Multidimensionality of Branding

Branding is broadly defined as a marketing process of giving a name, a symbol, a personality or design to a product that will identify and differentiate that specific product among others. It is the process of creating distinctive and durable perception in the mind of the consumers.

  Kevin Lan Keller defines brand knowledge as a function of awareness, which relates to consumers’ ability to recognize or recall the brand and image which consists of consumers’ perception of association for the brand.

  David Glen Mick in his essay about Brand Synthesis explains that it requires a process that goes through eight dimensions to acquire brand knowledge by the marketers to make it available to the consumers; awareness, attributes, benefits, images, thoughts, feelings, attitudes and experiences.

1. Awareness: it is an important step in promoting a brand and making it known and accepted by the consumers (investopia). It is the probability that consumers recognize the existence and availability of a company’s products and services. It is also the process of memorization of a brand characteristics and the familiarity a consumer has with a specific brand
2. Attributes: it describes the characteristics of a brand; symbols, pictures, colors, a slogan or personality traits. Example: the crocodile for the brand LACOSTE. 
3. Benefits: personal value and meaning that consumers attach to the brand’s product attributes (functional, symbolic, or experiential consequences from the brand’s purchase or consumption). Make products and services in order for the consumers to make the most benefits out of them so that they can easily remember the brand. 
4. Images: the visual information that gives the brand.
5. Thoughts: personal cognitive responses to brand related information.
6. Feelings: a personal affective responses to any brand related information.
7. Attitudes: Judgments and overall evaluations to any brand related information.
8. Experiences: purchase and consumption behavior or any brand related episodes.

  Over years marketers have placed their priorities on branding. It offers the opportunity to the consumers researchers to provide a better service to the consumers. Marketers have put an important emphasize on making brands part of the consumers purchasing behavior. For the consumers to make a brand part of their habits, they have to acquire the brand knowledge, learn to be familiar with the brand of their choice and feel a sense of loyalty to what they will call “the favorite” . Responding positively to the eight different dimensions of the brand knowledge is a proof that consumers are finally familiar with a particular brand.

Citation:

Investopia.com

Kelle, Kevin Lane. "Brand Synthesis: The Multidimensionality of Brand Knowledge." Ed. David Glen Mick. Journal of Consumer Research 29 (2003). The University of Chicago Press. Web. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/346254>.