for a company operating in today’s economy. The evolution of brand thinking is evident
in the old definition of a brand that can be found in The Pocket Oxford Dictionary of Current
English (1934), that defines brands as particular kinds of goods, as an indelible mark and stamp.

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A different approach and definition is provided in Radikaali Brändi, by Nando Malmelin and
Jukka Hakala. They state that a brand is no longer comprised by just these elements mentioned
by the AMA. By their definition brands are not only tangible representations of a product,
service or company, but hold within them many intangible elements that are more difficult to
measure. According to the new, more holistic definition of a brand, they are no longer a
marketing-driven and advertising driven concept, but a more comprehensive concept that
incorporates everything a company does. A clear evolution can be seen in the theory of brands
from the previously mentioned definitions. In the 1930’s the brand was considered a particular
trademark or logo. It was a tangible representation of the product and whom it belonged to. The
1980’s definition of The Oxford American Dictionary states a more commercial view with
defining a brand as goods of a particular make.

Brands are somewhat obscure by definition. Some suggest that the term incorporates everything
a company does and stands for and some take apart the concept into smaller, easier to measure,
sub-categories. These sub-categories are related to the company, company leadership, employees
and all identifiable attributes of the company. Even though there are many different approaches
and views on what brands are, it has been stated that the concept is highly dynamic and prone to
change by nature. A brand is not only something that incorporates the product, name, or logo. It
is a concept that drives the whole organization and thought processes associated with it. It
combines communication and action (Radikaali Brändi; Malmelin, Hakala 2008).

A brand is a combination of corporate behavior and values, the technical functionality and
quality of products and the intangible promise the company instills in their products for
customers. It is a combination of tangible and intangible attributes and seeks to create a positive
connection with the customer in order to create incentive for customers to use the products of the
company in the now and in the future.

An effective brand is a tool for the company to communicate with their environment. A properly
managed brand also provides investors with a sense of future profit-making ability and increases
the financial value of the company. Brands can also be associated with a single company,
product or organization. To illustrate this one can think of Procter and Gamble, which is a
famous corporate brand. The P&G brand has a lot of meaning in the corporate world and among

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employee candidates. However, they offer a wide range of consumer brands, which are related to
their products. Regardless of whether the brand is consumer, corporate or both, they incorporate
the same elements and the same theory applies to them. The process just becomes much more
analytical, difficult and expensive.

A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or other feature that distinguishes an organization or
product from its rivals in the eyes of the customer. Brands are used in business, marketing, and
advertising.

The practice of branding is thought to have begun with the ancient Egyptians who were known to
have engaged in livestock branding as early as 2,700 BC. Branding was used to differentiate one
person’s cattle from another's by means of a distinctive symbol burned into the animal’s skin
with a hot branding iron. If a person would steal the animals, anyone could detect the symbol and
deduce the actual owner. However, the term has been extended to mean a strategic personality
for a product or company, so that ‘brand’ now suggests the values and promises that a consumer
may perceive and buy into. Over time, the practice of branding objects extended to a broader
range of packaging and goods offered for sale including oil, wine, cosmetics and fish sauce.

Branding is a set of marketing and communication methods that help to distinguish a company or
products from competitors, aiming to create a lasting impression in the minds of customers. The
key components that form a brand's toolbox include a brand’s identity, brand communication
(such as by logos and trademarks), brand awareness, brand loyalty, and various branding (brand
management) strategies.

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Brand equity is the measurable totality of a brand's worth and is validated by assessing the
effectiveness of these branding components. As markets become increasingly dynamic and
fluctuating, brand equity is a marketing technique to increase customer satisfaction and customer
loyalty, with side effects like reduced price sensitivity. A brand is in essence a promise to its
customers of they can expect from their products, as well as emotional benefits. When a
customer is familiar with a brand, or favours it incomparably to its competitors, this is when a
corporation has reached a high level of brand equity.

Many companies believe that there is often little to differentiate between several types of
products in the 21st century, and therefore branding is one of a few remaining forms of product
differentiation.

In accounting, a brand defined as an intangible asset is often the most valuable asset on a
corporation’s balance sheet. Brand owners manage their brands carefully to create shareholder
value, and brand valuation is an important management technique that ascribes a money value to
a brand, and allows marketing investment to be managed (e.g.: prioritized across a portfolio of
brands) to maximize shareholder value. Although only acquired brands appear on a company's
balance sheet, the notion of putting a value on a brand forces marketing leaders to be focused on
long term stewardship of the brand and managing for value.

The word ‘brand’ is often used as a metonym referring to the company that is strongly identified
with a brand.

Marque or make are often used to denote a brand of motor vehicle, which may be distinguished
from a car model. A concept brand is a brand that is associated with an abstract concept, like
breast cancer awareness or environmentalism, rather than a specific product, service, or business.
A commodity brand is a brand associated with a commodity.

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What elements form the Brand?

Corporate Culture

According to the holistic approach to brand management, the brand is the central building block
of everything that an organization does. It is the guideline for all corporate behavior, whether it
be external or internal. As part of the internal aspect of an organizations personality, they have a
specific corporate culture. This corporate culture represents accepted norms, rules and behavioral
models associated with being in that company. For example Google is considered a pioneer of
online technological development. The company portrays an image as a driver of innovation,
which can be seen in the pictures and employee backgrounds they provide as well as from
articles they publish on what life is like working in Google. The company headquarters is also
referred to as the Google Campus or the Googleplex. Campuses are usually connected with

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universities and can be seen as open places where knowledge thrives with a youthful eagerness
or even idealistic way of life. Google considers its employees its most important asset and clearly
depicts this on their website. The website provides insight into the working conditions of Google,
where employees are given opportunities to enjoy the time they spend at Google and help them
to keep their ideas fresh through sports, reading, playing games. Google clearly incorporates
work and play in their work ethic and drives an innovative atmosphere through this youthful
approach. A negative aspect of this strategy is that many hopeful employees may see Google as
an employer that emphasizes personal hobbies and having fun more than being productive. The
opportunities provide to employees can also have a negative influence on the amount of time
they put into projects and how they focus on their occupation. The information about Google’s
corporate culture is published on their corporate website.

Employees

Employees of a company or organization are usually one of the first contact surfaces to the
customer or user. A customer looking to purchase a car will march into a licensed dealership and
talk to a salesperson about buying a car. The behavior of this employee will act as an extension
of the car company’s service and reputation. In a way, the salesperson will become an
ambassador of the brand, at least in this situation. The customer will listen to what the
salesperson says about the vehicle, how he behaves, how the customer is treated and what kind
of general projection of knowledge and service the salesperson portrays in his behavior. In many
service industries the emphasis of employee behavior to portray brand values and act as brand
ambassadors is even higher. In advertising, the client will be in contact with a representative of
the advertising agency, whose most important role is to make the potential customer to feel like
their needs are being understood and his objectives will be fulfilled. The agency representative
should be the ultimate manifestation of the brand. A living, breathing and talking embodiment of
all brand attributes, values and brand image.

Therefore it is imperative for organizations to realize the importance of their employees’

role in creating and managing a brand. The role is ever more important as corporations seek to
become more transparent and create competitive edge by emphasizing trust between the
organization and its stakeholders. Employee training is a key tool in managing this element of

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brand management. Training to fulfill customer needs and to fulfill the ultimate brand promise
will result in customers experiencing the realization of the promise that a brand makes. This will
work in conjunction with all other elements that make brands what they are. None of them act
efficiently on their own and require top to bottom understanding from the management.

Communications

Modern brand management and branding are often defined as integrating all functions of the
company to develop a way to effectively communicate the brand to the target audience. As
described by Malmelin and Hakala in Radikaali Brändi, brand management for modern
companies is about integrating marketing and communications in a way that all aspects of the
company are in line with the brand. Brands communicate with stakeholders and the target
audience on many different levels. The communication may sometimes be intrinsic and non-
verbal, which means that it may be formed by e.g. the imagery and visual elements associated
with the brand. Brand communication will be discussed more in detail in a following chapter of
the thesis. At this point it is important to note that brands communicate all the time at every point
of contact with the target market, whether the company realizes this or not. Because of the
communicative nature of brands, it is highly important to realize this in order to provide an
accurate communication of the brand promise and brand experience.

Leadership

Company leadership and management form a large part of brand management through their
actions. Modern brand management is no longer just a marketing-oriented action or
phenomenon, it is a strategy and mindset adopted by the whole organization, from top
management to the lowest level intern. Brands and Branding argued that the CEO of an
organization is the person who should be considered most responsible for the brand and making
decisions inline with the brand. CEO’s are in that sense brand managers. This new notion comes
from the alteration of brand management theory with the emergence of holistic brand
management.

Leadership portrays significant views to stakeholders such as investors: the belief that the
leadership of the organization has the proper capabilities to steer a company towards future

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profits and growth is driven by the perceived level of competence and know how. This is added
with their leadership actions in their current position, and the resulting outcome will portray
some type of experience the stakeholders will have of them. What type of image and feeling do
they portray as leaders and how well this correlates with the brand and the brand promise. These
are important issues for managers when seeking new employees and especially when they are
hiring new senior management. Sometimes a brand can become an embodiment of a person,
most likely the founding person of that company who first brought it into a successful light.
Apple has had this happening to them and the effects of it could be seen in the share prices
decreasing when news and speculation arose of CEO and founder Steve Jobs’ poor health. To
sum up it can be said that companies need to become aware how are they being portrayed by
their employees and leadership and what type of management style and decisions would best
portray the brand externally to the stakeholders and target market.

Reputation

A company’s reputation may be negative or positive, all depending on whether or not branding
has achieved the established objectives. Reputation resembles a brand but should not be confused
with it. The reputation is not a synonym for a brand but it is an outcome of fulfillment or non-
fulfillment of the brand promise and resulting in a certain brand experience. This brand
experience is then communicated with other customers, which can increase the brands value or
work against it. Reputation means that there is discussion on the performance of a company,
whether in a negative or positive form. Proper brand management understands the importance of
the reputation and will use this as a tool for brand performance evaluation. Strategic reputation
management has also become a new model for brand savvy professionals. Strategic reputation
management has similarities and correlations with effective brand communications, using
mediums that connect with the target audience on a personal level. However strategic reputation
management is a much more broad management tool than just communicating. As mentioned
earlier strategic reputation management is an excellent way to evaluate, develop and monitor
perceived brand performance and experiences by customers.

Image and Visual identity

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A very important element of a brand is of course one of the most traditional elements of
marketing and creating a certain image for the company. The design and visual elements used by
companies can be used to portray certain values and traits through the psychology of color.
Different colors have alternate meanings for people and the use of these is a common method of
communication in a more subliminal way. Subliminal communication is the dark art of
communicating with the target audience in a way that their consciousness will not notice it, but
their brand will, resulting in a form of emotional connection that people do not notice. As a
matter of fact, some may argue that this is the objective of all marketing, to influence consumer
behavior in a subliminal way.

The company image may be built by the use of colors and images. However, they cannot be used
as synonyms for a brand. They are essential tools for creating a certain type of brand and should
be discussed in detail in a brand strategy, but they are not all there is. As mentioned earlier it is
merely one of the elements that the brand comprises of. An image and visual identity are often
used interchangeably, but I consider them to be different from each other. A visual identity is
something a company seeks in the their imagery, logos, websites et cetera and an image has more
to do with the actual experiences of the viewers and target audience. These are both highly
important aspects of brand management and should be developed as a part of the brand. One of
the key tools for creating and developing the visual identity is the style guide, which combines
different styles, fonts, logos, usage of logo and colors.

Products

Past definitions of brands where centered on the product and product positioning. The view was
rooted in the idea that brands were all about marketing and advertising. This former view of
brands is alive and kicking in some companies, especially when observing actions of SME’s.

However, brands are no longer solely about the product. They are a matter of all aspects related
to it. Products and positioning do play an extremely important role, though. A brand promise will
contain different levels of benefit that the brand promises to the user or customer through the
product or service. For example they will offer functional benefits and technical qualities. This
can easily be seen e.g. in the advertisements of different shampoo brands and how they portray

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the functional benefits of their shampoo. This is also a positioning statement for the brand and
will be used to communicate to a segmented audience. A good example is Head and Shoulders
shampoo, which is primarily targeted to men who have issues with dandruff and dryness of the
scalp. In short, product positioning is a significant element of a brand but is no longer the most
important element along with advertising. Even an excellent product will not succeed if all the
other elements are not inline with the brand and its promise to the customers. Product positioning
is still a key element in the branding process, not regarding the fact that it is related to marketing.
Marketing is a key element of branding as well.

Social Responsibility

These general factors define what brands are, or what brands are comprised of. The composition
is very important to understand as it also provides a frame of reference for the thesis and
approach to the subject. Brands are an eternal source of debate as experts argue about what they
comprise of and how to define the smaller attributes and details of them. In order to construct a
working brand strategy for a company, the identification of these factors is imperative also to
provide a fundamental understanding for company management as to how their decisions and
business tactics will influence the brand.

NEED FOR STUDY:

The main objective to study this topic is that to check the Brand Management. Now days
basically the era of technology and almost every person of country has easily access of internet
and Brand equity. So, changes the perception of people throughout the country.

Due to brand management people have many alternatives of brands. In past people hardly know
about few brands but now days people aware many choices of brands due to advertisement of
brands. So, social media has greater impact on consumer behavior as compared to other
marketing tools thus the focus to study on this topic.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

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 1. Study the brand management in Edainfront Solutions Pvt. Ltd

2. Study the uniqueness of Edainfront Solutions Pvt. Ltd in terms of brand to the
competitors brand

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

1. The project titled “brand management at Edainfront Solutions Pvt. Ltd” this study makes
me able to know the complete details of brand management in Edainfront Solutions Pvt.
Ltd.

2. Brand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product,

product line, or brand. It seeks to increase a product's perceived value to the customer and
thereby increase brand franchise and brand equity. Marketers see a brand as an implied
promise that the level of quality people have come to expect from a brand will continue
with future purchases of the same product. This may increase sales by making a
comparison with competing products more favorable. It may also enable the
manufacturer to charge more for the product. The value of the brand is determined by the
amount of profit it generates for the manufacturer.

3. Exploratory and descriptive methods are followed to complete this project. The
exploratory method has been used to initially analyze the data what we collected from the
secondary sources. The descriptive method is used to get the information from the
employees who are working in mien Edainfront Solutions Pvt. Ltd ltd. questionnaire has
been used to get the opinions from the employees in Edainfront Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

4. This study made me to know the brand management of Edainfront Solutions Pvt. Ltd,
core competency of Edainfront Solutions Pvt. Ltd with respect to the quality and the
strategy and quality control systems of Edainfront Solutions Pvt. Ltd. The primary data
will be collected from the users of intranet in organizations by using questionnaire as a
main tool.

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Literature review:

In the past, considerable attention has been placed on the differing forms of relationships
between consumers and brands (Sprott et al, 2009). More recently, the concept of customer or
consumer brand engagement (CBE) is an area of increased interest along with the development
of some early conceptual models (see Hollebeek, 2011a, b; Gambetti et al, 2012; Hollebeek et
al, 2014).

Within Volume 23 and building on this growing interest, Dwivedi et al (2016) undertake
research to explore measures and drivers of consumer brand engagement behaviours, based on
the Actual Brand Engagement framework as proposed by Keller (2013). The importance of
consumer brand knowledge, category involvement, and corporate-level associations is discussed.
From an academic perspective, a number of future research paths are also proposed, including
the use of the model across a range of categories to seek generalisability, plus consideration of
other moderating effects which may exist and further explain engagement behaviors in the field.

France et al (2016) also consider the drivers and consequences of customer brand engagement
leading to the development of an integrated model. The model conceptualizes two contributors to
engagement: a firm-led platform for driving engagement- and customer-centre influences. Their
research indicates that brand interactivity is a highly relevant influence on customer brand
engagement. Future research avenues include the application of the model in cross-cultural
contexts; need for a dedicated focus on Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG); use of
alternative research designs to target either a more purposeful or general sable population;
consideration of which specific behaviors are motivated by high levels of customer brand
engagement; and the worth of these behaviors for the brand.

Brand orientation

The concept of brand orientation (Urde, 1994) has attracted increasing attention particularly in
the past decade, with the related notion of Corporate Brand Orientation also being considered of
late (Balmer, 2013). Brand orientation continues to be explored in Volume 23.

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Firstly, Anees-ur-Rehman et al (2016) undertake a review of the progress of the ‘brand
orientation’ concept via journal literature published in English between 1994 and mid-2015.
Their review partially documents the growing development of the concept from data sourced
from four commonly used databases – based upon four major perspectives: publication activity,
integration and extension of brand orientation concept, research design, and contribution of
empirical findings. Their findings illustrate the evolution of the concept as well as the various
research methodologies applied throughout the period. Numerous future research questions and
paths are outlined including the following: how to implement brand orientation in a company;
what are the links between firms’ brand orientation, marketing strategies, implementation, and
firm performance; what is the role of brand orientation in strategic business units (SBUs); what
are the impacts of managers’ personality factors on brand orientation; how brand-oriented
strategy interacts with other strategic orientations of the firm to achieve performance objectives;
need for further exploration of the use of brand orientation in the settings of international
marketing, services branding, and online/digital; and finally, how do firm experience,
technological knowledge, market knowledge, research and development capacities,
organisational culture, and planning skills each facilitate brand orientation and firms’ capabilities
– or vice versa.

Secondly, research by Boso et al (2016) suggest that brand orientation on its own is not directly
associated with sales performance – but that a brand orientation’s effect on sales performance is
accentuated when firms align it to their leadership- and structure-related activities – and when
the levels of both transformational leadership and inter-functional collaboration are high. In other
words, these two organisational forces are required to translate a firm’s branding philosophy into
sales. The authors recommend future research might focus on the replication of their study in
other contexts, particularly the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) and the MINT
(Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey). They also recommend exploring the effect of other
styles of leadership and structural contingencies on the brand orientation–sales performance
relationship. Finally, they propose that it may be fruitful for an examination of how a parent
Multinational Enterprise strategic brand orientation influences subsidiary brand orientation and
sales performance.

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Brand counterfeiting and protection

Issues relating to brand counterfeiting and protection continue to grasp brand managers’
attention, alongside prior research on the area in the JBM, particularly from the consumer
perspective relating to demand, purchase, and consumption of counterfeit goods and products
(see Gistri et al, 2009; Hieke, 2010; Wiedmann et al, 2012; Francis et al, 2015).

Within Volume 23, Wilson and Sullivan (2016) investigate the area further and across various
industries to help identify practices and challenges for measuring the extent of product
counterfeiting, from brand owner perspectives. Findings indicate that companies are fairly
consistent in employing multiple processes to identify counterfeits, but that there is also a need to
more effectively map, understand, and cultivate constructive relationships within supply-chain
relationships. Additionally, the impact of technology needs to be further considered and
explored, both in how it supports the creation of counterfeit products, as well as how it may
allow for counterfeit sales and promotion through various digital channels and techniques.

Brand protection is further considered in the Volume by Wilson et al (2016), with their
findings outlining several common responses by organisations to product counterfeiting
including the following: establishing a brand protection unit; use of targeted investigative
actions, trademark registration with customs, seizures, and physical and virtual monitoring
strategies; and use of multiple measures to assess prevalence and impact.

Online and digital branding

The potential to allow and encourage customers or community members to engage in a

relationship with a brand via digital channels and technologies is not a new phenomenon (see
Moore and Andradi, 1996; Foster et al, 2011; Lim and Melewar, 2011; Yan, 2011; Wallace et
al, 2012; Boyd et al, 2014; De Vries and Carlson, 2014). Yet, despite at least two decades of the
World Wide Web and more than a decade of growth in the use of social media, building or
managing a brand remains something of a vexing challenge in the digital realm as highlighted by
Holt (2016), with many organisations struggling to find a branding model that fits well.

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Digital branding and social media continue to attract the attention of researchers and
practitioners within Volume 23. For example, in order to support social media marketing
activities and online branding, Azar et al (2016) apply gratification theory to develop a new
typology of consumers based on consumer motivations to interact with brands on Facebook.
Their research unpacks five motivators with the potential to influence consumers’ interactions:
social influence, search for information, entertainment, trust, and reward. They also insightfully
reveal four different groups of consumers: brand detached, brand profiteer, brand companions,
and brand reliants. A number of specific recommendations are made, which, if followed by
brand managers, should help lead to more effective targeting of each group of consumers – to
better drive their brand engagement. Various avenues for future research are also delineated
including the following: the need to explore application of the proposed typology to other social
networking sites; need for longitudinal studies and use of more representative samples to aid
generalisation of results; and use of cross-cultural studies to test their proposed consumer
typology to identify cultural differences that may influence consumer–brand interactions.

Willis and Wang (2016) also consider proactive activities in an online brand community
(Weight Watchers) to better understand the role consumer engagement plays in shaping brand
meaning, along with the transference of brand meaning through computer-mediated content.
Their findings lead to a number of important implications due to the discovery of three types of
entities being involved in this meaning-making and transfer process, namely Weight Watchers
brand, Weight Watchers online community, and the social issue of weight loss. Future research
possibilities include the use of quantitative analysis to compare and contrast a larger sample of
online brand communities and measuring the strength of brand associations generated in online
brand communities to better understand which association is stronger or more salient.

Kamboj and Rahman (2016) further examine participation in the context of social media-based
brand communities. Based on prior literature on relationship marketing and social exchange
theory, drivers and outcomes of user participation were identified and tested. The findings will
help e-marketers in relation to the importance of participation behaviour for developing brand
loyalty via online communities on social media. Future research could be conducted to consider
additional cultural contexts, as well as longitudinally.

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Brand and product naming

In the previous Volume of the JBM (2015), research on brand naming and classification was
prominent and included, for example, a comprehensive framework of brand name classification
by Arora et al (2015), based on a review of the literature, as well as naming methods in use by
practitioners. Brand as well as product naming comes to the fore again in Volume 23, firstly with
Martínez (2016) undertaking a series of empirical studies that consider the use of the word
‘great’ when linked to product names under different settings, in order to determine whether the
word and some of its synonyms, such as ‘grand’, are magical words that add value to a product –
and if so under which circumstances. The findings offer important implications for measurement
theory, as well as for managers in terms of pricing and brand positioning, plus a number of
useful research avenues are established.

Additionally, Van Doorn et al (2016) undertake an analysis of initial letters and brand names,
by exploring what is commonly known as ‘the K-effect’. Consequently, their findings propose an
opportunity for those needing to name new brands or starting new companies.

City branding

Over the past two decades, research has flourished on location, place, and city branding, as also
discussed in JBM by Hackinson (2001), Caldwell and Freire (2004), Kerr (2006), Virgo and de
Chernatony (2006), Hackinson (2007), Trueman et al (2007), Ashworth and Kavaratzis (2009),
Gertner (2011), Braun (2012), and Zenker and Beckmann (2013).

Volume 23 presents further research on city branding via Green et al (2016), who suggest
that a disconnect has formed between city branding research and practice, driven in part by
divergent evolutionary paths of city branding research and practice. Their research identifies four
major waves in city branding research: (i) initial possibilities, (ii) application and adaption of
existing branding theory, (iii) development of a critical lens, and (iv) progressive approaches that
intersect with the co-creation branding paradigm. They also identify three research gaps for
fruitful investigation: the non-marketer-controlled city brand meaning-making processes should
be explored, i.e. can city brand management groups support these processes in ways that

21
facilitate strategic brand management objectives; a need for scholars to engage further in more
critical city branding research; and finally a renewed focus is needed on a comprehensive
understanding of what cities mean to people – which precedes effective adjustment of that
meaning.

Additionally, Hafeez et al (2016) undertake interviews with Dubai’s marketing/communication

managers and stakeholders to explicate how place branding and image influence the
development of Dubai’s key traditional and newer sectoral clusters (trading, tourism, logistics,
construction, financial services, media and ICT services, manufacturing, healthcare, and
education). Some of the managerial implications of the findings are as follows: need for clearly
defined governance of place branding initiatives regarding the promotion of clusters; deciding
upon an appropriate brand architecture for the place and its clusters; challenge of identifying and
prioritising stakeholders in the place brand; and need to establish rigorous and objective
measurement systems in order to evaluate the success or otherwise of place branding
programmes. Further research is also called for in regards to testing the influence of place
branding in developing key clusters in a comprehensive quantitative model, and further studies
are needed to compare Dubai with other competing destinations.

Branding in Higher Education

For various reasons, including heightened competition, increased student mobility, and
government-backed funding reductions, branding and brand management in Higher Education
has been a burgeoning topic during the last decade or so (Balmer and Liao, 2007; Chapleo, 2011;
Joseph et al, 2012; Melewar and Nguyen, 2014).

Accordingly, while drawing on the self-concept theory, Japutra et al (2016) investigate Brand
Logos and develop a framework for achieving commitment through self-congruence and brand
logo benefit in the context of the Indonesian Higher Education services sector. Their findings
indicate that brand logos need to be managed more systematically in order to communicate the
brand benefits while simultaneously helping to increase the congruity between the brand and the
students’ self. They propose that further research could be conducted to replicate their

22
framework and apply it to other contexts and across categories, as well as in other cultures. Other
variables may also be explored in order to extend their research.

Mirzaei et al (2016) also examine the brand associations of healthy and unhealthy universities.
Their research unpacks methods to enable managers to promote more distinguished brand
associations. It also highlights the importance of chosen media and message via Website and
mobile applications, through owned online and mobile content. Future research may like to
consider exploring University brand identity via use of the Corporate Brand Identity Matrix
proposed by Urde (2013).

Finally, Chapleo and Clark (2016) consider the corporate brand management of a Canadian
University via committee. In so doing, their research considers organisational brand analysis,
organisational decisions about brand planning processes, and the branding stakeholder
engagement process. The findings uncover a number of benefits plus pitfalls and drawbacks in
using committees, and the results and implications may also be of use for other large
organisations out-with the higher education sector.

Launch of the Journal of Brand Management ‘Advanced Collections’ series

In addition to Volume 23 is the launch of the Journal of Brand Management ‘Advanced

Collections’ series. The aim of the series is to provide definitive and comprehensive coverage of
broad subject areas. Books in the series are ideal reading for those undertaking a PhD
programme or by upper-level students looking for rigorous academic material on the subject, and
for scholars and discerning practitioners acting as ‘advanced introductions’. Organised
thematically, the series covers historically popular topics along with new and burgeoning areas
that the journal has been instrumental in developing, showcasing the incremental and substantial
contributions that the journal has provided. Each book is guest edited by a leading figure in the
field alongside the Journal Editors who will provide a new leading article that will cover the
current state of research in the specific area (http://www.palgrave.com/gb/series/15099).

The series editors (Tim O. Brexendorf, Joachim Kernstock and Shaun M. Powell) launch the
series via two books focused on (i) Advances in Corporate Branding (Balmer et al, 2016) and (ii)

23
Advances in Chinese Brand Management (Balmer and Chen, 2016) followed by (iii) Advances
in Luxury Brand Management (Kapferer et al, in press).

Limitation of the Study

 The scope of the project is limited to the Edainfront Solutions Pvt. Ltd Pvt. Ltd
 The time for the project is not sufficient to undergo all the procedures.
 Employees may face time constraint while giving information.
 Budget might be a constraint

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Research process includes research design, which tells about the nature of the study. Research
comprises defining and redefining problems, and suggested solutions, collection, organizing a
devaluating data, making deductions and reaching conclusion. This research is an exploratory
research.

Research Design

The following procedure will be adopted in the project:

A survey of the employees at different levels at Edainfront Solutions Pvt. Ltd will be done with
the help of a structured questionnaire.

Sampling Population
 This study is mainly concentrated on the staff level employees and some quality
department employees whose strength is near to 30.
 The worker level employees were not interviewed.

24
Location of Study
Bangalore

Data collection

1. Primary Data Collection

a) Employee Interaction

b) Survey Method

2. Secondary Data Collection

a) Manuals Given by Company

b) Text Book as Reference and some Journals
c) Internet References

1. Primary Data Collection-First Hand Data Collection

a) Employee interaction
Interaction was done with employees to gather maximum information on their each and
every personal data and views. This interaction provided maximum inputs in gathering data
required to complete the project. Some informal interactions also were made so as to know
whether the employees wished to have their personal database.

b) Survey Method
Survey was conducted by providing questionnaire copies to the employees of Edainfront
Solutions Pvt. Ltd and requesting them to fill the questionnaire. In this method, was taken
response from the 30 employees.

2. Secondary Data Collection

a) Company Manuals

25
 Company contains some manuals which consist of information related to company
history, present profile, its products and customers. This acts as base to understand the company
background and its functioning.

b) Text Books

These act as guiding source for project. The theoretical aspect of brand management and
its importance and objectives were studied using text books. They were very helpful in designing
a plan to complete the project.

c) Internet Sources

Internet was used to collect information required to know the importance of brand management
and complete details of brand management

Method you will use to present the data

 Pie chart
 Bar diagram
 Text and statements

26
 Chapter 2

Industry profile and Company Profile

Industry Profile

The global sourcing market in India continues to grow at a higher pace compared to the IT-BPM
industry. India is the leading sourcing destination across the world, accounting for approximately
55 per cent market share of the US$ 185-190 billion global services sourcing business in 2017-
18. Indian IT & ITeS companies have set up over 1,000 global delivery centres in about 80
countries across the world.

More importantly, the industry has led the economic transformation of the country and altered
the perception of India in the global economy. India's cost competitiveness in providing IT
services, cost savings of 60–70 per cent over source countries, continues to be the mainstay of its
Unique Selling Proposition (USP) in the global sourcing market. However, India is also gaining
prominence in terms of intellectual capital with several global IT firms setting up their
innovation centres in India.

India has become the digital capabilities hub of the world with around 75 per cent of global
digital talent present in the country.

27
Market Size

India’s IT & ITeS industry grew to US$ 167 billion in 2017-18. Exports from the industry
increased to US$ 126 billion in FY18 while domestic revenues (including hardware) advanced to
US$ 41 billion.

Spending on Information Technology in India is expected to grow over 9 per cent to reach US$
87.1 billion in 2018.

India’s Personal Computer (PC) shipment advanced 11.4 per cent year-on-year to 9.56 million
units in 2017 on the back of rise in the quantum of large projects.

Revenue from digital segment is expected to comprise 38 per cent of the forecasted US$ 350
billion industry revenue by 2025.
Investments/ Developments

Indian IT's core competencies and strengths have attracted significant investments from major
countries. The computer software and hardware sector in India attracted cumulative Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI) inflows worth US$ 32.23 billion between April 2000 to June 2018,
according to data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).

28
Leading Indian IT firms like Infosys, Wipro, TCS and Tech Mahindra, are diversifying their
offerings and showcasing leading ideas in blockchain, artificial intelligence to clients using
innovation hubs, research and development centres, in order to create differentiated offerings.

Some of the major developments in the Indian IT and ITeS sector are as follows:

 Nasscom has launched an online platform which is aimed at up-skilling over 2 million
technology professionals and skilling another 2 million potential employees and students.
 Revenue growth in the BFSI vertical stood at 10.3 per cent y-o-y in the first quarter of
2018-19.
 As of March 2018, there were over 1,140 GICs operating out of India.
 Private Equity (PE)/Venture Capital (VC) investments in India's IT & ITeS sector
reached US$ 7.6 billion during April-December 2017.

Government Initiatives

Some of the major initiatives taken by the government to promote IT and ITeS sector in India are
as follows:

29
  The government has identified Information Technology as one of 12 champion service
sectors for which an action plan is being developed. Also, the government has set up a Rs
5,000 crore (US$ 745.82 million) fund for realising the potential of these champion
service sectors.
 As a part of Union Budget 2018-19, NITI Aayog is going to set up a national level
programme that will enable efforts in AI and will help in leveraging AI* technology for
development works in the country.

Road Ahead

India is the topmost off shoring destination for IT companies across the world. Having proven its
capabilities in delivering both on-shore and off-shore services to global clients, emerging
technologies now offer an entire new gamut of opportunities for top IT firms in India. Export
revenue of the industry is expected to grow 7-9 per cent year-on-year to US$ 135-137 billion in
FY19. The industry is expected to grow to US$ 350 billion by 2025 and BPM is expected to
account for US$ 50-55 billion out of the total revenue.

Company profile

EDAINFRONT SOLUTIONS PRIVATE LIMITED having

CIN U72900KA2019PTC125092 is 1 years, 4 months & 22 days old Private company incorporated with

30
MCA on 11th June, 2019. EDAINFRONT SOLUTIONS PRIVATE LIMITED is listed in the class of
Private company and classified as Non-govt company. This company is registered at Registrar of
Companies(ROC), RoC-Bangalore with an Authorized Share Capital of  10,00,000 and paid-up capital
is  1,00,000.

EDAINFRONT SOLUTIONS PRIVATE LIMITED's last Annual General Meeting(AGM) was held

on N/A, and the company last updated its financials on N/A.

The company has 2 directors/key management personnel SRINIVASAN RAGURAMAN, SHUBHAM

JAIN. EDAINFRONT SOLUTIONS PRIVATE LIMITED company registration number is 125092 and
its Corporate Identification Number(CIN) provided from MCA is U72900KA2019PTC125092.

EDAINFRONT SOLUTIONS PRIVATE LIMITED's registered office address is No 2443/b, A Block,

Aecs Layout Singasandra, Kudlu Bangalore Bangalore Ka 560068 In. Find other contact information for
EDAINFRONT SOLUTIONS PRIVATE LIMITED such as Email, Website and more below.

Current status of EDAINFRONT SOLUTIONS PRIVATE LIMITED is Active.

COMPANY INFORMATION
CIN U72900KA2019PTC125092

Company Status Active

Registration Number 125092

Date of Incorporation 11th June, 2019

RoC RoC-Bangalore

Company Age 1 years, 4 months & 22 days

Authorized Capital ₹ 10,00,000

Paid-up capital ₹ 1,00,000

Company Category Company limited by Shares

Company Sub-Category Non-govt company

Class of company Private

31
Activity Business Services

Listing status Unlisted

Date of Last Annual General Meeting N/A

Date of Latest Balance Sheet N/A

Product:

A group of ordinary people, from diverse professional backgrounds & life stages, trying to punch above
our individual weights in the Pursuit of a Shared Vision, Cause - Becoming a reason of Small Business
Success to fuel Economic & Social Development across nations..

I find SmallBzr's Marketing Offering and Integrated Suite concept, interesting and see Long Term value
for Small Businesses.

It looks, as if, they have taken the time and pain to understand closely the Challenges & Preferences of
Small Business Owners and trying to innovate around those.
I signed up as an early customer and implementing it for Multiple Segments of my Tuition Agency
business.

Services:

Referrals, Referral Marketing at its best

 Connect with other SmallBzrs, Network, Partner and Exchange Referrals.

 Unlimited Referral Circles. Discover Many SmallBzrs apt for mutual referrals.
 Tools to make Referrals from clients, partners and others easier and more likely.
 Launch Referral Campaigns, Share, Track. Be incentivised for Referrals you make.

Content Marketing made Possible and Put on Steroids

32
  Creating good content and doing so regularly, as needed for building Awareness,
Authority and Visibility, is practically prohibitive for many businesses. This makes many
SmallBzrs never be able to leverage the inevitable goodies of Content Marketing.
SmallBzr Suite makes Content Marketing a Reality for ALL and puts "Content on
Steroids" to work for your business.

More Visibility, More Attention, More Traffic 

 Through Social Media Up your Social Game significantly with SmallBzr Suite.
 Upto 70% Cost Savings in doing your Business' SMM Content and Posts.
 Increase brand SMM Content 2X.
 Increase SMM Content quality, eyeballs by upto 5X.
 Drive more Traffic to your Website from Social Media with SmallBzr Suite.

Harvest your own Audience, Connect Deeper 

 Grow Email List, Email Market Seamlessly

 Have your (customer) Contacts, Cold Leads, Professional Connections, Subscribers into
one system.
Be in touch with relevant and welcome communications with SmallBzr Suite & Tools.
SmallBzr Suite emphasises on leveraging every possible oppotunity to give you
Visibility, make new connections and Grow your Audience to build a pipeline for Leads
& Referrals.

A Website on AutoPilot Mode: 

 Traffic, Content, Engagement, Reputation, Features..

 SmallBzr Suite and Tools are delivered through a website of your very own.

33
Our Mission is Making Every

 "SmallBzr Site" as good as various "Platforms on the Internet"

 if not better, in terms of Features, Engineering, Value Delivery, but Laser Focused to an
Audience around its products or services.
 Play your Game like Brands, Big Corporate despite all the limitations SmallBzrs
typically have.

Chapter3

34
 Theoretical Background

Brand Management

Brand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product, product line,
or brand. It seeks to increase a product's perceived value to the customer and thereby increase
brand franchise and brand equity. Marketers see a brand as an implied promise that the level of
quality people have come to expect from a brand will continue with future purchases of the same
product. This may increase sales by making a comparison with competing products more
favorable. It may also enable the manufacturer to charge more for the product. The value of the
brand is determined by the amount of profit it generates for the manufacturer. This can result
from a combination of increased sales and increased price, and/or reduced COGS (cost of goods
sold), and/or reduced or more efficient marketing investment. All of these enhancements may
improve the profitability of a brand, and thus, "Brand Managers" often carry line-management
accountability for a brand's P&L (Profit and Loss) profitability, in contrast to marketing staff
manager roles, which are allocated budgets from above, to manage and execute. In this regard,
Brand Management is often viewed in organizations as a broader and more strategic role than
Marketing alone.

The annual list of the world’s most valuable brands, published by Inter brand and Business
Week, indicates that the market value of companies often consists largely of brand equity.
Research by McKinsey & Company, a global consulting firm, in 2000 suggested that strong,
well-leveraged brands produce higher returns to shareholders than weaker, narrower brands.

35
Taken together, this means that brands seriously impact shareholder value, which ultimately
makes branding a CEO responsibility.

The discipline of brand management was started at Procter & Gamble PLC as a result of a
famous memo by Neil H. McElroy.

Brand Management: A Holistic vs. Traditional Approach

Manufacturing or industrial companies have tried to achieve cost leadership through minimizing
costs in their processes, others have strived to gain the business of a certain segment and using a
focus strategy. However, out of the strategies for creating competitive edge, the most customer-
oriented is the differentiation strategy. Michael Porter describes this as one of the main generic
strategies for gaining competitive advantage in Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining
Superior Performance. It involves differentiating the company's products or services from the
existing ones through added value, generated by e.g. implementing processes that are aligned
with sustainable development, or creating customer loyalty through differentiating the existence
of the company as something different. Other generic strategies are cost-leadership and the focus
strategy. Holistic branding brings an organization-centric approach to branding, where the brand
is built by every day communication and activity. This is highly different from the common or
traditional approach, where branding involves the tangible and visible elements of a company or
product.

It is commonly thought that creating value for customers and portraying a specific image of the
company is the sole responsibility of the marketing function. However, today consumers are
highly aware of what they buy and which company they support. Brands have received much
critique over the years because some say that brands portray an untruthful picture of a product or
company, they are misplaced from their true context and that they increase the amount of
consumer materialism and non-useful spending. One of the main advocates of the negative sides
of brands is the author Naomi Klein, who wrote the book No Logo. Traditional views on
branding do not involve the whole company as such. In this view branding is the responsibility
of the marketing department, a way to increase sales for the company through the pre-selling the
product with ideas and mindsets.

36
This premise still holds true but needs to be extended into incorporating the whole organization.
A working example of this is the failed launch of the new Ford Edsel that attempted to achieve
greatness with large hype and consumer interest. Even though consumer interest was significant,
the model could not live up to the hopes and dreams provided by marketing.

Overpromising and under-delivering is still a problem for companies that have not waken up to
realize the importance of a holistic brand management process. The holistic approach is only
another term in the sea of terms for a modern definition of brand management and understanding
of brands. This is clearly the future and small organizations should follow suit with multinational
corporations in their brand thinking.

A brand should be the embodiment of everything a company represents and stands for. This
notion is also supported by the integration between marketing and communication. It is a
recognized fact in brand management that one of the main tools that organizations and
companies’ use is communication. Communication is and should not be the responsibility of one
department or any single function of the company. Communication is a process that uses the
brand as its guiding principle and is involved in every part and form of the company.

According to the holistic view on brand management, the brand is the backbone, central guiding
idea and the “DNA” of the company. Every detail of the company has to be inline with the brand
in order to deliver maximum value to the customer. The holistic view has changed the way
brands are managed, not by a single part of the company to portray something that may or may
not be true, but to portray something that the whole company lives and breathes. A holistic view
requires companies to understand that to reach their goal of creating and maintaining a successful
brand every function of the organization must take part in the process. The ultimate embodiment
of the brand is the central governing figure, the CEO and all the employees of the company.

In the past, brands were always related to the marketing department. The only method of
branding came through advertising. This created a view that brands do not have any return or it
was extremely difficult to measure. The traditional view on branding would also consider it a
heavy cost for a company, resulting in undermining its importance. Even though times have
changed, this same mentality still exists in more traditional companies where the management

37
may not be as enlightened on developments in this sector. Many companies still fail to realize the
point and importance of the brand.

Through the employees of a company, customers have personal contact with the brand. Brand
alignment should be a crucial factor for selecting employees for the company as well as
organizing training for learning the best practices on how to provide service and communicate
with customers that best portrays and delivers the brand experience. Employee selection should
consider the personality of the company and match that with the candidates to find people who
fit into the company profile both in their skill set and general personality.

Internal processes, communication and marketing have a crucial effect on the external brand
experience, how customers think the company performs and how well they live up to their
promises. In short, for companies to create and maintain a successful brand their total brand
process must be inline with internal processes.

Principles of Brand Management

A good brand name should:

 Be protected (or at least protectable) under trademark law.

 Be easy to pronounce.
 Be easy to remember.
 Be easy to recognize.
 Be easy to translate into all languages in the markets where the brand will be used.
 Attract attention.
 Suggest product benefits or suggest usage (note the tradeoff with strong trademark
protection.)
 Suggest the company or product image.
 Distinguish the product's positioning relative to the competition.
 Be attractive.
 Stand out among a group of other brands.

38
Functions of Brand

(For consumers) Identification of source of product, Assignment of responsibility to product

maker, Risk reducer, Search cost reducer, Symbolic device, Signal of quality.

(For Manufacture)Means of identification to simplify handling or tracing, Means of legally

protecting unique features, Signal of quality level to satisfied customers, Means of endowing
products with unique associations, Source of competitive advantage, Source of financial returns.
("Strategic Brand Management" 3rd edition, Kevin Lane Keller)

Brand Architecture

The different brands owned by a company are related to each other via brand architecture. In
"product brand architecture", the company supports many different product brands with each
having its own name and style of expression while the company itself remains invisible to
consumers. Procter & Gamble, considered by many to have created product branding, is a choice
example with its many unrelated consumer brands such as Tide, Pampers, Abunda, Ivory and
Pantene.

With "endorsed brand architecture", a mother brand is tied to product brands, such as The
Courtyard Hotels (product brand name) by Marriott (mother brand name). Endorsed brands
benefit from the standing of their mother brand and thus save a company some marketing
expense by virtue promoting all the linked brands whenever the mother brand is advertised.

The ths most commonly referred to as "corporate branding". The mother brand is used and all
products carry this name and all advertising speaks with the same voice. A good example of this
brand architecture is the UK-based conglomerate Virgin. Virgin brands all its businesses with its
name.

Techniques

Companies sometimes want to reduce the number of brands that they market. This process is
known as "Brand rationalization." Some companies tend to create more brands and product
variations within a brand than economies of scale would indicate. Sometimes, they will create a

39
specific service or product brand for each market that they target. In the case of product
branding, this may be to gain retail shelf space (and reduce the amount of shelf space allocated to
competing brands). A company may decide to rationalize their portfolio of brands from time to
time to gain production and marketing efficiency, or to rationalize a brand portfolio as part of
corporate restructuring.

A recurring challenge for brand managers is to build a consistent brand while keeping its
message fresh and relevant. An older brand identity may be misaligned to a redefined target
market, a restated corporate vision statement, revisited mission statement or values of a
company. Brand identities may also lose resonance with their target market through demographic
evolution. Repositioning a brand (sometimes called rebranding), may cost some brand equity,
and can confuse the target market, but ideally, a brand can be repositioned while retaining
existing brand equity for leverage.

Brand orientation is a deliberate approach to working with brands, both internally and externally.
The most important driving force behind this increased interest in strong brands is the
accelerating pace of globalization. This has resulted in an ever-tougher competitive situation on
many markets. A product’s superiority is in itself no longer sufficient to guarantee its success.
The fast pace of technological development and the increased speed with which imitations turn
up on the market have dramatically shortened product lifecycles. The consequence is that
product-related competitive advantages soon risk being transformed into competitive
prerequisites. For this reason, increasing numbers of companies are looking for other, more
enduring, competitive tools – such as brands. Brand Orientation refers to "the degree to which
the organization values brands and its practices are oriented towards building brand capabilities”

Online Brand Management

Companies are embracing brand reputation management as a strategic imperative and are
increasingly turning to online monitoring in their efforts to prevent their public image from
becoming tarnished. Online brand reputation protection can mean monitoring for the
misappropriation of a brand trademark by fraudsters intent on confusing consumers for monetary
gain. It can also mean monitoring for less malicious, although perhaps equally damaging,

40
infractions, such as the unauthorized use of a brand logo or even for negative brand information
(and misinformation) from online consumers that appears in online communities and other social
media platforms. The red flag can be something as benign as a blog rant about a bad hotel
experience or an electronic gadget that functions below expectations.

Brand Awareness

Brand awareness refers to customers' ability to recall and recognize the brand under different
conditions and link to the brand name, logo, jingles and so on to certain associations in memory.
It helps the customers to understand to which product or service category the particular brand
belongs to and what products and services are sold under the brand name. It also ensures that
customers know which of their needs are satisfied by the brand through its products.(Keller)
'Brand love', or love of a brand, is an emerging term encompassing the perceived value of the
brand image. Brand love levels are measured through social media posts about a brand, or tweets
of a brand on sites such as Twitter. Becoming a Facebook fan of a particular brand is also a
measurement of the level of 'brand love'.

Global Brand

A global brand is one which is perceived to reflect the same set of values around the world. A
global brand transcends their origins and creates strong, enduring relationships with consumers
across countries and cultures.

Global brands are brands sold to international markets. Examples of global brands include Coca-
Cola, McDonald's, Marlboro, Levi's etc.. These brands are used to sell the same product across
multiple markets, and could be considered successful to the extent that the associated products
are easily recognizable by the diverse set of consumers.

Benefits of Global Branding

In addition to taking advantage of the outstanding growth opportunities, the following drives the
increasing interest in taking brands global:

 Economies of scale (production and distribution)

41
  Lower marketing costs
 Laying the groundwork for future extensions worldwide
 Maintaining consistent brand imagery
 Quicker identification and integration of innovations (discovered worldwide)
 Preempting international competitors from entering domestic markets or locking you out
of other geographic markets
 Increasing international media reach (especially with the explosion of the Internet) is an
enabler
 Increases in international business and tourism are also enablers

Global brand variables

The following elements may differ from country to country:

 Corporate slogan
 Products and services
 Product names
 Product features
 Positioning
 Marketing mixes (including pricing, distribution, media and advertising execution)

These differences will depend upon:

 Language differences
 Different styles of communication
 Other cultural differences
 Differences in category and brand development
 Different consumption patterns
 Different competitive sets and marketplace conditions
 Different legal and regulatory environments
 Different national approaches to marketing (media, pricing, distribution, etc.)

Local Brand

42
A brand that is sold and marketed (distributed and promoted) in a relatively small and restricted
geographical area. A local brand is a brand that can be found in only one country or region. It
may be called a regional brand if the area encompasses more than one metropolitan market. It
may also be a brand that is developed for a specific national market, however an interesting thing
about local brand is that the local branding is mostly done by consumers then by the producers.
Examples of Local Brands in Sweden are Stomatol, Mijerierna etc.

Brand Name

The brand name is quite often used interchangeably within "brand", although it is more correctly
used to specifically denote written or spoken linguistic elements of any product. In this context a
"brand name" constitutes a type of trademark, if the brand name exclusively identifies the brand
owner as the commercial source of products or services. A brand owner may seek to
protect proprietary rights in relation to a brand name through trademark registration. Advertising
spokespersons have also become part of some brands, for example: Mr. Whipple of Charmin
toilet tissue and Tony the Tiger of Kellogg's. Local Branding is usually done by the consumers
rather than the producers.

Types of Brand Names

Brand names come in many styles. A few include:

Acronym: A name made of initials such as UPS or IBM

Descriptive: Names that describe a product benefit or function like Whole Foods or Airbus

Alliteration and rhyme: Names that are fun to say and stick in the mind like Reese's Pieces or
Dunkin' Donuts

Evocative: Names that evoke a relevant vivid image like Amazon or Crest

Neologisms: Completely made-up words like Wii or Kodak

Foreign word: Adoption of a word from another language like Volvo or Samsung

43
Founders' names: Using the names of real people like Hewlett-Packard or Disney

Geography: Many brands are named for regions and landmarks like Cisco and Fuji Film

Personification: Many brands take their names from myth like Nike or from the minds of ad
execs like Betty Crocker

The act of associating a product or service with a brand has become part of pop culture. Most
products have some kind of brand identity, from common table salt to designer jeans.
A brandnomer is a brand name that has colloquially become a generic term for a product or
service, such as Band-Aid or Kleenex, which are often used to describe any kind of adhesive
bandage or any kind of facial tissue respectively.

Brand Identity

A product identity, or brand image are typically the attributes one associates with a brand, how
the brand owner wants the consumer to perceive the brand - and by extension the branded
company, organization, product or service. The brand owner will seek to bridge the gap between
the brand image and the brand identity. Effective brand names build a connection between the
brand personality as it is perceived by the target audience and the actual product/service. The
brand name should be conceptually on target with the product/service (what the company stands
for). Furthermore, the brand name should be on target with the brand demographic. Typically,
sustainable brand names are easy to remember, transcend trends and have positive connotations.
Brand identity is fundamental to consumer recognition and symbolizes the brand's differentiation
from competitors.

Brand identity is what the owner wants to communicate to its potential consumers. However,
over time, a product's brand identity may acquire (evolve), gaining new attributes from consumer
perspective but not necessarily from the marketing communications an owner percolates to
targeted consumers. Therefore, brand associations become handy to check the consumer's
perception of the brand.

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Brand identity needs to focus on authentic qualities - real characteristics of the value and brand
promise being provided and sustained by organizational and/or production characteristics.

Visual Brand Identity

The visual brand identity manual for Mobil Oil (developed by Chermayeff & Geismar), one of
the first visual identities to integrate logotype, icon, alphabet, color palette, and station
architecture to create a comprehensive consumer brand experience.

The recognition and perception of a brand is highly influenced by its visual presentation. A
brand’s visual identity is the overall look of its communications. Effective visual brand identity
is achieved by the consistent use of particular visual elements to create distinction, such as
specific fonts, colors, and graphic elements. At the core of every brand identity is a brand mark,
or logo. In the United States, brand identity and logo design naturally grew out of the Modernist
movement in the 1950’s and greatly drew on the principals of that movement – simplicity (Mies
van der Rohe’s principle of "Less is more") and geometric abstraction. These principles can be
observed in the work of the pioneers of the practice of visual brand identity design, such as Paul
Rand, Chermayeff & Geismar and Saul Bass.

Brand Parity

Brand parity is the perception of the customers that all brands are equivalent.

Individual Branding

Each brand has a separate name (such as Seven-Up, Kool-Aid or Nivea Sun (Beiersdorf)), which

may even compete against other brands from the same company (for example, Persil, Omo, Surf
and Lynx are all owned by Unilever).

Attitude Branding and Iconic Brands

Attitude branding is the choice to represent a larger feeling, which is not necessarily connected
with the product or consumption of the product at all. Marketing labeled as attitude branding

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include that of Nike, Starbucks, The Body Shop, Safeway, and Apple Inc.. In the 2000 book No
Logo, Naomi Klein describes attitude branding as a "fetish strategy".

"A great brand raises the bar -- it adds a greater sense of purpose to the experience, whether it's
the challenge to do your best in sports and fitness, or the affirmation that the cup of coffee you're
drinking really matters." - Howard Schultz (president, CEO, and chairman of Starbucks)

The color, letter font and style of the Coca-Cola and Diet Coca-Cola logos in English were

copied into matching Hebrew logos to maintain brand identity in Israel.

Iconic brands are defined as having aspects that contribute to consumer's self-expression and
personal identity. Brands whose value to consumers comes primarily from having identity value
comes are said to be "identity brands". Some of these brands have such a strong identity that they
become more or less "cultural icons" which makes them iconic brands. Examples of iconic
brands are: Apple Inc., Nike and Harley Davidson. Many iconic brands include almost ritual-like
behavior when buying and consuming the products.

There are four key elements to creating iconic brands (Holt 2004):

1. "Necessary conditions" - The performance of the product must at least be ok preferably

with a reputation of having good quality.
2. "Myth-making" - A meaningful story-telling fabricated by cultural "insiders". These must
be seen as legitimate and respected by consumers for stories to be accepted.
3. "Cultural contradictions" - Some kind of mismatch between prevailing ideology and
emergent undercurrents in society. In other words a difference with the way consumers
are and how they some times wish they were.
4. "The cultural brand management process" - Actively engaging in the myth-making
process making sure the brand maintains its position as an icon.

"No-brand" Branding

Recently a number of companies have successfully pursued "No-Brand" strategies by creating

packaging that imitates generic brand simplicity. Examples include the Japanese company Muji,

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which means "No label" in English (from "Mujirushi Ryohin" – literally, "No brand quality
goods"), and the Florida company No-Ad Sunscreen. Although there is a distinct Muji brand,
Muji products are not branded. This no-brand strategy means that little is spent on advertisement
or classical marketing and Muji's success is attributed to the word-of-mouth, a simple shopping
experience and the anti-brand movement. "No brand" branding may be construed as a type of
branding as the product is made conspicuous through the absence of a brand name.

Derived Brands

In this case the supplier of a key component, used by a number of suppliers of the end-product,
may wish to guarantee its own position by promoting that component as a brand in its own right.
The most frequently quoted example is Intel, which secures its position in the PC market with
the slogan "Intel Inside".

Brand Extension

The existing strong brand name can be used as a vehicle for new or modified products; for
example, many fashion and designer companies extended brands into fragrances, shoes and
accessories, home textile, home decor, luggage, (sun-) glasses, furniture, hotels, etc.

Mars extended its brand to ice cream, Caterpillar to shoes and watches, Michelin to a restaurant
guide, Adidas and Puma to personal hygiene. Dunlop extended its brand from tires to other
rubber products such as shoes, golf balls, tennis racquets and adhesives.

There is a difference between brand extension and line extension. A line extension is when a
current brand name is used to enter a new market segment in the existing product class, with new
varieties or flavors or sizes. When Coca-Cola launched "Diet Coke" and "Cherry Coke" they
stayed within the originating product category: non-alcoholic carbonated beverages.
Procter (P&G) did likewise extending its strong lines (such as Fairy Soap) into neighboring
products (Fairy Liquid and Fairy Automatic) within the same category, dish washing detergents.

Multi-Brands

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Alternatively, in a market that is fragmented amongst a number of brands a supplier can choose
deliberately to launch totally new brands in apparent competition with its own existing strong
brand (and often with identical product characteristics); simply to soak up some of the share of
the market which will in any case go to minor brands. The rationale is that having 3 out of 12
brands in such a market will give a greater overall share than having 1 out of 10 (even if much of
the share of these new brands is taken from the existing one). In its most extreme manifestation,
a supplier pioneering a new market which it believes will be particularly attractive may choose
immediately to launch a second brand in competition with its first, in order to pre-empt others
entering the market.

Individual brand names naturally allow greater flexibility by permitting a variety of different
products, of differing quality, to be sold without confusing the consumer's perception of what
business the company is in or diluting higher quality products.

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