Abstract:

This paper considers the extent to which members of the brand's team have similar perceptions about the emphasis being placed on different components of their brand. It opens by considering the way that brand management is shifting from the domain of junior managers, to teams of more senior managers from different departments in the organsiation, who adopt a more strategic orientation. The analysis commissioned by these teams when devising brand positionings can result in numerous, detailed planning documentation. To cope will such large quantities of data, managers simplify, but the simplification processes differs between managers. Furthermore, because of selective perception, there could be differing views between managers about the emphasis they place on brand resources to position their brand. Seven types of resources constituting brands can be identified, ie distinctiveness, sign of ownership, functionality, customer service, legal protection, shorthand notation and symbolism. Interviews were undertaken with brands' teams in firms in four sectors of the financial services market. Different brand positionings were observed according to the way managers placed greater or lesser emphasis on the seven components. Within each of the 12 teams no instances were observed of all managers exhibiting the same views about the way they stress the seven brand components in their positioning. To ensure more effective use of resources in brand positioning it is recommended that market researchers consider ways of simplifying brand positioning documents. In addition to assessing customers' perceptions of competing brands, market researchers should also monitor the extent to which managers in the brand's team are emphasising different components and, through surfacing any diversity between the planned and realised strategy, help ensure a more coherent use of brand resources.