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Marketing for the Building of Strong Brands

Several transformations have been shifting the focus of marketing management since this concept began to gain strength in the 1950s. New technologies, globalization, and the new collaborative and creative era profoundly alter consumer behavior and how they perceive and interact with products and services.

During the 1950s and 1960s, marketing (still purely tactical) was product-centric. In the midst of the industrial era, companies aimed to create standardized products with low costs that could be mass-produced and reach the largest number of consumers. Companies invested in product development and then worried about how to sell it to consumers. There was little competition, and consumers were less informed, making it easy to sell.


In the 1970s and 1980s, the oil crisis triggered economic instability in various developed countries. Demand became scarce, and consumer buying behavior changed to become more cautious, prudent and informed. Products with low distinctiveness and no defined positioning were perceived as "commodities." It marked the beginning of the "positioning era." Marketing began to be seen as a strategy, with a focus on consumer needs. Since customers were less inclined to buy, the goal was to identify their desires and develop products to meet them, as well as to build and establish a strong brand positioning in their minds.


From the 1990s and 2000s onwards, the use of personal computers and the internet, information technology, globalization, and social networks have modified the sociocultural context. Consumers are now connected and well-informed, with immense power to voice their opinions against companies. They are more skeptical, and no longer believe in unilateral and vertical relationships; they trust much more in the word of their acquaintances than in the discourse of experts or companies. They seek authentic companies with genuine personalities. Marketing professionals begin to perceive consumers as complete human beings, composed of mind, heart, and soul. Today, we are in the "era of values, purpose, and meaning." Consumers look for companies that meet not only their functional and emotional needs but also understand their deeper needs for social, economic, and environmental justice.


Building strong and relevant brands in this context is increasingly challenging. Marketing strategies must consider brand, positioning, and differentiation as a way to build brand identity, brand image, and brand integrity, which are the means to win the mind, heart, and soul of the consumer. Observe in the image how these factors relate.


In this form of horizontal communication, brand positioning alone is no longer sufficient to guarantee authenticity (related to the personality and essence of the brand, which constitutes the true differentiation of the company). Therefore, brands that articulate only their positioning may not necessarily have an identity and a positive image in the mind and heart of the consumer. The synergy of the brand, positioning, and differentiation is what allows the construction of brand identity (winning the consumer's mind through a strong brand position), brand image (winning the consumer's heart through a positive brand perception), and brand integrity (winning the consumer's soul through the effective delivery of its brand promise).

This text was based on the book "Marketing 3.0" by Philip Kotler, Hermawan Kartajaya, and Iwan Setiawan. We recommend reading it!


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