Introduction:
Brands stand for mental images in the minds of
consumers that shape with their purchasing behaviour. Most of the time, known
brands are emotional and give positive emotions, while unknown brands give
negative emotions. According to Nielson’s survey, 59% of consumers prefer to
buy new products from brands they are familiar with. Brand management is
different from brand meaning management which only consists in revitalizing the
image of the brand and from product management which focuses on a single
product. Brand management was created to face competition so that consumers
identify the brands through their identities and differences.
In 1992, Kapferer suggested three qualities of
brand identities, such as durability, coherence and realism.
In 1998, Keller suggested five criteria, such
as memorability, meaningfulness, transferability, adaptability and protection
(through patents and towards competitors).
I/ Difference between a marketing manager and a
brand manager
A/ Marketing manager:
Plan, coordinate marketing programs.
Develop pricing strategies depending on the demand for products and services
offered by the competitors, the costs and the market. Their objective is to
maximize the firm’s profits/shares of the market by satisfying customers. They
develop marketing strategies. They promote product or services through
advertising or promotion. They evaluate the financial aspects needed to develop
a product (budgets, R&D, return-on-investment)
B/ Brand manager:
Phenomenon appeared in the 1990s,
this job corresponds to marketing managers in charge of the management and the development
of the brand equity to strengthen the brand in the minds of the customers. Brand
Managers have to coordinate the products, each requiring different strategies
and they have to monitor marketing trends in order to sell products and
services and to improve the image of the brand. The brand manager must check
that all the products from a same brand correspond to the values of the
company. He is the first link to the internal and externals actors of the
project. The risk of having different products under a brand is the fact that
products can show contradictory codes.
1/ Brand equity:
All the behaviours of the consumers
regarding a brand. Ability of a brand to create opinions in order to sell at a
higher price thanks to the tangible and intangible added values brought to its
product. For Aaker there are 5 factors: fidelity, notoriety, quality, brand
association, other assets of the brand.
a/
Aaker:
The
elements of the brand equity (1991):
Fidelity:
-
Less
expensive to keep existing customers than attracting new ones
-
Easier
referencing from the distributor
-
Develop
notoriety (word of mouth)
Notoriety:
-
Improve
preferences
-
Less
risk when buying
Quality:
-
Positioning
compared to competitors
-
Incitation
to buy, persuasion and influencing
-
Easier
to sell it in shops
Brand association:
-
Differentiation
of the brand (young, modern, healthy, after sales service)
Other assets:
-
Patents
-
Experience
-
Relationship
with the distributors
b/Brand associations:
In 1998, Keller suggested eight
means of brand association, such as companies, geographical areas, channels
distribution, other brands, characters, spokeperson, events and third-party
sources (like reviews or awards). Consumers need to have knowledge regarding
the associated entity and the brand must be linked to it.
2/ The role:
Companies treat every
brand separately from each other. Brand managers have to follow the project
from the beginning until the end. They aim at maximizing value. Them and their
team conduct market research and gather data about the market. Then, the brand
manager decides of monthly ambitious objectives by developing marketing
strategies and thinking about profits and losses. She/He follows the communication
campaigns, the production, the selling, the advertising, and the research and
development of her/his brand so as to ensure a profitable growth. She/He executes
a DMI management and she/he ensures an optimal implementation of the project in
the market. A brand manager also has to communicate with stakeholders
(community, company, consumers) so as to satisfy them. A brand manager has to
find action plans fitting the chosen strategy. Marketing programs build a brand
image, like pricing, product, promotion and place, which implies
cross-functionality.
3/Relationships:
The brand manager has
cross-functionally relationships, receiving support from sales, finance, legal
teams. External partners, commercial teams, specialists and agencies can help
the brand manager to find growth opportunities. Partnerships enable to optimize
efficiency. A brand manager must develop long-term relationships with internal
and external stakeholders who will help the brand manager to develop efficiently
and effectively the brand in accordance with the resources of the company.
4/Branding
management process:
-
Determine
your target audience and the needs and beliefs of the consumers
-
Define
a mission statement which will stand for your identity
-
Research
brands from your industry niche and collect data, understand the market
-
Highlight
the qualities of your brand to be differentiated
-
Create
a logo and tagline
-
Develop
a strong communication with stakeholders
-
Create
a message
II/ Brand management of companies:
A/Wrigley:
Wrigley is a company distributing
brands such as Freedent, Five or Airwaves in France. Three hundred partners
participate every day in the creation of marketing operations.
It was the first company selling
free sugar chewing gums on the market, realising a turnover of 100million
euros. The brand manager follows and analyses the Freedent brand on the French
Market. He participates to projects regarding the packaging, studies and
consumer tests, he stays in contact with the communication agency, he checks
the Freedent website
B/ Ferrero:
Ferrero is a recognised company,
known for several brands such as Nutella, Kinder, Ferrero Rocher, Mon Chérie
and Tic Tac.
Personalities:
David Aaker is an organizational
theorist, specialised in marketing with a focus on brand strategy.
Kevin Keller is a marketing
management professor, specialised in brand management.
Jean-Noël Kapferer is a professor,
reference on the luxury management. He gives advice to managers from the CAC40,
showing the value of a brand for a company.
References:
Gentner, Fiedrich. Neuromarketing in
the B-to-B-Sector: Importance, potential and its implications for Brand
Management, Diplomica Verlag, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central
Chan-Olmsted, Sylvia M.. Competitive
Strategy for Media Firms: Strategic and Brand Management in Changing Media
Markets, Taylor and Francis, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central
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