1.

Introduction (OUASSAMA)

The area of branding has emerged to a top priority for management in the last 20 years. In
fact, brands are one of the most valuable intangible assets within a firm. The brand name
encompasses the years of advertising, good will, quality evaluation, product experience and
other beneficial attributes the market associates with the product.

Customers everywhere respond to images myths, and metaphors that help them define their
personal and national identities within context of world culture and product benefits.

2. What is a Brand? (MOHAMED)

Brand equity, brand management, brand awareness, brand positioning, brand culture, brand
strategy, brand functions and brand environment are all conjugated of one single noun: brand.
The word “brand” finds its origin in ancient times where livestock, criminals or slaves got
permanently marked with a branding iron to identify ownership.
According to Ries and Ries a brand is a special word in the mind of consumers: a noun, with
the power to influence purchasing behavior.
In the same order of identifying and possession, the American Marketing Association (AMA)
defined a brand as: "A name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them,
intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate
them from those of competitors".
Keller takes a wider perspective making a distinction between the brand definition as set by
AMA and the industry's concept of branding. Keller adds tangible and intangible brand
elements, rational and emotional brand elements, and symbolic brand elements which
differentiate and indentify a brand. Hence, Keller's definition is taken from a more holistic
point of view: "A brand is therefore more than a product, because it can have dimensions that
differentiate it in some way from other products designed to satisfy the same needs" for
example the war between coca cola and Pepsi, it’s the brand that Leeds a consumer to choose
one of the two soda firms, We can resume what we have said, in this layout, a brand is a
person’s gut feeling about a product service or organization, ultimately, your brand is not
what you say it is, it’s what they say it is.

3. Types of brands (REDA)

Case 1: Your brand has a respectable market share but you want it to grow. What do you do?
– Address segment needs more precisely

How can you use the equity of the brand name to address segment needs even better?

Sub-Branding

Creating new brands which are part of the parent brand family – expressed as suffixes of the
parent brand. For example Nike Air Jordan is a sub-brand of Nike which is the parent brand.

Umbrella-Branding

When you have many sub-brands, each linked to a common brand, and then the common
brand is known as the umbrella brand For example Ford is known as the umbrella-brand of
Ford Focus, Ford Ranger, Ford Five Hundred, Ford Freestyle, Ford Expedition, Ford
Thunderbird, etc.

Case 2: Your brand has a respectable market share and you want to protect it from growing
competition. What do you do?

- Address that section of the market which does not buy your product
How can you attract customers who do not buy into your brand’s equity?

Flanker Brand:

Different brand name – same product

Purpose: Pre-empt competition, cover the market more completely (protect your flanks)

Problem: some cannibalization is expected. For example Thumbs Up and Coca Cola in India,
Tide and Cheer from P&G.

Case 3: Your brand is strong in your current market. The market is saturated and you are
looking to diversify. What do you do?

Identify another product and give it the same brand name

If the new product is in the same product line –

Line Extension; same brand name, different product in the same product line. For example:
Ivory soap and Ivory shampoo,

If the new product is from a completely different product line –

Brand Extension; for example Reebok shoes and Reebok water, Nike shoes and Nike
casuals.

2.3 Influence of factors on brand choice (MOHAMED)

There are different numbers of factors or reasons that influence consumer buying
decisions. Personal, psychological, demographic, and social concerns of the consumer aspects
are rooted historically in the decision making concept. There are numerous factors to buy a
certain brand in a given situation, for example consumer behavior, emotional brand
associations or advertising and symbolic meaning of the brand.

2.3.1 Consumer behavior (MOHAMED)

To understand better a consumer’s choice of certain brand or product, it is necessary to define
the concept of consumer behavior. According to web business dictionary it is a “process by
which individuals search for, select, purchase, use, and dispose of goods and services, in
satisfaction of their needs and wants”.
In the first step a buyer recognizes and analyzes what product or need he or she needs. Then
when the product fits consumers’ needs, the customer searches for information, which may
involve an internal/external research to make a decision about it. External search and actual
shopping vary. The third stage covers the choosing process between brands using evaluative
criteria or decision rules. Consumers also use tangible and less tangible attributes.

2.3.2 Emotional brand associations (REDA)

Consumers have emotional associations with brands that have grown out of
their experiences with them, and they are linked in memory to those brands.
When the consumer thinks about a brand, he or she will be drawing from the
memory not only benefits or features, but also emotional ‘feelings’ about the
brand. Measuring the emotions toward a certain brand provides the information, How the
brand is perceived by a number of people.
Positive emotional memories never come across the negative ones. As a result, the emotional
significance of a brand will influence how much attention is paid to it, and how much
someone will elaborate upon its significance. So, it means that certain emotional associations
with specific brands determine what information is available for recall when making brand
choice decisions. Some brands have strong positive feelings, some of them not, and that
switching process is rather easy, if the market segment is narrow.

2.3.3 Advertising and symbolic meaning of the brand (OUSSAMA)

Advertising and social media are recognized as one of the most important
sources of valued symbolic meanings, as a guideline of the consumer’s existence. On the
other hand, the consumer is a guideline to advertising creativity.
Advertising is understood as “both a means to transfer or create meanings into culture and a
cultural product itself”. The relationship between advertising and consumer is dialectical:
advertisements are constructed on the knowledge of the consumers, and consumers perceive
ads based on their experience, and symbolic meanings derived from their cultures.

Definition of Equity: the commercial value that derives from consumer perception of the
brand name of a particular product or service, rather than from the product or service itself.

4-Brand Strategy (OUSSAMA)

4.1 Brand strategy definition (OUSSAMA)

Brand strategy is one of the most replete areas of marketing, though, one of the most
important. The key point of branding is that it is impossible to have a strategy without a clear
objective. Federico Belloni describes branding as “a strategy of defining, building and
managing the brands’ portfolio”, while Business Dictionary defines brand portfolio as follows
“the total collection of trademarks that a company applies to its products or services. Each
make or brand within a business' brand portfolio might be registered under applicable
trademark laws and can represent a valuable asset to a company that is often actively
promoted to potential customers”.

4.2 Elements of brand strategy (MOHAMED)

Brands strategy consists of different elements. One company decides for their
strategy one element, another chooses other criteria. But there are three main elements of
brand strategy that have great impact on future business successes and profits, and are used in
all companies.
- The first element of brand strategy is targeting. In the best way how to choose
target customers or a group for the brand, a company needs to answer to several questions
such as “Which customers or groups of customers are important to the market?”, “What
factors are important to the company’s brand?” and “How can the company get more
customers or do more business with each of them?”

Nowadays analyzing what types of customers deliver the most value

and as a result more profit to the company is crucial. That is not necessarily the largest
number of the brand's customers - in fact it rarely is. The key strategic choice for the company
is targeting the most valuable customers to keep them and the infrequent customers to make
them more brand loyal, or trying to gain and find new customers. All those targeting
objectives are important for building a strong brand, but the intensity may vary depending on
the lifecycle of the brand.

-The second essential element is values. Consumers buy and use brands because their values
match the brands' value. To keep brands more unique, latest, and relevant and at the forefront
of customers' minds, it is necessary to have strong links between core brand values and
positive customer experiences.
Core brand values are differentiated from those of their competitors and can be expressed in a
small number of words, and positive customer experiences are the fulfillment of the brand
promises.
- The third element in the scheme is proposition. It means what kind of communication tools
the company chooses to tell about the brand to the domestic or international markets and
various stakeholders in the same business industries.
4.3 How to define your Brand? (REDA)

4.3.1 Your Visual Identity…

-Is your First Impression

-Supports and differentiates your brand (takes separate elements and
unifies them into whole systems)
-Builds awareness and helps differentiate the emotional essence of the brand
-Engages supporters

4.3.2 Define Your Brand Elements:

 MISSION OVERVIEW
–  Your core (this is your brand essence, your “heart and soul”)
–  What should drive all communications
HISTORY (if appropriate, share your history and brand evolution)
–  Helps with internal communication
–  Shows heritage and commitment
–  Demonstrates a nimble nature – doing what’s right for the mission

MARKET POSITIONING
–  Clearly define your niche and brand promise
–  Understand how you fit into your competitive landscape
BRAND ARCHITECTURE
–  Are you part of a group, consortium or national organization?
Or does your brand exist alone?
BRAND ASSETS
–  Brand colors, fonts, design styles
–  Logo variations
–  Digital and print usage parameters

4.3.3 How to create an Impactful Strategy?

Look Back
REVIEW AND UNDERSTAND THE STATE OF YOUR BRAND
–  “In a sector where more than 1.5 million organizations compete for
dwindling resources to carry out their missions, a solid brand identity helps
tell an organization’s story. It sets expectations, gains attention, fosters
relationships and ultimately helps ensure long-term survival.”
GATHER AND ANALYZE
–  Surveys, polls, social monitoring, general feedback
–  Site assets / artifacts
–  Brand history

Look Around
UNDERSTAND BRAND PERCEPTION
–  Brand story, tone, visual design
–  Collateral – “Put everything on the table, does it match?”
IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE
–  who are you communicating with?
–  what are the audience groups and segments?
CONDUCT USER RESEARCH
–  what do your users think of your brand?
–  where do they see inconsistencies?
UNDERSTAND THE ENVIRONMENT
–  Determine your support group
–  Identify challenges
–  Analyze the competition
–  Staff expertise and ownership

Look Ahead
SET GOALS FOR FUTURE ANALYSIS
–  1 Year, 3 Year, 5 Year, 10 Year

SET REALISTIC BUDGET AND PLAN RESOURCES

DOCUMENT ACTION PLAN
–  Every action should link directly to a goal
–  Every action should be measurable
•  Brand survey
•  Logo testing
•  Social monitoring
WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?
Finaly EXECUTE

4.4 Create your plan

Determine Your Need

A FULL BRAND REDESIGN
–  New organization
–  Brand redesign: Your voice or tone needs changing

–  Your brand lacks clarity

–  Your brand doesn’t support your strategic goals
–  Taking a new direction in your mission
–  Perception change

MILESTONE BRANDING
–  Event
–  Anniversary
–  Campaign
A LOGO REFRESH
–  Your Mission is not changing
–  Your tone is not changing
–  Your Voice is not changing
–  Something is not working
–  You need an update!

4.5 Set Up For Success

SHHHHHH….LISTEN
–  How are people responding to you?
–  What makes people happy?
–  What inspires them to act?
–  what are your competitors doing?
–  Conduct brand awareness/perception surveys
CHECK FOR CONSISTENCY – PUT THEM ALL ON THE TABLE
–  Print collateral – annual reports, letterhead, business cards, marketing
–  Website
–  Social pages – twitter, Facebook, Pintrest, etc.
REVISIT YOUR BRAND MANUAL
–  Does your logo accurately represent your organization?
–  Does the color palette communicate the appropriate message?
–  Does the typography give the appropriate voice?