Above the line advertising.
It is still a key tool for
building brands
Paul Feldwick
WHAT IS BRAND IDENTITY?
Brand identity, as I shall use the term, is not a scientific
construct that can be accurately defined or measured. It
is more accurately seen as a metaphor. Just as individuals
create and define themselves both internally and externally,
so do brands.
A brand name, and the organisation or aspect of an
organisation that it represents, is associated with a history,
a defined position in the world, particular skills and talents
and also weaknesses, certain characteristic behaviours which
create the impression of a coherent ‘personality’, a life script
or set of goals, and a value system.
In all these respects it is closely analogous to the human
individual. The total of all these related elements is what I,
following Professor Kapferer1 call the brand’s identity.
Not all brand names are associated with a strong or coherent
identity, but those that are have two kinds of advantage.
Firstly, the identity focuses the efforts and intentions of all
those who are responsible for producing and marketing the
brand.
Secondly, and by way of the first, it creates distinctive
and attractive perceptions of the brand in the minds of its
customers (I am happy to call this by the traditional name
of brand image). I have discussed what brands mean to
consumers at length elsewhere2.