Misunderstandings about brand marketing

One of the misunderstandings: Branding is about sales

In the marketing plans of many corporate marketing directors, sales are often blindly emphasized. to improve product sales and regard product sales as the biggest goal pursued by the company. Most of them have a common understanding: to build sales is to build a brand. As long as sales increase, the brand will naturally be improved. This is a very wrong view.

The one-sided pursuit of sales often results in turning a blind eye to the construction of other brand elements (brand awareness, reputation, loyalty, brand association, etc.). Harbin Pharmaceutical Group has achieved sales growth with its overwhelming advertising. It is said that every time Harbin Pharmaceutical's advertising investment doubles, its sales will double. However, what is Harbin Pharmaceutical's brand image among the public? From the Gai Zhong Gai? Donation? Project Hope incident and questioning articles in newspapers and periodicals, it is not difficult for us to draw conclusions.

How much water a barrel can hold depends on its shortest board. It can be said with certainty that if Harbin Pharmaceutical continues its current strategy and does not strengthen the construction of its short side as soon as possible - the improvement of reputation, loyalty and brand association, the water in the barrel will slowly dry up.

We believe that frequent promotions in order to expand sales devalue the brand. Frequent promotions will give people the impression that the prices are unreal. Consumers are more willing to wait until promotions to buy your products. Some loyal consumers will also leave you because they feel "deceived".

Advertising should achieve two purposes: one is to increase sales, and the other is to enhance brand image and accumulate brand equity. If it only meets one of the purposes, it cannot be said to be a successful advertisement. Looking at some successful brands, they not only focus on sales, but also on building a sustainable brand. Coca-Cola, Haier, Midea, etc. have always wanted both immediate and long-term benefits; both sales and brand accumulation. Only such brands can thrive and thrive.

Misunderstanding No. 2: Making a brand means making a famous brand

Many companies believe that a famous brand is a brand, and even regard famous brands as the highest goal of corporate development strategy; but regarding brands, they have always been in the fog? The stage of looking at flowers inside and looking at the moon in the water. So, what is the difference between a famous brand and a brand?

First of all, a famous brand is just a high-profile brand name. A brand includes a lot of content, and popularity is only one aspect of a brand. The word brand comes from the ancient Norwegian word brandr, which means "brand". It very vividly expresses how the meaning of the brand leaves a mark on the minds of consumers. The brand is a comprehensive and complex concept. It is a trademark. , the intangible sum of name, packaging, price, history, reputation, symbols, advertising style. Compared with famous brands, brands have deeper connotation and value.

Secondly, from the perspective of the creation process, famous brands can be created through high advertising fees and can be formed as long as they continue to sell; and establishing a brand is a complex and vast project, including the brand's A series of work including overall strategic planning, visual image design, determination of core concepts, use of brand symbols, brand scene design, advertising tone, etc. Moreover, brand building is not a short-term project. It requires careful management by brand managers year after year. Every product promotion and every advertising operation embodies the hard work and sweat of brand managers.

A famous brand may be born in an advertising campaign, but the establishment of a strong brand needs to go through the test of long years. Coca-Cola has experienced more than 100 years of ups and downs. The creation of strong brands such as Kodak, Marlboro, Johnson & Johnson, and Nestlé did not happen overnight. Their distinctive brand personality and strong brand equity cannot be achieved by short-term actions. Those companies that unilaterally pursue short-term benefits and popularity and neglect complete brand building such as product quality are often vulnerable.

Finally, in terms of their respective roles, brands are more powerful, longer-lasting, and more effective than famous brands. In addition to promoting sales in the short term, pure popularity cannot make more contributions to the long-term interests of the product. People switch brands increasingly based on how they feel mentally.

A real brand is endowed with a symbolic meaning and can convey a lifestyle to consumers. A strong brand can ultimately influence people's life attitudes and opinions, thereby bringing long-term benefits to the company. However, many so-called "famous brands" in China blindly pursue high visibility and exposure, but ultimately fail to obtain the added value that the brand should have!

Fortunately, many domestic companies with "famous brands" have realized to the importance of building a brand. Shanghai Jahwa has successfully transformed from an enterprise focusing on product sales to an enterprise focusing on brand management, turning a loss-making "famous brand" Liushen into the second brand in the shower gel market. It has not only achieved The sales target has been achieved, and the original aging and conservative image of "famous brand" has been successfully updated, creating a myth of "famous brand" regeneration!

The emergence of the term "famous brand" is in the specific market environment of our country. The specific noun produced under this situation is a common name. Strictly speaking, it is inaccurate and unscientific, and it should not be the goal of enterprise development and pursuit. Only by promptly changing cognitive errors, establishing a correct and standardized concept of "brand management", and making every effort to build a strong brand can an enterprise prosper and remain invincible in the market forever!

Misunderstanding 3: Trademark equals brand

Brand and trademark are a pair of concepts that are easily confused. Some companies mistakenly believe that a product becomes a brand after registering a trademark. In fact, the two are both related and different.

1. Trademark is part of the brand

Trademark is the logo and name part of the brand, which is easy for consumers to identify. But the connotation of a brand goes far beyond that. A brand is not just an easily distinguishable name and symbol, but also a comprehensive symbol that needs to be given image, personality, and life. The design of brand logo and brand name is only the first step in establishing a brand, and it is also an essential procedure. But in order to truly become a brand, we must also improve the content of brand personality, brand identity, brand positioning, brand communication, brand management and other aspects. In this way, consumers' understanding of the brand will change from form to content, from sensibility to rationality, from shallowness to depth, thus completing the transformation from unknown to understanding and purchasing, and forming customer loyalty.

2. Trademark is a legal concept, while brand is a market concept.

The legal effects of trademarks are mainly reflected in:

1. Through the exclusive right of trademarks Establish, transfer, dispute, arbitration and other legal procedures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of trademark owners;

2. Promote producers and operators to ensure product quality and maintain trademark reputation.

The market role of the brand is mainly reflected in:

(1). The brand is an invisible contract between the enterprise and the consumer, and is a guarantee for the consumer. Brand Consumers trust branded products more than unbranded products.

(2). Brand is the basis for consumers to choose products. Once a consumer picks a sweet fruit from a brand tree, he will have the confidence to believe that the other fruit is also sweet. The accumulation and application of this kind of consumption experience is a meaningful thing for both consumers and enterprises.

(3). Brand is a means to avoid pure price competition. Because of the unique added value of the brand, consumers can pay a little extra.

(4). Brand is the guarantee for enterprises to maximize profits. Every new product launched can increase value with the help of the original brand.

(5). Brand is a symbol of identity and status, which is helpful to promote product sales and establish corporate image.

3. Trademarks are in the hands of enterprises, but brands belong to consumers.

When consumers no longer value your brand, the brand will be worthless. Brand value is different from bank deposits. It only exists in the minds of consumers. If the brand is in crisis and consumers' confidence in the brand decreases, the brand value will be reduced.

Myth No. 4: Brands are built through advertising

At present, many domestic companies believe that as long as they increase advertising investment and carry out overwhelming media bombardment, they can promote product sales. , establish a brand! So, is the brand really created by advertising?

Brand awareness can be achieved in the short term, but brand association is a long-term project of brand building, and it is in the long-term movement of the brand. Established assets; as the main indicator to maintain stable sales of the brand? Brand loyalty cannot be achieved by short-term advertising. In addition to perfect brand planning and design and continuous excellent product quality to obtain customer satisfaction, there is also the long-term consistency of the brand. Spread the price difference effect established in consumers' minds (how much extra money customers are willing to make compared with other brands); at the same time, consumers' affirmation of brand quality is something that advertising cannot achieve. It not only requires constant quality , and even more innovative requirements for brands in the development process. Therefore, creating a brand is more than just advertising!

Misunderstanding 5: Making products is making brands

Wearing a watch: Wearing the time? Wearing the style? Wearing the brand?

An ordinary watch only costs tens or hundreds of yuan, while a Rolex or radar can cost thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan. Is this 10-fold price difference just the difference between products?

No. There are indeed differences in quality, materials, and styles between products, but this physical difference cannot be 10 times or 100 times as much. The value of Rolex and Radar mainly lies in the brand rather than the product. Brand not only means the excellence of products (quality, performance, style), psychological consumption is the real focus. At the same time, brand is a symbol of status. Having a watch was a kind of honor more than ten years ago. It was the era of product power, but now it is the era of brand power. It is not enough to have excellent products. Few people care about watches worth tens or hundreds of dollars on the street, but famous watches worth thousands of gold have become the strong desire and pursuit of many people. Because Rolex and Radar are excellent props to experience self-worth and reflect a sense of superiority.

The same product, with or without a brand label, has completely different meanings to consumers. Product competition and brand competition are two completely different levels of competition. Just as people who sit in a Mercedes-Benz and people who sit in a Xiali are two levels of people, in many "semi-passive consumption", the enjoyment of things is secondary, and the brand brings them second. The meaning to him is far greater than the product itself. Consumers are more willing to buy branded products and services and are willing to pay more. Brands sublimate products. The longer a brand is established, the more it accumulates, but the same cannot be said for products.

Having a product and a market does not mean having a strong brand.

If the reason why a brand is ahead of other competitors is product attributes, then this brand will definitely be overtaken by other brands in the future.

Misunderstanding No. 6: Advertising creativity is brand building

Generally, companies that fall into this misunderstanding know little about the concept of brand and how to create a brand. They think: Good Advertising creativity can build a brand. This leads to the misunderstanding of creativity for the sake of creativity. This concept is very dangerous.

1. It is separated from the market background and the actual situation of the enterprise

A good advertising creativity should be based on a correct strategy, such as target market, brand status, competition Brand, product features, target group, brand positioning, advertising purpose, appeal focus, etc., creativity developed by following this strategy is correct and effective. Any "good creativity" that is creative for the sake of creativity and breaks away from the strategy, except Winning awards cannot make an effective contribution to the brand.

A recent TV commercial for motorcycles was just for the sake of linking up with aircraft carriers. It was a rigid advertisement about aircraft carriers and motorcycles. Its brand advantages and brand positioning were not reflected at all. The whole advertisement was incomprehensible and even Even the brand name is not memorable. How can such a good idea create a brand?

2. Ignoring the cooperation of other aspects of marketing

Every aspect of brand marketing A piece of "plank", only by interlocking and closely cooperating can brand marketing play its maximum role. Relying only on the plank of advertising creativity and ignoring other aspects of construction and cooperation will ultimately only achieve twice the result with half the effort and make the water in the bucket full. ?Fewer and fewer, and the creation of a brand will become a dream like the moon in the water!

3. Failure to consider product innovation and quality improvement

Many companies believe that as long as they continue to By launching good ideas, the brand image will become more and more complete and plump, and the brand will always be accepted by consumers. However, they often ignore product innovation and quality improvement. Even if sales decline, they will think it is The ads were uncreative and failed to consider that their products had lost their appeal to consumers. Procter & Gamble regards innovation as the most important business philosophy of the company. It owns 2,500 patents around the world and has set milestones in the daily chemical industry one after another, making innovation an important part of brand identity!

So how to create a distinct brand identity and allow advertising creativity to make an effective investment in the brand?

First, strategic brand analysis should be conducted, including customer analysis, competitor analysis and self-brand analysis. . It should be noted here that this is brand analysis, not market analysis. Brand analysis involves brand image, brand strategy, brand heritage, corporate organizational value, brand power and other brand-related contents, which is very different from market analysis.

Secondly, based on brand analysis, a complete brand identity system is established, including basic identity and extended identity, which must be created from the following four aspects: product, enterprise, character, and symbol. Although these are four completely different concepts, they have the same purpose, which is to use these different levels to build a clearer, richer, and more distinctive brand identity.

Then, position the brand based on the points in the identity that can provide comparative benefits, and actively promote it to a certain target group. In this process, the status of advertising creativity as the final expression of communication is indeed very important, but it must also be carried out under the correct strategy, rather than being aimless and "creative for the sake of creativity". Of course, after the execution of brand advertising, performance tracking should be carried out at any time.

Advertising creativity, as an important part of the strategy, can make your brand shine brightly. However, if you are too superstitious about the power of advertising creativity, your brand will become a toddler that cannot grow and get lost. In the trend of the market!

Misunderstanding No. 7: Misinterpreting the concept of brand

Objectively speaking, companies now pay more and more attention to brands, but brands are often mentioned by companies. word, in fact few people really understand its connotation. There are many principles in branding that can help companies succeed faster and more sustainably. They are the source of brand power.

Brand is the entire experience consumers have with a product. The brand is not the product, the product is just one aspect of it. Brand positioning is not about promoting products, the key is to discover the concept of specific products.

Brands are not enterprises. Enterprises are investors and operators of brands. What really faces consumers and reaches consumers is the brand. A company can make products with completely different intentions, it can make two completely different products into two different brands, or it can make two similar products into different brands. A brand-compatible product must follow the core value of the brand. Any extension or operation that goes against the brand spirit will harm the brand image and weaken the brand equity.

The first basic task of brand building is to clarify the core value of the brand.

The core value of the brand specifically refers to the concept that can be compatible with multiple products, such as Pond's: Will never lie to us, if there is anything that can make us more beautiful, Pond's will make it; Core value can describe the value of the product, the consumer itself, and the interactive relationship between the brand and the consumer, such as Jaguar: Jaguar disdains imitation, just like its owners. The difference between Jaguar and other cars does not lie in its appearance and manufacturing. Craftsmanship, this difference lies in soul, emotion and not following in the footsteps of others.

The second basic task of brand building is to clarify the role relationship of the brand.

Main brand: represents the main expectation of consumers from purchasing. The value represented by the main brand is the main core that affects purchasing decisions and usage experience. Sub-brand: a brand is used to distinguish among the brand systems. part of the product line.

Endorsement of the brand: Reassure consumers that these products will definitely bring the promised functional benefits, because the company behind the brand is a substantial and successful organization that can only produce excellent products. products, such as P&G. Brand endorser: Like endorsing a brand, it is a kind of guarantee. The difference is that the endorsed brand is a company or brand, while the brand endorser is a person. It can be an entrepreneur such as Bill Gates of Microsoft, or it can be an image spokesperson such as Nike's Jordan.

The third basic task of brand building is to pay attention to the design of brand identity.

What drives the ultimate realization of brand equity is consumers’ impressions and perceptions of the brand, but consumers’ considerations of the brand are multi-faceted. In brand building, what is important is not only what you say to consumers, but more importantly, what you actually prepare for consumers. Brand identity is the meticulous setting of the brand, including all-round brand content such as products, companies, personalities, symbols, etc. After the brand identity is disseminated, it is recognized by consumers. The summary of the brand impression is the brand image. To put it bluntly, brand image refers to how consumers see you, and brand identity refers to how you expect others to see you. Here, if brand identity is the "internal cause" set by the company, then the brand image is the "result" that consumers naturally get.

Misunderstanding No. 8: Brand image changes overnight

Brand image refers to how consumers view your brand, and it reflects the current feeling of the brand.

Adhering to a unified brand image is the only way for some international brands to achieve success. Coca-Cola, which has enjoyed a hundred years of glory, has been emphasizing that it is "delicious and joyful" for hundreds of years, and it has never changed. From 1886 to the present, Coca-Cola has used more than 100 representative advertising slogans, such as: delicious and refreshing, enjoy a cup of joyful drink, a symbol of good taste, Coca-Cola good times, Coca-Cola forever, etc., and has never deviated from the established track, thus establishing a distinct and strong brand image. The same goes for Marlboro, which has insisted on the image of a country cowboy for 50 years; Lux has insisted on using international movie stars as its image spokespersons to interpret its "beauty" promise for 70 years.

Lee, a famous brand of denim clothing, was once in trouble because it changed its image midway. Lee's original advertising slogan was: The best-fitting denim. It should be said that it has its own unique personality in the market of promoting trend-leading, high-taste and most beautiful jeans. However, a short time after the advertisement was aired, it encountered opposition from middlemen, especially retailers. They believed that they had a better understanding of consumer psychology and believed that what consumers want to buy is fashion and the fashion and taste of the product should be promoted. Lee avoided It is too rational and old-fashioned to promote fashionable and personal products. Lee accepted this advice, changed his strategy, and two years later, Lee was in trouble. On the basis of summarizing experience and lessons, Lee returned to its original positioning: the most intimate denim. After continuous publicity until today, Lee has finally established its "most personal" image in the denim clothing market filled with strong players.

Adhering to a unified brand image, all energies should be worked in the same direction, so that every brand behavior contributes to the accumulation of brand assets, and every communication action becomes a contributor to brand assets. accumulation and precipitation.

Horizontal unification: Within a period, all marketing links of products, packaging, communication, and promotion, and a series of brand behaviors are centered around the same theme.

Vertical unity: 1 year, 2 years? 10 years, 20 years? Adhere to the same theme, the same style, and adhere to unified performance in different eras.

Misunderstanding No. 9: Brand lacks integrated planning

Chinese companies have made a lot of efforts in the process of brand management, but they often do whatever comes to mind without comprehensive and systematic brand planning. , are just some one-sided, leak-proofing efforts, going wherever there are problems, and constantly fighting for the problems. It seems that they are endless and busy, but in the end they still fail to build a successful brand, because they have a one-sided understanding of the brand and are busy doing only one aspect or part of the brand, or advertising, or packaging, or Channels, every company emphasizes what they consider to be important links, but few companies have done all aspects of the brand well. The awareness of brand integration among Chinese enterprises is relatively weak, and brand efforts only stay in one aspect.

But in fact, brand is not a single aspect, brand is an integrated concept. Brand is not A, not B, not C, not D. Brand is the sum of all factors. Therefore, it is not enough to have good products, good packaging, and good concepts, or only good advertising and good distribution channels. Brand is the sum of relevant product experiences in consumers’ cognition: from product performance, quality, packaging, price to sales environment, from product display, point-of-sale advertising, store atmosphere to sales rhetoric, service attitude, employee behavior, from corporate reputation, From media public opinion and public reputation to advertising temperament and design style, every detail will affect consumers' understanding of the brand and thus their purchasing decisions. Because consumers have too many choices, they may abandon you if they find any shortcomings. To succeed faster and longer, you must pay attention to the comprehensive construction of the brand like all successful international brands and do your best in every detail.

Misunderstanding No. 10: Research is dispensable

Chinese companies often ignore market research in brand building and blindly launch new products without doing research. In order to find or verify an idea, large international companies are accustomed to conducting large-scale market research, while Chinese companies are more inclined to make decisions based on their heads. ?Why should they invest a lot of time and money in research when the idea of ??making a fortune is clearly in front of them? They always doubt whether it is worth investing a lot of money to produce a research report with hundreds of pages in order to verify a sentence?

Being separated from research means being separated from the market and consumers. Brand building without market research is like a castle in the air, and the market is unstable. This is the fatal injury for Chinese enterprises.

Take the Chinese market for granted, not to mention Chinese brands, even international brands will fail. The Red Bull brand simply failed to grasp the psychology of the Chinese people. The excessively high price discouraged the majority of consumers, leaving them in a very embarrassing situation. If Red Bull were not positioned as a beverage, the situation might be completely different. Janssen's dandruff treatment Caile is just a shampoo abroad. It is sold in pharmacies in China and sells very well. Its success lies in its accurate grasp of the psychology of Chinese consumers: pharmacies are more trustworthy. It’s that simple, but it all comes from market research.

P&G is famous for its emphasis on research. Every major move it makes is based on research. Almost every new product launched is the result of research. Is it because P&G has no cost awareness? Is it because P&G has no vision and decisiveness? No. P&G cares so much about research because P&G has learned a painful lesson and suffered the consequences of being self-righteous.

Ancaprin is an analgesic that does not harm the stomach. It uses a new technology of timed release and can pass through the stomach before the medicine dissolves. This pain reliever is a good option for frequent users, but must be taken every 4 hours. The reality is that most people only take painkillers when they are in pain and expect immediate results. Procter & Gamble was intoxicated with the unique technology of the product, ignored what consumers thought, skipped normal market testing, and went directly to large-scale sales. As a result, wishful thinking caused P&G's Ancaplin to die miserably. P&G now attaches great importance to testing. If a brand cannot win in the test, it will not be allowed to go on the market.

What enterprises fear most is turmoil and mistakes. Sometimes just one failure can drag down an enterprise, or at least severely damage its vitality. To directly experiment with the market is to bet on the life of the company, which is the most taboo in modern business operations.

The operation of a business is like driving a car. Safety comes first. If your life is on the line, what's the point of going fast? International brands such as Procter & Gamble and Janssen attach great importance to research because research greatly improves the safety factor of brand success.