D. Murali

BUILDING BRAND VALUE
M. G. Parameswaran
Publisher: Tata McGraw-Hill

Brand may be a boring word. How about Pentagon, then? Not the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, but a model that M. G. Parameswaran uses in Building Brand Value,' from Tata McGraw-Hill (www.tatamcgrawhill.com) .

Why Pentagon? Because there are "five steps to building powerful brands." The first step is `brand appraisal,' which is about `exploration for a branding opportunity.' This phase involves five analyses, that is, of market, competition, consumer, competency, and socio-economy.

"In some cases, market definition may not exist," points out Parameswaran. For example, in the case of luxury products such as electric toothbrush and Jacuzzi system, you may have to bank on `the sale of top-of-the-line bath fittings' as surrogate.

Go beyond regions and look at State-wise sales, advises the author. "For instance, baby products seem to sell better in North-Eastern States due to historical reasons." One also learns from the book that talcum powders enjoy a stronger demand in the South than in the North; and that beverages such as Complan, Horlicks and Bournvita are popular in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

With simple diagrams, the author explains concepts. One such is the `consumer buying process,' comprising stages starting with `need recognition' and ending with `post-purchase feelings.' In between are `search for alternatives,' evaluation of the same, and purchase.

"Indians are obsessed with value," writes Parameswaran. The examples he gives are of Mercedes diesel version, Rasna and Nirma washing powder.

"The value-for-money syndrome can be traced to the bargaining mentality of the Indian housewife. The most affluent lady will not mind haggling with the vegetable vendor to reduce the price by a precious Rs 2."

The second step in brand building is `definition.' This is about `developing a description for what is on offer.'

"When a brand like Moov is conceived, the organisation examines that Moov is to be different from Iodex. Cream in a tube? White in colour? Non-staining? For backache, or for all aches? For women only?"

Brand work too can be backbreaking, as there are four sub-steps in the definition phase — reasons, positioning, personality, and mapping. The author discusses prior work in ample measure, and these come in all shapes and sizes. For instance, in brand mapping, you'd come across David Aaker's concentric circles, J.N. Kapferer's prism, and Kevin Lane's pyramid.

Step three is `brand articulation'— presenting the brand to the customers.

"Inadequate attention paid to this stage may cause the failure of a perfectly viable product offering," cautions the author, and narrates the Shringar Cosmetics case. The company, whose nail enamel Tips & Toes was `a roaring success' with women, then launched lipsticks with the name `Kiss & Tell.'

Was it also a success? No, because "they failed to address a key problem that faces Indian brands in a typical Indian general merchant shop." What's that? "Can you imagine a 18-year old girl asking a 35-year-old man for `Kiss & Tell'? He may ask `where'?" Parameswaran suggests that a more product-centric name like `Colour & Shine' could have succeeded instead.

The fourth piece of the pentagon is measurement, which involves brand audit (a long term analysis of the brand's health), brand track (shorter term analysis) and brand dashboard (a ready reckoner of brand performance). In companies with brand management culture, the brand managers maintain a `black book,' with quick data file on the brand, informs the author.

Last comes `brand expansion,' where you develop a vision for the future of the brand.

At the core of the pentagon, however, is `brand execution.' And, remember, this is "incomplete without getting the people charged up about the exciting prospects of the brand."

A defence you can bet on while waging the brand war in the marketplace.

BookMark@TheHindu.co.in

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