It's easy to get confused when reading promotional articles about different brands. How does a brand differ from a brand?
A brand is always based on a product - it is its core. Therefore, we can say that the brand depends on what product you offer. When a buyer buys a product, he often buys along with the product a promise given by the manufacturer, a certain image that has taken shape. We can say that the brand is based on three pillars:
· The product itself, its functional values, those characteristics of the product that are important to the client.
· Those emotions that the product brings to the buyer. For example, often a cup of coffee is not just a cup of coffee, it is the anticipation of a good rest, and a glossy magazine is a way to relax after a hard day at work. Such emotions are very well seen in television advertisements for cars: you rarely see advertisements where the emphasis is on the car itself, more often we see a certain image, emotions that a given car can give us.
· The experience we are promised. Your child will become smarter if he takes our vitamins. With our printer, your documents will be in perfect order. Use our services - and we will relieve you of the problem that bothers you. All of these are examples of the positive experience that manufacturers of goods promise us - and which is part of the brand.
How does a brand differ from a brand?
A trademark is a sign by which a consumer identifies a product (product or service) of one seller, and distinguishes this product from a competitor's product. Such a sign can be the name or name of a product, a picture, a logo, a sign or symbol. A brand is an image that develops in the mind of a consumer. This image consists of everything that is familiar to the consumer and is associated with the product, which is meaningful to him. So, any brand is also a trade mark, but not any trade mark is a brand. We can say that a brand is distinguished from a trademark by the presence of a meaning that is formed in the mind of the consumer. If, at the sight of your brand, positive associations appear in the mind of the consumer, the brand has been formed.
Customers expect more from the manufacturer than the simple properties of the product; they expect the product to solve their problems. They are also waiting for more global ideas behind the bun or lipstick purchase. All this gives them a brand - if it is formed.
How the brand is formed:
1. First, the manufacturer forms a trademark: develops a logo, a melody for advertising, draws posters or shoots commercials, prepares to promote the product on the market and begins the promotion process.
2. Then the recognition of the product by the consumer is gradually formed. This is a debt process, which requires the product to be where it can be bought, and also that the manufacturer is faced with advertising for this product.
3. After the product has begun to be recognized, marketers create an associative connection in the consumer's head. It is important here to connect the image of the product with something really positive.
4. If everything worked out, consumers will prefer our product. This can be achieved in several ways: by modifying and improving the product, advertising it, motivating sellers in the stores where our product will be sold. Finally, if customers really have a preference for our product, we can raise the price a little. This is called a price premium. It's no secret that a product with similar characteristics can cost a thousand rubles - or maybe several times more, and often this is a fee for the brand.
Finally, you can see that a brand can be more than just a product. You can make a brand out of anything: from a professional freelancer who offers their services, from a place (remember the “lovers' bridges”, which are probably in every city), from a city (“Paris is a city of dreams”, although in the same country there are the city is no worse), from an event, from a city …
As you can see, everything is very simple - and now you will not confuse the words "brand" and "trade mark".
