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Brand image is the actual perception of a company’s brand held by consumers in the market. Brand perception is expressed through specific images and associations; these may relate to the product’s functional characteristics, but they can also simply convey emotions and be abstract.
The three main components of brand image.
There are three critical components of any brand image: strength, attractiveness and uniqueness. By controlling these three characteristics, you can fully manage the brand’s reputation in the market.
01. ASSOCIATIONS MUST BE STRONG.
Strong associations make it possible to fix the desired image in the consumer’s mind and reduce the likelihood of it being forgotten or lost on contact with competing products. Strong associations are created by generating interest in receiving information (the right time, place and consumer interest) and through the consumer’s own experience of using the product (consumers form the strongest images and associations while personally using the product).
02. ASSOCIATIONS SHOULD BE ATTRACTIVE.
Associations should be presented as a solution to the consumer’s main problems and match consumers’ wishes; they should offer a guarantee that issues will be solved and reduce frustration when buying and using a product.
03. ASSOCIATIONS MUST BE UNIQUE.
Unique associations, closely linked to the brand’s positioning, reflect the product’s competitive advantages. They emphasise uniqueness through the brand’s superiority over other brands in a specific area. When combined with strong and favourable associations, uniqueness gives the consumer a sense of assurance when purchasing the product.
A few tips for creating a brand image.
As market competition grows, choice expands and functional differences between products shrink, brand image becomes the decisive criterion in choosing a product. Here are a few tips for building a sustainable, long-term product image.
01. BASE YOUR IMAGE ON AN IDEA.
To create the right image, you need to make it simple, clear and memorable. The image should be built around one idea – your mission or what your product does best. What is the most important thing you want to tell the consumer? Do you have the lowest prices, the widest choice or the fastest delivery? If the answer is all of these at once, it is time to go back to your starting point and identify one clear idea, then surround it with various reinforcing associations.
02. BE CONSISTENT.
Creating an image is not a five-minute task; the process requires consistent, long-term communication. Be consistent in your messages to the consumer. Always talk about the same idea, presenting it in new ways and with new images, but conveying a single meaning.
03. BE CONVINCING.
To build a distinctive brand image, use arguments that will capture the attention of the product’s target audience. Be sure to use emotional communication based on the audience’s psychosocial needs.
04. KEEP YOUR PROMISES.
One of the most common mistakes is creating an ideal image that is not backed up by results. You can promise the consumer a perfect product, but if it does not live up to those promises, the image you have built will quickly crumble into pieces that are difficult to put back together.
05. ANALYSE THE RESULTS.
Managing reputation and brand image in an industry is a complex, sequential process. The first step is to create a core message, which will be expressed in advertising, packaging and product properties. After a certain period, analyse the results: understand how your target audience perceives you. Having compared the actual and target perceptions of the brand, adjust your message by strengthening the image characteristics that are least pronounced in how the product is recognised.
A brand image is always presented through the product’s positioning, and it reflects the nature of the company. The product’s image is conveyed through its name, appearance, slogan and brand properties, through “how it communicates with consumers” and “how it supports the essential values of society”.
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