Tag: consumers

Brands; A Means of Belonging?

Are you willing to stand for hours in line for the brand new IPhone?

Has it ever occurred to you that a brand might provide a sense of belonging? That merely buying a product has a symbolic value or communicates a specific message about you? Well, as it turns out, there are a lot of people who are willing to purchase a product to achieve this very need, the need to belong.

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the need of “self-actualisation” resides at the very top of the pyramid. It’s defined as the highest need that a person might strive to achieve after achieving the basic ones such as food and shelter, etc. Brands have certainly become a tool to achieve and to foster such sense of belonging & acceptance.

Most brands have resorted to brand belonging as a method to build communities around them and to create loyal customers. How would we explain the huge crowds of people waiting in line to purchase the new IPhone model? And what would be the reason behind a group of people wanting to purchase a Rolex watch instead of a regular watch which has the exact features? 

 Brands have become a reflection of the person’s personality, attitude, social status, & wealth in the society. Owning a Tesla reflects wealth with a care about the environment, an IPhone shows that you are innovative, and a Rolex shows that you’re affiliated with a wealthy niche in the society. Each brand is managing to build its own community or tribe to forge meaningful connections with its customers.

The products we choose have become a symbol of who we are and what we stand for in our lives. So how much can we really tell about a person through the brands they consume?

Amongst the Crowd

What makes a brand so special? leave a reply below.

In a world where so many brands are present, each brand needs to maintain its own and unique identity in order to distinguish itself from the others.  Nowadays, it has become extremely difficult for brands to either differentiate themselves or to maintain their true essence.

However, what makes every brand shield itself against such challenges is having its own identity, elements, and schema.  

Having a brand identity of your own means that there are certain characteristics or features that sets you apart from the rest. A brand identity consists of the visible elements that make up a brand. This could include a logo, a design, or simply a colour or a colour palette. It could also consist of other elements such as a slogan, a symbol, a character, or a jingle.

These can aid in making a single brand concrete and solid in the consumers’ minds. However, it is important that such various elements which resemble the brand’s identity are cohesive in order to increase concreteness and brand awareness.

So what makes a schema?

To start off, a schema is a set of associations that could drive out attitude or behaviour for the consumers towards a brand. It is basically what consumers think and feel about a brand. It can entail trust, innovation, rebellion, happiness, etc. Every choice or act carried out by a brand has to resonate with its schema; the set of knowledge linked to a concept.

A brand’s schema consists off of what consumers have to say about the brand and what mental shortcuts resonate when they think about it. It describes different elements that constitute knowledge about a brand. When a brand maintains its identity or communicates a specific image about itself consistently and across various channels, it contributes in creating a certain set of associations or expectations along with it.

A brand’s image is a subset of associations stored in the brand schema.  Every single touch point for a brand has to be consistent and cohesive with the overall image it’s trying to create for itself.

In every brand extension, brand alliance, or even in licensing, the transfer of such associations is essential for the brand to maintain its image and identity. It is important to note that a unique identity is not created instantly but rather, it takes up an effort throughout the years to be created and preserved.

Thus, it would be very damaging for a brand to send different signals regarding what it is and what it stands for as it might cause unwanted confusion for the consumers and alter their attitudes. 

Have you ever faced such an issue with a brand? Could you possibly think of a time where a brand communicated something or created a product (like HD, previously) that did not match its identity and where it felt that it was just not right?

Buyer’s Black Box

Whether you’re a marketer, a marketing student, or simply a consumer interested in what affects your buying behaviour and purchasing patterns then, this blog is for you.

Buyer’s Black Box is for anyone who is interested in marketing and in understanding the consumers’ behaviour. There are a lot of drivers out there contributing in shaping the consumers’ decisions & perspectives. If you’re simply a consumer in today’s world then, this blog is for you.

Furthermore, it should be noted that humans in their nature are complex creatures and understanding them is not that simple. Therefore, any topic discussed or written about here is up for further discussion, and more importantly, all opinions are welcomed.