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The traditional orientation of branding suggests that brand name is a part of the brand consisting of words or letters that form a means to identify and distinguish a firm’s offer. A brand mark is the symbol or pictorial diagram that helps in the identification of the product.

There are generic brand names that have become a generically descriptive term for a class of products like Nylon, Aspirin, Kerosene, and Zipper. Trademark protection confers the exclusive right to use brand name with any trademark, logo, slogan, or product name aberrations.

Advantages of Brand

The harder a company works on its branding and identity, in most cases, the more awareness it creates. For example, Coca-Cola is known worldwide for its product. A consumer can see it in a foreign county, with labeling in a foreign language and know it is a Coca-Cola product.

The red color and shape of the bottle is an immediate trigger in many minds as to the fact that the drink is a Coca-Cola product. This is branding and identity at its best.

The more often a customer sees your brand in the marketplace, the more often he will consider it for purchase. If the brand and identity are truly kept consistent, the customer is more likely to feel that the quality is consistent and to become a loyal follower of the brand. However, this means that the product must maintain a consistency that reflects the image as well.

Different branding strategies adopted by companies

There are four recognized branding strategies:

Corporate umbrella branding

It is used by firms such as Heinz,Kellogg’s, and Cadbury’s. The corporate name is used as the lead name for all their products, for example Kellogg’s Healthwise, Kellogg’s Frosties, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes.

Family umbrella

Names are used to cover a range of products in a variety of markets. For example, Marks and Spencer use their St Michael brand for food, household goods, and toiletries.

Range branding

It is used for a range of products with a particular link in a specific market. For example, GlaxoSmithKline uses brand Horlicks for its range of health foods.

Individual brand

Names are used with individual products in a particular market, with different weights, colours, flavours, and pack sizes. Procter & Gamble and Unilever use individual brand names such as Clinic Plus, Ariel, and Ponds with no reference to the corporate name.