Brand and Consumer: How Value is Created

Brand and Its Components:
A Two-Sided Perspective

Understanding "brand" requires interpreting it from both the company's and the target audience's perspectives. Brand creation and promotion involve not only marketers but also consumers. It's not always easy to create the exact image marketers envision in consumers' minds.

Some people equate a brand with a trademark, while others make a distinction. They see a trademark as a set of external attributes: name, logo, slogan, and brand identity. In contrast, a brand is a recognized trademark that has become a symbolic value in consumers' minds.

Every brand is a trademark, but not every trademark is a brand. A trademark becomes a brand when it meets customers' emotional needs.

A brand can be described at four levels:

• Level 1 – Product: A product that meets consumers' basic needs. It serves a functional purpose, similar to others in its category.
  
  

• Level 2 – Basic Brand, or Identity: Elements that distinguish it from competitors, such as name, design, packaging, and quality.
  
  

• Level 3 – Enhanced Brand: Extra benefits that make the trademark more appealing to consumers, like free delivery, support, or lifetime warranties (e.g., Zippo)
  
  

• Level 4 – Brand Potential, or Added Intangible Value: Positive emotions customers experience when using the product, such as satisfying a need for self-expression.
  
  

The foundation of any brand is the functional quality of the product. To achieve brand success, a clear identity and well-defined added values are crucial.

In this news post, we used the images Apple.Inc products as an illustrative example to demonstrate design principles and branding techniques. The iconic swoosh represents the power of effective branding and its impact on consumer recognition.