VISUAL BRAND IDENTITY

Visual Brand Identity

Visual Brand Identity

Introduction to Branding

The early 20th century witnessed the rise of capitalism and industrialization, which revolutionize social and economic relations in western society, and paved way for the creation of mass consumer culture. The popularity of automation processes in the industrial complexes provides the capitalistic class an opportunity to increase its productivity and become more effective and efficient in their collective output (Kapferer, 1997, Pg 28).

However, the increase in organization's productive output flooded the market with tons of similar products and services, and made it difficult for the manufactures to sell their products in an emerging competitive environment (Kapferer, 1997, Pg 28).

At that point in time, marketers started to differentiate their similar products by following the mechanism of branding. In its essence branding is an idea or perception in the minds of the consumers about the product or services they are buying. For instance, Pepsi is not just another soft drink manufactured for everyone, but it has certain values and personality of its own which can be attributed to those consumers who are buying this product. Pepsi Co, specifically targets teenagers and has a personality of being cool, fun loving, sporty, youth, energy, Puff daddy, David Beckham, in simpler words it is a first choice for the new generation. However, Coca Cola projects its image in a traditional way. As many people would agree Coca Cola brand stand for history, America, Family, following rituals, Santa Clause etc, which gives it a more mature look as compare to its competitors (Kapferer, 1997, Pg 28).

The Traditional view of branding

At the starts of the 20th century branding use to have a secondary role in the overall marketing mix of products and services. According to Kapferer (1997), in the early days of marketing, the purpose of brand name was to assign a name to the product. Its sole function was to disclose the hidden qualities of a product (Kapferer, 1997, Pg 28). The prime objective for brands back then was to identify and differentiate the product from its competitors. However in contemporary business environment the challenge is to project its strong and unmatched image in the mind of its consumers (Kohli and Thakor 1997, p. 208).

In the context of the traditional model, the brand manager was responsible for coordinating between manufacturing and sales in order resolves issues related to sales and market share. The objective was to be tactical and reactive rather than Strategic and visionary (Aaker and Joachimsthaler 2000).

Contemporary Branding Models

Kapferer, states that prior to the eighties, companies were more interested in buying car manufacturing plants or cereal factories. After the 80's, they are more interested in buying Lexus and Kellogg's cereals. The distinction is quite thought provoking and tells us a cultural shift in terms of branding development. In the first case, companies were interested in expanding their production capacities, now they are more prone to secure a place in the customer's mindset.

In other words, the change in mindset began neither when marketers started to ...