The growing popularity of the internet
has seen scholars focus on its impact on marketing communication and branding.
Branding is the element that distinguishes products with similar attributes and
organisations are increasingly wary how changing consumer preferences are
likely to affect their branding exercises (Chen, 2001). Despite the
peculiarities of the internet, it must be appreciated that elements of the
branding process remain essentially the same. The only difference comes in the
manner in which communication is done and the need to design communication
processes in a manner that allows for an active audience to give their feedback
(Chernatony and Christodoulides, 2004). This is as opposed to the traditional
marketing communication media such as televisions where the audience is largely
passive. The internet impacts the cost of communication and also influences the
communication habits of consumers in the market (Rowling, 2004). It is
therefore expected that it would impact branding exercises in one way or
another. This paper conducts a critical literature review of four journal
articles related to the internet and its impact on branding. It expounds on the
basics of branding; the internet and its impact on customer preferences; and
the implications for businesses intending to do online branding. General
observations from the review and recommendations have also been outlined.
Rowling (2004) describes the brand as a
promise: a promise of what a consumer can expect from a company and its
products. She observes that while the brand can be distinguished using a
symbol, name, design or a combination of two or more of the elements, its main
component is the promise and the means of differentiating a company from its
competitors. Chen (2001) on the other hand describes a brand as comprising of a
number of elements which include the product tangible and product intangible
attributes. He demonstrates his point by noting that a buyer of a Coca Cola
drink buys not just the drink but also the packaging, the image and other
values associated with the company. Coca Cola sells itself as a source of
luxury and friendship with its marketing messages dominated by image of
friendship, joy and refreshment. Jenniffer (2004) captures this element even
more clearly by noting that brands are about customer perceptions.
The branding exercise
must able to produce the desired perception among consumers. The creation of
such perceptions should therefore be done with a high level of consistency:
depicting the use of different messages that bare comparable meanings. Rowling
(2004) further underscores the importance of ensuring that the products have
characteristics that are consistent with the brand promise. According to her,
these characteristics should be sustainable and consistent with the brand
promise. Chernatony and Christodoulides (2004) concur with Rowling’s
observations and observe that the consumers are an integral part of the
branding process. The extent to which they are engaged determines the ease with
which the desired brand image is created in the market. It requires frequent
communication, consistency of the brand promise, and some level of interaction
with consumers (Chernatony and Christodoulides, 2004). Darley, Blankson and
Luethge (2010) outline beliefs, attitudes and intentions as the main factors
that influence consumers’ perceptions of a brand. This implies the need for
companies to focus on product intangible attributes in addition to the
characteristics of the products.
As Chernatony and Christodoulides (2004)
put it, customer perceptions form an integral part of the branding process.
Brand managers must bear in mind the characteristics of customers in terms of
their product preferences, communications approach and general lifestyles. The
internet has not only affected marketing communications: it has also had a
significant impact on the level of sensitivity that the average consumers have
to information. Darley, Blankson and Luethge (2010) observe that today’s
customer prefers to be an active receiver of marketing messages with the
comprehensiveness of the information received, relevance and its ability to
facilitate interaction being the most favourable elements. One of the main
elements in the branding process is the fit between the branding approach and
consumer characteristics. This makes the changes observed a great source of
interest to brand managers around the world. While acknowledging the fact that
there has been insufficient research in understanding the psychology of online
consumers, Darley, Blankson and Luethge (2010) noted that the internet
influences consumers’ approaches to communications and attention to detail.
They also recognise the need to make further determinations on the extent to
which website quality, clarity and attractiveness of graphic images contribute
to the success of the branding process.
The internet influences
the process of information search with the abundance of information being seen
as a threat to brands. Chernatony and Christodoulides (2004) illustrate this
point by noting that with the growing popularity of the internet, consumers are
able to access information on product features as well as prices. This enables
them to interrogate the brand promise more attentively and heightens the risk
of them making discoveries on products that are contrary to the projected brand
image. This makes the internet to be seen as a threat to brands. Hitherto the
emergence of the internet and e’ commerce, the process of searching for
information would often be costly and time consuming. This would prompt
consumers to draw from their memory and make decisions based on brand awareness
and their affinity to the brand identities. The internet changes one major
factor in the consumer decision making process: the search for information
(Chernatony and Christodoulides, 2004). Consumers can now go through large volumes
of information on products with ease and speed. They can shop for products
using product tangible attributes such as qualities and pricing and make
decisions. This increases their tendency to switch brands especially where
products offering similar benefits tend to have different prices (Rowling,
2004).
The sentiments that the
internet is a threat to brands are propagated by persons whose belief in online
branding is weak (Rowling, 2004). One thing that must be acknowledged is that
the size of the audience in the traditional media is shrinking. The emergence
of pay television stations and the internet robs the traditional televisions
the strategic position it had as a primary source of information and
entertainment (Darley, Blankson and Luethge, 2010). This effect is in addition
to the fact that the consumer characteristics have been influenced so much by
changes in communication technologies that the traditional approaches to
branding as fast becoming obsolete (Chernatony and Christodoulides, 2004).
Rowling (2004) further observes that the internet and the resultant information
clutter has created an average consumer whose concentration span is greatly
reduced and this makes the frequency of communications very critical in the
branding process. The consumers have a tendency of gathering more information
than is needed for a decision to be made and this prompts an adaptation
mechanism in the consumer psychology that gets a consumer to quickly dismiss
information. The end result is a short memory span that makes it difficult for
consumers to revert back to own memory when doing a comprehensive information
search. It is this aspect of the internet that influences the approach to
online branding: ways have to be derived to counter the effect of the reduced
memory spans (Rowling, 2004).
The arguments that the
internet destroys brand have been proven to be wrong in view of the fact that
online brands have been observed to perform reasonably well. A good example is
the online giant retailer- eBay which dominates online transactions around the
world. Analysts view the increase in the amount of information in the internet
as an opportunity for effective branding to be brought in and help companies to
gain in the market share (Chernatony and Christodoulides, 2004). Information
clutter is believed to leave the consumer confused and spoilt for choice. With
the advances in production technologies, products and services are increasingly
reaching an almost equal level of sophistication with the market largely dominated
by products that have perfect or near-perfect substitutes (Chernatony and
Christodoulides, 2004). This makes product features less and less important as
consumers begin to be indifferent towards the consumption of given products. It
is this apparent indifference that creates an opportunity for online branding
to take effect.
The brand inspires
confidence among consumers who are then inclined to purchase products
associated with such brands. The emphasis on the product intangible attributes
that tend to reinforce product tangible attributes has been known to do the
trick for most companies. For instance, the uniqueness of the taste alone in
Coca Cola products is not enough to influence the purchasing decisions of
consumers: it is the emphasis on the social nature of the drink and the
perception that has been created over time that the drink brings refreshment
and joy to the drinker that tends to bring out the desired effect (Chernatony
and Christodoulides, 2004). The brand
brings out the enigmatic property of a product and creates a platform through
which a consumer can express themselves through their choice of products to
consume (Rowling, 2004). Attributes such as ‘pleasurable’, ‘durable’ and
‘reliable’ help in establishing consumer perceptions about products. They give
the consumers the confidence that the products purchased will provide them with
the benefits sought. Some brands target lifestyles and are used to project a
certain image to the market. For instance, the Mercedes Benz is marketed as a
brand for the wealthy and consumers intending to be seen in the same light
therefore tend to make this choice irrespective of the amount of information
they have on the product characteristics of the brand in question or its
competitors (Rowling, 2004).
The process of branding aims at the
synchronisation between the brand identity and the brand image. The difference
between the two terms can be explained as follows: the brand identity refers to
refers to the company’s perception on its qualities benefits and values they
wish to project while the brand image refers to how consumers perceive the
brand (Gregory, 2003). This therefore implies that a branding process is only
considered to be successful when the brand image and the brand identity become
identical. The branding process is mainly dominated by marketing communications
and this is what largely informs the relationship between the internet and
brands.
The internet
drastically impacts the communication process in terms of cost, types of
messages, content, and the extent to which interaction is permitted (Dobele,
Toleman and Beverland, 2005). As has been observed by analysts, the internet
has greatly impacted the manner in which people relate to one another. The
traditional concepts that required people to interact physically in social
events are fast being replaced by the general acceptance of virtual
socialisation. The emergence of social sites allows for internet users to keep
in touch with one another, share ideas on the goings on around them and even
get recommendations on the best products on offer in the market (Dobele,
Toleman and Beverland, 2005). The internet also impacts the cost of communication
significantly. The cost of marketing over the internet has been observed to be
much lower than the cost in some of the traditional media. For instance,
advertisements on televisions and dailies are known to be among the most
expensive forms of advertisements around the world. With the entry of the
internet, marketing communications can be conducted with ease and at
significantly lower costs.
Other traditional forms
of marketing that have in the past been used to advance branding have been
significantly altered by the emergence of the internet. For instance, word of
mouth marketing which is known to be among the most effective forms of
marketing has taken a new form with the growing popularity of social media
(Rowling, 2004). Recommendations among individuals on products tend to be
received by a much larger audience and this helps in growing the brand presence
in the internet. Dobele, Toleman and Beverland (2005) further
observe that the internet has revolutionised the attitude of consumers towards
marketing and branding communication exercises. While the traditional audience
of televisions, newsprint and outdoor advertisements tended to be content with
being passive participants in the process, the internet has spurred the
emergence of a certain desire to be actively involved in the messages being
communicated (Dobele, Toleman and Beverland, 2005). This may perhaps be best
explained by Rowling (2004) who observes that most users of the internet tend
to receive and send messages that are largely personalised. Unlike the mass
media where the consumer is conscious that they are just part of the audience,
internet users tend to be subconsciously aware that the messages are
specifically intended for them and this provides them with the motivation to
want to interact with the senders of such messages (Chernatony and
Christodoulides, 2004). This view is further emphasised by Rowling (2004) who
notes that online consumers of information tend to be active participants of
the communication process and this makes it necessary that companies embrace
the use of interactive communication styles in the course of branding.
The choice of message
in the marketing communication must bear in mind the need to attract the
attention of a consumer who’s exposed to a vast amount of information (Chernatony
and Christodoulides, 2004). The aim is to catch their attention and enhance
their ability to remember such a message. The use of graphic images has been
found to be quite effective with many of the marketing messages often accompanied
by images that are aimed at attracting attention and inspiring interest on the
message. Rowling (2004) takes note of the limited space on an average website
that makes it necessary for a message to create enough interest among internet
users to get them to click on it and obtain the full information in the links
provided. This emphasises the need for brand managers to employ the use of
creativity in the creation of their marketing messages. It is this uniqueness
that also informs the level of effectiveness of emerging marketing approaches
such as viral marketing and the use of social media.
Viral marketing
involves the creation of a message which is then spread across the social media
with remarkable speed (Dobele, Toleman and Beverland, 2005). It simulates the
movement of computer viruses where a computer can affect an entire network with
a virus upon interaction. Viral marketing and other forms of online branding
exercises are known to have far reaching implication for brands with companies
that embrace online branding being seen to benefit remarkably (Chernatony and
Christodoulides, 2004). This is especially the case with developed economies
where the use of the internet is increasingly common with many shoppers opting
to embrace online shopping. As has been observed, the uniqueness of the message
is a crucial determinant on the extent to which the message can spread.
The internet is also
known to help in boosting the effectiveness of the branding process. By
providing a platform for interaction, the companies can use their systems to
determine the preferences of individual consumers (Rowling, 2004). Such
information could be used to provide the consumers identified with relevant
information and therefore contribute to the success of the marketing communication
and branding processes. The knowledge of the consumers, their preferences,
lifestyles and consumption patterns is crucial in assuring the effectiveness of
a marketing process (Chernatony and Christodoulides, 2004). If timely
communications are sent to the selected consumers, a brand can easily
distinguish itself as reliable and therefore capture the loyalty of the regular
recipients of their marketing messages.
Whereas it may be true that the internet
influences the branding process in many ways, many arguments have been raised
in support of the integration of the internet with the traditional media. This
is due to the fact that brand images need to be seen fairly frequently before
they can be implanted into the memory of consumers. The internet has also been
observed to facilitate mainly the digital messages with video messages tending
to go largely unnoticed (Chernatony and Christodoulides, 2004). This therefore
makes it necessary that the traditional forms of advertisements such as the use
of televisions be conducted. EBay whose presence in the internet has remained
strong provides a good example of this (Chen, 2001). The company embraces the
use of traditional media alongside online branding and this helps in enhancing
its presence and visibility. For a brand to be visible, it must be displayed
frequently enough to attract attention. E brands should therefore allow for a
multiple approach with the use of various communication media in order to
remain effective. For instance, an average consumer would want to have the
ability to follow up an online inquiry with a phone call and would be
disappointed if such channels were unavailable (Rowling, 2004). Consistency
should also be assured. Messages should at all times direct the reasoning of
the consumers in a certain way. It is this consistency, backed by product
characteristics, that conditions the consumer’s mind in the desired manner.
Brands must therefore embrace a long term view and seek to reinforce their
image through diverse and catchy communications that are intended to bring out
a particular message.
The internet is an integral part of the
branding process due to the fact that it impacts marketing communications
significantly. It reduces the cost of communication drastically and also allows
for organisations to capture consumer information. This information is later
used for targeted marketing activities and this makes the branding process more
successful. The branding process is also impacted by the internet due to the
fact that it influences consumer behaviour. The consumers’ approach to
communication and information search is increasingly characterised by
availability of information and this makes it necessary for brand managers to
refine their marketing messages to ensure that they can attract as much
attention as possible. The frequency with which the information is repeated is
also important with many brand managers tending to display their brand symbols
across sections of the internet to enhance visibility. While it may be true that
the internet significantly influences the branding process, it must be
appreciated that there is need to combine communication media in order to
enhance effectiveness. Online branding exercises should be conducted in synergy
with the traditional marketing communication channels in order to yield the
desired effect. It can therefore be concluded that whereas the internet has
changed the manner in which brands are perceived and how the branding process
should be conducted; the essentials of branding remain largely the same and
online branding can only be effective when conducted in synergy with the
traditional marketing communications channels.
Chen, S., 2001.
Assessing the impact of the internet on brands. Brand Management. 8(4/5), pp. 288-302
Chernatony, L.,
Christodoulides, G., 2004. Taking the brand promise online: challenges and
opportunities, Interactive Marketing, 5(3),
pp. 238-251
Darley, W.K.,
Blankson, C., Luethge, D.J., 2010. Toward and integrated framework for online
consumer behaviour and decision making process: a review. Psychology and Marketing, 27(2), pp. 94-116
Dobele, A., Toleman,
D., Beverland, M., 2005. Controlled infection! Spreading the brand message
through viral marketing, Business
Horizons, 48, pp. 143-149
Gregory, J., 2003. The
best of branding: best practices in corporate branding. New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Rowling, J., 2004.
Online Branding. Online Information
Review, 28(2), pp. 131-138
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