Criteria For Choosing Brand Elements

CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING
BRAND ELEMENTS
Group Members:
Sikandar Ali Syed

Syedah Ume Haani
CHOOSING BRAND ELEMENTS TO BUILD BRAND
EQUITY
Brand elements, sometimes called brand identities, are those

trademarkable devices that serve to identify and differentiate the
brand. The main brand elements are brand names, URLs, logos,
symbols, characters, spokespeople, slogans, jingles, packages, and
signage. Independent o f the decisions made about the product and
how it is marketed, brand elements can be chosen in a manner to
build as much brand equity as possible. That is, according to the
customer-based brand equity model, brand elements can be chosen
to enhance brand awareness; facilitate the formation of strong,
favorable, and unique brand associations; or elicits positive brand
judgments and feelings. The test of the brand-building ability of brand
elements is what consumers would think or feel about the product i f
they only knew about its brand name, associated logo, and other
characteristics. A brand element that provides a positive contribution
to brand equity, for example, would be one for which consumers
assumed or inferred certain valued associations or responses.
CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING BRAND ELEMENTS

In general, there are six criteria in choosing brand elements (as well
as more specific choice considerations in each case):
1.Memorability
2.Meaningfulness
3.Likability
4.Transferability
5.Adaptability
6.Protectability
The first three criteria memorability, meaningfulness, and likeability
can be characterized as “brand building” in nature and concern how
brand equity can be built through the judicious choice of a brand
element. The latter three, however, are more “defensive” in nature
and are concerned with how the brand equity contained in a brand
element can be leveraged and preserved in the face of different
opportunities and constraints. The following sections briefly consider
each of these general criteria.
Memorability
A necessary condition for building brand equity is achieving a high

level of brand awareness toward that goal, brand elements can be
chosen that are inherently memorable and therefore facilitate recall
or recognition in purchase or consumption settings.
In other words, the intrinsic nature of certain names, symbol, logos

and the like their semantic content, visual properties, and so on may
make them more attention getting and easy to remember and
therefore contribute to brand equity. For example, naming a brand
of propane gas cylinders "Blue Rhino" and reinforcing it with a
powder-blue mascot with a distinctive yellow flame is likely to stick
in the minds of consumer.
Meaningfulness
Besides choosing brand elements to build awareness, brand elements

can also be chosen whose inherent meaning enhances the formation
of brand associations. Brand elements may take on all kinds of
meaning, varying in descriptive, as well as persuasive, content. For
example brand names could be based on people, places, animals or
birds, or other things or objects. Two particularly important
dimensions or aspects of the meaning of a brand element are the
extent to which it conveys the following:
General information about the nature of the product category.
In terms of descriptive meaning, to what extent does the brand

element suggest something about the product category? How likely
would it be that a consumer could correctly identify the corresponding
product category or categories for the brand based on any one
particular brand element? In a related question, does the brand
element seem credible in the product category? In other words, is the
content of a brand element consistent with what consumers would
expect to see from a brand in that product category?
Specific information about particular attributes and benefits of

the brand.
In terms of persuasive meaning, to what extent does the brand

element suggest something about the particular kind of product
that the brand would likely be, for example, in terms of key
attributes or benefits? Does it suggest something about a product
ingredient or the type of person who might use the brand?
Likability
The associations suggested by a brand element may not always be

related to the product. Thus, brand elements can be chosen that are
rich in visual and verbal imagery and inherently fun and interesting.
Independent of its memorability and meaningfulness, how
aesthetically appealing do consumers find the brand element? Is it
inherently likable, visually, verbally, and in other ways? In other
words, in dependent of the particular product or service, how much
would consumers like the brand element?
In terms of these first three criteria, a memorable, meaningful, and
likable set of brand elements offers many advantages. Because
consumers often do not examine much information in making product
decisions, it is often desirable that brand elements be easily recognized
and recalled and inherently descriptive and persuasive. Moreover,
memorable or meaningful brand names, logos, symbols, and so on
reduce the burden on marketing communications to build awareness
and link brand associations.
The different associations that arise from the likability and appeal of
the brand elements also may play a critical role in the equity of a
brand, especially when few other product-related associations exist.
Often, the less concrete the possible product benefits are, the more
important is the creative potential of the brand name and other
brand elements to capture intangible characteristics of a brand.
Transferability
The fourth general criterion concerns the transferability of the brand

element-in both a product category and geographic sense. First to
what extent can the brand element add to the brand equity of new
products sharing the brand elements introduced either within the
product class or across product classes? In other words, how useful is
the brand element for line or category extensions? In general, the less
specific the name, the more easily it can be transferred across
categories. For example, Amazon connotes a massive South American
river and therefore as a brand can be appropriate for a variety of
different types of products, whereas Toys”R”Us obviously does not
permit the same flexibility.
Second, to what extent does the brand element add to brand equity
across geographic boundaries and market segments? To a large
extent this depends on the cultural content and linguistic qualities of
the brand element. For example, one of the main advantages of non
meaningful names (e.g., Exxon) is that they translate well into other
language since they have no inherent meaning. The mistakes that
even top companies have made in translating their brand names,
slogans, and packages into other languages and cultures over the
years have become legendary. Companies must review all their
brand elements for cultural meaning before introducing the brand
into a new market.
Adaptability
The fifth consideration concerns the adaptability of the brand element
over time. Because of changes in consumer values and opinions, or
simply because of a need to remain contemporary, brand elements
often must be updated over time. The more adaptable and flexible
the brand element, the easier it is to update it. For example, logos
and characters can be given a new look or a new design to make
them appear more modern and relevant.
Protectability
The sixth and final general consideration is the extent to which the
brand element is protectable – both in a legal and a competitive
sense. Marketers should:
1. Choose brand elements that can be legally protected
internationally.
2. Formally register them with the appropriate legal bodies.
3. Vigorously defend trademarks from unauthorized competitive
infringement.
Another consideration is whether the brand is competitively
protectable. If a name, package, or other attribute is too easily
copied, much of uniqueness of the brand may disappear.

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What are the six criteria for choosing brand elements?

What are the advantages of choosing brand elements that are memorable, meaningful and likable?

CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING

Sikandar Ali Syed

Brand elements, sometimes called brand identities, are those

CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING BRAND ELEMENTS

A necessary condition for building brand equity is achieving a high

In other words, the intrinsic nature of certain names, symbol, logos

Besides choosing brand elements to build awareness, brand elements

General information about the nature of the product category.

In terms of descriptive meaning, to what extent does the brand

Specific information about particular attributes and benefits of

In terms of persuasive meaning, to what extent does the brand

The associations suggested by a brand element may not always be

The fourth general criterion concerns the transferability of the brand

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