Think about a brand that you have a relationship with. In a 3-5 page double spaced 12 font paper with 1 inch margins. Give a brief summary of the brand and its history (no longer than a paragraph) then answer the following questions in essay format.
1) Are you the target market of this brand? Explain who the target market is and why this would be the best market for the brand.
2) Talk about the relationship you have with the brand. Do you think that a strongly committed relationship is a good thing for a brand? Why or why not?
3) Has this brand gone through any type of transformation? Has it had to reinvent itself for a different generation or different retail experience (ex. Online vs. instore?)
4) What hurdles does this brand face from a societal perspective? (changing tastes, laws, preferences?)
5) Discuss the brands strategy, brand identity, and brand positioning.
6) Why has this brand been powerful? What mediums has it used to gain this power?
7) Is this brand valuable to its company? What role does it play in the company’s portfolio of brands? If the company only has one brand discuss brand extensions and whether or not they have been or could be successful.
Grading Rubric
The grade on this paper will be evaluated considering the following measures:
How well does the paper incorporate class concepts and class discussions? 25%
How sound is the logic or argument? How strong is the analysis of the questions? 10%
Discussion on branding, brand identity and brand positioning 15%
Discussion on brand value to its company and understanding of brand role. 15%
Understanding of brand target, brand relationship and brand hurdles. 20%
Answer preview
A brand can only be successful in the market if there are an effective brand strategy, identity, and positioning. Brand strategy refers to a plan that a company develops to ensure that the development of a brand is successful based on the set goals. Pepsi’s brand strategy is mainly based on entertainment. Since the first Pepsi campaign by Michael Jackson, Pepsi has appeared in many celebrity scenes (Love, 2019). Brand identity refers to the unique appearance of a brand in people’s minds. Pepsi is presented as a brand for social shifts (Maamoun, 2020). Hence, it is identified as a brand for modern society. Brand positioning refers to the state of mind that a company wants the customers to have whoever they hear a particular brand. Brand positioning helps customers to think of a brand as distinct from other brands. Pepsi creates a culture of youthfulness and individuality, thus positioning itself within the life of young people.
