The Expert in the Science of Brand Strategy, Essay Example

Before viewing Duane Knapp’s videos, my personal definition of branding was that it is a marketing phenomenon that allows consumers to closely associate a product with a certain activity or result. Furthermore, I believed that branding was an effective measure in ensuring that customers would continue to purchase the same product for their specific need. I believed that the best brands, ultimately, prove that they are the best and that all other alternatives are inadequate. After watching Duane Knapp’s videos and reading the textbook, I learned that branding is used to prove how a company or product is distinctive. This is reflected in the advertisements of these products, which also must be distinct. Ultimately, how branding makes people feel is the ultimate measure of its success or failure; a good brand must generate trust.

It is interesting that Duane Knapp is a professional who helps others build their brands, when he has himself built a brand that promises the best branding. This helped me modify my initial assumptions about branding because it provided an interesting concrete example of branding itself. From the consumer point of view, branding is entirely different than a marketer’s point of view. To some extent, as a consumer, our appreciation of the products we buy is somewhat of a subconscious decision. For example, I continue to buy the same deodorant product without considering why. However, upon analyzing this decision, I notice that the many commercials on television marketing this product have convinced me that it is the best. When I look at my other options in the supermarket, I don’t even consider purchasing them. My deodorant of choice is a good product because both its packaging and television advertisements allow it to stand out from the other options that I have available to me. Thus, the company did an excellent job in branding their product.

References

Knapp D. (n.d.). The Expert in the Science of Brand Strategy. Retrieved from    http://www.duaneeknapp.com/

Knapp D. (n.d.). Videos. Retrieved from http://www.duaneeknapp.com/videos/