How to Use Advertising to Build Strong Brands

Citation

Erdogan, Z. (2001), "How to Use Advertising to Build Strong Brands", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 35 No. 1/2, pp. 212-218. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejm.2001.35.1_2.212.1

This is the third handbook of advertising in a series of five edited by Jones. There are 28 chapters grouped under five parts. It is a book of readings written by cutting edge practitioners and academics alike that is well edited. The very characteristic that Jones is a British‐born American academic reflects itself in the handbook, as one‐third of the contributors are British.

The handbook basically maintains that advertising has the ability to build brands by communicating functional and psychological benefits (added values) of a product or service to consumers. Throughout the handbook, there is a well‐embedded common theme that in order for a brand to be successful, it must be at least as functionally efficient as the competitor’s, if not more. However, the fine balance between functional and psychological properties has been shifted somewhat in favour of the latter in the heightened post‐modern environment of late 1990s, and there is very little, if any, indication that is going to be reversed in the new century. There is no doubt that brands without functional efficiency are bound to fail given that there is an excess of supply in almost every market. Consumers are aware of this fact and ready to switch to brands with superior performance despairing marketers’ hopes of getting repeat purchase for their functionally poor products. The consistent use of the term “added values” for psychological benefits in the book might seem fresh at first, but the term implies that functional benefits are the “primary values” consumers get from a brand. Needless to say, one should not get the wrong impression that added values are unimportant. On the contrary, they “form the most important part of the definition of a brand” as Jones puts it (p. 19).

The breadth and depth of this handbook can be judged by looking at each of the five parts given that attempting to comment on every individual chapter, as much as I want to, will end up being well over the word limit. Oh well, nothing is perfect, is it?

In Part I, nine impressive chapters establish the brand concept and the role and importance of advertising in the process of building strong brands. This part opens with an overview of brands and added values from Jones. His quote from Alfred Politz is a great one highlighting the fact that “the impression left on the consumer should be of the brand, not of the advertising per se” (p. 23). In the following chapter, Harold Clark explores the term brand idea, “what the company wishes its brand to stand for in the long term” and distinguishes it from the advertising idea, “the translation of the brand idea into advertising communications at a specific time, to a specific target audience, to solve a specific problem” (p. 31). Next, comes Judie Lannon’s thorough treatment of symbols and their meanings and how they get into brands as well as how to manage brand symbolism in the long term. Roderick White moves the heated debate of whether advertising is a weak or strong force forward by eloquently making a point for the strong force argument. The following two chapters explore the brand equity concept in somewhat overlapping detail. This part is concluded by Jones commenting on the consumer’s perception of all brands are alike, and the brand management system and its impact on agency‐client relations.

Part II specifically deals with new and growing brands. Jones introduces an eight‐part marketing template for new brands, which I believe is a useful tool for managers trying to increase the likelihood of their new brand’s success, especially considering the fact that between 50‐80 percent of new brands fail. Jan Slater’s chapter, particularly the section titled “New Brand Criteria” should also be of value to managers in this endeavour. Although I have no doubt every contributor to this book appreciates the fact that all marketing communication elements, not only advertising, play a role in establishing and nurturing brands, only Alexander Biel touches on the concept explicitly. Andy Farr’s refreshing take on the concept of brand equity from the consumer’s point of view closes the part.

Part III is a logical follow‐up to the preceding one as it is about mature brands. It may seem ironic that Jones names parts of the handbook by drawing a parallel to life‐cycle trajectory where he criticises it. On the other hand, a closer look will reveal that his criticism centres on the alleged decline stage. He rightly, in my opinion, argues that “product can become obsolete, but brands need not become obsolete if they are adapted functionally to remain competitive” (p. 198). Paul Feldwick makes a great case for the defensive role of advertising for established brands. Carla Lloyd gives an extended picture of a power brand, Campbell’s Soup Company. Her illustration of how this company achieved the power brand status brings most branding concepts alive. It is followed by a rather specific, but very interesting contribution on collectible brands.

Part IV demonstrates how the branding concept can be applied to “unexpected fields” such as political parties, cable TV stations, and arts organisations. Two specific chapters covering branding issues to environmentally conscious, and elderly consumers are very timely in that they respond to general changes in society. One need not be a rocket scientist, but a marketer to appreciate the impact of these changes. For example, as Delight Omohundro indicates, “the changes that occur with aging are threefold: physical, cognitive and psychological” (p. 316) and they affect the way one tries to communicate with this affluent and increasingly growing target group.

The final part explores advertising pedagogy. Bruce Vanden Bergh gives a historical view of how advertising education has evolved in the USA in general and then, in the last chapter of the book, Constantin Cotzias shares his view on educating future creatives. Although this particular part may be very handy for anyone in the advertising industry, it limits itself to the USA.

The major strength of the handbook is its contributors and their excellent treatment of their respective topics with a lot of practical examples. What is missing in this wonderful collection of readings is a chapter on the unintended effects of advertising on brands. In cases where advertisers are not careful, these effects can be detrimental. Benetton is a classic example.

On a final note, the book offers a highly readable and fairly comprehensive view of such an important topic. It is not a textbook per se, but I would imagine every student of marketing (students, academics, and practitioners) should benefit reading this book.