BRAND IMAGE – DARE TO BE DIFFERENT!!!

WHAT IS BRAND IMAGE AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT FOR A PRODUCT TO HAVE A BRAND IMAGE OF ITS OWN?

Brand image starts from the consumers  which refers to consumer’s general perception and feeling about a brand. For marketers, whatever their companies’ marketing strategies are, the main purpose of their marketing activities is to influence consumers’ perception and attitude toward a brand and establish the brand image in consumers’ mind.

HOW ARE BRAND IMAGES FORMED IN THE MINDS OF THE CONSUMERS?

Brand image has not to be created, but is automatically formed. It  is the objective and mental feedback of the consumers when they purchase a product. 

Brand images can be strengthened using brand communications like advertising, packaging, word of mouth publicity, other promotional tools, etc.

Film stars like Priyanka Chopra, Ranbir Kapoor,Sports stars like Sachin Tendulkar, M S Dhoni,are part of many advertisements. These personalities help to create and maintain valuable image for the brand that proves beneficial in the long run.

To sum up, “Brand image” is the customer’s net extract from the brand.

Today’s generation is quite impressionable and hence in order to enhance their personality, or to meet social standards, they prefer branded products that are creating a stir in the market.

TYPES OF BRAND IMAGES

Positive Brand Image:- 

It happens by understanding and delivering what customers wants and values, taking initiatives to ensure credibility and ensuring top notch customer service to keep the customers happy. Examples of positive brand images are Apple, Coco Cola, Google.

Negative Brand Image:-

On the contrary negative brand image happens because of poor customer service, bad advertising or publicity, lack of delivering value and customer’s money’s worth. Examples are Volkswagen, Nestle, US Airlines, etc.

The Best Advantage of building a strong brand image is that a promising brand image conveys the success of the product and gives results with increased sales and revenues.

But the major Disadvantage is that the brand and its products will always be identified with the image until further changes in the brand image are impelled and 

then sales and revenues will also be hampered.

To sum it up, a company’s brand image should be so good that the consumers fail to ignore it.