Marketing Communications

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS AND BRAND EQUITY 61

To form a rich network of associations around a brand, it is advisable to alternate performance and imagery com-

munications. For example, when the Belgian airline SN Brussels Airlines was founded, it used print ads to create

performance. The performance ads stressed how convenient it is to book an SN Brussels Airline’s ticket, its cheap

price, etc. Further, TV ads and viral marketing were used to create imagery. For example, the passionate personality

of the airline was shown in an emotional TV ad where the ground crew hurried up to form the sentence ‘Mr Jones,

it’s a boy’ when the passenger could not be reached by phone because the flight had just taken off. This same ad was

used in viral marketing allowing consumers to adapt the ‘it’s a boy’ message and send it to their partner, friends, etc.

BUSINESS INSIGHT

Alternating performance and imagery communications

Marketing communications are crucial contributors to brand equity in several ways. A

fi rst step in brand-building is creating deep and broad brand awareness.^77 Deep awareness

means that the brand is strongly linked with its product category and enjoys high top-of-

mind awareness. Frequent advertising using slogans, baselines or jingles that make reference

to the product category help to build top-of-mind awareness. British Airways, for example,

used as a baseline ‘the world’s favourite airline’. Broad awareness refers to the fact that con-

sumers easily think of the brand in diff erent situations. When Febreze was launched, P&G

used ads showing that the product could be used to prevent bad odours in laundry, in shoes,

in curtains, in carpets, in cars, etc., which stimulated broad awareness. Once a brand node is

well established in memory, it is easier to create additional links. Th erefore, focusing on

brand meaning or brand image comes in only aft er brand awareness has been established.

Also for building brand image, advertising is an excellent tool ( Figure 2.6 ). Brand image com-

munications can focus on product performance (stressing ingredients, attributes, benefi ts

such as product reliability, product durability, service, style, price, etc.) or on imagery (who

is the typical user, when and where can the product be used, brand personality and brand

values, brand history, feelings, etc.). Miele, for example, works more on performance than on

imagery, stressing the durability of its products. Coke Zero ads show that the product is

meant for men, whereas Coke Light ads have always made clear that females are the target

users. In general, print, factual ads are better for performance-building, and TV and cinema

advertising are more suited to build imagery. For more on specifi c advertising types (e.g.

emotional ads, demonstrations, etc.), see Chapter 7.

Corporate identity-building can lead to powerful associations between colours or symbols and brand names.

Consider the following examples:

z Golden arches symbolise McDonald’s.

z The circle with the triangular star is Mercedes.

z Three stripes on a shoe is Adidas.

z A stylised lion is the ING Bank.

BUSINESS INSIGHT

Colours and symbols as brand-building tools

z IBM owns dark blue in business machines.

z Red is Coca-Cola and blue is Pepsi in the soft

drink market.

z In batteries, bronze and black is Duracell.

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