A brand is a unique identity imparted by the customer to the seller of a specific product or service.. Today most companies spend millions to construct and manage this identity. Brand knowledge is the net result of Brand Image and Brand Awareness.
Good brand knowledge results in profit for companies and business owners. The two-component of brand knowledge, Brand Awareness and Brand Image interplay to influence both buyers and investors.
Brand Image vs Brand Awareness
The main difference between Brand Image and Brand Identity is that Brand Image is associated with the meaning people attach to a brand while Brand Awareness is about the recognition and recall rate.
Brand Image is basically what people think about the specific product sold by the company. They are abstract ideas and psychological associations that are like to influence people’s decision making. A good brand image translates to people associating positive emotions and characteristics to the brand. A good example of the same is how Kellog’s brand image is associated with healthier breakfast versus Maggi’s brand image is associated with junk snacks.
Brand Awareness is the recall factor associated with a brand. If people are easily able to identify the product brand in terms of its physical features or recognise it, the product is said to have good brand awareness. For example, the iconic yellow and red packet of Maggi is likely to be recognised by people, or they are likely to ask retailers for the product by its brand-name. This indicated good brand awareness.
Comparison Table Between Brand Image and Brand Awareness (in Tabular Form)
| Parameter of Comparison | Brand Image | Brand Awareness |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Psychological associations and meanings associated with a brand. | Ability to confirm prior exposure to the brand. |
| Nature | It is often latent in nature or passive | It is not latent or active, based on recall rate. |
| Markers | Things such as taglines, campaigns and marketing strategies influence Brand Image. | Physical attributes such as packaging, logo, colours etc are likely to influence Brand Awareness. |
| Goal | Meaningful | Memorable |
| Longevity | Enduring | Superficial |
What is Brand Image?
Brand Image refers to the perceptions people have with respect to a specific product sold by a company. It is a collection of attributes that people attach to things and brands. These attributes usually indicate the meanings people associate with the product.
Brand image is psychological and emotional in nature. It is the brand’s impression in the customers head. the interplay between customer belief, emotion and brand’s reputation collectively influence Brand Image.
Brand Image is usually constructed unintentionally, however in the current market, brands invest millions to carefully strategize and manipulate the identity of their brand in the public domain. All brands wish to attain positive brand image, however, the meaning of positive changes for different brands and different products.
For a specific brand let’s say Royal Stag wants to associate individuality and personal success with brand in order to appeal to its customers who are business professionals or young people. Such association would be a positive Brand Image for the company. While in case of a Fritolay Chips, such as Kurkure, positive Brand Image would be the association with family and festivals.
The placement of the product and the campaigns that they indulge in help in manipulating brand identities. For example, Godrej during the last decade has revamped its image and has been engaging in sustainable living solutions. To further the Brand Image it sponsored and associated with multiple events and TV shows that promote environmental sustainability.
The primary aim of constructing Brand image is to establish the uniqueness of the product. They elevate the assessment of the brand in a customer’s mental construct. It is also hugely influenced by customer satisfaction. Unsatisfied customers are a huge setback for a company’s brand identity.
What is Brand Awareness?
Brand Awareness is the ability of customers to identify or recognise previous interaction with a brand. It is marked by the preciseness with which customers associate brands with their respective products. It is indicative of consumer consciousness and customer reach. Brand awareness is an essential marketing tool to map the success and spread of a brand within its target audience.
Brand awareness can help businesses stand out amidst the extensive competition. Increasing Brand Awareness is usually the first and foremost goal of marketers when dealing with a new company or product. It is important that the customer acquires the right amount of knowledge about your product to assist him when he is to pick out your product from the rack.
There are two primary components that enable marketers to establish brand awareness. The first one is Brand recognition. It is the ability of the customers to recognise the brand packaging, logo or tagline. They display indications of having interacted with the brand before and are able to differentiate the brand from other products.
The second important component is called brand recall. it is marked by the ability of a customer to retrieve the brand identity such as name or purpose of the product from his or her memory when given reasonable hints.
Brand Awareness aims at constructing ads, campaigns and other strategies to make the product a memorable entity in the customers experience in order to positively influence his decision making.
Main Differences Between Brand Image and Brand Awareness
- Brand Image constitutes the bundle of ideas and meanings people associate with a brand, while Brand Awareness is the popularity of the brand product within the target customers.
- Brand Image can not be directly constructed but can be manipulated by brand placement, taglines and strategic collaborations whereas Brand awareness is the product of logo, packaging and image construction.
- Brand Image focusses on constructing meaningful images associated with the brand while Brand Awareness focuses on constructing memorable images.
- The Image of a brand is a relatively enduring characteristic that will determine customer decisions. Brand awareness is a superficial construct that might not have enduring effects on positive purchase decisions.
- The former is dominated by psychological and emotional meaning while the latter is determined by appearance.
Conclusion
Brand knowledge is an important tool for a successful business in the contemporary world. Brands are identities given to product sellers, by customers. Both Brand Awareness and Brand Image together enable companies to have a sustainable customer base in the market.
The main difference between brand Image and Brand Awareness is that one focusses on what people think about the product or the brand and the other focus on what and how much people remember about the brand.
References
- http://www.bmij.org/index.php/1/article/view/839
- https://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/handle/document/51876