MarketingManagement.pdf

192 CHAPTER10 MANAGINGPRODUCTLINES ANDBRANDS

Once a company decides on its brand-name strategy, it must choose a specific

brand name. The company could choose the name of a person (Honda, Estée

Lauder), location (American Airlines, Kentucky Fried Chicken), quality (Safeway,

Duracell), lifestyle (Weight Watchers, Healthy Choice), or an artificial name (Exxon,

eBay). Among the desirable qualities for a brand name are the following:^13

➤ It should suggest something about the product’s benefits.Examples: Beauty-rest,

Priceline.com

➤ It should suggest product qualities.Examples: Spic and Span, Jiffy Lube

➤ It should be easy to pronounce, recognize, and remember.Examples: Tide, Amazon.com

➤ It should be distinctive.Examples: Kodak, Yahoo!

➤ It should not carry poor meanings in other countries and languages.Example: Nova is a

poor name for a car to be sold in Spanish-speaking countries because it means

“doesn’t go.”

Many firms strive to build a unique brand name that eventually will become inti-

mately identified with the product category. Examples are Frigidaire, Kleenex, Kitty

Litter, Levis, Jell-O, Popsicle, Scotch Tape, Xerox, and Fiberglas. In 1994, Federal

Express officially shortened its marketing identity to FedEx, a term that has become a

synonym for “to ship overnight.” Yet identifying a brand name with a product category

may threaten the company’s exclusive rights to that name. For example, cellophane

Strategy Examples Rationale

Individual names General Mills (Bisquick, The firm does not tie its

Gold Medal, Betty Crocker) reputation to the product’s; if the

product fails or seems low quality,

the company’s name or image is

not hurt.

Blanket family names Campbell’s, Heinz, General The firm spends less on

Electric development because there is no

need for “name” research or heavy

ad spending to create brand-name

recognition; also, product sales are

likely to be strong if the

manufacturer’s name is good.

Separate family names Sears (Kenmore for appliances, Where a firm offers quite

for all products Craftsman for tools); Bank different products, separate

One (Bank One for the family names are more

physical branches, appropriate than one blanket

WingspanBank.com for the family name.

Internet-based bank)

Company trade name Kellogg (Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, The company name legitimizes

with individual product Kellogg’s Raisin Bran) while the individual name

names individualizes each product.

Table 4.2 Brand-Name Strategies