The Notion Of A Brand & The Importance Of Its Creating

This statements when brought to its barest form acknowledges the mutualism of both concepts yet brings to the fore front the major distinction between them. The definition of “brand” has evolved over time and yet there seems to not be any universally accepted meaning for this concept. Marketing maven Phillip Kotler describes it as “A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of the competitor” (Kotler, 1984).

Examining this definition superficially, it can be said to be the standard text book definition of a brand but with the rapid rate of evolution and modernization, the definition above is restrictive and does not capture the true essence of what a brand is today. Brands have gone from mere terms, symbols or signs to include media personalities; political heroes and pop artists (Arnold 1992). The description of the word “product” in the above cited excerpt will not fit into the modern economy as products have progressed from just being made in a factory (tangible goods) to include services, the delivery of information, an idea, and experiences all of which are birthed through a process and gratifies a need or want (Moore 2003).

Especially with the advent of 3D printing, consumers will be able to download and print products from the comfort of their houses. Ideally, humans purchase products; unbeknownst to them, they buy the brands instead of the product itself. Innately, most products are alike, similar if not the same, employing either cost leadership or differentiation to create competitive advantage (Porter 1985); but what makes a person or an organization decide to make use of a particular product is the brand (Arnold 1992).

Johnson Baby Powder is made up of the exact same ingredients contained in other baby powders, which is talc and fragrance yet, it still remains the most expensive baby powder on the market till date and the product demand is still the highest irrespective of the socio-economic demography. This begs the question why do consumers prefer this particular brand. Perception plays a major role in this. Perception is reality to the onlooker, and when a person associates a certain quality or strong feeling to a brand, irrespective of what kind of product or the price of the product this brand produces, the loyalty still remains. Most times, a customer’s point of view is not determined by the feature the product possesses but by sentimental attachment to the particular brand.

A salient example is Indomie, a brand which up until now, I assumed was local to Nigeria but upon further research, I discovered is an Indonesian brand. It has done so well with its brand positioning and marketing that it is generally assumed as a Nigerian brand. Indomie is what an average Nigerian; whether adult or adolescent; asks for when he goes to a grocery store to buy noodles. The Indomie brand has become synonymous with noodles in Nigeria (Wargadiredja, 2018). When customers go to buy noodles, they buy Indomie; they buy the brand and are not particularly focused on the product.

The other brands of noodles in Nigeria, just like Indomie, offer the same value proposition to their customers, which is quick food, but through creating a brand that the people considered their own and tugging at the emotional heart strings of the populace; Indomie is the most preferred brand in the region till date irrespective of allegations of unhealthy ingredients and subtle changes in the size of the noodles overtime. Their brand strategy includes creating a variety of flavors that includes some components of the local dishes peculiar to the region such as “indomie jollof and indomie pepper soup” and relatable advertisements that are engrained into the memory of the people.

When a brand aligns itself with values that are important to the customers such as environmental conservation, safety, reliability and quality, it creates a brand identity which the customer can relate to. As a result customers buy into a brand image and the promise the brand has to offer. A particular example would be Tesla, a brand that does not use the traditional advertisement route, yet they have achieved considerable popularity winning not only paying customers but a dedicated fan base not only of their cars; but of everything they have to offer including their shares and vision which is evident in the vast amount of people that apply to work in the company (Evannex, 2018).

Their aim is to create the best possible technologically innovative product for their customers while being environmentally friendly. This was effectively achieved when they were ranked by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as the safest car in the year 2017 (Hawkins, 2018). The proven safety, technologically advanced and environmental friendliness of tesla makes up their brand and this is why people trust them and use their product irrespective of the fact that the company is a money burner and the ability to break even is at times doubtful.

In modern economies, the statement by king “A product is something that is made in a factory…” is flawed; nevertheless, it does not take away from the accuracy of the concluding part of the statement “…a brand is something bought by a customer” (King, 1973) as this was logical when he made the statement and till date, it still is. The importance of creating a brand that is customer-centric; acknowledging the fact that customer is indeed the driving force behind a successful or otherwise brand and recognizing that products can easily be phased out but a brand is long-lasting and affects the value of a business strengthens the validity of the statement.