The Marketing Book 5th Edition

Desired

consequences

Modified by

situation

Evaluate extent

to which brands’

attributes match

situational

consequences

Brand

choice

Culture

Peer groups Values

Brand building 379

to their target market, then ensuring they are
able to deliver these. If some staff do not believe
in these values, this will show in their behaviour
and consumers will change to another brand.

Brand as vision

Another perspective noted about managers’
interpretations of brands is akin to a beacon,
whose rays provide a clear sense of direction
for the traveller. In other words, brands are
about a vision senior managers have for mak-
ing the world a better place. As a result of this
vision, a role can be defined for the brand.
Within this perspective, brand management is
about the senior team taking time to envision a
world they want to bring about through their
brand. Thus, Apple Mackintosh is about ena-
bling more creativity.
This interpretation is more strategic and
takes courage from the brand’s team. Gone are
incremental extrapolations and instead the
team takes time to envision long-term scenarios

that they boldly want to bring about through

their brand.

Without a well-defined vision, a brand

could be in danger of drifting and, when faced

with an unforeseen threat, a short-term solution

may result which could shift the brand’s

direction. A good brand vision spurs managers,

staff and consumers towards greater things.

Nike’s consumer advertising campaign, ‘You

don’t win silver. You lose gold’, is a good

example of the way the brand vision encour-

ages a particular course of action.

Brand as adding value

This perspective on brands is akin to consider-

ing the extra benefits over and beyond the basic

product or service that are added and which

buyers value. These extra benefits could either

be functionally based, albeit more difficult to

sustain over time, or emotionally based. A

functional example is a garage in a commuting

town north of London displaying a banner

proclaiming, ‘We go the extra mile’. They do so

through providing an extra service to custom-

ers who bring their cars to the garage for

maintenance, driving their customers to and

from the train station a mile away. By contrast,

the Levi jeans owner perceives emotional value

in the brand, since wearing these with their

peer group, they feel more connected and

integrated with the group.

Added value is a relative concept that

enables customers to make a purchase on the

basis of superiority over competing brands. It

can also be judged by customers in terms of

how the brand has improved over time, for

example the pleasant surprise a car owner

experiences when trading in their model for a

newer model of the same marque. Interviews

with branding consultants (de Chernatony et

al., 2000) showed that, unless there has been a

breakthrough in technology creating a new

market, added values should not be conceived

in terms relative to the core commodity form,

but rather relative to competition or time.

Figure 15.4 How values influence behaviour
Source: Adapted from Gutman, 1982.