Internet Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Internet Marketing - Essay Example Customers too see brands as something that is more than what is built into the product. But these values and meanings may be different from customer to customer or from one group of customers to another. While Aaker is of the opinion that brand values are expressed along these four dimensions others like Jean - Noel Kapferer are of the opinion that this expression is along six dimensions: Physique, relationship, reflection, personality, culture and self-concept. (Kapferer 2000, p.127) Brand identity is made up of a core identity and an extended identity. A brand's core identity is fundamental to the meaning of a product. It is what a business will want its product or service to be perceived as. The extended identity of a brand includes aspects of the brand that complete the picture. This will normally be, aspects of the brand that a business will want its target market to associate with. Everything a brand stands for cannot be communicated merely by its core identity. This shortcoming of the core identity is made good by its extended identity. And the broader a brand's extended identity the more unforgettable it will be. (Aaker 1996, pp.85-9) The concept of brand identity brings us to ... It is what a business will want its product or service to be perceived as. The core identity of a brand helps a business to specifically identify the essence of a brand, organizational values that drive the brand, and what the organization itself stands for. It is what gives a brand its uniqueness and "sets it apart from competition". It is something that is relatively permanent. 3 Extended Identity The extended identity of a brand includes aspects of the brand that complete the picture. This will normally be, aspects of the brand that a business will want its target market to associate with. Everything a brand stands for cannot be communicated merely by its core identity. This shortcoming of the core identity is made good by its extended identity. And the broader a brand's extended identity the more unforgettable it will be. (Aaker 1996, pp.85-9) Brand Position The concept of brand identity brings us to the concept brand position. Brand position is that part of a brand's identity and its value proposition that a business intends to repeatedly communicate to its target market. It is the brand position that communicates an advantage over competition. All advertising is centered on a brand's position. (Aaker & Joachimsthaler 2000, pp.41-2) Brand Image While a brand's identity is what a manufacturer or distributor may want its target market to perceive it as, a brand's image is what the actual market perception. In wanting to communicate a brand's identity companies send out messages; it is how the market receives these messages and interprets them that are important. Although brand image is a lagging indicator, it helps the marketing department make corrections to its communications strategy if its