HOW TO BUILD YOUR COMPANY BRAND

"A Brand is an intangible but critical component of what a company stands for. (David Scott, 2002)

We will start with Philip Kotler, the greatest authority in the world of marketing. He expresses in an interview. ¨ The brand is a name¨, but when the brand is powerful it makes you think of many other things, not just the name. You can test it by asking people what comes to mind when they see it. If they say, "Just the name," then it's not a strong brand. For it to be a strong mark, many, many things have to come into your head.

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The term BRAND appears with emphasis in the bibliography since the late 70's and early 80's, especially in the United States and Europe. This concept, initially exploited from a practical perspective, as a mode of visual identification for specific purposes but in an empirical way, has evolved in the last 20 years...

Wally Olins, assures that brands are the engine of business, as symbols that interpret a product and seek that people identify with it. (Olins, 2004)

"Brand, is something immaterial and invisible, which identifies, qualifies and, above all, gives an added value. It is what the user or consumer feels once his need has been satisfied with the product ¨. (Luis Basstt, 2006)

"Brand", which we define as "the strategic resource of identification and individualization of a specific object (organization, product or service), constituted at a perceptive level by a representation of visual signs of various kinds (graphic brand) that are loaded with meanings, values, etc. through regular and systematic management and communication over time".

The American Marketing Association states that, "a trademark is a name, term, sign, symbol, design, or a combination thereof that identifies a company's products and services and distinguishes them from those of its competitors.

A trademark is a Name, a Term, a Sign, A Symbol , a Logotype, a Design or a combination of all of the above, to identify goods and services.

Conceptual bases: some concepts related to the brand

Conceptual bases:

I.- Identity,

II.- Image,

III.- Quality,

IV.- Positioning and

V.- Personality.

I.- IDENTITY. Brand identity.

Identity is one of the most important elements for any brand, since it is responsible for making a product different from the others. It is also responsible for transmitting expectations and promises to customers or consumers.

Sanz de la Tajada, points out that "identity is the codified manifestation of the company's culture". (Sanz de la Tajada, 1994)

"The identity of a company; is something obvious, just like the personal identity, that is, the set of features and attributes that define its essence, some of which are visible and others are not. ( Justo Villafañe, 1993)

David Aaker, states that brand identity is a set of assets (and liabilities) linked to the brand name and symbol that incorporate (or subtract) the value provided by a product or service to the company and/or its customers. (Aaker, 1996)

In addition, Joan Costa, expresses that the brand identity is a set of assets and liabilities, linked to the name and symbol (or subtract) the value provided by a product or service to the company and / or its customers: Brand name recognition. Brand loyalty. Perceived quality. Brand associations. (Costa, 1999)

The identity is the ¨TO BE¨ of an organization, its culture and its vision.

- what the company is.

- what it does.

What it is intrinsically consists first of all of its institutional structure: its legal status, the history of its development or trajectory, its current board of directors, its registered office, the organization chart of activities and subsidiaries, the structure of its capital and its assets.

What it does is the major activity around which the entire relational and productive system is created: a more or less coordinated technique, product lines or services, a price structure and distribution characteristics, whose set of activities is sanctioned in the form of commercial and financial results.

Brand identity.

Brand identity is understanding "who I am". It is to define its reason for being, its purpose. The brand identity is the foundation of everything that supports a brand, has everything that a brand represents, which is why when managing it is essential to have a series of factors such as: knowing the context where it will be inserted, defining the mission, vision, corporate values, determining objectives, etc.

Identity is one of the most important elements for any brand, as it is responsible for making a product different from others. In addition, it is responsible for conveying expectations and promises to consumers, as well as the partnerships it aims to achieve. The identity of a brand is its own extension.

II.- IMAGE. Brand image.

The image is intangible, through this the organizations communicate their business culture in the minds of their audiences.

The conceptualization of the term image is broad, complex and controversial, offered by internationally renowned authors who are experts on the subject, such as: Joan Costa, Spanish, first communicologist, designer, essayist, and psychologist, has carried out the largest theoretical study of image. Justo Villafañe, Spanish, Doctor in Information Sciences, professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, and other authors such as Luis Ángel de la Tajada, Cees Van Riel, Ivan Abreu Sojo, plus others who could be considered for this study.

"Image is a very dynamic and complex social phenomenon, things are, but phenomena happen. The image is a multifactorial phenomenon. Companies and consultants pay attention to image, but they don't talk about facts. They don't realize that it's a real problem" interview,

Justo Villafañe, says that, ¨ the image is something ethereal on which you have limited control because it is born in the mind of the public and is constituted thanks to the multiplicity of acts that this company protagoniza¨. (Villafañe, 1999)

Justo Villafañe, also expresses that ¨ the image is the synthesis of the identity that makes the public of an organization. ¨

Dowling, (1986) in Trelles Irene, J Meriño and A Espinosa, (2005), An image is the set of meanings by which we come to know an object, and through which people describe, remember, and relate to it. It is the result of the interaction of beliefs, ideas, feelings, and impressions that a person has about an object.

Gonzalez G, expresses that the image is "...the result of all those experiences, impressions, beliefs and feelings that people have about a company". (González G, 1990)

Sanz de la Tajada, (1994) defines that ¨una image is a set of adjective notes spontaneously associated with a given stimulus, which has previously triggered in individuals a series of associations that form a set of knowledge, which in social psychology is called beliefs or stereotypes.¨

The Latin Americans María Luisa Muriel and Gilda Rota, state that ¨ the image is a complicated network of attitudes and criteria that are formed in the mind of a group of people, from the policies and products or services that are ofrece¨. (María Luisa Muriel and Gilda Rota, 1980)

Brand image.

In today's world, there is a marked trend towards strengthening "mega-brands", because people not only buy products, they buy image. Image becomes a key factor in decision making, it becomes a product in itself. We are alluding to what we concretely call "brand image".

Brand image is a broad concept, within which is the personality, attributes and benefits of the brand, or the consequences that the consumer associates with the brand.

David Aaker, points out that brand image is the way in which the brand is perceived by customers and other audiences linked to it. (Aaker, 1996)

Costa says that "the brand image is created through design, it extends to the products and messages of the company, it is an index of quality and guarantees that this will be constant. A taste, a style or a level of quality are factors to which the public gets used to and from which brand loyalty is born. Continuity means the authenticity of the product, it means a public commitment that the manufacturer acquires with the market: its legal and social responsibility".

Julio Cerviño, considers that the brand image is centered in how the objective public imagines the brand, how it perceives and decodes the speeches emitted by it through its products, services, communication, logotypes, etc. (Cerviño, 2002)

III.- QUALITY. Brand quality.

Quality is a requirement for any brand without which it cannot exist or subsist in the market.

Quality is a concept that has been widely discussed in literature from various points of view and from different approaches and disciplines such as economics, marketing and management.

The following is a list of the concept of quality according to various authors.

Their definitions and points of view have been the starting point of many investigations.

According to Deming (1989), from a statistical perspective, quality is "a predictable degree of uniformity and reliability at low cost, appropriate to the needs of the market". The author indicates that the company's main objective should be to stay in the market, protect investment, earn dividends and secure jobs.

For Juran and Gryna, (1993), from the customer's perspective, quality is defined as suitability for use. This definition implies an adaptation of the design of the product or service (design quality) and the measurement of the degree to which the product conforms to that design (manufacturing quality or conformity).

The main idea provided by Crosby, (1987), from the economic perspective, is that quality does not cost, what costs are the things that do not have quality.

Crosby defines quality as conformity to specifications or compliance with requirements and understands that the main motivation of the company is to reach the figure of zero defects. His motto is "Do it right the first time and get zero defects".

The Nordic School represented by Grönroos, Gummesson and Lehtinen define it from the product point of view, distinguishing it from the technical quality, referred to ¨que¨ service is received by the customer, being this susceptible to be measured by the company and to be evaluated by the consumer and the functional quality which is dealt with ¨como¨ customer service is provided and the North American School represented by Zeithami. Parasuramany, Berry, emphasize the expectations and perceptions of customers, .pose the determinants of the quality of a service or dimensions of quality.

Reeves and Bednar (1994) reviewed the concept of quality, concluding that there is not a universal and global definition of quality, but basically four types of definition:

1.- Quality as excellence: in this case it is defined as "the best" in an absolute sense. This definition is too abstract and confusing since it does not guide the organization towards where its management should lead. It would be necessary for those in charge of the organization to define the concept of excellence even at the risk of not being equal to the conception that the clients would have.

2.- Quality as a value: in this case the concept is segmented according to the type of customer. Quality is the best for each type of consumer.

3.- Quality as adjustment to specifications: this concept arises from industrial quality in which the final product must conform to a pre-established pattern.

4.- Quality as a response to customer expectations: this definition arises from the boom in services and the measurement of their quality. Under this premise, the concept of quality is centred on the perception that the client has. It is also very important to define the following concepts:

Programmed quality: is that established by the organization as an objective and which is specified in the design specifications for the product or service, as well as for the different management systems and the necessary processes.

Realised quality: is the quality that is actually obtained after the production or service process has been achieved, and which is reflected in the product or service that the organisation offers to the client.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has considered that quality is the satisfaction of all the customer's legitimate needs and expectations at an acceptable price, in accordance with the basic requirements of quality; safety; hygiene; accessibility of tourist services and harmony with the human and natural environment.

Brand quality.

When branding a product, key decisions relate to brand ownership, the level of quality, where the product will be positioned in the market, whether a successful brand identity can be extended to other products, and the need to develop several brands for different market segments.

When developing a brand, one of the key decisions to be taken is the level of quality that will sustain the brand's position in the target markets. Some markets are more concerned about quality than others and, even within a single market, there will be consumers who prefer higher-priced brands and others who prefer lower-priced brands.

Alejos, (undated) The quality of a brand must be directly related to the quality of the product it covers, although not to be confused with it since the quality of a product cannot always be appreciated at first sight; sometimes, not even with its use. Instead, the mark is an element recognized by consumers, who give certain marks the qualification of "good" and deny it to others.

This title is not granted indiscriminately but, on the contrary, is based on indications, one of which, perhaps the most important, is the quality of the product. From that moment on, the quality of the brand takes on a "life of its own" and becomes separated from the product.

IV.- POSITIONING. Brand positioning.

The growing economic development and internationalization of economies have led to a massive availability of products, services and brands. In this sense, the consumer faces greater difficulty in evaluating the different characteristics of products or services. This situation determines a first consequence regarding the need to address positioning as a marketing strategy aimed at defining the desired position of the company. Secondly, the consumer's own perception of the company's position must be identified and taken as the starting point for the planned development of the positioning strategy.

Every company must create a position in the customer's mind with the perspective of being the first, taking into account its strengths, weaknesses and those of its competitor, this occurs when the positioning is related to the competition, which is not the only type of positioning, could also be possessed based on Price / Quality, with respect to use, guiding the user, and lifestyle.

Positioning is "the relative situation that a company has in relation to other competing organizations and to certain factors that, as axes, form the reference context of that group of companies and organizations in terms of the image perceived by the public and/or the image desired by the company". (Sanz de la Tajada, 1994)

Julio Cerviño, points out that "the term positioning is applied to the process of emphasizing the distinctive and motivating attributes of a brand in relation to its competitors. Thus, positioning is closely related to the concepts of associations and image, but it implies a frame of reference, and the point of reference is given by the competition". (Cerviño, 2002)

David Aaker, defines positioning as "the part of the brand identity and value proposition that will be actively communicated to the target audience and that demonstrates an advantage over competitive brands". (Aaker, 1996)

V.- Personality. Brand personality.

The brand personality is a valuable pillar on which the development of the brand essence, its attractiveness and its presence rest. Therefore, it is a powerful element of the brand.

It consists of the attribution of the characteristics of the human personality of a brand. Just like a human being, a brand must have an attractive, interesting, pleasant and friendly personality that captivates the consumer and allows him to establish and maintain bonds of friendship over many years.

All the elements of the brand personality, such as its logo, label, packaging, design, topography, slogan, among others, must communicate the same personality. That this must create, in the mind of the consumer.

¨Brand personality is linked to symbolic and emotional benefits provided by it while serving as a basis for differentiation, it is especially important for goods with little physical differences and that their consumption is observed by others" (Aaker and Alvarez del Blanco, 1995).¨

Brand personality is the "who is" (the brand), added to the "what is" (product or service); it is the set of human characteristics associated with a given brand. Personal values are used to give the brand a distinctive personality or to give it a character. This adds a touch of warmth and human touch to the brand. In this way, it is intended to capture the attention of consumers and summarize the strengths of the brand.

The brand personality, like the human personality, is both distinctive and enduring. Describing a person can be used in the same way as describing a brand. Specifically, a brand can be described by demographics (age, gender, social class and race) or by aspects of human personality (extroversion, sympathy or dependence).

The construction of the brand personality allows the understanding of people's attitudes and perceptions towards the brand, contributing to a differentiated brand identity, guiding the communication effort and creating value for the brand. Brand personality, in Gómez Palacio, (2013). It consists of the attribution of the characteristics of the human person. Just like a human being, a brand must have an attractive, interesting, pleasant personality that captivates the consumer and allows him/her to establish and maintain bonds of friendship over many years.

When we speak of brand personality we refer precisely to those characteristics that differentiate the brand from others, that express its character and temperament, and that make it unique.

All the elements of the brand personality, such as its logo, label, packaging, design, topography, slogan, among others, must communicate the same personality. That this should create in the mind of the consumer.

According to the book Fundaments of Branding Various Authors, (2009) Branding (or Brand Management) is the art-science-discipline of creating and managing brands. Branding is a discipline that arises from the need to manage strategic concepts that are more enduring than the communication campaigns themselves.

For Keller, Kevin Lane in Strategic Brand Management Branding, (2008)

Brand Management offers a series of different indicators from direct economic results, which are short term and can be affected by promotions or temporary factors. Focusing on raising Brand Capital indicators is a good way to develop a long-term strategy. Creating and Implementing a Brand: For the process of building a brand there are several criteria in guides and methodologies prepared by different authors, one of the most accepted is the proposal presented by Alina Wheeler, (2006) and Jean Noel Kapferer, (2004) that serve as a guide to create, build and sustain brands.