9.5 Branding
Essential idea:
Branding creates an identity for a product or company, which makes it distinct from another and can provide added value.
Nature and Aims of Design
Nature of Design
In order to diffuse products into the marketplace, the identity of a company is typically embodied in a brand. The brand is communicated to the consumer through a value proposition. Designers help to communicate this by: building a strong user experience around the brand identity; determining content design; establishing the tone of message through advertisements; promotion. (3.9)
Aims
Aim 4: A brand encapsulates the identity of a company and its products. The brand designer needs to ensure that the message of a company is communicated clearly and creatively to allow them to stand out from the competition.
Guidance
As DP Design Technology student you should:
Understand the role of brand loyalty and how it influences consumer's purchasing decisions
Understand how brands appeal to different market segments
Identify the difference between a trademark and registered design
Identify the implications for a company of positive and negative publicity on brand image
Understand the contribution of packaging to brand identity
Identify the effects of product branding
Evaluate the global impact of branding
Concepts and Principles
What is a Brand?
A type of product that is manufactured by an identified company. It is the “name” of the company or line of products. Brands communicate to consumers concepts and values about the product, and distinguish a product from its competitors. Consumers use brands to identify and select a product that best matches their wants and needs.
Brands are the face of a product.
The Designer plays a role in developing brand identity
The designer needs to ensure the "face" of the company is communicated clearly and consistently through the products they design.
Brands and Market Segments
Market research will identify how a product can be best positioned and marketed to the target audience. Different market segments may require different branding in order to be successful.
Based on the characteristics of the market segment (demographics, income, culture, etc.), the product may be branded in order to best target the segment.
Much has been written and researched about the different marketing strategies to men and women. Color, form, and imagery are carefully selected to appeal to the different market segments.
The screenshot above of the comparison page from Nikon.com shows a comparison of three different cameras, priced from $139 to $599. Each model is designed and marketed to meet the needs of a specific market segment. The website allows users to filter their search by features, price, and style.
Brand Loyalty
Brand loyalty is the preference a consumer has for one brand over another. This loyalty is usually built up through a consumer’s positive experience with the brand. Because of this loyalty, a consumer will select one brand over another, even if it costs more. Loyal consumers will perceive their preferred band as better than its competitors and continue to support it (spend money on it).
In the sportswear market, consumers can be intensely loyal to particular brands. This loyalty can be built through high quality equipment and innovative and targeted marketing.
Packaging and Brand Identity
Packaging is an important part of brand identity - in many cases, it is how the product is first experienced by the consumer. The design of the packaging communicates the values of the company (in a hope that they match those of the consumer), provide information about the product, and also provide a way for the product to distinguish itself from consumers.
The distinctive John Deere green has been used for over a century to distinguish the American farm equipment manufacturer from other firms. In 2017, the company successfully sued another farm equipment manufacturer to stop using the colors on their competing farm equipment.
The distinctive color and form of the Sony Sports walkman series distinguished the product from its competitors. The color and form also highlighted the features of the design (water-resistance, durability, active use).
Trademark and Registered Design
As consumers use brands to differentiate between competing products, the brand itself (its logos, colors, shapes, tag lines, slogans, etc.) are critical and valuable pieces of intellectual property. The Nike “Swoosh” or the Adidas “3 stripes” are examples of parts of a brand’s image that have been trademarked.
A registered design is an intellectual property mark that protects the appearance of a product. This can refer to a product’s form, shape, color, font, etc.
The distinct appearance of a product is also referred to as trade dress. These are aesthetic aspects (color, shape, texture, form, etc.) that distinguish the product from others.
An interesting discussion at Team4 Deliverable 4 on the Apple-Samsung trade dress dispute breaks down the elements and features of the dispute.
Examples of registered designs for "Crocs" from Australia Design Search, an intellectual property database. These designs have been officially registered with the intellectual property office of the Australian government.
Search the database here.
Publicity of Brand Image
Publicity is the promotion of a brand. From the designer’s perspective, the challenge lies in designing innovative products that maintain or improve a brand’s image. In essence, they need to design in a way that respects or amplifies the fundamental qualities of the brand without eroding the image of the brand. Depending on the brand, this might mean small, incremental changes that recall a classic design, such as the Morris Mini, or Volkswagen Beetle
Positive publicity is that which shows the brand in a good light. A company promoting its environmental stewardship will be perceived in a positive way by the public. Patagonia (Case study) is one such company that has made this a central aspect of their brand image and overall approach to business. Conversely, other companies have experienced how negative publicity impacts their brand image and bottom line.
Effects of product branding
Successful product branding will positively impact how customers and users relate to a product.
Evaluating global impact of branding
In a global marketplace, brands need to be aware of how their marketing will be received by different audiences with differing social and cultural values.
Language is obviously one important difference. One word in one culture can have a different meaning that is catastrophic to a brand’s image in another.
The cultural connotations of colors can be very powerful.
Language
The Nova, a low priced sub-compact car manufactured by American company Chevrolet struggled to get market share in Latin America - Nova means “does not go” in Spanish a poor name for a car.
Color
The cultural connotations of colors can be very powerful. Designers need to be aware of how colors are interpreted by different cultures.