An intangible asset that brings premium and added value to its owner. Its carrier is a name, term, symbol, mark or design used to distinguish it from the products or services of other competitors. And its combination, the source of added value comes from the impression about its carrier formed in the minds of consumers. In real life, a brand can be called a brand only if it can be spread by word of mouth. Brand is the holographic concentration of the sum of all intangible assets of an enterprise or brand subject (including cities, individuals, etc.), and this concentration can be identified with a specific "symbol". Brand is a neutral term. It is not always positive, but also negative. It is the product of the interaction between subject and object, subject and society, enterprise and consumer. In short, the brand is the imprint of the soul. Whether the imprint is beautiful or ugly, deep or shallow, determines the strength of the brand, the amount of brand equity and the level of brand value. Brand is an evaluation and recognition formed by consumers of an enterprise and its products due to its excellent product quality, perfect after-sales service, good product image, beautiful cultural value, excellent management results, etc. It is an enterprise's Operations and managers invest huge human, material and financial resources to establish a trust with consumers. Quality is the essence and foundation of a brand, and it is also the life of the brand; service is an important support for the brand, an integral part of the product, and the focus of market competition; image is the personality characteristics of the brand in the market and in the minds of consumers. Reflect consumers' evaluation and recognition of the brand; Cultural value is the connotation of the brand, the unity of the material and spiritual forms of society, and the combination of consumer psychology and cultural value orientation in modern society; excellent management is the basis for ensuring the success of the brand , is the foundation for the healthy growth of the brand. The real significance of building a brand is not only that enterprises can obtain greater economic benefits through the brand, but its social benefits are also extremely far-reaching, such as solving employment problems, increasing national tax revenue, stimulating consumption, etc. A brand has the following basic characteristics:
1. A brand is a proprietary brand.
A brand is used to identify the product or service of the manufacturer or seller. After being identified through legal procedures, the brand owner enjoys the exclusive rights of the brand and has the right to require other companies or individuals not to imitate or counterfeit it, that is, the brand is exclusive.
2. Brand is an intangible resource of an enterprise.
Since brand owners can continuously obtain benefits by relying on the advantages of the brand, and can use the brand to continuously expand the market, the value of the brand is immeasurable. This value cannot be expressed in physical form like physical assets, but it can rapidly increase the company's intangible assets and can be traded in the market as commodities. In 1994, the number one brand in the world was Coca-Cola of the United States, with a brand value of US$35.95 billion, equivalent to four times its sales. By 1995, Coca-Cola's brand value had reached US$39.05 billion, and in 1996 it rose to US$43.427 billion. Although my country's brand creation started late, domestic famous brands have developed very rapidly, such as "Hongtashan" of Yunnan Hongta Group, Wahaha of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Haier of Qingdao, Shandong, Changhong Group of Mianyang, Sichuan, etc. These well-known brands are also worth little. Philippines, let's take the 1998 assessment as an example: the brand value of "Hongtashan" is 38.6 billion yuan, and the brand value of "Haier" is 24.5 billion yuan.
3. Brand transformation involves certain risks and uncertainties.
After the brand is established, in the process of its growth, due to the continuous changes in the market and the continuous increase in demand, the brand capital of the enterprise may grow or shrink, or even a certain brand will withdraw from the market in the competition. It can be seen that there are certain risks in the growth of the brand, and it is also difficult to evaluate it. Regarding brand risks, sometimes it is due to unexpected quality of the company's products, sometimes it is due to substandard service, and sometimes it is due to blind expansion of brand capital and poor operation. These may make it difficult to maintain the company's brand.
4. The appearance of the brand.
Brand is an intangible asset of a company. It does not have an independent entity and does not occupy space. However, its most original purpose is to allow people to remember a certain product or company in a form that is easier to remember. Therefore, , the brand must have a material carrier, and it needs to formalize and visualize itself through a series of material carriers. The direct carriers of the brand are mainly words, patterns and symbols, and the indirect carriers are mainly product quality, product services, popularity, reputation and market share. Without material carriers, the brand cannot be expressed, let alone achieve the overall communication effect of the brand. Excellent brands have outstanding performance in terms of carriers. For example, the words "Coca-Cola" remind people of the after-drinking effects of the beverage. The red pattern and corresponding packaging can have a unique effect.
5. Brand expansion.
Brands have an identification function and represent a product and an enterprise. Enterprises can use this advantage to demonstrate the brand's ability to expand the market, and can also help enterprises use brand capital to expand. Brands can be divided into different categories based on different standards:
1. Divide according to the radiation area of ??brand awareness.
According to the brand’s popularity and radiation area, brands can be divided into regional brands, domestic brands, international brands and global brands. Regional brands refer to brands produced and sold in a smaller area. These products are generally produced and sold within a certain range. The product radiation range is not large and is mainly affected by product characteristics, geographical conditions and certain cultural characteristics. This is somewhat similar to local operas. For example, Qin Opera is mainly in Shaanxi, Shanxi Opera is mainly in Shanxi, Hebei Bangzi is mainly in Hebei, and Henan Opera is mainly in Henan. Domestic brands refer to products with high domestic reputation, products radiating across the country, and products sold nationwide, such as Haier, Gree, Lenovo, Hongtashan, Mengniu, Wahaha, etc. International brands refer to brands with high visibility and reputation in the international market and products that radiate around the world, such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Marlboro, Mercedes-Benz, Ericsson, Microsoft, Pierre Cardin, etc.
2. Divide according to different links in the production and operation of brand products.
According to the link of product production and operation, brands can be divided into manufacturer brands and operator brands. Manufacturer's brand refers to the brand designed by the manufacturer for the products it manufactures. Dealer brand refers to a brand created by dealers based on their own needs, understanding of the market, and the needs of corporate development. There are many manufacturer brands, such as Sony, Mercedes-Benz, Changhong, etc. Dealer brands such as "Sears" etc.
3. Divide according to brand source.
According to the source of the brand, the brand can be divided into self-owned brand, foreign brand and grafted brand. Private brands are created by enterprises according to their own needs, such as Honda, Dongfeng, Forever, Motorola, Quanjude, etc. Foreign brands refer to brands acquired by enterprises through franchising, mergers, acquisitions or other forms, such as the Beijing "Jinghua" brand acquired by Unilever, and the French famous brand S?T?Dupont acquired by Hong Kong Dickson Group. Grafted brands mainly refer to new products bearing the brands of both parties formed through joint ventures and cooperation, for example, Qindao-Liebherr.
4. Divide according to the length of the brand’s life cycle.
Based on the length of the brand’s life cycle, brands can be divided into short-term brands and long-term brands. Short-term brands refer to brands whose brand life cycle lasts for a short period of time. Due to some reasons, they are short-lived or last for a while in the market competition. Long-term brands refer to brands whose brand life cycle changes with the product life cycle, but can still endure and stay young forever, such as Tongrentang, Quanjude, Neiliansheng, etc. There are also some world-renowned brands developed through long-term international development, such as Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz, etc.
5. Divide according to brand behavior.
According to the different industries to which branded products belong, brands can be divided into home appliance brands, edible beverage industry brands, daily chemical industry brands, automotive machinery industry brands, commercial brands, service industry brands, and network information industry Brand etc.
6. Divide according to the originality and extension of the brand.
According to the originality and extension of the brand, the brand can be divided into main brand, sub-brand, sub-sub brand, such as the "Haier" brand, which currently includes Haier refrigerators, Haier color TVs, Haier air conditioners, etc. Haier washing machines are divided into Haier Little Prodigy, Haier Energy Saving King and so on. In addition, brands can also be divided into parent brands, sub-brands, sub-brands, etc., such as Procter & Gamble's Head & Shoulders, Rejoice, Pantene, etc.
7. Divide according to the ontological characteristics of the brand.
According to the ontology characteristics of brands, brands can be divided into personal brands, corporate brands, city brands, national brands, international brands, etc. For example, Jackie Chan, Liu Xiaoqing, Zhang Guoli, Zhang Yimou, etc. are personal brands, Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, Ningbo International Fashion Festival, CBD Festival, etc. are city brands, Pyramid, Great Wall, Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, etc. are national brands, United Nations, Olympic Games, International The Red Cross and others are world-class brands.