Branding

Branding and society today  

Brands are more than just the name and the symbol. They are the key element in the company’s relationship with consumers. According to Kotler et,al, 2014, brands are powerful assets that must be carefully developed. They represent consumer’s perceptions about a product and its performance therefore everything that a product means to the consumer. Brands also end up having their own social classifications, for example Burberry in the UK is associated with people who come from low income households.

Fashion brands

Brands are now seen as an important element in creating an individual identity, a sense of achievement and individuality for consumers (Frost, 2002). Clothes are a great example of how people view brands and just how much they mean to them. Marketers have great ways of reaching out to their target audience, especially teenagers. When children are in school they like to show off their clothes, shoes, bags etc., those who have branded bags such as Michael Kors and Gucci are seen as rich and they are likely to be accepted to groups they are trying to fit into. Although some of these brands are good quality the prices are sometimes too high for example a Gucci bag will cost an average of £400. Although some of the products are not very different from other products/ brands most of the times the names make a difference. Celebrities also play an important role in getting brands get a wider recognition because a famous person’s name is a brand in itself. Kanye West has his own clothing line and most people disapprove of it and some even call it “trash or homeless wear”. However that does not stop some people from purchasing his clothes because of the name and the price, because they contribute to the person having a rise in the social hierarchy and the self-concept (attitudes and perceptions that people have on themselves).  

Brands are what drives society today and no matter how expensive a product is people will not stop buying them because of the name they are associated with. This is a great thing for marketers because they will always find ways to manipulate people to buy these products and they will always have customers who are loyal to those brands.

References

O’Cass, A. & Frost, H. (2002). Status brands: examining the effects of non-product-related brand associations on status and conspicuous consumption. Product and brand management, 11 (2), 67-88. doi: 10.1108/10610420210423455 

Cockyane, D. (2016). Brand Experience. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from unilearn.hud.ac.uk.