What Is Brand Management?

Brand management is a management term and an important part of marketing management. Mainstream management courses such as EMBA and MBA all include brand management as an important part of their education for managers.

Brand management

(Management Terminology)

What is a brand? Brand is an intricate symbol. It is the brand attributes, name, packaging, price

In order to establish a clear and clear strategic brand association in consumers' minds, the responsibilities and tasks of brand management are mainly to formulate a brand recognition system centered on the brand's core value, and then use the brand recognition system to command and integrate the enterprise All value activities (marketing communication activities in front of consumers), while optimizing efficient branding strategies and brand structure, continuously promote the value-added of brand assets and maximize the reasonable use of brand assets.

To effectively create a strong and powerful brand, the key is to do a good job in brand management around the following four steps:

I. Planning a brand recognition system centered on core values

Carry out a comprehensive and scientific brand investigation and diagnosis, fully study the market environment, target consumer groups and competitors, and provide informative and accurate information guidance for brand strategic decisions; based on brand investigation and diagnosis, refine highly differentiated, clear, The core value of the brand that is easy to perceive, inclusive and touch the inner world of consumers; planning a brand recognition system centered on the core value, basic identification and extended identification are the specificization and vividness of the core value, making the brand identification and enterprise The connection of marketing communication activities is operable; commanding the company's marketing communication activities with brand recognition enables each marketing communication activity to interpret and convey the brand's core value, brand spirit and pursuit, ensuring every marketing advertisement of the company The inputs are added for the brand and accumulated for the promotion of brand equity. Establish the goal of brand building, that is, the goal system of brand equity promotion.

Optimizing branding strategy and brand structure

One of the most important tasks in brand strategic planning is to plan a scientific and reasonable branding strategy and brand architecture. Under the single product structure, marketing communication activities are all carried out to enhance the assets of the same brand. After the increase of product types, many challenges are faced. Is it true that the brand extension of new products will continue to use the original brand, or will it adopt A new brand? If the new product adopts a new brand, how can the relationship between the original brand and the new brand be coordinated, and how should the relationship between the corporate brand and each product brand be coordinated? The strategy of branding and optimization of brand architecture is to solve these problems.

On the basis of understanding the laws of various branding strategic models, and in-depth study of the actual situation of the company's financial resources, enterprise size and development stage, product characteristics, consumer psychology, competitive landscape and brand promotion capabilities, the cost is low It is also conducive to the company to obtain better sales performance, profits and achieve the strategic goal of cultivating a strong big brand, and to optimize a scientific and efficient brand strategy model.

Third, carry out rational brand extension and expansion

The ultimate goal of creating a strong big brand is to continuously obtain better sales and profits. Because the reuse of intangible assets is free of cost, as long as you have a scientific attitude and superb wisdom to plan your brand extension strategy, you can make full use of the intangible assets of brand resources through rational brand extension and expansion, and achieve leapfrog development of the enterprise . Therefore, one of the important contents of brand strategy is to carry out scientific and forward-looking planning for the following aspects of brand extension:

Refining the core value of inclusive brands, how to embed the brand extension pipeline to seize the opportunity for brand extension, how to effectively avoid the risks of brand extension, how to extend the product, how to strengthen the core value of the brand and the main association, and how to promote brand equity Promote new products

4. Scientifically manage various brand assets

Create strong big brands with distinct core values and personality, rich brand associations, high brand awareness, high premium ability, high brand loyalty and high value, and accumulate rich brand equity.

First of all , we must fully understand the composition of brand equity, and thoroughly understand the indicators of brand equity such as popularity, quality recognition, brand association, premium ability, brand loyalty and the relationship between them. On this basis, in accordance with the actual situation of the enterprise, formulate the brand equity goals to be achieved by the brand construction, so that the company's brand creation work has a clear direction, be targeted and reduce unnecessary waste.

Secondly, based on the principle of the brand constitution, creatively plan the marketing communication strategy of improving brand equity at low cost around the goal of brand equity.

At the same time, it is necessary to constantly check the completion of the goal of brand equity promotion and adjust the goals and strategies of brand asset construction in the next step.

Brand management is a complex and scientific process. You cannot omit any link. The following are the four steps that successful brand management should follow: Draw out the "essence" of the brand, which is the rationality of the brand. First of all, find out the visible human and material and financial resources that can be drawn by facts and figures, and then draw out the human, material and financial resources needed to make the essence of the brand according to the goals. It becomes substantial. Include here

When local governments are attracting foreign investment, they are pursuing fame and fortune, and the implementation of the "super national treatment" and the "close the door to fight dogs" strategy has lost credibility, affected the investment environment, and restricted economic development. The root cause is the government's investment promotion, which only cares about immediate interests and lacks a sense of integrity and brand. The role of brand in marketing is a driving force, and brand is the most fundamental competitiveness in a globalized economy.

Premier Wen Jiabao once pointed out: "Famous brands are not only an important symbol of an enterprise's economic strength and market credibility. The number of famous brands is also a symbol of a country's economic strength. It is a reflection of the overall quality of a nation. The future competition in the world is the competition of intellectual property , First-class technology, first-class products. We must start from the strategic perspective of achieving national prosperity and great national rejuvenation, and encourage outstanding Chinese enterprises to strive for innovation.

Brand management, as a means of corporate marketing, is one of the factors for companies to participate in competition. Then, how to manage the brand well and how can the brand make management more attractive?

First, from competition to cooperation, start the battle of the main brand

A brand is a competitive relationship compared to its competitors. The core of competition is not confrontation, but to establish corresponding competition and cooperation relations based on the actual market, the position of competitors in the market, and the attitudes of competitors. A company can have multiple brands at the same time, but there can only be one dominant brand. Because the main brand is the pillar and core, it is important to pay attention to and invest in the main brand. While developing the main brand well, companies can develop other brands, which in turn will generate the "Matthew Good" effect.

After having a leading brand, the company successively launched some sub-brands, involving different industries, making different positioning, and meeting different consumer groups. However, in brand management, the emphasis on sub-brands is obviously weaker than that of pillar brands. This is the "strong" stem "weak" branch "strategy in brand management, with" dry "and" branches ", forming a corporate brand family" deep roots, rich foliage "prosperity.

Second, brand communication management, improve the connotation image

Corporate image is the main carrier and important manifestation of product image and culture. A good corporate image makes it easier for the company to win the trust and cooperation of customers, and it is easy to obtain social support. For consumers, it is a communication relationship. The goal of brand management is to clarify the needs of target consumers through research, and to achieve in-depth understanding of the brand by targeted consumers through advertising and public relations activities in accordance with the overall strategic plan , In the minds of consumers to establish brand status and promote brand loyalty.

Third, brand capital operation saves costs

Creating a brand is the primary stage of brand development, and managing a brand is the advanced stage of brand development. Judging from the development process of becoming familiar with the brand, the enterprise's brand management has gone through the three steps of creating a brand-managing a brand-buying and selling a brand.

There are many difficulties for companies to manage a brand well. When opening up the market, they have to invest more, or even much more, in publicity costs. Even so, it is difficult to shape their brand image and brand culture. Even if it is well-known, it has a good reputation. Insufficient degree, no charm, lack of appeal, customers just barely heard of your product, but ca nt buy if they do nt agree, let alone cultivate customer loyalty, the final market performance is all vulnerable; Consequences of birth defects. On the contrary, managing the brand well and doing enough "articles" on brand capital operation will reduce the resistance of brand promotion, thus greatly reducing the cost of brand promotion!

Fourth, tap brand value and improve management efficiency

Good brand management can not only enhance the external image of the enterprise, but also be very helpful to the internal and external management of the enterprise.

Exchange and sharing: Brand audiences not only shared the company's products, but also shared the company's business model and ideas. Bring convenience to brand consumers and change consumption habits.

The spirit of collaboration: The brand connects people inside and outside the company, and all resources on the brand can be shared. This is a unique function of the brand. The brand exceeds the constraints of time and space. Employees of the same company can work together for a certain brand , Even if you do not meet, you can produce the product.

Business efficiency: Brands allow companies' decision makers to use the company's business in a short period of time to improve business efficiency. This efficiency is unmatched by a strong brand company.

Brand influence: Company employees can easily understand the company's culture and characteristics through the brand, which is conducive to the company's determination of target markets and targeted marketing strategies. Moreover, the breadth and intensity of brand communication make well-known brands more well-known and effectively enhance the brand's influence.

Competitive spirit: Brands have enabled many companies to quickly get out of the country. The process of internationalization of local products and localization of international brands is accelerating. Domestic brands do not want to compete with major international brands. This brand competitive spirit makes cross-merging between different markets. The formation of a unified large market, the competition is more intense. The impact of brands on enterprises is extremely profound. It can be said that the management of enterprises cannot be separated from the competitive spirit of the brand era.

A company that owns a brand is not necessarily successful, but a successful company must have a successful brand, because only by knowing how to manage the brand, maximize the brand effect, and establish a brand management system, can it emotionally win the company's employees to the brand. Loyalty for true customer service.

The conventional definition of brand management is a series of strategic decision-making and strategy execution activities such as consumer-centric planning, dissemination, promotion and evaluation, which are carried out by managers to cultivate brand equity. It is the whole process of establishing, maintaining and consolidating the brand. Effectively supervise and control the relationship between brands and consumers through brand management, and ultimately form a brand's competitive advantage, making corporate behavior more loyal to the brand's core values and spirit, thereby maintaining the brand's continued competitiveness. The organizational system of brand management refers to the institutional arrangements made by enterprises when planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling various activities related to the development of a brand.

Brands are not products, this is common sense, but in practice, many people often confuse them. Some companies sold their products very well in the glorious period, but did not translate their market advantages into brand value, or failed to promptly and actively launch new products to maintain the brand s fresh image, and eventually made the product and the brand exit the market together. Lead to business failure.

There are tens of millions of product brands in the world. We can say that there are actually only a few dozen names. Among the many brands, why are a few brands bright and dazzling, while most brands are dim? In the market competition, there are many brands that spend a lot of money and bomb-type advertising, and rely on event marketing and gimmicks. Although they are well-known, the contribution rate of such brands to sales is not obvious. Disappeared in sight.

1. Actively monitor what people think of you. You might say that monitoring the entire internet space is an impossible task. Fortunately, there are already some tools such as Google Alerts (Google Alerts, free) and ResolutionDefender website, which can help you to supervise the work, and send you daily email links to your name or brand.

2. Push negative content out of sight. In real life, most people will not encounter any negative content unless the relevant link is on the first page of search engine results. With the appropriate settings for search engine optimization, or with the help of DefendMyName, you can usually push negative links into the swamp of the Internet beyond your horizons.

3. Handle each negative review quickly. If you can acknowledge the problem in a timely and objective manner, solve it, and spread the positive news before the negative news is amplified, then many negative customer experiences can actually be transformed into positive content. Don't repeat the "United Breaks Guitar" mistake.

4. Remove unwanted content if possible. Removing information about you from the web may not be as easy as logging off your account, but it is not completely impossible. You can easily remove content you own (comments on your website or account). Some professional companies, such as "Reputation Defender," have proprietary technology that allows you to fix or completely remove other unwanted content.

It's really troublesome to remove negative content, but the good news is that it sets up barriers to the real bad businesses. To restrain these bad companies, the speed and transparency of the Internet will be helpful. And for us as people, when someone starts talking badly about us behind us, we can respond quickly and broadly, which is a good thing.

5. Maintaining reputation is your responsibility. The first step is to recognize that you have sole responsibility for maintaining the reputation of your company and your personal life. Leaving it aside or waiting for more laws to come out is not the answer. According to the rights provided by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, offensive content is usually immutable once it is published, and publishers are not legally responsible for it.

6. Be proactive and build a positive reputation. Maintaining a good reputation means you have to build a good reputation early and start maintaining it. There is no reputation but with a negative review. Compared with 1,000 positive reviews and one negative review, the difference between the two is still large. Most people can accept the fact that no one or company is perfect.

First, establish a comprehensive brand awareness based on quality

Product competition, brand competition, quality competition. Quality has a direct impact on product effectiveness and is closely related to customer value and satisfaction. To survive in the competition, enterprises have no choice but to accept the concept of quality; to win in the competition, there is no way out except to continuously improve the quality of the product; to establish a brand name, it must be based on high-quality products.

2. Using popularity as a catalyst and focusing on brand personalization and differentiation

Consumers in the 21st century are rational and mature, and traditional consumption methods are gradually transitioning to personalized consumption methods. With the continuous deepening of reform and opening up, the increasingly perfect social security system, and the gradual increase of people's income levels, people's consumer needs have shifted from basic needs to higher-level needs, and the concept of consumption is no longer a commodity from scratch. The process is to enjoy shopping services, pursue perfection and show individuality, to achieve spiritual satisfaction. In the era of personalized consumption, consumers pay more attention to psychological needs, and use psychological feelings as a basis for measuring whether consumer behavior is reasonable and whether products are attractive. Pursue individuality and taste when consuming; emphasize the inherent quality requirements of products and focus on products. During the purchase process and after use of services and reputation, pay attention to the fashion, uniqueness and safety of the product; pay attention to the cultural connotation of consumption, pay attention to the appreciation value and artistic value of the product, and pursue the cultural characteristics contained in famous brands to meet their own Personalized requirements.

Third, build a world famous brand based on culture

Culture is a complex of specific values, beliefs, ways of thinking, and customs formed on the basis of certain material, social, and historical traditions. Culture has continuity and stability. It is the deepest and slowest change in environmental factors, but culture is not static. Different cultures in the modern world are trying to maintain their own characteristics and develop themselves, and they are constantly blending and infiltrating each other. To be invincible in the competition, companies must combine products with culture, and must understand the culture of the customers they are facing and how their consumption behavior is affected by their culture to the extent and adjustment. Own products, make the culture reflected in the product image suitable for the psychological needs of consumers, strengthen the appeal ability of their products, make consumers have a sense of happiness, trust, reliability, security, and form a distinctive brand culture.

Management is the guarantee of brand creation and the lifeline of brand innovation.

Brand innovation is a complex economic system project including product, organization, technology, value, culture and other innovations. It involves the programmatic and programmatic use of brand management activities. Management is not only higher than these activities, but also embedded in these activities. It runs through the whole process of the activities and becomes the performance basis of brand innovation.

The authors of The Pursuit of Excellence, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, wrote in their writings: "In this new era of rapid change throughout the world, the importance of capital power in business has given way to management innovation. That is to say, innovation that is at the forefront of the times will lead companies to prosperity. Without management innovation, they are holding money bags and failing to keep up with the times. They are destined to become losers. Some companies, although they do not have sufficient capital, rely on management innovation to obtain Development. On the contrary, many companies, despite having strong capital and well-equipped factories, have lost or failed because of lack of management innovation. The rapid progress of the times has reversed the importance of capital and management innovation. "University of Pennsylvania Wharton Thomes Gerrity, Dean of the School of Business, said: "Of course business leaders must have sufficient business knowledge, including marketing, finance, interpersonal skills, etc. But more importantly, they must be able to integrate all of this knowledge ····· The most important condition for the future corporate elite may be the management of 'continuous change' Capabilities. We haven't fully realized the importance of this capability. "

The latest survey shows that 88% of companies believe that organizational problems such as irrational structures and complex procedures have become obstacles to innovation; 77% of companies see poor communication as a major difficulty in the innovation process; and 80% Responsibility is unclear in the business, which can lead to other problems. The basic requirements of brand management innovation are the transformation of management innovation, the establishment of a modern enterprise system, a sound incentive mechanism, and the development of a brand human resources strategy. In the practice of brand management innovation, many multinational companies have gained valuable experience, such as training team spirit. A team is a group of people who work together. They are task-centric and cooperate with each other. Everyone dedicates their wisdom and strength to the cause they are engaged in. In each enterprise, there are various teams. The diversity and huge human resources of the team are an organic part of the company's strategic resources. The team cultivates the spirit of the enterprise and the corporate culture, and improves people's loyalty and dedication to the company. A company with a good team spirit will inevitably form a huge advantage in a competitive economy. Some companies have introduced the concept of crisis management in their brand innovation. Brand crisis management is a general term for a series of planning and management activities in which an enterprise monitors and predicts the potential crisis of a brand and controls its occurrence in order to maintain or restore the brand image. Brand crises often do not happen suddenly, but evolve gradually. If managers are sensitive and alert, good at collecting and analyzing brand information, studying the mechanism of crisis occurrence, and taking countermeasures in a timely manner, they can eliminate the brand crisis in its infancy, which is the best strategy for brand crisis management.