Brand Black Red is not Red!

Brand marketing failures happen from time to time. Although negative brand marketing has brought a certain amount of popularity, has the brand black and red achieved its purpose? This article explores the reasons why brands are black and red from three dimensions and analyzes the impact of brand black and red on them. Let's take a look.

I believe you have also encountered such a scene, a brand marketing is controversial, then someone said:

• "Black and red are both red. Is it possible that this is a play directed by the other party?"
• "From another perspective"
• "Take a step back"
• …

There is nothing wrong with further discussion, but there is no need to change the concept by choosing an angle.

If we assume that the purpose is to build positive brand assets to influence users to form brand preferences and drive their purchasing decisions, then we will continue the analysis.

I will first state my point of view and then explain it. The point of view is "Brand Black Red is Black, Not Red". We can prove it from three dimensions: brand assets, marketing management core, and marketing 4P.

Before the argument, let’s first talk about the extent of the impact of brand black and red on different groups of people, as well as the differences in the degree of impact on the brand at different stages.

In terms of the impact on the population, brand reputation can be divided into two categories. One is the potential population, that is, the group that has not completed their first purchase. Without experiencing the functions of your product, they have a negative impression of the brand, and it will be difficult for them to become your purchasing group.

The second group of people are those who have already purchased. If your product is very durable, the brand black and red may not have a big impact (but it is still a minus point after all). If your product itself is not very differentiated and the conversion cost is not high, then it will become a big minus point.

Brands can make fun of themselves in a positive way, but they should not be ridiculed by others in a negative way.

Don't touch on some points, otherwise you may need a hundred words to make up for one wrong sentence, and a hundred things to make up for one wrong thing.

Only brands that truly pursue long-term development will truly understand the importance of “treating their feathers”.

We have seen that some brands may have experienced negative experiences, but they are still selling well. This is because the foundation and stage of each brand are different.

Some brands have a relatively high tolerance rate because they have accumulated more positive brand assets in the past. For brands without a solid foundation, a bad brand reputation may even become a disaster, or lower the ceiling from the beginning.

Only companies that adhere to long-termism and build a certain brand power will truly understand the importance of building reputation.

Some companies may be caught in the whirlpool of public opinion due to a scandal, but it is difficult for them to enter the user's decision-making range. Some brands take risks, but they will eventually hit the reef.

1. Brand Equity Dimension

David Aaker divides brand equity into three aspects: brand awareness, brand association and brand loyalty. The aspects related to brand black and red are mainly brand association and brand loyalty.

Brand awareness means being known by customers. There are two levels of knowledge: one is simply knowing the brand name, and the other is knowing that the brand belongs to a certain category.

Next, let’s talk about two sections related to brand black and red. The first is brand association. Brand association has five main values, namely:

1. Assist customers in processing or retrieving information;
2. Differentiate the brand;
3. Create reasons to buy;
4. Create a positive attitude or emotion;
5. Provide a basis for brand extension.

The fourth point, creating a positive attitude or emotion, can be argued. Therefore, brand associations can be positive or negative, just like assets can be positive or negative, red is positive and black is negative. Brand associations are the associations generated through the brand itself, which can be product features, product design, social image, quality, user image, brand personality, representative symbols, etc.

Then let’s talk about brand loyalty. There is also a lot of controversy about brand loyalty, mainly about whether it exists or not.

We believe that brand loyalty is not an either-or logic, it exists, just to varying degrees. We have to say that many brands have become loyal partners of consumers and have injected their deep emotions.

One way we measure brand loyalty is the likelihood that a customer will switch to another brand, that is, whether you buy the brand repeatedly, such as when product features and prices change, or when the brand is controversial.

The relationship between consumers and brands can be compared to the relationship between people. People’s emotional tendencies will influence their thinking.

2. Brand Marketing Dimension

The core of marketing management is a series of activities centered on customer value. Customer perceived value = overall customer benefit - overall customer cost.

From the perspective of brand red and black, the main impact is on overall customer benefits, because it is defined as the perceived monetary value of a set of benefits that customers expect to obtain from a specific offering due to products, services, people and image, in economic, functional and psychological terms.

When the brand image layer is negative, points are deducted from the personnel and image levels.

Total customer cost is a set of perceived cost expenditures incurred by customers when evaluating, obtaining, using and processing the market supply, including monetary cost, time cost, energy cost and psychological cost.

Overall, negative impressions undermine overall customer benefits and ultimately reduce customer perceived value.

3. Marketing 4P Dimensions

We can also analyze the impact of brand black and red on it from the dimension of marketing 4P.

The core of a product is to provide benefits, which are divided into rational and emotional benefits. Negative brand reputation is a deduction for emotional benefits.

The other side of pricing is to master pricing power and form brand premium, which cannot be enhanced by brand reputation.

The essence of channels lies in the fact that brands have the initiative in negotiations with them. For channels that directly face consumers, they are more willing to use resources to promote brands that have accumulated positive brand assets, because this is a win-win situation.

The promotion dimension is more directly relevant. The core of promotion is to form brand preference and thus promote purchases.

Summarize:

Regarding the brand scandal, it can be said that "those involved are clear-headed, while those who are watching are confused." This is easy to say. To cherish one's reputation is also to cherish one's investment.

The truth is simple. Building a brand is like being a human being. Sometimes it’s good to think outside the box and use ordinary people’s thinking.

Author: Zang Feng

Source: WeChat public account "Strategy People Hidden Edge"