Brand Image is the perspective of the brand in the minds of the customers. 1.It is sub-consciously form in the mind of the public on the basis of the interaction, experience and reviews, people have about the company. An individual must not be necessarily a customer to form a brand image, it’s also shaped according to the already existing information and perspective.
According to Kotler: An image is the set of beliefs, ideas, and impression that a person holds regarding an object.
Some example of Brand Image are as follows: majority of people don’t own a Montblanc but a thought of a premier luxury good pops into their mind because of the information and belief they have about the product. FastTrack comes across a fashion accessory brand whose target audience is youth. Dettol is a hygiene and healthcare brand which has become a household name. It has created such a strong image that the consumers identify any medically clean room as “smells like Dettol”. The makers of Dettol Reckitt Benckiser have always created a strong brand Image of their products in their respective spaces such as Harpic which dominates the toilet cleaner market, Mortein the household insecticide.
Importance of Brand Image:
1. Brand Image helps in gaining Recognition.
There are thousands of smart phone brands available across the globe still anyone can spot and identify an IPhone. It’s because the company is recognized by its brand image. Its logo, IOS system, marketing, pricing and all other factors play an important role in shaping the brand image of Apple. Brand Image is not just logo or marketing it’s the overall aura of the brand.
2. Brand Image Makes an Impression.
People form an opinion about a brand even before becoming a customer based on what they hear or see. Consumers are gravitated towards a particular brand because of the good image it has in the society. When a consumer is buying a product he is not just buying the product but he is investing in the brand. Customer service experience, media coverage all this factors affects brand image which leads to making of an impression about the brand. A study shows that 90% of the purchasing decisions taken by the customers now a days are based on brand image.
3. Brand Image attracts new customers.
When a company has a good brand image, it attracts more customers which is the ultimate factor for the growth of a company. A good brand image creates trust among the target audience and thus attracts more users. For example, a café has good food, ambience, hygiene, great customer service and also good social media marketing. All this aspects will lead to good brand image and thus business growth. The opposite situation is also possible. If brand image gets spoiled, existing customers are lost, United Airlines flight 3411 PR disaster is the best example for this. In March 2017 a video of forcefully removing a paying passenger went viral, it was already a big crisis management task, on that the insensitive remark of the CEO added fuel to the fire. The stock dropped by $1 billion within a short span of time while putting the whole airline industry under microscope.
How is brand Image different from brand identity?
Brand identity and Brand image are two very distinct concepts which are often mistaken as one. Brand Identity is fully controlled and decided by the company, it’s how the company wants to portray themselves to the customers. Whereas brand image is formed in the minds of the customers depending on the interaction and experience they had with the brand. Brand image is not under the control of the brand in fact it can be termed as a brand’s action in the form of its image in the market.