Brand Audit

A brand is closely associated with the satisfaction of the customers, and the hierarchy of brands is based on their utility and intensity of customer satisfaction. In developing a useful brand, a planner must look upon its levels. A core brand relates to the product of a firm which satisfies the basic needs of a user and does not allow him to carry out any comparison. An augmented brand is associated with a set of approaches followed by a firm in promoting its product through effective delivery and service, incentives to customers and dealers, warranty to seek customers’ confidence on the product, and maintain a product-oriented relationship of customers with the company. All these attributes combined together carefully deliver the core benefit(s) of the brand. The augmented brand offers additional consumer benefits and service such as warranty and customer training. Marketers must first identify the core consumer needs (develop core brand), then design the actual brand and find ways to augment it to create the bundle of benefits that can best satisfy the customer. The brand hierarchy stretches from the initial stage of the product, that is, the need at the basic level for an item of franchise in the process of brand planning. There are seven levels of brand hierarchy. The brands must be classified under a brand line in accordance with their length and width.