Instructor LAP

LAP: PM-006-SP It's a Brand, Brand, Brand World!

PDF Handouts

Social Studies Standards

Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of individual development and identity.

Student Booklet, Make It Pay!, p. 8
WWW, Possibilities

Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions.

Student Booklet, The Gray Zone, p. 7
Teacher Booklet, The Gray Zone Discussion Guide, p. 16
WWW, Case Study
WWW, Academic Application

Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people organize for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

WWW, Here and Now

Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of relationships among science, technology, and society.

Student Booklet, Branding on the Internet: The future is now, p. 6
WWW, Technology Applications

Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of global connections and interdependence.

Student Booklet, Branding internationally: Challenge and opportunity, p. 6
WWW, Beyond US

Standards for the English Language Arts

Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

WWW, Beyond US
WWW, Here and Now
WWW, Case Study
WWW, Possibilities
WWW, Technology Applications

Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

Teacher Guide, Individual Activities #1 and #2
WWW, At Work
WWW, Computer Application
Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

WWW, Academic Application

Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Teacher Guide, Group Activities #1 and #2

Also appears in pdf file

Nike “just does it” for women

In its 30-year history, Nike has become the undisputed leader in sports marketing. In fact, marketing executives everywhere want to be like Nike. But behind the company’s phenomenal growth and success was a serious weakness. Even though Nike took its name from the Greek goddess of victory – a woman – the company has always been all about men.

The overall market for women’s sports apparel has soared in the last couple of decades and is estimated to have generated $15 billion in 2001 – nearly $3 billion more than men’s apparel. However, in the same year, revenue from Nike’s women’s products generated approximately $1.5 billion, accounting for only about 20% of the company’s sales.

Industry-watchers admit that it’s somewhat amazing that Nike has failed so miserably with women – and, in fact, continues to fail, even though there are distinct forces that threaten its future. The Air Jordan movement has all but run its course. Labor activists have damaged the company’s reputation. And, most of all, other brands like Sketchers have taken major bites out of the teen market, with styles that are inspired by skateboarding, not basketball. Many wonder why Nike still hasn’t responded to the women’s market.

Inside the company, the question is being pondered. Part of the reason has to do with the more diverse group of people from different backgrounds that now inhabit Nike – in contrast to the “boys club”/locker-room atmosphere created by its founders. With this infusion, Nike has found that it can keep many of its core values while adding new sources of inspiration.

Indeed, this inspiration is producing a major shift in how Nike views and will market to women. A company-wide, grassroots team has been formed: Nike Goddess. The team’s goal is a new vision – once-and-for-all – for how the company sells to, designs for, and communicates with women. And company insiders see much more of the same ahead.

“This is the beginning of a larger [effort] at Nike,” says one company executive. “We had to wake up to the women’s business and do it differently. We had run great ads and supported great women athletes. But nothing seemed to gel.”

The Nike Goddess movement began as a concept for a women’s-only store, because shopping at Niketown is a big turnoff for many women. The feel of Niketown stores is dark, loud, and harsh – in a word, male. Selling Nike had always been about “turning up the volume.” Nike Goddess, on the other hand, is about turning down the volume – wanting people to come in and take a breath.

The first two Nike Goddess stores in southern California have the feel of someone’s home, designed in blue and white, with furnishings, not fixtures. Nike has plans to build several more around the country, in part, to demonstrate that it’s serious about this business. Next year, Lady Foot Locker will incorporate part of the Nike Goddess retail philosophy into its 600 stores. Nordstrom will put a compact version of Nike Goddess in its highest-traffic stores, and Macy’s Herald Square in New York will also get a smaller version of Nike Goddess.

Designing a new retail approach was only one aspect of Nike’s effort to connect with women. Nike staff also dived into redesigning the shoes and clothes themselves. An example: introduction of the Air Kyoto, Nike’s first yoga shoe. The designer was inspired by the beauty encountered on a pilgrimage to Japan and came up with the slender black slip-on with a tiny “swoosh” on the heel. The shoe, the designer says, embodies Kyoto’s simplicity and grace.

Nike also started to more carefully observe and analyze women’s approach to an active lifestyle, which isn’t about sports, but instead revolves around fitness – what Nike refers to as “the in-between places.” Before the Goddess initiative, Nike was focused exclusively on running, basketball, and soccer, rooted in the company’s “jock” heritage. Nike also figured out another key insight – the important role that a woman’s nomadic lifestyle plays in fitness – from doing yoga in the morning, to work, to picking up the kids, to going for a run.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Nike Goddess journey for the testosterone-fueled company has been the exploration of the whole concept of “feminine.” Nike turned to the blossoming field of biomimicry, which seeks design ideas from the logic of nature. Initially, designers looked to a cat, a butterfly, and a swan as examples of creatures that exude the “feminine mystique” – beauty, elegance, and grace. But a closer look revealed that in nature, traits such as strength, competitiveness, and aggression are as common in females as in males. Example: the lioness. Beautiful? Yes. Delicate? Hardly!

The insight was the proverbial wake-up call for Nike designers, who are now getting past flowing lines and passive colors to designs that are both feminine and tough.

Effects of the Nike Goddess movement are reverberating through the company. Staffers say that “Goddess” has galvanized them. What began with creating a better retail strategy for women has become an opportunity to recalibrate and re-energize the entire Nike brand.

Discussion questions

Discuss why Nike decided to embark on the Nike Goddess project.
Why do you think women weren’t responding well to traditional Nike brand values?
What elements in the company itself allowed Nike to successfully undertake Nike Goddess?
What are some of the things Nike has done in the course of Nike Goddess that are making it successful with the target audience?
How can the company preserve the integrity of the Nike brand with an entirely new marketing approach to women?

Key

Nike found that women were often turned off by its brand, which is “loud and aggressive” – or male-oriented. In Niketown stores, for example, women would routinely have to wade through several floors of sports shoes and equipment – e.g., basketball and soccer – to get to women’s apparel. Ultimately Nike realized that, although the women’s fitness apparel industry was growing faster than men’s, it accounted for only a fraction of the company’s sales. Women were looking elsewhere for fitness clothing and shoes that were suited to them.
From the beginning, Nike has created a “jock” brand, based in athletics and sports and a very male notion of high-performance. It is said that inside the company, too, the culture was very male, with an atmosphere not unlike that of a locker room. While Nike has always marketed its brand to women, it has done so largely from a more traditionally male perspective. This approach did not resonate with women, and as the company found, women simply weren’t buying it!
As Nike’s founders – self-described jocks themselves – have aged, the company has been infused with new blood. What began as a largely male company now reflects a broad range of diversity, in terms of age, race, and sex. This has meant the infusion of new ideas and new perspectives, out of which, Nike Goddess was born.
First, Nike realized that women aren’t men! They realized that women respond to brand messages and cues much differently than men do. For example, “high-performance” doesn’t mean “sports” to women; it means “fitness.” That insight led Nike to explore what they’re calling the “in-between” places where women pursue fitness, such as ballet and yoga. Nike has also worked hard to understand its target audience. Women, they found, are “nomadic,” racing between yoga and work and daycare and home. Nike products, they reasoned, have to fit into that lifestyle. Nike also explored extensively the whole concept of “femininity,” by turning to biomimicry, to identify animals and insects that exude a “feminine mystique.” Although they first pursued “delicate and graceful” – butterflies and swans – they evolved into “beautiful and tough” as personified by a lioness. Again, observing and listening to their target market paid off.
Nike has expanded upon – but preserved – its brand because, even with the Nike Goddess approach, it has not wavered from its core values: fitness, strength, persistence, becoming one’s best self. This is why Nike Goddess has not diluted the Nike brand, but instead, has done just the opposite: Nike Goddess has “galvanized and re-energized” the entire Nike brand! In addition, Nike has extended its very well-developed, integrated marketing approach to Nike Goddess stores and products, in terms of the more tangible aspects of the brand, such as its Nike “swoosh” logo.

Key points

Nike undertakes the “Nike Goddess” project.
Lack of response by women to traditional Nike values.
New Nike culture facilitates new approach.
Nike Goddess is successful with target audience.
Nike preserves the integrity of its brand.

References

Nike [Online]. (No date). Available: www.nike.com/nikegoddess/ [ 8.23.02].

Warner, F. ( 2002, August). Nike’s Women’s Movement. Fast Company, pp 70 – 75.

Warner, F. www.fastcompany.com/feature/02/nike.html, “Feminine Mystique,” 8.20.02.

Higher Order Thinking Skills

Application	Level	Higher Order Thinking Skills
Teacher Guide: Discussion Questions, pp. 7 (top + bottom) 8, 9, 10	1. Use knowledge in new/novel situations; apply rules/theories/or principles to specific practice.	1.k Determine
WWW: Academic Application	1. Use knowledge in new/novel situations; apply rules/theories/or principles to specific practice.	1.r Present
Teacher Guide: Discussion Questions, pp. 4, 6	2. Break down into components so intent is clarified and organization structure is apparent.	2.k Explain why
Teacher Guide: Group Activity #2	2. Break down into components so intent is clarified and organization structure is apparent.	2.m Infer
Student Booklet: Make It Pay!, The Gray Zone	4. Judge the value or worth of a thing/idea based on specific criteria or standards.	4.b Assess
Teacher Guide: Group Activity #1	4. Judge the value or worth of a thing/idea based on specific criteria or standards.	4.e Critique
Teacher Guide: Individual Activities #1 and #2	4. Judge the value or worth of a thing/idea based on specific criteria or standards.	4.f Decide
WWW: Case Study, At Work, Computer Application	4. Judge the value or worth of a thing/idea based on specific criteria or standards.	4.g Determine

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Objective A

Slide 5, Transparency 2

Describe the nature of a brand and how the contemporary definition differs from the more traditional one.

Slide 6, Transparency 3

Describe the differences between a brand and brand identity.

Slide 7, Transparency 4

Describe characteristics of an effective brand name.

Slide 10, Transparency 6

Describe brand values and their importance.

Slide 11, Transparency 6

Describe brand personality.

Slide 12, Transparency 7

Describe touch points and their relationship to customers.

Slide 13, Transparency 7

Describe a brand promise and its relevance to customers.

Slide 14, Transparency 8

Describe the three levels of brand loyalty.

Objective B

Slide 16, Transparency 9

Describe the four main types of brands.

Slide 17, Transparency 10

Describe five distinct brand strategies and how they are used.

Slide 18, Transparency 11

Describe the challenges for brands internationally and on the Internet.

Objective C

Slide 22, Transparency 14

Describe how brands come alive.

Slide 25, Transparency 16

Describe the concept behind "a brand called You."

The Gray Zone

Slide 27, Transparency 17

Describe Abercrombie and Fitch’s approach to marketing its brand and the various reactions of its teen customers, their parents, and attorneys general. Discuss A&F’s ethical responsibility to any of these groups.

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1. Brands are built on all the associations and experiences

companies have about other industries.

businesses have about and with each other.

consumers have toward a business or product.

consumers have about things they want to buy.

2. What should an effective brand name be whenever possible?

Short and memorable

Long and flashy

Related to other brands

Unrelated to product features

3. What is the foundation of a brand?

Product design

Values and characteristics

Name and logo

Promotional elements

4. What are customer touch points?

Interactive, touch-screen displays for customers

Designated merchandise that customers are encouraged to touch

Opportunities businesses and products have to interact with customers

Ways in which salespeople are encouraged to handle merchandise as they sell

5. One way that companies make brand promises to their customers is by

fulfilling special requests for customers.

providing customers with a sworn statement.

making verbal brand promises to each customer.

meeting or exceeding customer expectations on a consistent basis.

6. One reason why many retailers are anxious to offer private, or distributor, brands is
because they

look better in advertising than other brands.

are very effective in building customer loyalty.

can be sold in greater quantities than other brands.

can be imported more inexpensively than other brands.

7. A brand extension is an example of a

brand strategy.

brand promise.

family brand.

corporate brand.

8. Co-branding works best when two brands are

fierce competitors.

in the same industry segment.

owned by the same parent company.

complementary and more or less equal in stature.

9. Why is it often difficult to introduce a brand on the Internet?

There are strict brand regulations on the Internet.

There are fewer brand cues, and customers are less loyal.

Most people only visit their favorite web sites.

Internet customers generally have limited incomes.

10. One reason why individuals are considered the "drivers" of brands is because they

decide what the brand’s values and promise will be.

have excellent skills in developing brand names.

come from bigger companies and bring brand values with them.

demonstrate brand values to customers in everything they do.

Quick Quiz Grader

Communications

Access the Martha Stewart archives at http://talkshows.about.com/cs/newsmartha or another news-oriented web site to find out about how the recent ImClone scandal has impacted the Martha Stewart brand. Write a one- to two-page paper summarizing some or all of the following components:

Facts about the scandal
Public reaction to the scandal
Attempts to improve public relations
Profits/Sales before and after the scandal
The role the media has played in the scandal
Your opinion about the future of the Martha Stewart brand

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If you’re working now, apply this activity to your place of employment. If you’re not, select a small business in your neighborhood. Interview the manager and several employees. Use their responses, along with your own observations and insights, to formulate the answers to the following questions.

What does this business’s "brand" stand for? What are its values and qualities?
What are some concrete examples of representations of the brand?
What is the brand promise that this business makes to its customers?
What are some examples of customer touch points for this business?
Does this business demonstrate its brand values at customer touch points?
Are employees aware of the brand’s values? Do they demonstrate them in their jobs?
If you were a consultant, what suggestions would you make to this business for better defining and strengthening its brands with customers and/or employees?

Wild About Cinnabon^® in Japan

Expanding into Japan was logical for Cinnabon, Inc., according to one company executive, because the Japanese like to eat sweet, baked goods, have high disposable income, and like to buy American brands.

But something much bigger was happening there.

When Cinnabon expanded into the Japanese market, it quickly developed a cult-like following of people who waited upwards of two hours to get their hands on the brand's cinnamon rolls. When the first bakery opened in December 1999, the line on opening day was 300 deep, and the store had to limit the number of rolls each guest could purchase. Because of complaints from neighboring merchants, Cinnabon now rents additional space near some bakeries for its guests to stay in a holding line! In the summer of 2001, Cinnabon's sales in Japan were four times those at comparable U.S. bakeries. And, the company buys no print or broadcast advertising to support its stores in Japan.

The excitement shows no signs of winding down. Each new opening is met with great fanfare, long lines, and high sales volume. When wearing clothing with the Cinnabon logo, employees are stopped on the street, asked for autographs, and thanked for bringing Cinnabon to Japan.

Lately, fan web sites have sprung up throughout Japan, including www.ilovecinnabon.com, where fans share their love of the specialty cinnamon rolls.

Use a word-processing program to write a report based on your opinions about how a company’s latest promotional campaign has impacted its brand. When possible, support your ideas with specific examples from the new promotion(s). For example, the television commercial shows a woman sleeping soundly after taking cough syrup which is consistent with the brand’s image of a safe, reliable cold medicine. When you are finished, submit the report to your teacher for review.

-----------------

Report Rating Scale

Directions: Circle the appropriate rating for each consideration.

The report...	No Evidence of Attempt	Evidence of Attempt but Improvement Needed	Attempt Met or Exceeded Expectation
1. Had a neat appearance	0	1 - 2	3 - 4
2. Contained correct spelling and grammar throughout	0	1 - 2	3 - 4
3. Contained complete sentences	0	1 - 2	3 - 4
4. Had a clear message and purpose	0	1 - 2	3 - 4
5. Provided up-to-date information	0	1 - 2	3 - 4
6. Reflected the author’s opinion on the subject	0	1 - 2	3 - 4
7. Provided relevant, supporting examples	0	1 - 2	3 - 4

Lego goes ‘back to basics’
It seems that some brands that have strayed too far from their roots are returning to their core values and the things that made them great in the first place.

Lego, the Danish toy maker, is considering experimenting with franchise shops under the Lego name to strengthen its brand identity. After flirting with new products such as computer games and electronic toys, Lego fell into the red in the late 1990s.

"We have to return to the core of our brand and to deliver what consumers are expecting from us," says Lego’s CEO Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen. "It’s much easier to explain one’s values in one’s own shops."

The product line-up will again be dominated by the colorful, interlocking plastic blocks that made Lego famous and of which more than 200 billion have been sold worldwide.

Strengthening the brand is at the heart of Mr. Kristiansen’s overhaul of the company. "The stronger the core, the easier it is to transfer the brand to other products," he says.

Back to basics II: Gap

Gap management is leading a charge back to basics – jeans, khakis, oxfords, and pocket T’s – after having wandered into the trendy territory of bold colors, low riders, teeny tops, and stretchy everything. Not only did the Gap become a "fashion don’t" for regular customers, it didn’t attract any new ones.

The Gap has begun to restore its image by killing, or heading off, apparel that is not "Gap right." And now what you see at home on TV and what you find in the stores will be the same. Gap is also rerouting its other brands, Old Navy and Banana Republic, back to basics.

Old Navy advertising features family-themed merchandise, which is also positioned upfront in stores. Customers can expect more cargo pants and active wear all around.

Banana Republic executives say that they "woke up one morning and (the stores had become) ‘stretch huts’ for men." Banana Republic is also finding its way back to its core – dressier, more upscale variations on Gap themes.

Steak Taco

It’s been done. But here’s a new co-branding twist. Taco John’s (based in Wyoming) and Steak Escape (Escape Enterprises, based in Ohio) will experiment with 20 company-owned dual-branded restaurants beginning this year. The decision follows a six-year experiment with two restaurants in Minnesota. Co-branding offers several positioning advantages as outlined in MarkED’s brand LAP. In addition, executives of these Mexican and Philly cheese steak restaurants cite savings on land and construction costs, overhead expenses, etc. Owners believe the concept will work because both fast food companies feature authentic, high-quality menu items that are quite different but that appeal to similar demographics. In addition to the company-owned stores, the co-brand concept is getting the attention of franchisees. Several have signed agreements to develop the dual concept in Denver, Ohio, South Dakota, and Minnesota.

The Daily Reporter

August 28, 2002

No More Aspirin?

Trademarks have value. Although it’s relatively easy to get a trademark, it’s very challenging to protect your rights to its exclusive use. Trademarks are based on continuing and proper use. All rights are lost if a trademark is deemed "abandoned." There are three issues associated with abandonment of a trademark:

Nonuse: If the mark has not been used for two years it may be considered abandoned.

Improper licensing: If the trademark owner doesn’t enforce his rights, s/he may lose them. For example, a company must take action when another individual or company infringes on the mark. The owner must protect the style and quality of the trademark and ensure that anyone using it is properly licensed.

Generic use: A company must work to keep its trademark from becoming a generic term for a type of product. Examples of trademarks that have been abandoned for this reason include aspirin, escalator, and cellophane.

Association Management

September, 2002

LAP: PM-006-SP ©2003, MarkED It's a Brand, Brand, Brand World!

Also appears in pdf file

So What?

Importance of employees in shaping a business’s brand

Importance of connecting to customers through the business’s brand

Brand defined: the combined impressions and experiences associated with companies, goods, or services
Elements that make up a brand’s identity

Brand names

Brand symbols, or logos

Trade characters

Relationship between brand and company values
Important brand concepts

Brand cues

Brand personality

Touch points

Brand promise

Degrees of brand loyalty

Brand recognition

Brand preference

Brand insistence

Types of brands

Corporate

Product

Private (a.k.a. distributor)

Generic

Brand strategies

Family branding

Individual

Brand extensions

Brand licensing

Co-branding

International branding
Impact of the Internet on branding
Important contributors in branding

All businesses

Employees

You

The Gray Zone

Facts about Abercrombie & Fitch’s successful, but controversial, brand

Does Abercrombie & Fitch have any social responsibility to the markets
it serves?

Make It Pay!

Everything you are reflects the brand that is you.

Steps for shaping the brand you want to be

You’ve decided to go on to college or attend community college for a couple of years after high school. You’ve enjoyed your marketing classes and DECA activities and want to learn more, especially about branding. What can you expect?

At the college level, you’ll likely begin with general marketing classes that explore many of the areas you’re already aware of – distribution, pricing, promotion, and selling, among them – but more in depth. Your high school marketing classes will have given you a solid foundation for taking these classes. As part of the learning process, you’ll be writing term papers, conducting research projects, and participating in group projects, all of which are designed to bring the topics to life and enrich your experiences.

Once you have a solid foundation in marketing, in general, you’ll want to build upon it with more specialized classes. The process of understanding and building brands is not an academic discipline in and of itself but instead represents the blending of a variety of related topic areas. Since branding involves promotion, you’ll definitely want to take some advertising classes. Effective branding is based completely on understanding and responding to the customer, so classes in consumer behavior would also be a plus. And, classes outside the marketing arena – psychology, sociology, and literature–will also contribute later on to your work with branding.

Branding is not something you learn once. It is a dynamic, ever-changing body of knowledge. Therefore, your ongoing, informal education is just as important as your college classes. If you think you might want to pursue some aspect of branding in your career, take the initiative to become a student of brands. Read current publications – The Wall Street Journal and USA Today – and periodicals, such as Fortune and Business Week, on a regular basis to stay current with what various brands are doing. Read trade publications – Advertising Age and Brand Week are two popular ones – to learn more about the inner workings of brands. Visit the web sites of some of your favorite brands. There is a wealth of information and insight on the sites about the strategies brands use to grow market share and build customer loyalty.

Most of all, simply be aware of the brands and brand activity all around you. Look at the displays of your favorite brands in retail stores. What new products are being rolled out? Is the product packaging changing? What kind of advertising is being used? Think about what strategies might be behind some of these activities and what the brands are trying to accomplish.

In deciding upon a career direction, you’ll find that your knowledge of brands can be applied in a variety of jobs. In fact, understanding brands – the customer experience and customer touch points, for example – will benefit you in virtually any job you hold!

If you want to be more directly involved in the business of brand development, you might go to work for a brand manager in a large company. This is someone who has profit-and-loss responsibility for a brand or group of brands. Perhaps you could begin with an internship. You can work your way up to being an assistant brand manager and, eventually, a brand manager yourself.

Technology used to be what made businesses "hum," while marketing concentrated on building the brand and getting customers. But all that has changed. Technology is now a major component of many aspects of the customer experience.

Technology plays a significant role in the delivery, consistency, and impact of the experiences customers have with a company and its products and services. For example, some businesses are using technology applications that are designed to encourage "brand-driven" employee behaviors. This helps employees demonstrate actual brand values in their day-to-day contact with customers, making the brand more fully integrated and more credible. Another example is the CRM (customer relationship management) software that many businesses use in their call centers. This allows customer-service staff to view personalized information when customers call in and makes the customer experience smooth and pleasant.

Technology also makes it possible to manage all those elements through the development of "brand metrics," or systems of measurement. In other words, technology is now being used to build tools and design programs that monitor the effectiveness of a company’s brand strategy through "metrics" that measure performance.

Here is a sampling of some key touch-point brand metrics that technology can help measure and manage:

Awareness and recognition – Is the marketing mix effectively communicating what the brand represents?

Understanding – Do potential customers have knowledge about what the brand stands for, its value, and the brand’s potential benefits for them?

Relevance – How meaningful and relevant is the value of the brand to its audiences?

Credibility – Is the brand believable in delivering on its promise?

Preference – To what extent do customers prefer the brand over others?

Strategically, brand metrics can also measure such things as customer acquisition (getting new customers); customer retention (keeping existing ones); and loyalty (whether customers are coming back to the brand time and time again).

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• So What?

All employees contribute to branding through their actions.
Much thought and effort go into creating a brand that will connect with customers.

• Brands are carefully nurtured over time through the use of elements that work together to connect with consumers in both "thinking" and "feeling" ways.

• Various elements – name, logo, and possibly a trade character – make up a brand’s identity.

• A brand is developed around values that connect with consumers’ heads, as well as their hearts.

• Brand personality encompasses brand values and makes emotional connections with consumers.

• Brands connect with customers at touch points.

• Brands promise to deliver on customers’ expectations.

• Customers experience various levels of brand loyalty, from brand recognition to brand preference to brand insistence.

• Companies use different types of brands, including company and product brands, private (or distributor brands), and generic brands, to achieve their objectives.

• Businesses use brand strategies to achieve their objectives, including individual or family branding, brand extensions, brand licensing, and co-branding.

• Branding internationally requires sensitivity to foreign cultures and languages.

• Branding on the Internet can be challenging, especially for new brands, because interaction with customers is more limited.

• Businesses of all sizes can have successful brands.

• Brands are successful when employees demonstrate brand values every day.

• You should understand what your employer’s brand stands for, integrate those values into your everyday job activity, and identify opportunities for connecting those values.

• The Gray Zone

Abercrombie & Fitch has built a successful brand centered around a "ruggedly preppy" lifestyle.
The brand stirs up controversy because of marketing involving nudity, drinking, sex, and ethnic stereotypes.
Public scrutiny has not swayed Abercrombie & Fitch to change its brand.
Does Abercrombie & Fitch have any social responsibility to the markets it serves?

• Make It Pay!

Realize that everything you are reflects the brand that is you.
Identify qualities or characteristics that make you stand out.
Think about ways to grow your brand.
Be loyal to "you."

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