CHAPTER 4

CHOOSING BRAND ELEMENTS TO BUILD BRAND EQUITY

4.1. Elements of a brand

Brand elements can play a number of brand-building roles. If consumers don’t

examine much information in making product decisions, brand elements should be
easy to recall and inherently descriptive and persuasive. The likability of brand
elements may also increase awareness and associations.
Successful brand development is reliant on far more than creating a strong image
through the marketing communications mix. In general there are two basic
elements which are considered as crucial ingredients in creating a strong brand:
these are Elements of brand delivery not visible to the consumer mostly attached
the companies’ product development and management like:
 Quality Production efficiency/operational
 costs Research and development
 Service delivery systems
 Sales service Supply chain
Another category of brand Elements which may be visible and easily feel by the
consumer are discuss as follows:
 Logo: A brand logo is a design and first things which come to mind when a
company think about building a new brand. It’s the face of the company.
 Brand Name: This is what the people get to see everywhere. It must be as
simple and memorable as possible, meaningful, easy to pronounce, and
unique. With having distinct color and the latter brand name is necessary
condition for a brand logo.
 Geometric Shape: the form and shape of design is another element that can
be used to reinforce the desired reaction from your customers. This includes
non – copy visuals.
 Color: it is the necessary condition to initiate the visual emotions of
customers and have serious impact on how brand is perceived by the
customer.
 Slogan: A catchy slogan is a nice-to-have asset and it summarizes overall
value proposition. One such example is Britannia (food processing
company) Eat Healthy, think Better.
 Font: All copy matter including the brand name has a specific font.
  Tone: This is how the seller communicates with the consumer. It can be
professional, friendly, or formal. It builds consumer’s perception about the
brand.
 Jingle: a memorable short song used for the purpose of advertising a
specific brand.
 Trade mark: a part of a brand which is given legal protection, because it is
capable of exclusive legal appropriation.
 Packaging: Is all the activities of designing and producing the container
for a product. Which includes: labeling, packaging material, shape and easy
for handling.
 Labeling: The label may be a simple tag attached to the product or an
elaborately designed graphic that is part of the package.
 Characters/Mascots: It is a special symbol, or animated, or real life entity
such as an animal or a human character.
 Universal Resource Locator (URL): It is unique or prospective variations
of brand name on the internet. URL forms the domain name on the internet.

4.2. Criteria for choosing brand elements

There are six criteria for choosing brand elements. The first three memorable,
meaningful, and likable are “brand building.” The latter three transferable,
adaptable, and protectable—are “defensive” and help leverage and preserve brand
equity against challenges.
1. Memorable: this criterion of a brand element helps the consumers to recall
and easily recognize the brand at both purchase and consumption.
2. Meaningful: Is the brand element credible? Does it suggest the
corresponding category and a product ingredient or the type of person who
might use the brand
3. Likable: How aesthetically/beautifully appealing is the brand element?
4. Transferable: Can the brand element introduce new products in the same or
different categories? Does it add to brand equity across geographic
boundaries and market segments?
5. Adaptable: How adaptable and updatable is the brand element?
6. Protectable: How legally protectable is the brand element? How
competitively protectable?

4.3. Options and tactics for choosing brand elements

1. Logo: A brand logo design is probably one of the first things that come to mind
when think about building a new brand. It’s the face of the company, after all,
and could potentially be everywhere the brand is.

The logo design is the cornerstone in company brand identity. Ideally, it is

important to create the brand with a logo that’s unique, identifiable, and scalable to
work at all sizes. When working with the designer of brand logo, the company
should consider the following points:

 Clearly communicates who you are and what you value as a brand.
 Is visually appealing: simple, clean and uncluttered goes a long way.
 Is classic, not trendy/not fashion: sometimes the logo should to give
attention for classic issues.
 Plays along with industry’s standards.
 Makes a lasting impression on the customer.
 Consider all the places where the brand’s logo needs to exist: such as
Website, Social media profile picture, Product packaging, Video ads and you
tube channel banners.
2. Brand Name: This is what the people get to see everywhere. It must be as
simple and memorable as possible, meaningful, easy to pronounce, and unique.
With having distinct color and the latter brand name is necessary condition for a
brand logo.
“A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. But Nike by another
name would be seen on fewer feet.
To create a brand name Companies use the following tactics:

 Make up a word, like Pepsi.

 Reframe an unrelated word, like Apple for computers.
 Use a suggestive word or metaphor, like Buffer.
 Describe it literally (easy to imitate)
 Alter a word by removing letters, adding letters, or using Latin endings,
likeTumblr (Tumbler)
 Create an acronym from a longer name, like HBO (Home Box Office).
 Combine two words: Pinterest (pin + interest) or Snapple (snappy + apple)
3. Geometric Shape: when thinking about the designs usually companies also
want to think about form and shape.
For example, a logo that is all circles and soft edges will inspire a very different
reaction from a logo that’s sharp and square. Here’s how different forms can shape
your brand identity:

 Round shapes: like circles, ovals, and ellipses are all about the warm and
friendly. Brands that incorporate round shapes can create feelings of
community, unity and love. The rounded edges can also be viewed as feminine.
 Straight edged shapes: like squares, rectangles, and triangles make people
think strength and efficiency.
 Straight lines also have their own implications: vertical lines suggest
masculinity (belonging to males) and strength while horizontal lines suggest
tranquility (state of peace and quiet) and mellow (mature).
4. Color: branding and logo colors strategically can have a serious impact on how
brand is perceived. Colors also convey the feeling which needs to communicate
and help to make perception consistent across everything. Companies want to
choose colors that differentiate it from direct competitors to avoid confusing the
potential customers.
Color psychology isn’t an exact science, but to some extents potential customers
have psychological ties to different colors. Here are what the colors of brand can
help your brand identity:

 Red: Red is the color of passion and excitement. It’s the perfect choice if your
brand identity is loud, youthful, and exciting. Red is a powerful color,
symbolizing energy, passion or even danger. Red works best for action-oriented
products or brands, products associated with speed or power, or dominant or
iconic brands.
 Orange: Orange is another high-energy color and is great if you want to appear
friendly and playful. Orange often connotes adventure and fun. Like red, it’s an
attention-grabber and is thought to stimulate appetites, but it’s less aggressive
than red can be. Orange has been used to convey value and discounts, and
recently has earned young, stylish associations thanks to the fashion industry.
 Yellow: Yellow is equated with sunny warmth and cheeriness. The cheerful
vibe makes it a good choice if you want to feel fun, accessible and affordable.
Its more vibrant shades elicit feelings of wellbeing and are said to stimulate
mental activity, so yellow is often associated with wisdom and intellect. Yellow
works well for products or brands tied to sports or social activities, or for
products or content looking to garner attention.
 Green: An incredibly versatile color, green can be used for just about any
brand. Culturally, though, when people see green, they think two things: money
or nature. If your brand is tied to either of those things, green is an especially
 good choice. Green connotes cleanliness, freshness and renewal and, of course,
environmental friendliness. It is one of the most predominant, naturally
occurring colors, so it often is associated with wholesome attributes. It works
well for organic or recycled products, or for brands associated with health and
wellness
 Blue: The most universally appealing color in the spectrum, blue can help your
branding to appear more stable and trustworthy, so if you’re looking to appeal
to a wide demographic and get them to trust you in the process, go with blue.
Blue, is also naturally predominant color, and regularly associated with
security, efficiency, productivity and a clearness of mind. It has become a
popular color in the corporate world and particularly in the high-tech industry.
 Purple: Purple is the color of royalty, so if you’re going for a luxurious feel in
your branding, this a safe bet.
 Pink: pink is culturally tied to femininity, so if your brand is targeted towards
women, pink should be a definite contender for your brand color. It’s also a
great color for brands with a soft or luxurious identity. Pink works well for
personal care products and baby-related brands. Pink also is associated with
sweetness and works well for food marketers touting sugary treats.
 Brown: Brown is perhaps the least use color in all of branding, but that could
actually work to your advantage! Any time you do something different, it helps
you stand out. Brown can also help people to view your brand as rugged or
masculine. Brown is a strong, earthy color that connotes honesty and
dependability. Brown often is cited as a favorite color among men.
 Black: If you want to be viewed as modern or sophisticated, there’s nothing as
classic and effective as black. Black can also convey power, luxury, and
authority, and can be used to market everything from cars and electronics to
high-end hotels and financial services.
 White: the color of puffy clouds and fresh snow logically connotes purity and
cleanliness. It often is used as a background or accent color to brighten a color
scheme, but also it can be used liberally to create clean associations for organic
foods or personal care products. White also can symbolize innovation and
modernity.
4. Slogan: A catchy slogan is a nice-to-have asset and it summarizes overall value
proposition. Example, Britannia (food processing company) “Eat Healthy, think
Better”
A catchy slogan is a nice-to-have good brand identity. That something brief and
descriptive slogan can use as a tagline in social media bios, website header or
custom business cards to make a big impact on customer perception. Some times
company may change your slogan as you find new angles for marketing. For
example, Pepsi has gone through over 30 slogans in the past few decades. A good
slogan is short, catchy, and makes a strong impression to boost brand awareness.
Here are some ways to approach writing a slogan of your own:

 Stake your claim/need of something. Death Wish Coffee: “The World’s

Strongest Coffee.”
 Make it a metaphor. Red Bull: “Red Bull gives you wings.”
 Adopt your customers’ attitude. Nike: “Just do it.”
 Write a rhyme/sameness of sounds of some words. Folgers coffee: “The
best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.”
 Describe it literally. Aritzia: “Everyday luxury to elevate your world.”
5. Font/ typography: All copy matter including the brand name has a specific
font. It’s particularly important to choose logo fonts and brand name fonts
wisely. There are four major types of typography:
 Serif fonts: (like Times New Roman or Garamond) have what look like an
anchor (or little feet) on the end of each letter. This classic typography is
great if you want your brand to appear trustworthy, traditional, and just a
little old school.
 Sans serif fonts: If “serif” is the foot, “sans serif” is without the foot. Sans
serif fonts (like Helvetica or Franklin Gothic) are letters that have smooth
edges and lack the anchor or “feet” of their serif counterparts. Sans serif
fonts give a sleeker (smooth), modern feel to brands.
 Script typography: are emulates cursive (same and join together letters)
handwriting. These fonts (like Allura or Pacifico) can be a great way to add
a luxurious or feminine feel to your brand.
 Display fonts: special kind of fonts in their own. Each display font has a
specialized element, whether it’s an unusual shape to the letters, outlines,
shadowing, or a more artistic/hand-drawn edge (think Metallica’s lightning
bolt font). Want to make a bold statement and create a brand identity people
won’t soon forget? A display font is a great way to do it.
6. Packaging includes: all the activities of designing and producing the container
for a product. The package is the buyer’s first encounter with the product. A
good package draws the consumer in and encourages product choice. In effect,
they can act as “five-second commercials” for the product. Packaging also
affects consumers’ later product experiences when they go to open the package
and use the product at home. Some packages can even be attractively displayed
at home. Distinctive packaging is an important part of a brand’s equity.
In Packaging, companies consider to achieve objectives like: Identify the brand,
Convey descriptive and persuasive information, Facilitate product transportation
and protection, Assist at-home storage and Aid product consumption.
 Various factors contribute to the growing use of packaging as a marketing tool:
 Self-service: Because of high stock of items, an increasing number of
products are sold on a self-serve basis. the effective package must perform
many sales tasks: attract attention, describe the product’s features, create
consumer confidence, and make a favorable overall impression
 Consumer affluence. Means consumers are willing to pay a little more for
the convenience, appearance, dependability, and prestige of better
packages.
 Company and brand image. Packages contribute to instant recognition of
the company or brand. In the store, they can create a billboard effect,
 Innovation opportunity. Unique or innovative packaging such as resalable
spouts can bring big benefits to consumers and profits to producers.
7. Labeling: The label can be a simple attached tag or an elaborately designed
graphic that is part of the package. It might carry a great deal of information, or
only the brand name. Even if the seller prefers a simple label, the law may
require more. A label expect to have the following functions:
 needs to identifies the product or brand,
 It might also grade the product;
 The label might describe the product: who made it, where and when,
what it contains, how it is to be used, and how to use it safely.
 Promote the product through attractive graphics.