Progress Update

Today I have made a lot of progress regarding the written aspect of my report, with my word count over 2000 words; I am 1/5th of the way towards writing the minimum word count. Obviously I understand that I should redraft the written report religiously before I submit it as this will mean that it is precise, to the point, and that all of the content is completely relevant.

Below is information which I extracted from the Brand Management Vectors PowerPoint. I went through this information and extracted only the pieces of information which fitted under the headings in my report – as I was using this as a strict guideline. I handed the written report so far into Wiser, and have agreed to go back next Wednesday to collect this, and to discuss potential changes, although I have plenty of time to continue redrafting this.

Changes which are affecting branding:

 Development of digital technology
 High-profile companies and luxury goods market
 The re-positioning of the importance of branding into a central concern
 Movement into countries, cities, charities, the arts, academia etc.
 Environmental dangers which stimulate changing consumer attitudes and develop a more caring society
 Recession and instability:- implications and impact

Importance of brand recognition / brand perception
 A symbol, a typeface, a logo – applies across a range of situations, from a shop front to a website or tail fin.
and branding can indicate or promote a big concept or idea, often representing social, cultural or religious behaviour or habits

The face of the brand
 The outward, visible signs of the brand provide differentiation.
 In the past when advertising was the prime communication tool used to reach the target consumer, the product was the focus, so the name of the product was the main feature of the brand.
 A new approach to branding has emerged through digital media, sophisticated information technology, internet, blogs, the multi-faceted consumer, product/services complexity and the emergence of a caring society.
 This has led to the development of the corporate brand.

• USP Unique Selling Point
• ESP Emotional Selling Point
• The brand wants and needs the audience (internal and external) to respect and admire them.
• The organisation’s corporate name to encompass the whole offer, is growing in importance, offering credibility and sustainability.
• ESP
• Need to demonstrate a commitment to society, and publicly show responsible behaviour
• Brands can have a role in society, and their reputation can be enhanced by effective communication of their values and messages relating to this.
• It is important for a brand to present its personality, values and ‘mantra’ in an integrated way, to maintain consistency across all methods of communication, and to all audiences, both internal and external.
• Branding programmes must include a good dialogue with the people who work within the organisation (the internal audience).
• External audiences include the consumer, plus journalists, analysts, stockbrokers and ‘suppliers’ e.g. manufacturers, design agencies i.e. partners.

 Core values create the construction and complexity of the brand.
 Good brand foundations establish an effective brand identity.
 Brand value extends beyond the commercial worth, to include an expression of personality, differentiation, emotion and relationship.

 Brands in the 21st Century must create, manage, sustain and promote an identity / personality.
 The communication or delivery of the identity is where branding occurs.
 The brand must project clarity around its identity and PURPOSE.
 CONSISTENCY must be achieved in purpose, performance and also visually.
 Consistency must flow through everything in and around the brand (or organisation), and will be driven by the CORE IDEA / VISION.

Product - what an organisation makes and sells.

Environment – how the brand lays out its stall i.e. the physical environment of the brand.

Communication – how it tells every audience about itself and what it is doing.

Behaviour – how its people behave to each other and the outside environment.

Today I have also communicated with Jo about which aspects of the festival will be carbon neutral, and also which celebrity guests were confirmed to be attending; I then filled in the relevant pieces of information accordingly. Finally, I have just sent over to Jo ideas for characters which will be used as a mascot for the event.

I have stated that these are only very basic ideas and that I welcome any suggestions about improvements and further developments of these characters – I will await the Jo’s response before I do any further development on these characters. Also today I have brought plasticine in line with my research into characters like Morph. I will attempt to create characters out of this, before uploading them onto the computer for editing.

I have also been in contact with a few children regarding modelling for a science-themed photoshoot. I am currently awaiting confirmation to book the studio out for this shoot next Friday. I will update the blog once I have received this confirmation.