Concept of brand image

Brand image can be define as the observations around a brand as reflected by the brand association held in consumer’s memory.

As such, brand picture portrayed as a summary of brand relationship in shopper's mentality that outcome in brand recognition and brand relationship alongside brand state of mind, brand advantages and brand characteristics. Brand Image is a multi dimensional construct that is triggered by cognitions, emotions, symbols, values and attitudes of consumers.

For marketers, whatever their companies’ marketing strategies are, the main purpose of their marketing activities is to influence consumers’ perception and attitude toward a brand, establish the brand image in consumers’ mind, and stimulate consumers’ actual purchasing behavior of the brand, therefore increasing sales, maximizing the market share and developing brand equity.

Brand is the front-liner of a product, an initial view that allows consumers to identify those products. In principle, brand is a promise of sellers or producers who continually brings a unit series of performance, benefits and service to buyer.

Brand image plays an important role in the development of a brand, because the brand image regarding reputation and credibility of the brand that later became the "guidelines" for the consumer audience to try or use a product or service.

With the proliferation of brands in the market, consumers make their purchase decisions largely depending on the brand image rather than the product itself. Moreover, when the brand image is consistent with the consumers’ self-concept, the consumers would give a preference to it.

According to the self-concept theory, one’s self - concept is a collection of perception about himself that includes elements such as capabilities, characteristics, shortcomings, appearance and personality.

Concept of brand image                    

Brand image

American Marketing Association (AMA) defined a brand as "a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors". Brand image is the perception of the brand held by the market – what is thought and felt about the brand real and imagined.

The product brand may be linked to the corporate brand as it is for many companies such as Coca-Cola, Virgin, IBM, Cadbury, MacDonald, Microsoft, and Marks and Spencer.

Brand image plays an important role in the development of a brand because the brand image associated with the reputation and credibility of the brand which later become the ‘guideline’ for the consumer audience to try and use a product or service then creating a particular experience that will determine whether the consumer will be into brand loyalist, or simply an opportunist.

European countries such as Italy, Spain, and France dictate the fashion trends of the European footwear market thus creating specific shoe brand image for consumers. It is the key of how consumers maketheir choices after gathering information about the particular brand and the alternatives. The main buyers in the European footwear market are the teens, young people and young professionals/graduates both men and women.
Brand image