The Impact of Marketing Operations Specialists on Business Growth

 Currently almost all products have the brand, and all companies strive to develop and maintain their brand reputation. Brand is a mark left on the minds and hearts of consumers, which creates a specific sense of meaning and feeling. Thus, brand is more than just a logo, name, symbol, trademark, or label attached to a product. Using theoretical review and self-reflectivity method, this conceptual paper aims to review the dimensions of brand image as 

one stage in the hierarchy of branding or brand communications, so it can be a guide for future studies related to the brand image. Brand image plays an important role in the development of a brand because the brand image associated with the reputation and credibility of the brand which later become the ‘guideline’ for the consumer audience to try and use a product or service then creating a particular experience that will determine whether 

the consumer will be into brand loyalist, or simply an opportunist (easy to switch to another brand). The dimensions of brand image in this study include brand identity, brand personality, brand association, brand behavior & attitude, and brand competence & benefit.American Marketing Association (AMA) defined a brand as "a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of 

Sellers and to differentiate them 

from those of competitors" (Kottler, 2000: 404). This is similar to Aaker says that the brand is a name and/ or symbol that distinguishes (in the form of a logo or symbol, stamp or packaging) to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers (Aaker, 1996). Kottler (2000) mentioned that a good brand will come to boost the company's image. Brand is the front-liner of a product, an initial view that allows consumers to identify those products. In principle, brand is a promise of sellers or producers who continually brings a unit series of 

performance, benefits and service to buyer. In the perspective of brand communication, Wijaya (2011) defined brand as a mark left on the minds and hearts of consumers, which creates a specific sense of meaning and feeling. Thus, the brand is more than just a logo, name, symbol, trade mark, or the name attached to a product. Brand is a promise (Morel, 2003). Brand is a relationship (McNally and Speak, 2004) -kind of relationship that involves 

trust. A brand is the sum of an entity, a psychic connection that creates a bond of loyalty with a buyer/ potential buyer, and it includes the perceived added value (Post, 2005). Nilson (1998) mentioned a number of criteria to describe the brand is not just a name: a brand must have clear value, the difference can be identified with other brands, attractive, and have a prominent identity. Meanwhile, branding is the process of creation or legacy of certain trail 

Signs in the minds and hearts

of consumers through a variety of communication ways and strategies so that create specific meaning and feeling which affect consumers’ lives (Wijaya, 2011). So branding activity is the implementation of the brand communication strategy and is part of the brand development process. This paper aims to summarize, analyze and elaborate the dimensions of brand image to be drawn into the perspective of brand communications as an important field of 

study that is more appropriate to discuss the phenomenon of branding, which is much more 'dominated' by a marketing management perspective. Thus, it would be found the dimensions of brand image are more in line with the scientific nature of branding, which is communication. Would be different if the study of brand image is placed onmarketing management perspective where brand image is only considered as one of many tools to encourage 

consumers to buy a product. In the perspective of brand communication, brand image is one of the important elements in the process of brand development (see the discussion about hierarchy of branding in the next subtitle), because the brand image is not formed solely for the purpose of purchasing the product, but more than that, brand image also related to how consumers as a target audience of communication interpret (decode) brand messages and 

Actualize it in their life and become

part of how they construct their self-concepts and reality. Therefore, in addition to enrich the science of brand communication and branding which is the intersection of management and communication science, this study is also useful to help subsequent researchers to be more easily identify the critical dimensions that influence the formation of brand image and conceptualizing their research framework in corresponding on the actual nature of brand 

image. This study is also useful for practitioners and decision-makers associated branding strategy in determining the steps or what ideas can be developed in any element or dimension to establish and/ or strengthen their brand image.The first model, brand development starts from focus on product by developing its ingredients, features and attributes, advantages or product benefit, then creates product/ brand personality, and then 

shaped with brand mission and values so the product has intangible added values for the consumer. The example for the first model is commodity product that is packaged afterward with a certain brand and naturally communicated with the course of time and then becomes famous, until finally the brand is managed in a professional manner. The second model starts from concept or idea. Examples for this are brands that since the beginning are selling lifestyle (perfume, branded fashion, cigarettes, etc.), fame of a name (Harry Potter, Disney, 

Conclusion

or were born from a deep understanding, especially on psychological side of consumers through consumer insights that tend to offer emotional benefits. As time goes by, these brands develop their features and functional benefits so as to provide tangible added values for consumers. Meanwhile, in the perspective of brand communication, branding process and its effects have certain levels that also indicate to which extent the brand development in relation to proximity to the consumer. This level is called the hierarchy of brandingWhen a brand 

launched, the brand is still in the stage of knocking consumer awareness, making it more likely consumers just merely know or know a little about the brand. This stage is called brand awareness. Increasingly recognized, the more the attribute and benefits of the brand known by consumers, so consumers no longer just merely know or recognize the brand, but also learn more and know much about the brand or the product. This stage is called brand knowledge. As time went on and intensively communication, the consumer then has a certain 

perception or something to associate to form a certain image about the brand in the consumers’ mind (that is called brand image). As time went on and incessant communication as well, consumers would have tried the products or direct contact with the brand, so that consumers have specific experience related to the brand that form new meanings and feelings associated with the brand as well as strengthening the image of the brand. This stage is called brand experience. The combination of a positive image and exciting experiencesthat

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