Off late I am meeting lot of branding “gurus” who are propagating what is branding and how do you brand a product. Nothing wrong in that though, because that’s the way this subject would flourish. However, since Marketing, Sales, Branding are more qualitative subjects and we can’t (generally) do 1+1= 2 here, we make our own assumptions. I mean, no one would say “In my opinion the 3rd law of Newton is ….. “ and run their imagination wild. You get the idea, right?
For starters, Yes, there are fundamentals and definitions and re-definitions of these subjects and these definitions are based on empirical research over decades and then their minute analysis from both quantitative and qualitative aspects.
So here is a very quick look at these subjects as Experts, Thought leaders, Ivy League B-Schools and successful practitioners think globally:
Branding is part of marketing - the process of establishing a brand is based on the rational, emotional & functional attributes that connects the brand with the Target Customers.
A brand is made of brand attributes (as above), brand promise (based on attributes) and brand delivery (final experience), which is created by intensive market research among its desired market segments and Target Audience. Based on these BA, BP & BD - the value proposition of a brand is established and is manifested as the Positioning Statement that the common people call tagline.
