Brand Image Of A Product example essay topic

Assess the issues about branding raised in this unit in the light of ethical or responsible design. We are all branded ourselves to a certain degree, we announce ourselves through the clothes we wear, the products we buy and the car we drive, but why? The aim of this essay is to discuss how branding effects us a consumer society, what makes us remember particular brands and what moral issues are raised by the over use of brands. A brand was originally a mark on a product to identify who made it or owned it (cattle were branded so others knew who they belonged to if they got lost or stolen). An older definition of a brand is: -" (a brand name is) a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of these, which is intended to identify the goods or services of one group of sellers and differentiate them from those of competitors" The branding of a product has to mean so much more within the society in which we live today. It's not so much about the product but the image it portrays.

Richard Koch defines a brand in modern day society as: -"A visual design and / or name that is given to a product or service by an organization in order to differentiate it from competing products and which assures consumers that the product will be of high and consistent quality" The brand image of a product has to be able to build a 'relationship' with its consumers to assure product consumption, the stronger the message of quality and satisfaction guaranteed the more likely the brand will be chosen when making a choice between two similar products. Everything you buy brands you to a certain degree, the make of jeans you buy, the logo on your tee-shirt, all of these appeal to you personally for one reason or another - they make you better, happier, special, powerful, confident whatever the emotion this is the status that all brands want to achieve. The psychological aspect of a brand makes a promise to consumers that it offers something of an advantage to you when you buy it, it could be power or ease of life". People buy what they trust and believe in, and are prepared to pay a premium price for it" The product has to keep up that promise made by the brand, there maybe several products under a brand name, if one of those products does not back up that promise the faith is lost not only in the product but the brand as a whole, the relationship between the brand and consumer is lost.

A brand is: -"A business strategy to encourage us to consume one product over its competitors, and it is sign loaded with meaning that we choose to consume because we feel we relate to it" Branding can be said to be a philosophy of life symbolized in a logo, brands have been adapted to portray certain characteristics depending on the type of product it is promoting, this enables the consumer to form a connection with it as is it were a friend. For example luxury items such as fast cars and expensive clothing connote wealth and taste so the people who want to visually establish their status to the world that they have an affluent lifestyle choose cars such as Mercedes-Benz or BMW and will buy clothes from Gucci or Prada because these companies brand themselves as top of the range luxurious items that command premium prices. Items bought by people who want nothing but the best for themselves. It was in the 1980's when advertising for lifestyle inundated the market, they focused on selling a lifestyle rather than actual product. A prime example of this type of product / lifestyle branding can be seen in the Gold Blend television adverts for coffee, the focus was on the life of the woman, the story behind it, it kept you thinking - where will she be next time? , will he ask her to marry him? will she say yes? It was a story, people became familiar with the characters and with this familiarity people trust the product and its values".

We feel a need to belong, to have a social 'place' " To try and achieve this we consume product after product seeking the ideological status we desire. Some brands earn their loyalty from consumers by claiming originality, they claim to be 'the real thing' and suggests that another brand of similar nature is merely a copy and should be avoided. Older brands such as Coca Cola has such claim. As the most widely recognised branded soft drink in the world, Coke has the advantage of not having to target a particular audience, this product can be consumed by anyone, Andy Warhol quotes: -"You can be watching TV and see a Coca Cola and you can know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think you can drink Coke too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can buy you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner of the street is drinking. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it and you know it" Unlike some universal brands, Coke doesn't have a social status, it is consumed by all, it does however have a status in the world of marketing as one of the most successful companies in the world, available in 195 countries with over 900 million Coca Colas being sold every day.

The distinctive glass bottle was produced in 1915 in realization that the packaging of the product had a significant effect on the success of the brand itself, it adds to the values of the product and although Coke is mainly sold in cans today, the tradition bottle is still used in graphic visuals as a reminder of the history of the brand. By doing this the product reinforces the originality of the product a reminder that the product has been around for a long time. Coca Cola also used slogans as a reminder of its origins and values, such as: -"it's the Real Thing" (everything else is just a copy) "You can't beat the Real Thing" (there maybe similar drinks but nothing beats Coke) "The Sign of Good Taste" (makes the consumer feel good about themselves - if I drink Coke I have good taste) "We " ve got a taste for you" (if you aren't so keen on Coke Classic then we have others you will like - Cherry Coke for example, in other words stick with the brand and all the other slogans will relate to you) Another way to acquire brand loyalty is to promise that a product will do something to your advantage like save you time or money or both, items such as household cleaners and washing detergents hold such promises, usually backed by men in white coats or a caring mother with a new born baby. These branding methods assure us that all the technical research has been done for us (the men in white coats) and we are able to trust the product will fulfil their promise (the woman with the baby seems pretty happy with the results).

Branding can also be aimed at our consciousness and our sense of responsibility especially when it comes to the welfare of our family and children, mothers will tend to buy the more expensive brands of baby care to ensure they are doing the very best to look after their baby's health and happiness. Of course branding does not always offer positive thoughts and emotions to encourage us to buy products, the brand may appeal to our consciences, for example, buying recycled toilet paper will help the environment, by not buying it you are damaging the worlds natural resources, not only for you but your children and their children in years to come. If a product promises to reduce pollution in the atmosphere or reduce environmental decay then moral issues kick in, by buying these products, we feel we are helping to improve the world. Essentially branding is used to sell a product, however there are designers who use existing brand images, easily recognisable to support other issues such as bulimia and anorexia. This advertisement by at a first glimpse looks like a poster for the well know perfume 'Obsession' by Calvin Klein, however on closer reading of the image you see a woman leaning towards a toilet, the headline 'Obsession' is referring towards the obsessive nature of bulimia, rather than the perfume. By using easily recognised imagery it takes something people know (the name of the product and stylish layout) so they will take notice and alert the viewer to a serious issue, something the person wasn't thinking about when they first see the advert.

The designers of the series of adverts wanted to target Calvin Klein because of the brand image it portrayed to millions of adolescents, the company used women who were extremely thin and anorexic looking (Kate Moss (pictured top left) or Christy Turlington (pictured bottom left) note the similarity of pose in top picture and ad busters advert, the models facing slightly away from the camera bare backed and protruding backbone. They were also targeted because of the use of nudity, Kate Moss has a very child like figure, the series of adverts that she posed semi naked in were compared to that of child pornography. Ad busters wanted to highlight the fact that Calvin Klein was selling this 'perfect body' image along with the product, many people don't conform to these images and self obsession becomes an issue". if advertising merely sold products it would be a less critical concern than it is. But it also sells images, dreams, ideal ways of life, it sells then reinforces time and again, values - those of consumerism" Children and adolescents take notice of everything they see, and when images like these are seen constantly on billboards, in magazines and on the television, they become familiar and idolized as being the 'right look'. Consequently children as young as nine become obsessed with their own image and starve themselves to become their 'ideal'. The Calvin Klein adverts glorify being un-naturally thin as fashionable and as a popular brand which consumers trust, they believe what they are being shown and unfortunately thousands of women die each year from eating disorders, I am not saying Calvin Klein is solely responsible for the issue but as a brand concerned with fashion and self image they should be aware of these problems and treat their advertisements accordingly.

McDonald's is a prime example of how ad-busters have used the world renowned brand to alert the public of what the brand is doing to society. The fun child friendly face of Ronald McDonald, a parents worst nightmare, the lively, happy clown is McDonald's mascot used to befriend children everywhere, making McDonald's a firm choice in children's minds about what they want to eat. Here ad-busters have cleverly taken the famous golden arches 'M', turned it on its side, used twice to form the word 'Grease', indicating that the food is very greasy. The word has been positioned over 'Ronald's' mouth, an indication that the fact that the food is greasy is never mentioned by the character, after all he is there to entertain and make friends with customers, not to tell them the facts. The hospital scene pictured here is to try and inform the public (particularly adolescents) that the over consumption of McDonalds is likely to cause heart problems (because of the grease content). The 'M' has been incorporated into the heart monitor, to suggest that the persons misfortunes were caused by consumption of too many McDonalds.

This advertisement is particularly aimed at parents, who cave every time the children ask if can go to McDonald's. the image of the slightly stout young toddler dressed in McDonald's accessories, has an automatic response, if you want overweight children then take them to McDonald's. It has been proved that: "the higher the viewing for particular adverts, the greater the children's requests for those products" and so: -"McDonald's spend over two billion dollars each year on advertising: the Golden Arches are now more recognised than the Christian Cross". I feel that it is not ethical or responsible to target children with the idea that they will pressurize their parents into buying them McDonald's, nor have they taken into consideration their future, as becoming accustomed to such tastes early on in life may become hazardous to their health (particularly heart disease, which was the focus of one of the adverts produced by ad busters). McDonald's has not only been targeted for their unhealthy food, they have also been inundated by protesting workers union about the staffing conditions, and by animal activists concerned about the vast quantities of beef used by the company, claiming that the factory farming is unacceptable especially in such large numbers.

Even so McDonald's still sustain their brand 'values', however unethical through constant advertising. As many brand leaders target the older generations rather than those who don't understand brand ethics, it has been discovered that: -"they do not need so much brand advertising because they have already established that credibility and legitimacy" Unfortunately McDonalds needs to target young children and their persuasive natures and although it is one of the leading brands, well know throughout the world, they have to continuously advertise en masse to keep the loyalty of children as they soon forget and find another brand character to focus on, and of course they need to constantly recruit new young and impressionable toddlers. Of course McDonald's isn't all bad, they provide reasonably tasty food quickly and efficiently, ideal for the consumer who needs to eat in a hurry and at affordable prices. Branding has been written about many, many times, there is no singular answer to the question - what is branding?

It all depends on the person answering, for some its way of defining their lifestyle, they choose the brands which fit what they feel suits their image or what they think will impress friends or colleagues, for others the glossy high profile images of brands dictate our lives and hide the truth about what brands really stand for and the messages they convey. For me brands don't hold much meaning, I don't buy into expensive designer goods, I don't own a pair of Nike trainers, the name means nothing to me except its something that others seem to think will improve their status and make them better than me, which personally I think shows insecurity within themselves, they don't know who they are and try to find it within brand names. The friends I make like me for who I am not the name of clothing I wear. To finish, a brands success depends on the ability of the designer to know the audience it is targeting and to know how to fulfil their needs, interests and desires. Branding is a very sensitive business, if you change a brand image too suddenly it can destroy peoples beliefs in it, but not to change it at all the brand can soon become dated and die off. The have said to be: -"that they are all-embracing is a fact of life - caused in part by the human need for re-assurance, labelling and ease of identity" Their sole function is to sell you a product, what connotations that are made are totally down to the consumer.

Book List Advertising Procedure 7th edition Otto KleppnerBuy This Book Studies in advertising and consumptionEditied by Mica Nava, Andrew Blake, Lain MacRury and Barry RichardsRouledgeDecoding AvertisementsJudith Williamson Marion Boyars Designing Brands Market success through Graphic Distinction Emily Schrubbe-Potts How Advertising Works A review of current thinking Colin McDonald Introduction to Communication Studies John Fiske Media Impact 3rd edition Shirley BiagiMore Than Meets the Eye An introduction to media studies Graeme Burton The Advertising Handbook Sean Brierley The Consumer Society Myths and structures - Jean Baudrillard The Fundamentals of Advertising 2nd editionWilmhurst & Mackay The Ultimate Book of Business BrandsInsites of the worlds 50 greatest brands Dev Dear love and Stuart C rainer web web Quote

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1. The Ultimate Book of Business Brands Page 52. The Ultimate Book of Business Brands Page 53. The Ultimate Book of Business Brands Page 94. Decoding Advertisements - Judith Williamson Page 135. Branded Page 76. The Ultimate Book of Business Brands Page 297. web - Katherine Dodds 8. web / people / witnesses / advertising / dib b sue. html 9. web 10. web Unknown. I am unable to find the location of the quote I have used 12. The Ultimate Book of Business Brands Page 16.