THE BRAND "YOU" CAN ENJOY EQUITY (PART 2){ Brand Personality and Brand Anatomy}

BRAND PERSONALITY

Let’s go back to the aspect of product brands.  It is Very important to ‘realize’ rather than just understand, that Brands need to ‘Connect’ to create an impact. But why did I stress on Realize not on Understand? That’s because ‘feeling’ the reason can help one get nuances right.  Getting into the skin of the issue  , and  into the shoes of the recipient of your brand message. Who are these guys? Aren’t they Human Beings, aren’t consumers and members of different stakeholder groups Humans?

Of course they are. So how can a Human Being with Flesh and Blood relate to an inanimate object like a product?

They need an association with something that relates to them. THIS IS THE REALIZATION THAT GAVE BIRTH TO THE “BRAND PERSONALITY” CONCEPT.

Brand Personality is therefore attributing Human Traits to a Brand.  It is to say that if this Brand were to be a Human Being , This is how he/ she would Walk , Think , Talk , Feel , Carry Himself /Herself , be seen as , etc etc.  Personification of the brand to build personal relevance.

Think about this.  Why is it that cartoons and animated pictures are so loved and admired. It’s because they behave like us ( Humans ) we find them sooooo cute – ‘oh look at that lion talking , and the cat laughing , and the mouse making that angry expression …… … exactly like a Human Being.’

ITS ALL ABOUT RELATING TO US … CREATING RELAVANCE WITH OURSELVES AND WITH OUR LIVES.

SO, if a consumer  relates to that Personality or Aspires to be (or like) that personality he will associate with the brand.

Brand Ambassadors make this personification easy and simple to understand. Its  merely a case of Superimposing the Brand ambassadors personality on the product and reflecting it to the consumers. Consumers will BELIEVE it. Believability is ensured.

Another important point – By Building Brand Personality, the tacit message is that “ If YOU associate with the brand YOUR personality will be Seen as that of the brand” – “Your Image is created and reflected through the brand you use . Therefore Use the Product, Create that Image, Create that perception and Win admiration and Benefits of that Image.”

Now relate it to this brand ‘YOU’.

 Can you build a personality which is admired & looked up to?

Can you build a personality with such attributes? Attributes that others may love to emulate and Seek the benefits of an association?  YES YOU CAN. 

Brand Anatomy

The anatomy of a Brand has two parts  

1-     Functionality

2-     Representation

Functionality, as the word suggests, refers to the functional aspects of the solution to   a or a set of functional purposes.  These can be measure easily and could become criteria for judgement by informed buyers.

Representation refers to all the benefits that are not functional. They are intangible and hit the senses on a different level. They are the match between the Brand appeal and representation with the self – concept and / or aspirations of consumers.  The personality of a Brand is judged and a congruence created between the Brand personality and the User personality. The personification of the brand makes selection easier as ‘relevance to self’ is established.

In the  posts to come  we will go a little deeper into Brand Anatomy and learn to unearth the Key Components that can build You .

All said and done , there is no gainsaying the fact that Your Identifying Factors and Your differentiators bring Uniqueness that cannot be copied- so that’s U.

Good Luck ! Keep rising.

THE BRAND "YOU" CAN ENJOY EQUITY ( PART 1)

Hi Again ,

God knows why but nobody cares who you are, unless and until there are some Extraordinary Identifying elements YOU possess . The Perceptions about you give rise to Expectations , good or bad . To build the perceptions of your choice you Have to identify the key imagery elements that pop up in peoples minds when they think "YOU" . Then of course , work around them. We would like to build a body of resource which can help People work on their Image . The objective is to make changes externally and internally .

Well , before that let us be convinced that an Image is not just a look - good , feel- good concept but a highly effective way of building an Equity . The fruits Of Image Building is Equity . In the forth coming paragraphs Equity is explain from the point of view of a Product & Consumers . You have see yourself as a product and people as the consumers.

Turning this advantage( the desirable Image)  into a cashable asset is the key to success. The result of the image is ‘Equity’. It can also be called as the fruits of image. Equity is the differential effect that Brand knowledge has on consumers’ response to marketing action. The ‘Response’ by consumers is a function of the ‘Effect’ that brand knowledge has on them. Again, the difference in the effect between brand & no- brand will determine the extent of Equity enjoyed by a Brand. The equities of 2 brands can similarly be compared by comparing the effect of brand image of these brands.

This equity can be measured in many ways. It’s a fallacy that equity is always the extra premium that the brand commands in terms of price for its products. It is NOT necessary that greater equity leads to higher price. It could though, if the image is built accordingly and accepted. Equity can be measured in several ways.

Fig: Brand Progression

 

The act of Positioning results in an Image . An Image helps build Equity . It is for You now to en cash upon this Equity to Build Value for yourself.

In Part 2 , I will explain the different  parts to a Brand Anatomy . This could help you score/ rate yourself to see where you stand .

Please do send me your views and suggestions on 1. How people see you   2. Whether  these perceptions   are desirable 3. If yes how is it helping you  4. If no would you like help to change it.

The sum and substance of today's post is "Equity is the Asset You need to Build  , by creating  the right Image and Identity."

Cheers!

Jamshed

My Friends in the US & Canada , I will really appreciate your views on "Building Your Personal Brand" as a platform for Human Development leading to Economic well being and inner fulfillment.

As promised in my previous post I was to  touch upon the fruits of Image Building and how YOU can be in CONTROL of your PERSONAL BRAND IMAGE.  Self development is the greatest need . But I just thought i should first bring in the aspect of "Collective Brand Strength" for a material difference to humanity.

A Country Brand is a nothing more than the collection of the citizens’ brands.

Therefore Brand India is the collective brand strength of all Indians put together. The ‘Tragedy in Perpetuity’ is that each individual is not given the importance and the opportunity to build himself or herself as a brand. In-fact individual Indians do not believe that they are Brands Unto themselves and that their combined strength can be extraordinary.  

The confluence of individual brand powers into a single direction can have an unimaginable impact to create, capitalize, innovate ,  re-create and flourish . This is the key to leadership.

Why is it that the US invites the best talent? Why is it that America is the most progressive country and considered as an undisputed leader in Business & Politics and Power? This is only because of the myriad legs it stands on , are strong. These legs are its people.

Let us, through the platform of “Build Your Personal Brand”, spread the realization that each individual is a Jewel and each of these Jewels CAN be Branded. Their preciousness and their worth can be capitalized upon with the support of products, services and guidance. Let people first realize their need to realize : then observe the image they carry : then identify the desirable and the undesirable images attached to them : then find ways of designing an ‘Ideal Brand Image’ for themselves : then forge ahead with renewed strength and an insatiable appetite to make a positive difference.     

THIS IS THE WAY WE CAN BUILD NOT JUST OUR COUNTRY’S IDENTITY BUT ALSO WORK ON THE UNLIFTMENT OF THE QUALITY OF HUMANITY IN GENERAL !!!!! 

IMAGINE WHAT A WORLD IT WILL BE - A WORLD WITH BETTER PEOPLE!!

Thanks a MILLION for your responses , friends .
My objective is to make us all realize that there is an assortment of Images attached to  ourselves. In other words whenever your names comes to anybody minds - several impressions pop up which they associate with you. Of these some are strong and some not so strong. There could be one  which is the most prominent too.

A MIND MAP,  if done on you,  could help you identify those impressions. But they are not as per your design and that's Unfortunate. Can you design a mind map - an ideal bouquet of impressions with your core identity leading the lot?  YOU  CAN ... , YOU CERTAINLY CAN .

Just a word of caution - Its not about JUST the  exterior , ( although that's damn important) but an intrinsic aspect to your personality that can make long lasting impressions  , EVOKE  POSITIVE FEELING in others and leave a lingering impression Making PEOPLE SEEK MORE OF YOU !!!!

HOW CAN YOU MAKE THE WORLD YOUR SEEKER?


Well lets take this forward.  BUT In order to ensure that we don't keep the cart before the horse , a little discussion on 'Brand' in general.


Stories of Success and Failures of brands over the last century have thrown up a myriad questions. The reasons for their acceptance and causes of rejection have been debated within organizations and stakeholder groups. 

Awareness and Recognition leads to brand prominence, but does this prominence necessarily lead to an association or a bond? That was the moot point. It’s one thing to appreciate and admire  the brand from the outside ; and another thing to adopt it .

It’s proven beyond doubt that Brand resilience and longevity are the benefits of establishing Brand relevance. That’s Relevance to the consumers’ life and relevant in the prevailing climate. 

Well Well don't get me wrong - establishing relevance does NOT mean diluting the Uniqueness.

In my next post I am going to touch upon  the benefits of image building & the fruits of image building. And will relate that to Personal Brand Building too.

I urge all my friend to please contribute to this blog by sharing their views on this subject. You could also share , if you will , your identified desirable element of your image or otherwise ( if you need help to improve upon it.)  

We will see how you can work on it , or further improve on your unique strength/s and make it YOUR Personal Brand Identity.

Cheers !