3. Theoretical Framework
3.1 Brand Management
3.1.3 Incorporating the External and Internal Brand Elements
3.1.3.1 De Chernatony’s Brand Building Model
The Brand Building Model of de Chernatony (2005) looks at the systematic process for developing and strengthening brands. The model is separated into eight steps and the steps we find particularly relevant for this thesis will be discussed in this section. See appendix 12 for a visual illustration of the Model.
3.1.3.1.1 Brand Vision
The model for building and sustaining a brand commences with the brand vision.
Clearly, having a powerful and well defined brand vision is the first step in building brand equity. Often, such a vision comes from a strong leader who is capable of sharing his or her vision with the employees and motivating them to collectively realize it. According to Kottler (1996), brand visioning is often a team‐based activity that should include analytical thinking and participative dreaming. De Chernatony (2005) identifies three important components to brand vision: the desired future environment, the purpose of the brand, and the brand’s values. According to de Chernatony (2005), each of these three interlinked and mutually supportive components are important for achieving a sustainable brand.
Looking at the first component – the desired future – a brand must have a clear vision about what direction the company should follow in the future, looking at least 10 years ahead. Without a clear sense of direction, no brand will achieve its full potential. The second component of brand vision is brand purpose. Having a purpose is an essential prerequisite for a brand, as without a clear purpose consumers will most likely not be attracted to the brand and this will lead to failure. A clear purpose must typically be more than simply earning a profit; rather it is about producing and offering goods or services that meet the standards, needs and expectations of consumers. The last component of brand vision is brand value. According to Rokeach (1973:5), “A value is an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct or end‐state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end‐
state of existence”. Fundamentally, values shape a brand, while also potentially influencing consumers and employees. For example, there is an increasing tendency for people today to choose their jobs based on what the company represents rather than more tangible benefits (Larsen 2006). Ultimately, the alignment of underlying values has become increasingly important to many consumers who seek to express themselves and make symbolic statements via the brands they engage with (Ind 2007).
Having mentioned the importance of having a clearly defined vision for the company almost equally important (both internally and externally) can be having a well defined logo and slogan. These two attributes are essential since they act as a visual statement and as a channel of communication for the company.
3.1.3.1.1.1 Logo
A logo is defined as “a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors” (the American Marketing Association 1960 as cited in de Chernatony 2005:61). A logo is the official and the visual part of the organization, although a brand’s image and positioning are more than just the visual expression. The logo is a channel of communication for the organization. It is obviously important that the logo matches the message that the company intends to send.
However, it is just as important that the logo is distinctive, allowing it to stand out from the crowd and be remembered since the main idea behind a successful logo is to instantly identify the brand/company. Preferably the logo should be designed to support the values of the brand, as well as the overall image of the firm more generally. For some companies (mostly the ones with a good reputation) it can be an advantage for the company if they are able to create a sign of ownership (that the product is associated with the company) (de Chernatony 2005).
3.1.3.1.1.2 Slogan
According to Foster (2001) a slogan should be memorable. In addition, he believes that the tag line should impart positive feelings towards the brand as well as resonate with the brand values. Preferably the name should also be included in the slogan since, as Foster points out, the slogan is worthless if the consumer is not aware of what product or service is being advertised. Creating a memorable slogan in the mind of the consumer will also allow the company to differentiate itself (ibid). This is particularly important in industries where there are a number of providers of the same products, such as in the grocery retail industry.
3.1.3.1.2 Organizational Culture
As stated in the previous section, brand vision is the starting point for developing a brand. However, one of the requirements for establishing a sustainable vision is the identification and definition of the values connected to the brand. These values are most often recognized as being part of the organizational culture.
3.1.3.1.2.1 The Impact of Organizational Culture on Brand Performance
One of the first researchers to state that there are links between strong organizational cultures and firm performance was Hofstede (1980) (for more information of Hofstede see the section 3.4.1 The Impact of National Culture on Business). The argument for such a statement is that strong corporate cultures contain very deeply rooted values that can outlive different generations of management while providing continuity of direction and action. In addition, it is assumed that such values will have a positive impact on employees. Nevertheless, not all strong cultures will necessarily benefit organizations, as Kotter and Heskett (1992) argue that the culture of a company must also be aligned with the environment that the company is operating in. If the surrounding environment does not support the culture or vice versa, the company will be likely to fail in trying to achieve high performance.
3.1.3.1.3 Auditing the Brandsphere
When building and sustaining a brand it is important to audit the brandsphere (de Chernatony 2005). Among others, the brandsphere consists of the corporation, the customers and the macro‐environment. Going through and analyzing the elements will hopefully provide marketers with a tool that will allow them to optimize and protect the brand in the future.
3.1.3.1.3.1 The Corporation
There are different elements of a corporation that can impact significantly on a brand.
In particular, there are three very important elements that a corporation should consider in relation to brand performance, namely: values, organizational culture and heritage. In addressing these issues the goal is to arrive at an overall assessment related to links between corporate image, values, culture and brand success.
3.1.3.1.3.2 Customers
It is important for a company to understand the end‐consumer, as well as understand how their lifestyle and self‐image influence their specific brand choices. Understanding consumers and how to meet their needs is, however, not always easy. As previously stated, consumers tend to buy brands that match their needs and self‐image (Pooler 2003) (see section 5.1.6 Self‐image). This means that marketers must fine‐tune brands by clearly identifying exactly which needs the product or service is designed to satisfy.
This also implies that consumers do not always choose items that necessarily maximize their utility. However, it is fairly common for consumers to evaluate the perceived risk that they connect with purchasing an item. In doing so, often the consumer will choose to buy an item that they associate with the least risk (Bauer 1960). According to de Chernatony (2005), consumers perceive risk in primarily five different areas, which are presented in Table 2.
Table 2 ‐ Risks
Performance risk
When concerned about performance risk the consumer will evaluate the ability of the brand to meet their functional demands
Financial risk When concerned about financial risk the consumer will evaluate perceived value for money
Time risk When concerned about time risk the consumer evaluates the time spent to choose among different brands. In addition, they may consider the wasted time of choosing a brand that does not meet their needs or expectations. Often the consumers will perceive certain brands to be “safe” choices based on brand image and past usage. Today, time is a scarce resource for many people which is why there is a tendency for many people to prefer products and stores that save them time in some way (McGoldrick 2002)
Social risk When concerned about social risk the consumer evaluates how a purchase will cause them to be perceived by others. In particular, many people will consider the consequences of choosing a specific brand in relation to the how their peer group will judge them – i.e. will the purchase of the brand strengthen or weaken their social image
Psychological risk
When concerned about psychological risk the consumer evaluates to what extent the brand matches their self‐image
As can be concluded from the above there is a higher chance that the brand will succeed if the marketers understand both their brand image and how a potential purchase is perceived by the customer. The lower the overall risk, the more likely it is that the consumer will choose the brand, and this will have an obvious impact on the company’s performance. Another important point is that consumers are different and
therefore, while some consumers regard the monetary cost of shopping as the determining factor (McGoldrick 2002), others may focus more on time, product quality, choice and availability, good service, or other factors related to the brand offering (see section 5.1.6 Self‐image).
3.1.3.1.3.3 The Macro‐Environment
The environment in which a business is operating is most often very important in relation to overall brand and firm performance. Therefore, it can be very helpful for marketers to identify certain opportunities and threats in the environment, as well as to identify and analyze potential competitors and their offerings (de Chernatony 2005).