Understanding Different Types of Brand Contract Requirement
A contract implies
constraints. The Brand concepts assume first of all that the various function
in the organization all converge: R& D, Production, methods, logistics,
marketing, and finance. The same is true of service brands: as the R&D
and production aspects are obviously irrelevant in this case, the responsibility
for ensuring the brands continuity and cohesion pass to the management
and staff, who play an essential role in clientele relationships.
The brand concept requires internal as well as external marketing. Unlike
quality seals, brands set their own ever-increasing standards. Therefore,
they products, even the most basic ones, especially if they represent
most of their sales and hence act as the major vehicle of brand image:
in so doing, they will be keep pace with technological change. They must
also communicate and make themselves known to the outside world in order
to become the prototype of a segment, a value or a benefit. This is a
lonely task for brands, yet they must do it to get the air of uniqueness
and that of exclusivity they need. The brand will have to support its
internal and external cost all on its own. These are generated by the
brand requirements, which are to
· Closely monitor
the need and expectations of potential buyers. This is the purpose of
market research: both to optimize existing products and to discover needs
and expectations which have yet to be fulfilled;
· React to technical and technological progress as soon as it can
to create a comperitive edge both in terms of cost and performance;
· Providing both product(or service) volume and quality at the
same time, since those are the only means of ensuring repeat purchases;
· Control supply quantity and quality;
· Deliver products or service to intermediaries(distributors),
both consistently over time and in accordance with their requirements
in terms of delivery, packaging and over all conditions;
· Give meaning to the brand and communicate its meaning to the
target market, thereby using the brand a signal and reference for the
products(or services) identity and exclusivity. That is what
advertising budgets are for.
Strong brands thus bring about both internal mobilization and external
federalization. They create their companys panache and impetus.
That is why some companies switch their own name for that of one of their
star brand: BSN thus become Danone, CGE become Alcatel-Alsthom. In this
respect, the impact of strong brands extends far beyond most corporate
strategies. These only last while they are in the making, after witch
they either vanish or wind up as pompous phrases (a passion for
excellence ) posted in hallway. In any case, a brand is the organization
external façade, and as such, it remains both demanding and determined
to constantly out do itself, to aim ever height.
Becoming aware that the brand is a contract also means taking up many other responsibilities which are all too often ignored. In the fashion market, even if creators wish to change after a while, they can not entirely forget about their brand contract, which helped them to get know initially, then recognized and eventually praised. This can indeed cause serious problem for international brand management, as different countries tend to perceive brands in different ways. Thus in Europe, polo by Ralph Lauren brand has changed its image significantly by launching the previous style of its products.
In theory, both the brands slogan and signature are meant to embody the brand contract . A good slogan is therefore often rejected by managing directors because it means too much commitment for the company and may back fire if the products / services do not match the expectations the brand has created so far.
Brand And Other Signs Of Quality
In many sectors brands coexist with quality signs. The food industry, for instance, is filled, besides brands, with quality seals, certificates of norm compliance and controlled origin and guarantees. The Proliferation of these other signs results from a double objective: to promote and to protect.
Certifications of
Origin (real Scotch whisky) are intended to protect a branch of agriculture
and products whose quality is deeply rooted in a specific location and
know how. The controlled origin guarantee capitalizes on a subjective
and cultural conception of quality, coupled with a touch of mystery and
of the areas unique character. It segments the market by refusing
the certification or origin to any goods that have not been produced with
in a certain area nor raised in the traditional way.
Thus in France, since 2 July 1990 law was voted, Roquefort has become
a name tied to a controlled origin. Even If Danish or American cheese
Makers were to produce a Roquefort cheese elsewhere
that buyers were unable to tell apart from the Roquefort cheese made in
the Roquefort village itself in then traditional way, their products can
no longer lay claim to the name Roquefort . Greek feta cheese
did not achieve this: in fact, most so called Greek Feta cheese is made
in Holland or France.
Quality seals are promotional tools. They convey different concepts of quality, which is both more industrial and scientific. In this respect, a given type of cheese, for example, involves objective know how, using a certain kind of milk mixed with selected bacteria, etc. Quality seals create a vertical segmentation, consisting of different levels of objectives quality. The issue here is not so much to present typical characteristics as to satisfy a stringent set of objective criteria, The legal guarantee of typically brought by a certified origin seal means more than a simple designation of origin, a mere label indicating where a product comes from, in that latter implies no natural or social specify although it may mislead the buyer in to thinking that there is one. Moreover, several modern cheeses makers deliberately mix up what is genuine and what is not, investing to build their own rustic, parochial imagery.
Although it is not
legal under EU Regulations, they reinstated designations of origin referring
to a country. This did not prove fully reassuring since it was soon heard
that French cattle could have eaten not only local grass but also contaminated
organic extracts imported from the UK :
· Certification of origin add typically but cannot guarantee a
100% safe meat:
· Seals of quality did not exist and had to be created but it would
take year to promote them : how ever , useless full control of the entire
cattle raising process is guaranteed , the output it self cannot be guaranteed,
On an operational level, let us once again underline the fact that brands do not boil down to a mere act of advertising. They contain recommendations regarding the long term specificities of the products bearing their name, such as attractive prices, efficient distribution and merchandising, as well as identify building through advertising. It is easier for a small company to earn a quality seal for one its products through strict efforts on quality, than it is to under take the grueling task of creating a brand, which requires so many financial human, technical and commercial resources. Even with out an identify , the small companys product can thus step out of the ordinary , thanks in part to the legal indicators of quality.