The Importance of Brand Equity
Brand Equity Defined
Brand equity is a marketing term used to refer to the marketing impact of a given product in association with a brand name. It tries to evaluate how a given product will perform in the market if it did not have the association with that brand name. Therefore, the basis for brand equity and its impact on a business is based on the knowledge of the customer about that product. And yet, brand plays a vital role in helping build that knowledge and awareness, as well as the choices customers make based on that knowledge.
Brand equity, then, reinforces the significance of a brand’s value and produce that positive type of recall in the mind of consumers. Market research has shown that brand equity is one of the most important assets to the company.
Three Perspectives of Brand Equity
As an intangible asset, brand equity only gets its meaning out of the perceived quality and associations made by a consumer on a given product. Brand equity can be viewed in three different perspectives:
• Financial: One way to understand the value of brand equity is to calculate the premium that is placed on a product. To further understand, take for example two types of products: one that is of a recognized brand, and the other is unrecognized brand. Consumers are willing to pay a bigger amount for the branded product over those which they are unfamiliar with.
Brand Extensions: When certain products reach a certain level of commercial success, most companies decide to extend their line by introducing newer products under their brand. Because of the existing brand awareness, these companies will no longer invest on large advertising expenditures just to make that newly-introduced product known.
• Consumer-based: The trust and attitude exhibited by a customer towards a given product is impacted by the associations they make with that brand. Often times, these associations are a product of their own experience with using the brand. Therefore, actual experience plays a crucial role in the marketing strategy, especially in a developing brand.
Benefits of a Strong Brand Equity
Not all brand equity is positive, therefore most companies invest on building a strong brand equity. After all, it offers several benefits to the company. Below are just some of the helpful benefits that a company can derive of a good brand equity:
• Establishes a more reliable stream of income.
By improving brand equity, companies are also able to increase their profits through increased market share and premium pricing for less costs.
If you have established a strong brand, you can then sell that brand name at a given price.
Managing Brand Equity
There are three stages involved in creating, building, and managing your company’s brand equity. They are outlined below:
1.) Your first step involves the introduction of a product of a given brand into the market. You must establish a certain standard for that brand to be able to launch products in the future that will sell in the market. Your aim here is to produce a positive response from the consumer to build trust among consumers.
2.) Try to produce a brand that is unique and yet memorable. The attitude of your brand must be easily accessible to consumers and must also provide benefits that will satisfy its users.
3.) Consistency is the key. Your message must be synchronized with your company’s overall image and reinforce the value espoused by your organization. This is one of the most effective ways to build a strong brand equity.
Business, Business Ideas, Business Opportunities, Buying & Selling, International Business, Marketing, Strategic Planning











