On this site we have compiled a variety of
papers from the themanager.org-team and from our valued partners that
focus on branding. They cover topics like:
Branding
Services
by Dagmar Recklies
This report will
initially give a short overview of some general concepts of
branding, especially definitions, benefits and types of brands.
Whilst most literature relates to branding for goods, the second
part of this report focuses on issues for branding professional
services, especially the accounting and consulting industry. The
author will relate the approaches this industry currently takes to
the relevant theory.
October 1999 |
Brand Strategy (A Constant
in a World of Change)
By Jerry W. Thomas
A marketing research practitioner -- and innovator -- for more
than 40 years, Jerry describes in his article exactly what
branding is, how it began and how it can be measured. “Very
often a firm’s brands, if we could accurately measure their
monetary value, would dwarf other assets listed on its balance
sheet,’’ Jerry says in his article. “A brand strategy is a
blueprint to build the market value and the financial value of a
brand over the long-term. It’s a compass to guide the brand
through the stormy seas of economic upheaval and competitive
onslaught.’’
Measuring a brand requires various strategies, each of which
Jerry explains in detail. "Regardless of the research methods,
the final step is condensing all of the research knowledge about
the brand into brand strategy concepts,'' Jerry writes. "These
concepts are then tested among the target market to identify the
brand strategy that most resonates with the target audience. The
winning brand strategy concept becomes the blueprint for all
commercials and ads, and the template for all brand planning and
brand decisions.''
|
Branding in the Digital and Social Media Age
By Jean-Claude Saade
Every era brings a new set of challenges and opportunities. The
current explosion of the digital space and social media has
deeply affected the marketing scene and how brands are behaving.
We wonder whether the core principles of branding have also
changed. |
Fall from Grace
By Jean-Claude Saade
Like people, brands make mistakes. But their mistakes are much
bigger because they reach millions of people and might destroy
the image of the brand leading to a phenomenal fall from grace.
This is a paper about brands loosing status, respect, and
prestige and how to avoid it. |
Brand Vanity
By Jean-Claude Saade
“Vanity is my favorite sin” – says John Milton – the “Devil
played by Al Pacino – in the Devil’s Advocate. To put this in a
branding perspective, we need to examine the role of Brand
Vanity in the current economic crisis. Taking the necessary
learning and corrections will be necessary for the recovery. Is
Vanity the worst sin a brand or a company can make? Is this
related to the very high prices that many brands and businesses
have already paid during the groundbreaking events of the past
year? More importantly; how to recognize Brand Vanity and deal
with it? |
Before & After
By Jean-Claude Saade
The proof is in the Brand Experience. Have you ever compared the
image you had about a brand, a company or a person Before and
After dealing with them, believing their promises and buying
their products? – Will they keep their positive aura? |
Real Estate Branding
By Jean-Claude Saade
Although the core underlying principles are always the same,
branding in the real estate business is facing its own
challenges and has found special creative ways to deal with
them. In certain markets where this sector is now developing in
an unprecedented way due to a number of economic and conjuncture
reasons, being aware of certain concepts and dynamics about real
estate branding might be priceless to real estate developers. At
a time where the effects of the US credit crunch have not
reached all markets, being prepared by building a strong brand
could be the best strategy facing any possible real estate
recession.
|
The Museums of
Branding
By Naseem Javed
All over the world, with so many different meanings and
perceptions of the word "branding", it appears that it has lost
its true meaning; the terminology is more like a walk through a
museum with a glorious past. Loose words like "economy" carry
different meanings that speak differently to different people.
To some, economy may refer to money, while to others, it means
jobs, whereas for some, it's the thing causing climate change.
Hold it right there. Branding gets even more adventurous. To
many it's about having a business card with psychedelic logo,
all the way to the polishing of doorknobs to improve an image,
while to others; it's about getting ahead of the economy. |
The Seven Doors
by Jean-Claude Saade
Brands entering the consumers’ world are exactly like building
human relationships – let’s take friendship as a positive
example. To become friend with other people, certain
similarities and common grounds will come to play a bonding
role; in the absence of these common grounds or doors, the
relationship will be difficult and eventually nonexistent. In
building relationships with consumers, brands need to enter from
the 7 doors of common interest. Knock, knock…! |
The
Eternal Principles for Creating Luxury Brands
By Dr. Dan Herman
This article is about the time proven principles for creating
luxury brands in order to attract affluents. Attracting wealthy
customers is potentially very profitable. After all, they have
more money to spend, that can turn into your income. However,
succeeding in this task involves a deep understanding of their
psychological need, of their lifestyle, of the role of brands in
their world and in their relationships as well as of their
purchasing behavior and spending patterns. Some of these are
truly counter-intuitive and surprising. |
Create Enticing
Brands, not "Lovemarks"
By Dr. Dan Herman
Dan discusses the concept of "Lovemarks", created by Kevin
Roberts, the worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising, and
explains how to build loved brands. |
Creating
brand instrumentality beyond the product
By Dr. Dan Herman
The main reason for the general fascination with brands is their
ability to provide the consumers an extra value in addition to what
the product\service\company themselves can provide a value which
becomes the major motivation for consumers to desire the product.
Everybody agrees about that, but from here on it becomes
foggy.
So what should one do if he wishes to develop a brand? My
recommendation is: read on. In this short article I intend to dispel
the mystery and to suggest a workable approach to creating value added
brands.
pdf-file - 26 KB |
Al Ries might
be dangerous to your brand
By Dan Herman, PhD
In the business world's hall of fame a special place is reserved for
Al Ries. He is without any doubt one of the most prominent gurus of
strategic thinking. More than 30 years ago, together with his
partner Jack Trout, Ries coined the term "Positioning" –
a concept which, to these very days, shapes the way of marketing and
branding all over the world. Only very few other concepts come close
in importance. |
The
Making or Faking of Emotionally Significant Brands
Creating a genuine 'Feel Appeal' for your brand
by Dan Herman, PhD
Brands can be emotionally powerful, but…
The emergence of new phenomenal brands is truly awesome. Do you
remember 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (1977)? At the
beginning of the movie, an amazing occurrence takes place. Masses of
people from all over the world, dream of a certain place where they
feel compelled to be. Later it transpires that unknowingly, they all
arrived at the alien-landing site. To me, this scene illustrates
what happens in the marketplace at the appearance of an ace brand
such as 'Harry Potter'. Millions of people suddenly feel that they
just have to be there. This paper is about the erudition and the
know-how necessary for the purposeful creation of such emotionally
powerful brands.
June 2003
pdf-file - 999 KB |
A
Final Word on Branding
By Naseem Javed
Pregnant mothers are being pooled to place ads on their round, shiny
stomachs as part of "tummy branding." Some argue that this
is how news is created. To some, this is "desperate
branding" in action. Welcome to "guaranteed-to-fail
branding," a process that ensures a top spot on the list of
branding failures. These projects are sometimes called "reality
branding." There is no limit to these weird processes. |
Customers
Are Color Blind
By Naseem Javed,
In today's e-commerce age, where everyone is forced to type and to
remember names with absolutely correct spellings, companies with big
branding campaigns only hurt themselves with their old-fashioned,
painted, colorful advice. They must all reconverge and regroup and
realign their thinking to cope with today's name-driven economy. |
The Forbidden
Fruits & Singing Bananas
A very serious fight between Apple Computers and Apple Records of
The Beatles is now headed for the ninth round.
By Naseem Javed
On this side of the ring is Sir Paul McCartney, with the title of a
legendary musical artist and boyish looks with a cute smile. On the
other side, yet another youthful boy wonder, Steve Job with his
intellect and a legendary title for being the first to lead the
start of the personal computer revolution.
The fight is all about the name and use of the word “Apple”, and
its right owners. |
Naming that
THING…again?
By Naseem Javed
Most corporations, when giving birth to a new product, behave just
like parents jumping in frenzy in a maternity ward. This typical
hysterical hoopla of the incubation wing is often replaced by a
subtler, cubicle behavior and at times becomes a subdued Dilbertish
style revolution. Objects do fly, even though they are memos or
sometimes, sharp yet harmless, foamy projectiles. Everyone shares
the excitement and all fights are well intentioned. Everyone wants a
successful launch. There is always a good feeling and everyone is
happy. |
Why Not
Brand For An Entire Century?
By Naseem Javed
How corporations must protect their Cyber-Image for E-Commerce
Branding and why marketing, branding, PR and corporate
communications all need a definite long-term strategy |
A human
"operating system" for your brand
by Jean-Claude Saade
Are consumer behavior techniques and models really bringing brands
and marketers closer to consumers? Are brands missing the basics of
establishing a real and consistent relationship with consumers? –
J-C Saade a Dubai based brand consultant suggests that consumers
follow a well known model for their relationships that needs to be
respected by brands as well. |
Aligning
the brand license (pdf-file)
Integrating marketing objectives into the license agreement
By Kirk Martensen
Most trademark licensing relationships are defined and evaluated
based upon provisions in a license agreement contract. In the case
of a brand extension license, there can be a lot at stake, including
the health and well being of the licensor's brand. Surprisingly,
many license agreements do not include specific terms or
requirements that reflect key brand and marketing related
objectives. This lack of ‘license alignment’ can be a serious
deficiency in the license agreement that impairs the licensor -
licensee relationship and limits the licensed business. |
The
Brand Called You
By Steven Van Yoder
Every company has a reputation. Everyone you meet will form an
opinion about your company, even if they have not done business with
you yet. The challenge is to manage your reputation so that the
opinion that people have of you is positive. This is what creates a
brand. |
Concept
Screening Fundamentals: Developing a brand extension concept
screening model
By Kirk Martensen
Trademark licensing is often segmented into ‘conventional
licensing’ and ‘brand extension licensing’. Brand extension
has become a major focus of many firms in the corporate trademark
licensing business. It is reported that corporate trademark or brand
related licensed products exceed $18 billion in annual retail sales
in the U.S. and Canada. Unfortunately, few licensors have the
resources required to simultaneously evaluate and develop multiple
brand extension licensed product categories. Product concept
screening can help the licensing firm to separate the winners from
the losers. |
Building and
developing brands in the automotive aftermarket
by Hanns Günther Bollig, Automotive Advisors & Associates
With the fall of block exemption, the automotive aftermarket becomes
more open for OEM suppliers. In order to be successful, OEM supplier
have to improve public awareness of their brands and products. This
article describes some of the issues and opportunities. |
