Brand Image And Its Impact on Buying Behaviour

Brand image can be defined as a unique group of associations which creates a perception about an offering within the minds of the target customers. It is the present mindset of a customer about a brand and reflects what the brand stands for at present in the customer’s mind.

Customer’s belief about a brand creates the foundation of brand image and customer’s perception about an offering transforms into a brand image. It can either be formed by planned positioning, in line with the trading strategy, or it can be shaped by the environmental factors surrounding the customer like a word of mouth, competitor advertising, usage reviews etc.

Brand image is not necessarily a mental image, it can have emotional attributes added to it as well. It is a bundle of functions and mental connections with a brand that customers have.

Brand image is often not created, it’s automatically formed. The brand image can include product’s appeal, ease of use, functionality, fame and overall value from a customer’s viewpoints. The image of a brand is ultimately a decisive factor that determines the product sales.

Products are made by the companies and brands are made by the customers. The associations in the minds of the customers, shape the brand as well as the character of the organization to which the brand is associated with. These associations are formed by the contacts and observations of elements which are internal or external to the organization. These shape the brand image or perception about a brand in customer’s mind. For example, Redbull is known for instant energy, Ferrari is associated with racing and sports driving, and Volvo for safety.
But, the most important thing to remember is that these perceptions are subjective and can differ among individuals.

Altogether we can say that brand image is eventually a mirror through which the company’s key values are reflected.
For example, Colgate is a brand name known in every Indian household. The brand has been able to create an image that defines trust, hope, and belief. The consumer is convinced that the use of Colgate products will give satisfactory results.
The mindset of customers is set that using Colgate toothpaste will take care of their teeth and using the product will result in better health and oral care.
Thus, when in the market, the consumer will mostly buy Colgate, as the brand Colgate has been synonymous with trust for them.

Now that we have known what is a brand image, now let us talk about the strategies which are followed by companies to build a positive brand image.

The first one is the Clarity of purpose and fulfillment of the promise.

Francoies Gautier very rightly said that “More important than the quest for certainty is the quest for clarity.”
If a company wants to build a positive brand image, it should be very clear of its purpose. People need to know why the organization exists. They want a reason to give their enthusiastic support. They want to be a part of an organization that is the first or best at something, does what no other organization has ever done, helps people to lead a better, safer, healthier and productive life.
For this to happen, the company should have a clear sense of what they stand for. They should communicate their vision regularly to their customers. Moreover, they should show their customers how firm they are on their promises by accomplishing them.

Let us take an example from the current industry sceneario.
Let’s talk about Tesla.

Tesla is less about a car than it is about a revolution. It’s a true disruption in a category of incrementalism and boredom. Elon Musk, wanted to change the way the world saw and used automobiles, much like he did with Paypal and is trying to do with the Space X. Musk wanted to do something about the environmental issues dogging the category.
Musk’s vision for the making electric cars competitive in luxury is bold, but it is hard to bet against him.
So, we can say that the higher order purpose beyond the product or services it is pitching is to change the world.

Now think about companies like Coke, Dove, and Zappos, they all have a higher order purpose beyond the products or services they are pitching. For Coke, it’s Coke and connections, for Dove it is Dove and empowerment and for Zappos, it is Zappos and Unconditional service.
This type of purpose-oriented companies builds a very positive brand image.

Now, coming to the next strategy, which is Become Famous; Let others do the talking.

Companies like Zara and Rolls Royce do not advertise at all. Why?

Because they don’t need to.

For them, advertising is just an extra expenditure. They already have a large amount of buzz over all the existing form of media because of the quality they offer, which sets them apart from others.

Now, again coming back to the example of Tesla, which spends a minimal amount on trivial advertising. Elon Musk always conveys the impression that he isn’t too worried about marketing.

Give Tesla an advertising budget, they would probably pour it into refining their production. The end result? An even more incredible car that everybody is going to be talking about. Consumer reports of 2016 declared that Tesla is the best car they had ever tested when model S owners gave the vehicle 99 points out of the 100 possible in a survey. Because of its quality, it is always in headlines, which eventually leads to free positive publicity resulting in a never seen before brand image(which is quite evidently shown by its sales statistics)

The point of mentioning all the above examples was that if a company has an exceptional quality product, then it does not necessarily need to advertise itself. Their success will automatically make the noise.

Now, coming on to the next strategy, which is continuous innovation.

Innovation is the base to success. To maintain and improve brand image, constant innovation is very important. It not only helps to keep ahead of the competitors but also make the customer believe that their company is working hard to fulfill their promises, which will eventually lead to a positive brand image. Companies like Apple, Facebook and Google are always striving for innovation. From Ipod’s scrolling wheel to the tremendous innovations of Google, all these companies are really heading for innovation as well as to surprise their consumers. The result we can see from their market shares.

Ok, for one instance let’s agree on the fact that brand image has an impact on the consumer buying behavior. But, how to determine that? The prime indicators of customer’s behavioural intention are customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.

Customer satisfaction is a marketing term that measures how products or services supplied by a company meet or surpass a customer’s expectation. Customer satisfaction is important because it provides marketers and business owners with a metric that they can use to manage and improve their business.
If a customer is satisfied with the product, then it means that the customer will have a positive image of the brand of the product.

Customer loyalty is both an attitudinal and behavioural tendency to favor one brand over all others. Whether due to satisfaction with the product or service, its convenience or performance, or simply familiarity and comfort with the brand.
Customer loyalty encourages consumers to shop more constantly, spend a greater share of wallet and feel positive about a shopping experience.
If a customer is loyal to a brand, it automatically indicates that he or she has a positive image of the brand.

Now, let’s talk about Brand Equity and its relation to the Brand Image.
Brand Image is the key driver of brand equity. Brand Equity refers to a value that a company generates from a product with a recognizable name when compared to a generic equivalent.
Companies can make brand equity for their product by building them unforgettable, effortlessly recognizable, and higher in quality. A positive brand image helps to build a positive brand equity.

Brand equity has three simple components, customer perception, adverse or positive effect and the resulting value. Brand equity is constructed by customer perception, which comprises both knowledge and experience with a brand and its products. The perception that a consumer section holds about a brand directly results in either positive or negative effect. If the effect is positive, physical value is realized as marketing as consciousness or goodwill. If the effects are negative, tangible or intangible value is also negative. For instance, if consumers are eager to pay more for a generic product than for branded one, the brand is said to have negative brand equity. This might happen if a company has a main product recall or causes a widely publicized environmental disaster.

Conclusion:

- Brand image has a major impact on the consumer’s buying behavior. If the brand image is positive, the customer’s behavior towards the brand is also positive. Once a customer becomes satisfied with a brand, he/she becomes loyal to it. It is suggested that companies should take their role in the society seriously and should provide a quality product, which is worth their brand image.

- Brand image is the key driver of brand equity. Positive brand image can help a company to build a positive brand equity and if brand equity is positive, then the organization, its products and its financials can benefit, and if brand equity is negative, the opposite is true.