Strategic Brand Concept-Image Management

TLDR

Conveying a brand image to a target market is a fundamental marketing activity. The authors present a normative framework, termed brand concept management (BCM), for selecting, implementing, and controlling a brand image over time. BCM is a sequential process that selects, introduces, elaborates, and fortifies a brand concept, guiding positioning strategies at each stage and maintaining the concept‑image linkage according to whether the concept is functional, symbolic, or experiential. Maintaining the concept‑image linkage should significantly enhance the brand's market performance.

Abstract

Conveying a brand image to a target market is a fundamental marketing activity. The authors present a normative framework, termed brand concept management (BCM), for selecting, implementing, and controlling a brand image over time. The framework consists of a sequential process of selecting, introducing, elaborating, and fortifying a brand concept. The concept guides positioning strategies, and hence the brand image, at each of these stages. The method for maintaining this concept-image linkage depends on whether the brand concept is functional, symbolic, or experiential. Maintaining this linkage should significantly enhance the brand's market performance.