In strong brands, brand equity is tied both to the actual quality of the product or service and to various intangible factors.
Those intangibles include “user imagery” (the type of person who uses the brand); “usage imagery” (the type of situations in which the brand is used); the type of personality the brand portrays (sincere, exciting, competent, rugged); the feeling that the brand tries to elicit in customers (purposeful, warm); and the type of relationship it seeks to build with its customers (committed, casual, seasonal).
Without losing sight of their core strengths, the strongest brands stay on the leading edge in the product arena and tweak their intangibles to fit the times. These days, images can be tweaked in many ways other than through traditional advertising, logos, or slogans. “Relevance” has a deeper, broader meaning in today’s market.
Increasingly, consumers’ perceptions of a company as a whole and its role in society affect a brand’s strength as well. Witness corporate brands that very visibly support breast cancer research or current educational programs of one sort or another. Remember marketing performance is more than advertising, its about building brand relevancy.
Tags: brand management, brand relevancy