Brand Elements

Building Brand Equity through Brand Elements

ASHIMA KAPUR

Brand Elements
Brand Elements are those trademarkable devices that serve to identify and differentiate the brand. The main ones are brand names, URLs, logos, symbols, characters, spokespeople, slogans, jingles, packaging etc.

Why Brand Elements?

The customer based brand equity model suggests that marketers should choose brand elements
To enhance brand awareness Facilitate the formation of strong and unique brand associations Elicit positive brand feelings

Criteria for Choosing Brand Elements

Offensive Strategies
Memorable
Easily Recognized Easily Recalled

Meaningful
Descriptive Persuasive

Likable
Rich visual/verbal imagery Aesthetically Pleasing

Criteria for Choosing Brand Elements Contd.

Defensive Strategies
Transferable
Within and across product categories Across geographic boundaries

Adaptable
Flexible Update-able

Protectable
Legally Competitively

Memorability Exercise

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Office 2007

Examples of Meaningfulness

Examples of Likability

Adaptability

Protectability Example

Brand name
The brand name is central to all brand elements. It should be easily remembered, highly suggestive, interesting, compact. Has the least response time of all informational elements. Contain all the factors of a proper brand element

Brand Associations
Brand name used to reinforce perceptions about the product
Metaphors and imagery used to enhance brand association with product
Addiction Perfume, CloseUp Toothpaste

Alphabets used to denote characteristics

X denotes extreme, youthful, risk-taking
ESPNs X-Games

Z denotes a sense of speed

Hero Hondas CBZ and Karizma

Logos and Symbols

Along with brand names, visual elements have a critical role in building brand equity, especially brand awareness Logos have been used since the middle ages to denote names of Kings in the form of a Coat of Arms and Emblems

Example of Logos

Benefits of Logos and Symbols

Due to the non-verbal and abstract nature of logos, they transcend across geographies and cultures Logos serve as an umbrella as a wide range of products The increase brand awareness and recall by leaps and bounds

Characters
Characters are human or life-like brand symbols that take the characteristics of the brand. They are usually introduced through advertising campaigns Brand characters play a central role in brand campaigns and package designs Brand characters can also be negative in the sense that they dominate other brand elements and decrease brand awareness

Examples of Brand Characters

Slogans
Slogans are short phrases that communicate descriptive or persuasive information about the brand They often appear in advertising They function as hooks to help consumers understand the meaning of the brand Eg: Hungry Kya? by Dominos Pizza Eg: Isse sasta aur achcha kahin nahi by Big Bazaar

Benefits of Slogans
Slogans play with the brand name to build both brand awareness and image Create strong links with the brand and the product category The brand is exaggerated to leverage maximum brand equity. Eg: Its not TV, Its HBO by HBO; The Citi Never Sleeps by CitiBank The brand is made an inspirational product Just Do It by Nike

Jingles
Jingles are musical messages written around the brand Usually composed by professional songwriters and musicians Successful jingles are registered in the minds of the listeners It was popular in the early 20th century when the primary broadcast medium was radio Convey brand benefits and product meaning in a fairly abstract manner

Packaging
Packaging is the activity of designing and producing containers or wrappers for a product It should be both aesthetic as well as functional
Aesthetic: It conveys the size, shape, colour and material of the package Functional: It conveys structural designs of the package, thus it becomes more convenient to use

Benefits of Packaging
It protects the product It helps in brand recognition It is a differentiating factor between similar products It has the ability to grab the attention of the customer at the moment of truth when the customer buys the product Packaging can help in capturing different market segments

Thank You