Chapter 1

What Is a Brand?
The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a "name,
term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to
identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to
differentiate them from those of other sellers.
Therefore it makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting
your target market to choose you over the competition, but it is about
getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution
to their problem.To succeed in branding you must understand the needs
and wants of your customers and prospects. You do this by integrating
your brand strategiesthrough your company at every point of public
contact.
Your brand resides within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and
prospects. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some
of which you can influence, and some that you cannot.
A strong brand is invaluable as the battle for customers intensifies day by
day. It's important to spend time investing in researching, defining, and
building your brand. After all your brand is the source of a promise to your
consumer. It's a foundational piece in your marketing communication and
one you do not want to be without.
In principles of Marketing a brand is defined as a "name, term, sign
symbol (or a combination of these) that identifies the maker or seller of
the product"P. Tailor defines a brand as a Marketing tool that allows
consumers to recognize the maker of a product.
The modern word Brand is derived from the word Brandr, a word from
Ancient Norse meaning to burn. Around 950 A.D. a brand referred to a
burning piece of wood. By the 1300s it was used primarily to describe a
torch, essentially a burning piece of wood that is used as a tool. By the
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1500s the meaning had changed to refer to a mark burned on cattle to

show ownership. Individual ranches would each have their own unique
mark so ownership could be determined if their animals were lost, stolen,
or mixed in with animals from another ranch. Each brand had to be
simple, unique, and easy to identify quickly essential traits that are still
common to modern logos.
A brand name helps an organisation differentiate itself from its
competitors. In today's competitive world customers expect products to
have branding. Customers often build up a relationship with a brand that
they trust and will regularly purchase products from that brand. Some
people will only purchase a particular brand even though there are
acceptable alternatives on the market. For example Apple Inc or UK retail
chain John Lewis Partnership have a loyal customer base, who provide
them with repeat business.

The objectives that a good brand will achieve include:a.

b.
c.
d.
e.

Delivers the message clearly.

Confirms your credibility.
Connects your target prospects emotionally.
Motivates the buyer.
Concretes User Loyalty.

WHY IS BRAND IMPORTANT?

Branding goes way beyond just a logo or graphic element. When you think
about your brand, you really want to think about your entire customer
experience everything from your logo, your website, your social media
experiences, the way you answer the phone, to the way your customers
experience your staff. When you look at this broad definition of branding,
it can be a bit overwhelming to think about what is involved in your
brand.
In short, your brand is the way your customer perceives you. It is critical
to be aware of your brand experience and have a plan to create the brand

experience that you want to have a good brand doesn't just happen it is a
well thought out and strategic plan.
Many small organizations and start-ups neglect spending necessary time
thinking about their brand in this broad sense and the impact it has on
their business. Lets look at 10 reasons why digging into your brand is
important:
Branding promotes recognition.
People tend to do business with companies they are familiar with. If your
branding is consistent and easy to recognize, it can help people feel more
at east purchasing your products or services.
Your brand helps set you apart from the competition.
In todays global market, it is critical to stand apart from the crowd. You
are no longer competing on a local stage your organization now competes
in the global economy. How do you stand out from the thousands or
millions of similar organizations around the world?
Your brand tells people about your business DNA.
Your full brand experience from the visual elements like the logo to the
way that your phones are answered, tell your customer about the kind of
company that you are. Are all of these points of entry telling the right
story?
Your brand provides motivation and direction for your staff.
A clear brand strategy provides the clarity that your staff needs to be
successful. It tells them how to act, how to win, and how to meet the
organization's goals.
A strong brand helps customers know what to expect.
A brand that is consistent and clear puts the customer at ease, because
they know exactly what to expect each and every time they experience
the brand.

 Your brand represents you and your promise to your

customer.
It is important to remember that your brand represents your brand, your
staff is the brand, your marketing materials are the brand. What do they
say about you, and what do they say about what youre going to deliver
(promise) to the customer?
Your

brand

helps

you

connect

with

your

customers

emotionally.
A good brand connects with people at an emotional level, they feel good
when they buy the brand. Purchasing is an emotional experience and
having a strong brand helps people feel good at an emotional level when
they engage with the company.
A strong brand provides your business value.
A strong brand will provide value to your organization well beyond your
physical assets. Think about the brands that you purchase from (CocaCola, Wrangler, Apple, Ford, Chick-Fil-A, Quick Trip) are these companies
really worth their equipment, their products, their warehouses, or
factories? No, these companies are worth much more than their physical
assets their brand has created a value that far exceeds their physical
value.

Branding
The process of creating brand is known as branding. The process involves:
o
o
o
o

Naming
Packaging
Unique name of product
Unique logo of customers mind

Branding aim to establish a significant and differentiation in the market

that attracts and retain customers.
Product + X = branding

X = unique feature served to customers

Chapter 2
BRANDING STRATEGY
A brand is a name, term, design or other feature that distinguishes one
seller's

product

from

those

of

others.

Brands

are

used

in business, marketing, and advertising. Initially, livestock branding was

adopted to differentiate one person's cattle from another's by means of a
distinctive symbol burned into the animal's skin with a hot branding iron.
A modern example of a brand is Coca-Cola which belongs to the Coca-Cola
Company.
In accounting, a brand defined as an intangible asset is often the most
valuable asset on a corporation's balance sheet. Brand owners manage
their brands carefully to create shareholder value, and brand valuation is
an important management technique that ascribes a money value to a
brand, and allows marketing investment to be managed (e.g.: prioritized
across a portfolio of brands) to maximize shareholder value. Although only
acquired brands appear on a company's balance sheet, the notion of
putting a value on a brand forces marketing leaders to be focused on long
term stewardship of the brand and managing for value.
The word "brand" is often used as a metonym referring to the company
that is strongly identified with a brand.
Marque or make are often used to denote a brand of motor vehicle, which
may be distinguished from a car model. A concept brand is a brand that is
associated

with

an

abstract

concept,

like breast

cancer

awareness or environmentalism, rather than a specific product, service, or

business. A commodity brand is a brand associated with a commodity.A
logo l often represents a specific brand, as do many trade names.

The concept of Branding has been around for hundreds of years and likely
much longer. What it means to brand something has broadened quite a bit
since the word first came in to use. Despite the changes, each of the older
kinds of branding are still in wide use today. This post will explore how the
concept of branding has changed and grown over the years, and
speculate on whats coming next.

Functions Of Branding Strategy

Strategy management is a concern that has received increased attention
in recent years. The concept building and maintain brand based on the
situation that a strong brand could be a valuable generator of growth and
profitability for a company.
Branding strategy is a long term plan for the development of successful
brand in order to achieve specific goals. A well defined and executed
brand strategy affects all aspect of a business and is directly connected to
consumer needs.
Through brand name a company can design an identity for its product. A
brand management strategy has three main function:

To create or identity for the brand that resonates with consumers.

The position the brand appropriately with respect to competitor.
To communicate the brand and its message to customers.

There are five branding strategy that every company

should follow while launching the product:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

See consumer engagement that other dont.

Establish an identity that is easily relatable.
A lifestyle platform that inspires people and communicate hopes.
Continuous innovation with timing and execution.
Promote the genuine spirit of giving.

When a company manages its brands it has a number of

strategies it can use to further increase its brand value.
These are:
Line extension:
This is where an organisation adds to its current product line by
introducing versions of its products with new features, an example could
be a crisp/chips manufacturer extending its line by adding more exotic
flavours.
Brand extension:
If your current brand name is successful, you may use the brand name to
extend into new business areas. For example Virgin Group extending its
brand from records, to airlines, mobiles and banking.
Multi Branding:
The company decides to introduce more brands into an existing category.
Kelloggs for example having a number of brands in the cereal market and
the cereal bar market. Multi-branding can allow an organisation to
maximise profits, but a company needs to be weary over their own brands
competing with each other over market share.
New Brands:
An organization may decide to launch a new brand into a market. A new
brand may be used to compete with existing rivals and may be marketed
as something new and fresh.

What a brand strategy must include

To be effective, a brand strategy must include these qualities:

1. It is value-based:-It aims to deliver new forms of value that advance

customers beyond the status quo, and beyond the reach of
competitors.
2. It innovates:- It aims to deliver a new customer context, a new vision
of what customers can be, and do exclusively through the brand.
3. It is structured as a platform:-Its goal is to make the brand a
platform of new customer opportunities, a springboard for personal
customer growth.
4. It collaborates with customers:- Brand strategy is a joint effort to
free customers from current markets, illusions or fears that hold
customers

back.

We

structure

collaboration

through brand

engagement.
5. Its an overt act of culture creation:- A brand strategy aims to

create a new culture of growth, initiative and discovery that advances

customers to richer realms of living. This is a new level that should
open up profitable new markets for the company. A brand strategy takes
its direction from the brand mission. It includes the capability of brand vision,
which is the ability to see your future through your customers eyes.

These four steps will help you map out a brand

strategy: Step One: Consider the Intangibles
Anything can be branded. Remember that youre branding a concept, not
just a company or a product. Intangibles, such as the special way you
greet your customers when they enter your store, the way your
employees are dressed, your choice of music in the store and its
volume setting, the window displays and your Web site, contribute to the
experience your customers have with your business. Therefore, they
become a part of your brand. If you own a gourmet cheese shop, youll

want to brand your intelligence, passion and mastery of the gourmet food
experience.
Step Two: Make Your Brand Match Your Business
Know your company. The connection between a company and its
branding should be immediate, establishing a clear relationship
for your customers. A retail boutique should think carefully about
the kind of shopping bags that would be appropriate for handing
off to its fashionable customers as they walk out the door.
Likewise, an athletic retailer might outfit its employees in sport shirts that
are appropriate for sportswear and customized for the store with quality
imprinted or embroidered company logos to make their salespeople look
truly.
Step Three: Speak to Your Target Audience
Know your customers. Make sure your brand speaks appropriately
to

your

different

audiences

(also

called

segments).

Great

branding reaches multiple customer audience segments. Dont

leave out potential customers by branding your product or service for just
one or two customer segments. Obviously, your brand wont appeal to
everyone, but it should reach different types of customers.
If you own a dress shop that usually attracts a middle-aged clientele, dont
brand your identity to that population only. Try to appeal to other shoppers
as well, to encourage them to visit your store. Try placing advertisements
for your store in various publications that have different readers.

Step Four: Take the Long View

Create a brand strategy for the long term. Dont be shortsighted about
your companys brand strategy! Great branding lasts over a long period of
time and its message doesnt fade after only a few months. Branding
should transcend fads in the marketplace. If your competitors are trying to

position their brand as cool or hip to meet market demands, let them.
Try to keep your brand consistent so that it outlives market trends.

Chapter 4
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge. Once can
also define research as a scientific and systematic search for pertinent
information on a specific topic. In fact, research is an art of scientific
investigation. The Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English lays
down the meaning of research as a careful investigation or inquiry
especially through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge.
Redman and Mory define research as a systematized effort to gain new
knowledge. Some people consider research as a movement, a movement
from the known to the unknown. It is actually a voyage of discovery. We all
possess the vital instinct of inquisitiveness for, when the unknown
confronts us, we wonder and our inquisitiveness makes us probe and
attain full and fuller understanding of the unknown. This inquisitiveness is
the mother of all knowledge and the method, which man employs for
obtaining the knowledge of whatever the unknown, can be termed as
research.
Research is an academic activity and as such the term should be used in a
technical sense. According to Clifford Woody, research comprises defining
and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions;
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collecting, organizing and evaluating data; making deductions and

reaching conclusions; and at last carefully testing the conclusions to
determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis. D. Slesinger and
M. Stephenson in the Encyclopedia of Social Sciences define research as
the manipulation of things, concepts or symbols for the purpose of
generalizing to extend, correct or verify knowledge, whether that
knowledge aids in construction of theory or in the practice of an art.
Research is, thus, an original contribution to the existing stock of
knowledge making for its advancement. It is the pursuit of truth with the
help of study, observation, comparison and experiment. In short, the
search for knowledge through objective and systematic method of finding
solution to a problem is research. The systematic approach concerning
generalization and the formulation of a theory is also research. As such
the term research refers to the systematic method consisting of
enunciating the problem, formulating a hypothesis, collecting the facts or
data, analyzing the facts and reaching certain conclusions either in the
form of solutions(s) towards the concerned problem or in certain
generalizations for some theoretical formulation.

OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH
The purpose of research is to discover answers to questions through the
application of scientific procedures. The main aim of research is to find out
the truth which is hidden and which has not been discovered as yet.
Though each research study has its own specific purpose, we may think of
research objectives as falling into a number of following broad groupings:
1. To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it
(studies with this object in view are termed as exploratory or
formulative research studies);
2. To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual,
situation or a group (studies with this object in view are known as
descriptive research studies);

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3. To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which

it is associated with something else (studies with this object in view are
known as diagnostic research studies);
4. To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables (such
studies are known as hypothesis-testing research studies).
TYPES OF RESEARCH
The type of information you want to gather about your customers, market
or competitors will influence the research methods you choose. There
are different ways to gather information (from primary or
secondary sources) and different types of information to gather
(quantitative and qualitative). You may use any combination of these
research approaches to get the results you need.

Primary and Secondary

Primary and secondary research relate to the way you gather information.
IMPARICAL RESEARCH
Primary research (or field research) gathers original information directly
for your purpose, rather than being gathered from published sources.
Primary research includes:

surveys

direct observations

interviews and focus groups that are developed and conducted by

you or your researcher.
Primary research gives you control over the type of questions you ask and
information you gather. Primary research results can be extremely
valuable; however, they can also be much more time-consuming and
costly to gather than secondary research.

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You may choose to use primary research methods once you have
conducted secondary research to determine what information already
exists.
DOCTRINAL RESEARCH
Secondary research (or desk research) gathers existing information
through available sources. Secondary research examples include:

information on the internet

existing market research results

existing data from your own stock lists and customer database

information from agencies such as industry bodies, government

agencies, libraries and local councils.
Secondary research allows you to make the most of existing information
about your market. However, it can be a challenge to find the information
you really need.
You may use secondary research to get an initial understanding of your
market. It is often faster to analyze than primary data because, in many
cases, someone else may have already started analyzing it. However,
when using secondary research be careful how you interpret it, as it may
have been collected for a different purpose or from a market segment that
isn't relevant to your business. Also make sure that any secondary
information isn't out-of-date, as the market can change quickly and this
will affect your results.

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Quantitative and qualitative research defines the type of information you
gather
.
Quantitative research
Quantitative research gathers numerical data. Quantitative research
includes:
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surveys on customer return frequency

sales figures

industry product sales numbers

Financial trends.
You can use this approach to identify the size of your market and how
much it might be worth to your business, and to find areas for sales
growth.

Quantitative

research

can

also

help

you

understand

the

demographics of customers, such as their age and gender.

Quantitative research often produces a lot of statistics. These are useful
as an overview of your market, but make sure you don't rely solely on
statistics in your research. Consider all of the information you have. For
example, the 'average' price your target market suggested it would pay
for a product could be distorted if a few a participants selected a very high
amount (i.e. not reflecting the high number who would not pay that
much).
Qualitative research
Qualitative research gathers views and attitudes. Qualitative research
includes:

focus groups with customers and potential customers to understand

their feelings and attitudes towards your products and services

formal and informal conversations with customers about their

satisfaction with your business

visits and reviews of competitors to understand their products and

customer service practices.
You can use this approach to get a better understanding of your
customers' interests, needs and habits, and identify opportunities for
growing sales and improving customer service. Analyzing qualitative data
requires a different approach and can take longer to interpret than
quantitative data because of the nature of the information.

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PROJECT RESEARCH
The way of research is Secondary research
The type of research is Qualitative research.
My project is based on secondary research as my research is conducted
on the basis of data collected by source, nor by self experiment. As the
data for this project is collected by books, web and other indirect
resources, this project strictly adopt the concept of secondary research
methodology.

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Chapter 4
Coca-cola branding strategy

Began in 1866, constant development in the brand packaging and

positioning leads in the great success of the Coca Cola Company. In view
of the fact that its beginning Coca Cola is aligning it closely with the selfmotivated client sophistication as well as acceptability of modernization.

MISSION
Coca cola exist to create value for our share owners on a long-term basis
by

building

business

that

enhances

The

Coca-Cola

Companys

trademarks. This is also our ultimate commitment. As the worlds largest

beverage company, we refresh that world. We do this by developing
superior soft drinks, both carbonated and non-carbonated, and profitable
non-alcoholic beverage systems that create value for our Company, our
bottling partners and our customers.
Mission + Commitment = Focus
Focus + Action = Results
The Company doesnt miss any chance to relate its product with huge
global commemorations and other global events. For instance in FIFA 2010
World Cup, the Company launched a latest edition of Somali-Canadian
KNaana Waving Flag Song. An occasion what was based on the
International Association of Football Association, watched cumulatively by
more than 26,000,000,000 people.

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 OBJECTIVES

Coca-Colas first objective is to maximize share owner value over

time.

Maximize long-term cash flow

To ensure the strongest and most efficient production, distribution,

and marketing systems possible

Thats the biggest activation in the history of the Coca Cola Company
ever. The song was part of the branding strategy of Coca Cola that
become viral in social media, television commercials, and also was linked
in the general thread of event.
General factors in branding strategy of Coca Cola Company have forever
been related with the sense of joy, unity and togetherness. Coca Cola
Company targets on occasions such which connect people largely in the
following ways:
1. Family
2. Happiness
3. Culture
4. Music
5. Sport

OPERATION:

Coca-Colas strategy of strengthening their distribution system,

particularly in China and India.

Coca-Cola purchases under-performing bottling systems, improves

them and sells them back to strong, existing bottlers.

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This strategy increases the operational efficiency of Coca-Colas

distribution.

FINANCE

Coca-Colas concentrate business is a cash cow.

In 1997, Coca-Cola generated $4 billion in operating cash flow

Coca-Cola invests this in 3 ways

invest in bottling & concentrate plants

pay dividends to share owners

repurchases their shares

INTERNAL ENVIORMENT

Coca-Cola produces franchise products.

Products do not have substitutes

Coca-Cola is a low cost leader

Coca-Cola has the largest plant capacity in the world and

therefore enjoys significant economies of scale.

Low regulatory restrictions placed on the Company.

EXTERNAL ENVIORMENT
External environment consists of:
o Economic
o Social/Demographic
o Ecological

o Political

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Since the principle of the company is to sustain the degree of cleverness

of its clients, Coke has been viral on various social media. It has more than
35 millions fanatics on Facebook compared to Pepsi with only 6 million
enthusiasts and has more than 405,000 followers on Twitter (Pepsi
150,000 Twitter followers). In accordance to current statistics, Coca Cola
videos or commercials have been seen more than 34 million times.
Concerning engaging with the community of social media, according to
Wendy Clark, the companys Senior Vice President for Integrated
Marketing responsible or supervised the social media part of business
states that having fans react to the brand is meaningful since they are the
ones who will purchase and consume the product.
A moment ago, Coca Cola Company has promised to recycle plastic
bottles gathered at the 2012 London Olympic as well as Paralympics
Games into almost 80 million fresh bottles within 24 weeks of the
concluding ceremonial. Coca Cola guesses that the reprocessing scheme
will address for 1/5 of all client waste during the event.
In addition, the Coca Cola has also presented a unique white Coke Can
that features pictures of bears and is advertised on social media network.
Proceeds of the sales of the brad aid protect secure the Arctic habitation
All this is engaging and fascinating.
These are some of the different branding strategy of Coca Cola Company
that has embedded the brand in the lives of many people all over the
world.

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Please enjoy a delicious and refreshing Coca-Cola

Classic!

Chapter 5
CONCLUSION
Communicating and carrying out the vision, mission and
strategy intent should take place with a common strategic
framework using a consistent and unambiguous message, the
so called think globally act locally. Coca cola comes to the
conclusion by its branding strategy that the world has moved
on from the advertisements as many other businesses who are
embracing social media as part of their marketing strategy.
Consumer ideas, creativity and conversations have been set
free with the evolution of social networks; learning to advanced
and dispute those conversations to increase your brand
visibility is now a vital part of your marketing

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