Trigger 2
Brand identity vs. brand image
The biggest difference between the two is the viewpoint from which the brand is looked at. Brand identity is the end result of strategic brand planning done by the company in question. This is how the company wants to be perceived and how they want to present operations, product and culture.
Brand image is the actual image the general public and customers have on the company. This is affected by the company itself but as well with the media coverage and opinions of other people — pretty much all the company-related sources the person might’ve come across.

Different brand identity models
David Aaker‘s brand theory
Aaker views brand through four points:
- product
the product aspect is strongly focused on the scope of the product. The scope can be defined through the actual products and it’s qualities. How company is associated with different activities (Plantagen for gardening) , groups of people (Fender for guitarists) or even geographical locations (Toblerone with the Swiss Alps in their logo) can define the scope.
- organization
Organizational aspects of the brand are harder to measure and differentiate them from others competitors. It involves the values (for example sustainability or innovation) and how the company operates in all aspects of their business.
- person
The personality of a brand is important to help consumers to relate to the brand on an emotional level. The personality of a brand can be described similarly to humans.
- symbol
The brand logo makes the company recognizable to consumers. In the best case it provides something that creates a common message that overcomes all lingual and cultural boundaries. Company symbols donät necessarily need to be visual like logos; for example Steve Jobs became an iconic symbol for Apple.
Kapferer’s brand identity prism
Physique: The physique of the brand is built strongly on the visual aspects, the symbolism and colours of your brand. The more the visual presentation matches with the intangible idea as the company wants to be perceived, the clearer view on the brand is to a consumer.
Personality: Kapferers definition of brand personality is defined differently than in Aaker’s theory. Whereas Aaker focuses on human-like personality traits, Kapferer defines brands personality which the company communicates through visual presentation and copywriting. The tone of voice of the company is crucial as well as the imagery that is presented. Especially nowadays a lot of social media based brands try to get a close relationship with potential customers by using a lot of trendy wording and emoji’s.
Culture: Company culture is more comparable with Aaker’s description of brands organizational qualities. It is the definition that differentiates companies from each other and focuses on the values of the company.
Relationship: in the most successful business plan, a company creates and manages a relationship with the customers post-purchase. The relationship describes also the tangible and intagible value a customer thinks they receive from the brand.
Reflection: is the archetype of the main customer group that the company in question is most likely to target with their advertisements etc.
Self-image: The idea of self-image is tied to company’s customers and all they want to be and be perceived as. The brand should reflect and cater to the needs of what their customer thinks, feels and wants to achieve. It is about what their customer values and how the product and branding can support that.
Brand identity as a base for visual identity
The visual identity should reflect the company’s brand identity. Brand identity should act as an insporation for symbols, color, fonts and copywriting.
In a worst case, visual identity can confuse a customer if it’s too far fetched from the brand identity. If visual identity is poor quality, inconsistent, out of date or the message is too complicated — potential customer may be lost. Especially now when most consumers do their own research, it is crucial to have a professional social media presence.
Brand and visual identety of Monki
Physique: Monki repeats bold colors, patterns and fonts throughout their visual image and product.
Personality: Monki has a very playful, equality-based and feminist tone of voice. The copyright is not formal and they use a lot of wording used by younger generations.


Culture: Monki is very value-based company. They have several charity programs that work for girls’ rights and education in third-world countries, gender equality, fabric recycling programmes and sustainable cotton production. ‘They even work with organization called The Cup with a mission to empower underprivileged girls worldwide by providing them with sustainable menstrual cups and education on sexuality and reproductive rights and made Monki menstrual cups they sold with a matching underwear line.
Relationship: Monki maintains a relationship with their customers by asking them to post pictures with #monkistyle on social media and frequently share pictures of their clients on their global social media pages. The company is very body-positive and post a huge variety of customers of all ages, shapes and sizes. They participate through events or stands in cool festivals and other happenings in larger cities.
Reflection: is the archetype of the main customer group that the company in question is most likely to target with their advertisements etc.


Self-image: The Monki customer is young, trendy and woke. They want to be sustainable, socioeconomically conscious but don’t necessarily hold heavy buying power. This is why Monki has kept their pricepoints low, their values highly visible in their merchandise and visual presentation (as seen in their window presentation seen below).

Sources:
Aaker, David 2010. Building Strong Brands. Simon & Schuster. London. p.85–103.
Key differences. 2018. Difference Between Brand Identity and Brand Image URL:https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-brand-identity-and-brand-image.html
Kapferer, J. (2012). The new strategic brand management. 5th ed. London: Kogan Page, p.158.
de Chernatony, L. (2010). From Brand Vision to Brand Evaluation. 3rd ed. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann, p.54.
Monki. 2018. Monki cares. URL: https://www.monki.com/we-are-monki/monki-cares/ Accessed: 3.9.2018

