Marketing Effectiveness

 Brand Attributes

Much has been written about brand values and there is no doubt that an overall brand image can determine market penetration. However, it is more complex than that - different market segments will have different requirements. It's not that a different brand image is required, but that the brand attributes that make up the overall brand image will have a different importance to different customers. This is why a salesman can be so effective - he can listen to the customer and answer his/her very specific information needs and position the brand against that, prior to making a purchasing decision.

Brand "image", if it can be defined, is a proxy for all the brand attributes that influence a customer's opinion of the brand. These tend to fall into 3 broad categories:

• essential: these are the brand attributes that are an absolute requirement for the customer. Probably all your competitors will have much the same set of essential attributes. Without these, you will not be able to compete successfully in the market place. Frequently, too much emphasis is placed on these attributes in a promotional campaign, but they are less likely to be able to swing the decision your way.
• differentiating: these second tier attributes are those that will mostly influence purchase decisions. This is where issues such as price/quality and level of service will show up. Once you have made a decision about how to compete (see strategy section) a degree of consistency is required between the strategy and the related brand attributes. For instance, it is not appropriate to position yourself as a low cost supplier and then focus on how high a level of service you provide.
• specific: for some customers, there may be a few overriding attributes that are not generally required, but are essential for this market segment. This is often the best basis for segmentation and devising a marketing strategy which can target different segments with specific messages and through specific communications channels.

Research Implications

The research implications are that the brand attributes need to be identified, their relative importance to the customer established (by market segment) and the position of your brand and your peer group measured against them. Any deviation from an ideal profile (from the customer's point of view) will suggest either a change in your marketing behaviour or an information need that has not been satisfactorily met. In this case, it may form the basis of your agency brief or marketing campaign.