Power of a brand name and analyzing brand potential

The brand name is often revealing of the brand intentions. This is obviously the case for brand names which, from the start, are specifically chosen to convey certain objectives or subjective characteristics of the brand.

But it is also true of other brand names which get chosen for subjective reasons rather than for any apparent objective or rational ones, they too have the capacity to mark the brands legitimate territory.

For ex: When we choose the brand name for computer software, we can select “Apple” as a brand name in this computer worldwide. Because, this name neither popped out of any creative research nor of any computer software for brand name creation.

It is simply the name that seemed plainly obvious to the new creative geniuses. In one word, the Apple brand name conveyed the exact same values as those which had driven them to revolutionize computer science.

Clearly, the brand name had in itself all the necessary ingredients to produce a major breakthrough and establish a new norm.

Apple reflected the founders’ values, which materialized into user friendly computers. This is indeed a far cry from just choosing a similar name without prior verification that such values as Apple’s could indeed be conveyed by the brand.

Brand identity

The brand name is thus one of the most powerful sources of identity. When a brand questions its identity, the best answer is therefore to thoroughly examine its name and so try to understand the reasoning behind its creation. In doing so, we can discover the brands intentions and program.

Many brands make every effort to acquit qualities which their brand name fails to reflect or simply excludes altogether. ‘Apple’ sounds fun, not serious. Other brands simply proceed by ignoring their name.

The temptation for a brand to just forget about its name is caused by a rash interpretation of the principle of brand autonomy.

Experience indeed shows that brands become autonomous as they start to give words specific meanings other than those in the dictionary. A name-like an identity-has to be managed. Certain names may have a double meaning. The purpose of communication then is to select one and drop the other.

The international temporary employment agency, Ecco, has never chosen to exploit the potential link with economy suggested in its name.

On the other hand, it does use its name as a natural means to reinforce its positioning in the segment of high quality service; its advertising cleverly pays upon the theme of duplication, those stepping out of the company. Ecco will of course perfectly duplicate and echo those stepping out of the company.

Emblems

Just as brands are a company’s capital, emblems are brands capital equity. An emblem serves to symbolize brand identity through a visual figure other than the brand name. It has many functions such as:

* To help identify and recognize the brand. Emblems must identify something before they signify anything. They are particularly useful when marketing to children, since the latter favors over texts, or when marketing worldwide.

* To guarantee the brand.

* To give the brand durability-since emblems are permanent signs-thereby enabling the company to capitalize on it.

* To help differentiate and personalize, an emblem transfers its personality to the brand. In doing so, it enhances brand value. But it also facilitates the identification process in which consumers are involved.

What is important about the symbols and logos is not so much that they help identify the brand but that the brand identifies them. When companies change logos, it usually means that either they or their brands are about to be transformed, as soon as they no longer identify with their past style, they want to start modifying it.

Some companies proceed otherwise, to revitalize their brands and recover their identity; they milk their forlorn brand emblems for the energy and aggressiveness they need in order to be able to change. Just as human personality can be reflected in a signature, brand essence and self image can be reflected in symbols.

In analyzing the identity of a brand, which must precede any credible repositioning or revitalization of a brand, we find that the facets of its identity are not all equally patent. Some indeed are at the tops of our minds, while others are latent, concealed in certain underlying signs of the brand. Rich brands, which have many sources of identity, do not necessarily choose to tap them all.

Typically the latent brand capital is that which is not tapped, but which can be if the company decides to make it an asset. Patent and latent capital alike can be either positive, i.e. an asset or negative, i.e. a liability.

Revitalizing a brand

The cross combination of these two dimensions serves to represent the brands potential. Revitalizing a brand consists of revealing what is currently latent yet positive and concealing what is currently patent yet negative. Revitalizing a brand also consists of searching the brands latent potential for those identity sources that will best revive its messages and actions.

Identity is the essence of a brand. It is the vital basis for positioning a new brand or repositioning an old one. A product identity, or brand image are typically the attributes one associates with a brand, how the brand owner wants the consumer to perceive the brand - and by extension the branded company, organization, product or service.

The brand owner will seek to bridge the gap between the brand image and the brand identity.

Brand identity is fundamental to consumer recognition and symbolizes the brand’s differentiation from competitors.

Brand identity is what the owner wants to communicate to its potential consumers. However, over time, a products brand identity may acquire (evolve), gaining new attributes from consumer perspective but not necessarily from the marketing communications an owner percolates to targeted consumers.

Therefore, brand associations become handy to check the consumer’s perception of the brand.

When we choose the brand name in the service sector, most of the people do not choose the particular service as a brand name. Because according to the customer perceptions’, they mainly focus only the service centre not particular services, because they not familiar with that particular services.

For ex: In Banking sector, they know only the Bank name rather than the services it provide. So they choose the Bank Name as a Brand Name according to their view. Here service is not a brand name; service centre is the brand name.

Levasana Douglas Dept. of Management ,Eastern University.