Brand:

Branding has been around for centuries as a means to distinguish the goods of one
producer from those of another. In fact, the word brand is derived from the Old Norse
word brandr, which means to burn, as brands were and still are the means by which
owners of livestock mark their animals to identify their animals.
Firms could not succeed in developing and managing products without effectively
identifying their products and services. Organizations identify their offerings by
branding.
Brand is a name, sign, symbol or combination of these used to identify a product and
distinguish it from competitors offering.
According to American Marketing Association
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 competition.
A brand is a complex symbol that can convey up to six level of meaning.
Attributes: a brand brings to mind certain attributes. Mercedes suggest expensive,
well-built, well-engineered, durable, high-prestige automobiles.
Beliefs: attributes must be translated into functional and emotional benefits. The
attribute durable could translate into the functional benefit, I would not have to buy
to buy another car for several years, the expensive translate into the emotional
benefit. The car makes me feel important and admired.
Values: the brand also says something about the producers values. Mercedes stands
for high performance, safety and prestige.
Culture: the brand may represent a certain culture. The Mercedes represents German
culture, organized efficient and high quality.
Personality: the brand can project a certain personality. Mercedes may suggest nononsense boss ( person).
User: the brand suggests the kind of user or consumer who buys or uses the brand. We
would expect to see a 55 years old top executive behind the wheel of a mercedes, not
a 20 years old secretary.
There are four types of brand designations such as are;
i)
A brand name: it is a word, letter( number), group of words or letters that can be
spoken. For example, windows 2000, Lipton tea.
ii)
A brand mark: A brand mark is a symbol, design or distinctive coloring or
lettering that can not be spoken. For example, Lexus stylized L crest.
iii)
Trademark: Firms usually want exclusive use of their brands and take steps to
prevent others from using them. A brand registered with the patent and trademark
office is called a trademark. A trademark legally protected can be used only by its
owner. Brand names, brand mark or trade characters do not offer legal protection
against use by competitors unless registered as trademarks. When used a
registered trademark is followed by . Such as Scotch Brand Tape.
iv)
A trade character: a trade character is a brand mark that is personified. For
example, McDonalds Ronald McDonald.

The key to creating a brand, according to AMA is to be able to choose a name, logo,
symbol, package design or other attribute that identifies a product and distinguish it
from others.
There are varieties of brand name strategies that exist in the world. In some cases.
Company name is used essentially for all products. Such as General electric,
Hewlett Packard (HP)
In other cases, manufactures assign individual brand names to new products
that are unrelated to the company name such as P&G, their Tide, Pampers,
Pantene and Head & Shoulders etc.
Retailers create their owner brands based on their store name or some other
means. For example, Wal-Mart, Sears, Agora and Nandan etc.
There are many names based on people (Estee Lauder Cosmetic, Porshe
Automobiles and Orville Redenbacher popcorn.
Brand based on places ( British Airways, Chryslers New Yorker automobiles)
Brand based on animals or birds ( Dove soap, Mustang Automobiles )
Brand based on things or objects ( Apple computer, shell gasoline)
Use words with inherent product meaning ( lean cuisine, Just juice and
Ticketron)
Important benefits or attributes ( Beatyrest mattresses, Diehard auto batteries)
Scientific natural or prestigious ( Intel microprocessors, Lexus Automobiles or
Compaq Computers)
In sum, in creating a brand, marketers have many choices over the member and
nature of the brand elements they choose to identify their products.

Brands versus Products

It is important to contrast a brand and a product.

Product:
According to Philip Kotler, a product is anything that can be offered to a market for
attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a need or want.
Thus a product may be a physical good ( a cereal, tennis racquet or automobile), service (
an airline, bank or insurance company), retail store ( a department store, specialty store or
supermarket) person ( a political figure, entertainer or professional athlete) organization
( non-profit organization, trade organization or arts group) place ( a city, state or country)
or idea ( a political or social cause).
Kotler defines five levels to a product.
i)
The core benefit level is the fundamental need or want that consumers satisfy
by consuming the product or service.
ii)
The generic product level is a basic version of the product containing only
those arributes or characteristics absolutely for its functioning but with no
distinguishing features. This is basically a stripped-down, no-frills version of
the product that adequately performs the product function.
iii)
The expected product level is a set of attributes or characteristics that buyers
normally expect and agree to when they purchase a product.
iv)
The augmented product level includes additional product attributes, benefits
or related services that distinguishes the product from competitors.
v)
The potential product level includes all of the augmentation and
transformations that a product might ultimately undergo in the future.
Competition within many markets essentially takesplace at the product augmentation
level because most firms can successfully build satisfactory products at the expected
product level.
The new competition is not between what companies produce in their factories but
between what they add to their factory output in the form of packaging, services,
advertising, customer services, financing, services, advertisings, customer services,
delivery arrangements, warehousing and other things that people value.
Brand: A brand is therefore a product but one that adds other dimensions that
differentiate it in some way from other products designed to satisfy the same need.
These differences may be rational and tangible. Related to product performance of the
brand or more symbolic, emotional and intangible-related to what brand represents.
A branded product may be a physical good (Kelloggs Corn flakes cereal, prince
tennis racquet) a service (United airlines, Bank of American,) a store (Safeway
supermarket) a person (Bill Clinton, Michael Jordan)
A Place (the city of London, State of California)
An organization (Red Cross, American Automobile Association)
Some brand create competitive advantage with product performance. For example,
brands such as Gillete, Sony have been leaders in their product categories due to
continual innovation. Other brands create competitive advantage through non-product
related means. For example, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Marlboros have become leaders in
their product categories by understanding consumer motivations and desires and
creating relevant and appealing images surrounding their products and services.