Relationships with Brands, Research Paper Example

Brands have grasped the modern world, becoming an integral part of every person’s life. Being guided by advertisements that they see every day on TV, hear on the radio and come across in the streets or in public transport, people have become attached to certain brands without even noticing that fact. In the age of consumption a significant place that brands occupy in the lives of common public has become an indisputable norm. It’s even possible to assume nowadays that people have relationships with brands, which in itself is pretty weird but true.

There are different opinions on the issue, and some theorists argue that the very notion of having relationships with a brand is impossible. However, to investigate the essence of the issue and to find out whether such a phenomenon can still be observed today, it is necessary to get deeper into the matter and consider the meaning of such terms as ‘branding’ and ‘relationship’.

Starting with ‘branding’, one should know that this process, as well as ‘positioning’, refers to finding the right place and the right concept for a product in the market. According to the Farlex Dictionary, the definition of branding that suits the present discussion is “to provide with or publicize using a brand name” (The Free Online Dictionary, 2010). Branding may refer to pricing, positioning, one typical product as an item for middle class consumption, and another product gaining the status of elite or exclusive. Such techniques of branding find their diverse revelation in the human life, for example, buying products of the elite category, people may feel their belonging to the upper class even in case they actually do not. In addition, some consumers may on the contrary choose products from the middle class category, appreciating the reasonable proportion between their price and quality.

Thus, it is possible to suppose that those making a certain product their number one preference enter in relations with that particular brand, being committed to it for a set of reasons they choose for themselves. A similar situation is used to prove the point argued by Fournier (1998) about relationships with brands that people may really have, when brands already become humanized, animated and suit the unique style of life, conscience and habits of consumers, creating even a “typology of consumer-brand relationship forms” that are a contemporary reality (p. 362).

Coming to the term ‘relationship’, it is necessary to know that the only meaning suits that state of connection that may exist between a brand and a living being – “the condition or fact of being related; connection or association” (The Free Dictionary, 2010). There surely may be found some features of relationships between brands and people, for example, in the long period of co-existence (no matter on what grounds that co-existence is based, be it prestige, popularity of the brand, a suitable price or satisfactory quality), and in the certain form of commitment that is seen in the consumer behavior.

A visible parallel can be drawn between relationships between humans and relationships between people and brands. The supporting evidence for this fact may be found in the words of McEwen (2004) stating that

“the relationship between customer and company is, at its very foundation, emotional. And the strongest relationships are those grounded in the most passionate emotional connections”.

If one considers a couple of brands as a possible example of relationships with customers, it will be clear how volatile they are, how strongly they are built on passion and emotions. For example, the famous brand Heinz producing canned foods (e.g. ketchup), one can see how intensely they advertise their products despite the fact that their food has already become the pattern for high-quality, useful and cost-efficient products. The last advertisement of Heinz ketchup with the broken bottle and the substance that did not spill out of it, one can see how strongly they emphasize the quality of their products. Speaking about the famous handgun producer Colt, it is obvious that the handguns of this company have become an indispensible sign of quality and style. Surely, the prices for some Colt handguns may be higher than average, but it is important to note how many people are eager to pay that premium price to own a worldwide –known and prestigious brand. Both companies produce commercials with celebrities to instigate the interest to their products (e.g. Matt le Blanc in Heinz) and position their brands as the indispensible items in everybody’s home.

Judging from this point, it is possible to compare these forms of relationships and outline some similarities. The first stage of building relationships is to search for an ideal partner corresponding to a set of variables that people had previously stipulated. As in all relations, the search involves trying several brands, shifting one of them to another until they find a certain brand that satisfies their requirements. However, this ‘meeting’ also does not guarantee the lifelong commitment because continuous improvement and ability to surprise are also important preconditions that make relationships work. As soon as one of the partners, in the present situation it is the customer, gets too used to the brand that fails to surprise him or her ay longer, they find another brand that brings them more pleasure and satisfaction. This is why it is essential to that brands, as well as people, did not consider their relationships static and continuously worked on improvement, innovation and pleasant surprises that they can bring into relationships. This is also true for such brands as classic ones – they seem to be beyond competition because of their being more than a brand, more of a lifestyle and prestige indicator (e.g. Gucci or Prada in dressing, Apple in computer equipment etc.). They also work hard to retain their customers and to keep their sales above possible levels.

References

Fournier, S. (1998). A Consumer-Brand Relationship Framework for Strategy Brand Management, unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Florida.

McEwen, W.J. (2004). Building a Brand Relationship. Gallup Management Journal. Retrieved January 18, 2010, from http://gmj.gallup.com/content/11209/buildi ng-a-brand-relationship.aspx

The Free Online Dictionary by Farlex. Retrieved January 18, 2010, from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

Matt Le Blanc – Heinz Ketchup Commercial (2009). You Tube. Retrieved January 18, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_vssdys8lk