Abstract/Description

Interest has been growing in the brand identity concept, because it offers a systematic approach for developing symbolic benefits, which are becoming more and more essential for brand differentiation. Although they are a distinctive feature of luxury brands and often even exceed their functional benefits, there still exists no comprehensive identity concept designed specifically for luxury brands.

Dependent on human identity, brands are also ascribed as having an identity. The brand identity comprises all brand associations that are intended by the company and corresponds with the intra-company self-perception of a brand, which determines precisely how the brand should appear to the external target groups. The elements of brand identity are roughly divided into two main components. The first component covers the physical-functional, mainly product-related associations, while the other component includes the abstract and emotional brand associations. The latter corresponds closely with the concept of brand personality.

This paper aims to present a conceptual framework of luxury brand identity and its major functional and emotional dimensions. For this purpose, the article proposes a qualitative methodology, including the Repertory Grid Method (RGM), and extends the areas of RGM application to the development of category-specific brand personality concepts, while also demonstrating its suitability for that purpose.

Location

G&TAuditorium

Session Theme

Session 6: Brand Identity

Session Type

Event

Start Date

6-5-2012 2:15 PM

End Date

6-5-2012 3:00 PM

Included in

Marketing Commons

Share

COinS
 
May 6th, 2:15 PM May 6th, 3:00 PM

KEYNOTE: The identity of fashion brands

G&TAuditorium

Interest has been growing in the brand identity concept, because it offers a systematic approach for developing symbolic benefits, which are becoming more and more essential for brand differentiation. Although they are a distinctive feature of luxury brands and often even exceed their functional benefits, there still exists no comprehensive identity concept designed specifically for luxury brands.

Dependent on human identity, brands are also ascribed as having an identity. The brand identity comprises all brand associations that are intended by the company and corresponds with the intra-company self-perception of a brand, which determines precisely how the brand should appear to the external target groups. The elements of brand identity are roughly divided into two main components. The first component covers the physical-functional, mainly product-related associations, while the other component includes the abstract and emotional brand associations. The latter corresponds closely with the concept of brand personality.

This paper aims to present a conceptual framework of luxury brand identity and its major functional and emotional dimensions. For this purpose, the article proposes a qualitative methodology, including the Repertory Grid Method (RGM), and extends the areas of RGM application to the development of category-specific brand personality concepts, while also demonstrating its suitability for that purpose.