Phoenix Business

Although different approaches are used, almost every brand has the same goal in mind: to increase brand value.There has been much academic and professional commentary on what branding is, whether it is worthwhile, and how it can be done properly. There is talk of personal branding, nation branding, re-branding, branding during the economic downturn, and more, but often there still isn’t a clear understanding of what branding is even among practitioners.
At Labbrand, we recommend an approach that integrates market research, strategy, and creative aspects of the brand in order to build brand equity. In this article, we’ll tell you why these three elements should be used together, and why it works.

Branding Isn’t Just Communication
Communication can refer to any method used to broadcast the brand in the public space, to both the target market and consumers in general. For many brands, the ultimate aim of these activities is to sell more of their product or service.
In his book A Branded World, Michael Levine differentiates between Marketing, Advertising, and PR, the three most common communication activities:
-Advertising: one way for the public to find out about the brand. The design and content of the advertising will impact how the brand is seen by consumers.
-Marketing: knowing what to sell and how to sell it.
-Public Relations: generates publicity for the brand, solidifies public opinion, and defines the brand using indirect methods.

Vintage brands have been on the rise in the west for the past 5 years – and the trend is still continuing: brands famous in the ‘80s that had been long forgotten have been rejuvenated to see new days of glory. Converse All Stars, to name one well known example, have come back into style after years of hibernation.

China has numerous vintage and traditional brands, known as “l?o zì hào”; but not many people know they exist and even less recognize the equity that still lies within them.

[For a detailed history of China’s vintage/heritage brands check the “A Look At History” at the end of the article]

Unfortunately many of these brands have developed negative identities during the past decades. This is because they have not kept up with the demands of today’s consumers, causing the younger generation to see these products as out of date and as something their parents would buy. In addition, before the official protection of the l?o zì hào brands in 1991, many small companies created low-quality copies which damaged the reputation of the l?o zì hào and decreased their market share.

Yet, despite the oftentimes negative perception of these brands, l?o zì hào brands possess several qualities that make their abandonment not an optimal choice for Chinese traditional companies.

Customer Based Brand Equity – A Pragmatic Approach

Dr.K.Krishnakumar, Lecturer in Commerce, Periyar University, Salem – 636 011

Introduction

In the new era of a globalized market place, brands are key drivers of economic values of a corporation. In the new emerging business scenario, brands offer the capacity to add value which is perhaps unmatched by any of the assets which once enjoyed honour. Brands are the basis of consumer relationship and brands are becoming the most valuable assets that a business can possess. Markets, which were earlier protected, are now being liberalized. Product commonality is a major headache for marketers. Thus, marketers are left with a challenge: how to achieve differentiation which is valued by the customers. Brands in this context are new business warriors. They connect corporations with customers. Brands are wealth generators of the twenty-first century. As a result, brand management has long since grown into a vital ingredient for success in corporate strategy.