brandology semio2014
TRANSCRIPT
Brandology: New Generation of
Marketing Knowledge
assist. prof. Dimitar
Trendafilov, PhD
New Bulgarian University –
Sofia
Round table: “Semiotics of Brand”, 17-18th
of
Sept. 2014
Chairmen: prof. Antonio Caro-Almela, PhD and assist. prof. Dimitar
Trendafilov, PhD
XII World Congress of Semiotics (IASS/AIS)New Bulgarian University -
Sofia, Bulgaria
‘New Semiotics. Between Tradition and Innovation’16-20th
of September 2014, Sofia
IntroductionThe brand discourse exceeded the corporations’ boardrooms and
business schools auditoria probably in the early 90’s and entered the
agenda of sociology, anthropology, linguistics, etc. This fact
demonstrates two fundamental changes – brands are not discussion
topic reserved only for marketers any longer, since obviously it’s more a
socio-cultural phenomenon than strictly commercial one, and in the
same time, marketers and the new generation of managers should be
ten time more careful for and prepared dealing with the brand matter.
“Brandology” is neither newly born buzz nor yet convenient academic
mix of management, modern social media theories and applied
semiotics. Yet it’s something more. Therefore, despite of its a little bit
pretentious ‘-ology’ ending, such a ‘science’ or at least ‘discipline’
deserves more attention since it offers different knowledge beyond the
sum of the well-known marketing mix and communication theories that
have been dominating the topic recently.
“McDonalization”
(mid 90’s) was a multilevel metaphor describing increasing role of brands
Source: “Dark Shadows”, Warner Bros. Picture, 2012
Mephistopheles!!!
Standing on the shoulders of giants…
Aaker
(1991, 1996) -
Keller (1998, 2001) –
Kotler
(2010) contributions
Brand
…but…the “brand equity” concept redirected branding from the boardrooms to the realm of people seeking for their attention and attitude. Media, lifestyles, symbolic exchange, subcultures, cool factors, online communications and value adding lead the agenda of the complex relationship between production and socio-cultural environment of today.
Brand topic tuned to be common axis for usually different and distant scientific discourses – sociology, anthropology, (social) psychology, etc., which together form the new knowledge network on this phenomenon.
New Wave – markets are more social and communicative than ever before. Brands as a part and active agents of culture came into the stage.
“Consumerization
Continuum” Mary Goodyear (1996)
Selling
Marketing
Classic Branding
Postmodern Marketing
Consumer Driven Branding
Brands as IconsSymbolic Advertising
Creative ResearchSegmentation Based on Usage
Saturated Marketplace
Company BrandsCynical ConsumerDistructured
Advertising
Needs-based SegmentationElectronic Data Capture
≈
till late 80’s
Why (not) Brandology?
Futurology, Spanglish…?
Hi, I’m BrandFuturist!
Age of HybridSciences and
Interdisciplinarity
Try to forget the past…
not the brand!
Images: http://www.gizmag.com/martin-lindstrom-makes-times-top-100/11617/
& woopig.net/board/index.php?topic=83114.125
[13.09.2014]
(Brand) Knowledge /1
Science (= "knowledge") is a enterprise that
builds and organizes knowledge in the form of
and about the universe. Also
refers to a body of knowledge itself, of the type that can
be rationally explained and reliably applied.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science
[01.09.2014]
systemic
predictions
testable
explanations
(Brand) Knowledge /2
Knowledge is a familiarity, awareness or understanding of
someone or something, such as facts, information, descriptions,
or skills, which is acquired through experience or education by
perceiving, discovering, or learning. Knowledge can refer to a
. It can be
implicit (as with practical skill or expertise) or explicit (as with
the theoretical understanding of a subject); it can be more or
less formal or systematic.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge
[01.09.2014]
theoretical or practical understanding of a subject
(Brand) Knowledge /3
A discipline (= specialism) is knowledge or a concentration in
one . A discipline
incorporates expertise, people, projects, communities,
challenges, studies, inquiry, and research areas that are strongly
associated with academic areas of study or areas of professional
practice.
The scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating
phenomena, acquiring , or and
previous knowledge.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discipline_(academia)
/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method
[01.09.2014]
integratingnew knowledge
academic field of study or profession
correcting
Brand Knowledge /4
Everything aforementioned witnesses that nowadays we have
new, independent of marketing, object of study and a huge range
of perspectives as well as big data-base on it:
systemicpredictions
testable
explanations
theoretical or practical understanding of a subjectintegrating
new knowledgeacademic field of study or profession
correctingIn brief, it’s business-oriented social science
Brand Knowledge vs. Brand Knowledge
“From the perspective of the CBBE model,
brand knowledge is the key to creating
brand equity, because it creates the
differential effect that drives brand equity.
What marketers need, then, is an insightful way
to represent how brand knowledge exists in
consumer memory”
Image: http://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/newsroom/articles/brand-champion
[10.09.2014]
Kevin L. Keller (2012)
Consumer perspective [memory-recall system], but what exists in the managers’
mind?
Brand Knowledge vs. Brand Knowledge
In the first place, manager has to have knowledge on brand on his/her
part, in order to be able to create brand equity (as a knowledge for
given brand) as a specific relation with consumers.
Prof. Keller’s detailed explanations and bulk of examples are highly
useful to understand how brand equity (i.e. inimitable value of
particular brand) could work successfully, considering consumer’s
psychological and economical characteristics, but not what is it “by
nature”.
The management perspective is at least as much important as the
consumer’s one, thus, the statement is that semiotics was the key that
opened the gates for new knowledge on brand and branding…
Brand Knowledge vs. Brand Knowledge
Images: www.flickr.com
& www.rickscloud.com
[11.09.2014]
The power of science is in examining the objects and phenomena in various perspectives and to fix objective laws.
Semiotics is known with its focus on sign systems, their social use and life as well as on knowledge creation and sharing. It maintains that we are not able to know our world without signs mediation…
…therefore, it is natural to be powerful and useful enough to help managers to understand and control their brand in better manner.
Where Brand Came from?Classical marketing theory can’t answer this question easily. Historically brand is highly bonded up with Product since, first and foremost, a brand should stand on something and, secondly, for something.
Properly speaking, communication in the broad sense (i.e. not only in terms of Promotion – took narrowly as “communication”, but Placement, which makes Points-of-Contact, and Price, which most often is a tool for quality indication) is what fills up the simple “name”with associations, motivation, images, and added value (eventually). Hence, brands speak to us and we speak to them and through them in an endless and intensive process.
Consumer culture, in fact, supported by global media and growingtrade connections worldwide, provided the infrastructure needed for the “brandelution” that burst approx. in late 80’s.
Art/Design
Product/s
Promotion/Communication
POS/P
BRAND
Social lifeBrand Community
Brand Meaning/Concept (management)
IP/TM
Augmented reality/Theme parks
Media
Online presence
The more communication means we have the bigger and more intensified consumption of signs, images, myths, lifestyles, etc.
Why Brand is a Complex Phenomenon?
Corp. Reputation
What the Famous AMA’s Definition Says about It?
"A brand is a customer experience represented by a collection of images and ideas; often, it refers to a symbol such as a name, logo, slogan, and design scheme. Brand recognition and other reactionsare created by the accumulation of experiences with the specific product or service, both directly relating to its use and through the influence of advertising, design, and media commentary.“
Hence, the contemporary notion encompasses brand as a concept/entity, the aggregation of virtual and real contact with it, and the crucial role of media. But put in semiotic terms, we aretalking about a collection or combination of signs and process of symbolic exchange.
Source: https://www.ama.org/resources/Pages/Dictionary.aspx?dLetter=B
[10.09.2014]
Therefore…
…a brand has several different dimensions as:
Business format (managerial strategic approach to the segment/s and competition)…
Product (attributes, benefits, innovations)…
Medium (something to speak for, company’s communication platform)…
Cultural leader (communities, symbolicity, rituals, values)…
Social mediator (identification, events, interpersonal messages)…
Experience provider…
From top to bottom consumers have at their disposal more and more ways to ‘meet’
brands and to decide their fates by participation both in
their production process and social life.
BRAND(entity)
BRANDING(set of acts/-ivities)
SOCIOCULTURE
Verbal
VisualSpace
SoundsValues
Channels
General Positioning
FashionW-of-M
Communities/Sub-cultures
Experience
Competitors
Product placement
IdentitiesInner
Branding
‘Entity’
is not a ‘thing’, an object, but living unit in the Universe no matter actual or
fictive.
The Core…
Responsibility
Global trade
brand concept
BRAND(entity)
BRANDING(set of acts/-ivities)
SOCIOCULTURE
Verbal
VisualSpace
SoundsValues
Channels
General Positioning
FashionW-of-M
Communities/Sub-cultures
Experience
Competitors
Product placement
IdentitiesInner
Branding
Responsibility
Global trade
The Action…
‘Branding’
means making one brand happening, to create its sign system visible on the
market landscape/map (from name and packaging to retail/online space and communities).
BRAND(entity)
BRANDING(set of acts/-ivities)
SOCIOCULTURE
Verbal
VisualSpace
SoundsValues
Channels
General Positioning
FashionW-of-M
Communities/Sub-cultures
Experience
Competitors
Product placement
IdentitiesInner
Branding
Responsibility
Global trade
The Infrastructure…
“Socioculture”
is a structured but liable to change environment driven by communication,
e.g. various sign systems and channels, shared meanings, subjects, institutions, etc.
BRAND(entity)
BRANDING(set of acts/-ivities)
SOCIOCULTURE
Verbal
VisualSpace
SoundsValuesChannels
General Positioning
FashionW-of-M
Communities/Sub-cultures
Experience
Competitors
Product placement
IdentitiesInner
Branding
Responsibility
Global trade
“Meaning”
should be considered as “producing meaning”
(= process)…
… since it is not fixed and needs context and interpretation in action ...
Brand Meaning = Consumer Brand EquityEverything valuable in life and in market is meaningful, especially consumer-oriented brands, no matter in which (FMCG, luxury, sports goods etc.) sector they usually operate.
Meaning gives one stable reason to consumer to buy many times, to prefer, to have positive attitude, to seek and to share information and his/her interest/s with other consumers.
As Mark Batey puts it, meaning “refers to the semantic and symbolic features of the brand, the sum of the fundamental conscious and unconscious elements that compose the consumer’s mental representation of the brand” (2008:111 ff). In other words, brand is multidimensional entity (again) since it embraces public and personal, rational and emotional, prominent and hidden layers but somehow consistent. Just like our brain which reflects and tidy up the experience we have every day.
What’s the role of Brand Semiotics then?
Yuri Lotman
Analogy is not a mare figure of speech but a scientific method which allows us to draw out the deepest specificities and characteristics of the object under study.
It’s like…
It reminds me of…
As if it’s…
Let’s imagine that…
Could be a parallel…
So, Any Useful Analogy?
If Market is like a Cellar Full with Brands put in Barrels,
then Brand Semiotics Studies…
Please, Anyone!?
…THE ANGEL’S SHARE
Images: http://www.architecturelist.com/2011/09/02/spanish-interiors-wine-cellars-for-vega-sicilia-by-fernando-salas/
& https://www.pinterest.com/major42/party-like-a-king/
[11.09.2014]
What Brand Semiotics Studies?
Brand equity is neither a company’s property nor shareholders’, but
stakeholders’. Wine and whiskey lose about 2% of their liquid
annually during the maturing process but this makes them of high
quality.
Don’t get me wrong though! In fact, there are no angels in the
market and semiotics deals with real people but they are true angels
that makes our brand/s strong and resisting against the competition
despite of all the whims, fads and continuously changing moods.
The ‘spirit’ that our brands lose from their products year after year
transforms itself in (“human” as Kotler et al. put it, 2010) spirit of
loyalty and commitment that build meaningful long-lasting brands.
What Brand Semiotics Studies?
Metalanguage (description/deconstruction) of brand and branding
activities which goes beyond the usual market/ing discourse.
(let’s repeat once again) “…correcting and integrating the previous
knowledge and acquires new one…” (in marketing, consumer
behavior, Globalization, material culture, cognition, etc.)
It discusses and addresses the future more than the present (trends
observation, meaning management, ads pre-testing, etc.).
Could be helpful with respect both with every single element or act
of brand/ing and with the whole entity (i.e. single sign and entire sign
system of a given brand).
New Brand Knowledge in Education
Bearing in mind what has been said, new look on the topic and new approach in teaching in branding and brand management should be adopt, no matter if we consider higher education or companies’ inner training. Branding is another/next level of doing marketing.
More knowledge in humanities, cultural and social sciences should be put in management courses’ curricula to enrich and widen the market picture in branding. Moreover, a lot of people overlook the fact that, by its very essence, marketing is not a mathematical but social discipline, dealing with resources/products allocation (put simply) – an activity as old as human history and culturally constructed.
Also, case studies, especially cross-cultural and consumer behavior ones, could make the matter more clear and human-oriented than tables and figures actually do.
Aaker, David A. (1991), Managing Brand Equity. Capitalizing on the Value of a Brand Name, New York: The Free Press;
Aaker, David A. (1996), Building Strong Brands, New York: The Free Press;
Arvidsson, Adam (2006), Brands. Meaning and Value in Media Culture, USA/Canada: Routledge;
Batey, Mark (2008), Brand Meaning, New York/London: Routledge;
Chevalier, Michel and Mazzalovo, Gerald (2004), Pro Logo. Brands as a Factor of Progress, Hampshire, New York: Palgrave Macmillan;
Codeluppi, Vanni (2001), Il Potere della Marca. Disney, McDonald’s, Nike, e le altre (The Power of Brand. Disney, McDonald’s and the Others), Italy: Bollati Boringhieri.
Floch, Jean-Marie (2001), Semiotics, Marketing and Communication, Houndmills/New York: Palgrave Publishers Ltd;
Fog, Klaus, Budtz, Christian, Munch, Philip, and Blanchette, Stephen (2010[2001]), Storytelling. Branding in Practice (2nd ed.), Berlin/Heidelberg/London: Springer;
Holt, Douglas and Cameron, Douglas (2010), Cultural Strategy. Using Innovative Ideologies to Build Breakthrough Brands, Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press;
Keller, Kevin L. (1998), Strategic Brand Management. Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.;
Keller, Kevin L., Apéria, Toni, Georgson, Mats (2012), Strategic Brand Management. A European Perspective (2nd ed.), Harlow, England: Pearson Education Ltd;
Klein, Naomi (2000), No Logo,UK: Flamingo.
Kornberger, Martin (2010), Brand Society. How Brands Transform Management and Lifestyle, Cambridge University Press;
Kotler, Philip, Kartajaya, Hermawan and Setiawan, Iwan (2010), Marketing 3.0., Haboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons, Inc.;
Lury, Celia (2004), Brands. The Logos of the Global Economy, London/New York: Routledge;
Marrone, Gianfranco (2007), Il Discorso di Marca. Modelli Semiotici Per il Branding, Roma-Bari: Laterza&Figli;
McCracken, Grant (2005), Culture and Consumption II. Markets, Meaning and Brand Management, Bloomington, USA: Indiana University Press;Mick, David Glen and Oswald, Laura (2006), The Semiotic Paradigm on Meaning in the Marketplace, in “Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing”, Belk, Russell W. (ed.), Cheltenham, UK/Northhampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 31 – 45.
Oswald, Laura R. (2012), Marketing Semiotics. Signs, Strategies, and Brand Value, Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press;
Ritzer, George (1993), The McDonaldization of Society, Fine Forge Press;
Sherrington, Mark (2003), Added Value. The Alchemy of Brand-led Growth, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Wan
naKn
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ore?
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !
[email protected]://newbulgarian.academia.edu/DimitarTrendafilov
©2014Extended version