Brand Orientation

Question 1

Introduction points

Answer 1

• business orientation has received significant academic attention given the importance it holds navigating organisations towards success
• within business orientation brand and marketing orientation 2 strategic approaches utilised by businesses to guide decision making and operations

Question 2

What are the 2 approaches discussed in this response

Answer 2

1. market orientation
2. brand orientation

Question 3

What characterises market orientation? (Urde, 1999)

Answer 3

Outside-in-approach

The focus is on the needs and wants of consumers at all costs

Extensive market research is carried out to bring back in to the organisation to address market gaps (Urde, 1999).

Question 4

What are the benefits of a market orientated approach?

Answer 4

• In-depth understanding of consumer demands allows competitive advantage capitalising on market trends
• identification of innovation opportunities - organisation can be at forefront of industry in terms of innovation

Question 5

Is brand and market orientation similar?

Answer 5

Essentially market orientation 2.0 - providing an extra layer of sophistication.

i.e. it is crucial there is market demand for offerings but these offerings must also align with brands core values to build awareness and associations = generating all important brand equity

Question 6

What characterises brand orientation?

Answer 6

Takes an inside-out-approach

Brand identity is key

The brand is thought of as a strategic resource

= goal is to satisfy the wants and needs of the consumer within the limits of brands core identity

Question 7

Who said “brand building is not a project but a process”

Answer 7

Gromark and Melin (2011)

Question 8

Give a real life example which shows branding acting as a strategic resource

Answer 8

Land Rover vs Wind Rover

Question 9

Define brand equity

Answer 9

the intangible value and perception that brands hold in the mind of consumers

Question 10

What are the 3 types of brand equity

Answer 10

Customer-based
Employee-based
Financial

Question 11

How is brand awareness built?

Answer 11

Awareness and Associations

Question 12

What notion did Urde (1999) propose?

Answer 12

proposed the notion of adopting the mindset of ‘building brands in to strategic resources’ also known as brand orientation

Question 13

3 Benefits of Brand Orientation

Answer 13

1. Commercial ability to demand premium price
2. increasingly competitive market - need to differentiate
3. long term market sustainability - building connections

Question 14

Barriers to Brand Orientation

Answer 14

1. Lack of CEO support and perceived relevance
2. Short term focus on sales activities - leaving no resources free for long-term brand building - organisations currently financially struggling will rely on short-termism which is harmful in long run
3. Lack of financial resources

Question 15

Who refutes the ‘lack of finances’ argument for not adopting brand orientation approach

Answer 15

(Huang and Tsai, 2013)

VP: Creativity, innovation, and strategic thinking can be more important than financial resources in building a strong brand

for example Blockbuster - had significant financial capital but overtaken by new entrants such as Netflix with significantly less resources - due to their inability to innovate.

Question 16

Concluding points

Answer 16

despite possible barriers to adopting brand orientated approach - overcoming these are possible and crucial to allow organisations to effectively leverage their brands as strategic resources and reap the many benefits that they present

In comparison to market orientation:

Brand orientation places emphasis on building brand awareness and associations = brand equity which can be strategically leveraged for market differentiation, creation of consumer relationships (and loyalty), competitive advantage, and long-term success.

Question 17

Internal Brand Orientation

Answer 17

A crucial element of brand orientation - employees are the one who actually implement the vision

Must build a sense of brand pride within the company to retain employees and create brand ambassadors

CEO provides the vision - employees implement it

Brand must be felt at every touch point by consumers - this can only be done by getting employees on board with the brand = brand pride!

Question 18

What is a saying which simply encapsulates brand orientation

Answer 18

The brand becomes the company and the company becomes the brand