BRANDING RESEARCH

Manufacturers, traders and consumers support branding practice as it is useful to them in different ways. Large number of products are sold in the market by brand name as consumers develop affinity to such brands and refer to them when they visit retail shops.

In order to secure these advantages, brand selected should be promising. An ideal brand needs certain qualities. For example, it should be brief, simple and easy to remember and pronounce.

Similarly, it should be suggestive, decent, attractive and as per the current tests and fashions accepted by consumers. Research department suggests appropriate brand names to the products of the company. For this, surveys are conducted and information is collected through interviews, etc. Such studies offer suitable guidance to management for the introduction of appropriate brand name for the product.

The research team will provide necessary information on the basis of which the management will have to take final decision regarding brand name. This decision is critical as the results (good or bad) will be available only when the brand is actually introduced in the market.

Branding Research can be done at every stage of Brand building process, the various researches related to Brands are:

1. Brand Character Research: The brand character research can be done using both qualitative and quantitative techniques.

Qualitative research involves the understanding of:

 Personality of each option

 Fit with the name of each option

 Fit with the brand association of each option

 Fit on the pack

 Fit with the proposed role in advertising of each option

 Comparison among the character options

 Fit with specific brand extension options

 Quantitative research focuses on ascertaining the following information:

 Thoughts evoked by each options, and grouping of these thoughts as positive and negative

 Likeability of each option

 Specific likes and dislikes of each option

 Uniqueness of each option

 Comparison of each option with the symbols of the competition

 Rating of each option’s fit with the pack

 Preference amongst symbol options

 Preference amongst name options

2. Brand Logo Research:

When a new logo is to be chosen it is always advisable to evaluate it among two independent sets of people one to evaluate the logo in isolation and the other to evaluate the logo on the pack.

Evaluation of logo in isolation looks at its likeability, distinctiveness, comprehension of message conveyed, by logo options, preference among logo options, and preference of logo among key competition. Evaluation of logo on the pack also looks at the same alternatives along with the speed with which the respondent would identify the test logo pack among a clutter of other similar packs. This helps to evaluate how the logo would stand out in the shelf.

3. Brand Name Research:

A Brand name research is important for any brand throughout its lifecycle. It involves personal interviews in which some basic concept statements may be exposed to respondents along with the name. then the respondent are asked to recall the name after having read the same. This indicates the names notice ability and ease of recall. Then spontaneous responses are ascertained to name in terms of:

Latent Association

 What thoughts come to mind upon hearing this name?

 What negative and positive associations exist with new corporate name, product name or service name? What barriers have to be overcome with negative latent associations? How does sound symbolism or phonosemantics (the meaning of sounds) affect the evaluation of a name's latent association?

 What does the name mean to you?

 How would you pronounce this name?

 What do you particularly like/dislike about this name?

 Which product the name suit? Or not suit?

 Which name you like the most and why? 

After the ascertaining the responses to these, a preference ranking is done of the names and the best among them is chosen. This method also helps in ascertaining the names ability to communicate to the respondent, the barriers to comprehension, descriptiveness of the name etc.

4. Brand Association Research:

For existing brands or existing competition of new brands, respondents mind would already have brand associations. In such cases, the evaluation should include the following questions:

 Ascertain the current state of affairs, without exposing the respondents to the new concepts

 Expose new concepts

 Ascertain the response to new concepts

 Compare the responses generated before and after exposure of new concepts to understand their effects.

5. Brand Loyalty Research: Brand Loyalty research explore the relationship among brand trust, brand affect, and brand performance outcomes (market share and relative price) with an emphasis on understanding the linking role played by brand loyalty.

Brand Loyalty research generate both statistical and qualitative data — benchmarked, comparative and evaluative measures. These, combined with specific diagnostic data, provide the tools to effect improvements:

 Overall satisfaction

 Ratings of performance on specific aspects of the product/service

 Reasons for lack of satisfaction/poor ratings

 Salience and hierarchy of needs/preferences/expectations

 Gap Analysis/Strategic Priority Analysis

 Loyalty and propensity to recommend/re-purchase

 Drivers of satisfaction and loyalty

 Reputation/image of the brand

 Value for money

 Customer Segmentation

 and include, where feasible, lapsed and potential customers

6. Brand Health research:

The health of a brand is measured by its brand equity. Brands with high equity can command and sustain price premiums and are more successful with line extensions and new category entries.

Brand Health research allows companies to set competitive brand strategies and provides brand with a Brand Equity Index. The BEI can be analysed in relation to the brand’s market share and will help determine whether the brand’s share gain is at the expense of long-term brand equity or whether the brand has the potential to expand its market share.

7. Brand awareness research:

Market awareness and perceptions of brand can rise and fall quickly in a changing market. The first step is to obtain a systematic understanding of the shape of market perception of brand through survey research.

Typical Brand Awareness Research questions include:

 Which single company comes to mind first as a provider for IT solutions?

 Which other companies come to mind?

 What qualities does the market leader possess that the other companies do not?

 What factors drove your decision to select your primary vendor?

 To what degree are you aware of the company’s capabilities in the area of IT solutions?

 What three words best describe the company’s position in the industry?

 What is your perception of the company’s products? Experience? Technology? Service? Sales processes?

Based on understanding of the company’s direction how do it perceive its position over the next 12–24 months?

In the fast moving technology industry in which companies are launched, merged, acquired, and morphed into new business, Brand Awareness research is critical to establishing and maintaining the desired market awareness and perceptions of your company.