3.1 - MARKETINGLesson 9 – Branding and Differentiation

Starter Activity

Complete the ‘Name That Brand’ worksheet.

Learning OutcomesAll Most Some

• Understand what is meant by a ‘brand’• Understand what

is meant by ‘generic’ products and ‘own-label’ brands

• Understand the advantages and disadvantages of having a strong brand

• Suggest possible advantages of having a strong brand• Explain the

importance of brands as an aid to product trial and repeat purchase

Video

You are about to watch a short video about brand management.

See if you can establish what is meant by a ‘brand’.

1. Partner A and partner B2. How would you describe what is meant by a ‘brand’?3. Think time – 1 minute4. Partner A go first- wait for start5. In pairs, partner A shares, partner B listens6. Time up7. Partners switch roles – wait for start

Take timed turns listening,

sharing and responding

Think, Pair Share

What is a Brand?

• Every business would like to own strong brands

• A branded product is a named product which in the eyes of customers is seen to be different from other, often similar, products

• A brand has an image and/or identity that consumers can associate with. It triggers images, thoughts, emotions and attachments and as a result is more likely to be purchased over rivals if those feelings are all positive

Activity

Complete the ‘brand feelings’ activity.

Activity

Complete the gap-fill exercise on the lesson worksheet.

Generic Products

• The opposite of a branded product is a generic product

• Potatoes are generic products – consumers see them as being the same wherever they buy them.

Own-Label Brands

• Today, many brands are faced with strong competition from cheaper own-label brands from retailers such as Asda or Tesco.

Branding and Product Trial

• Thinking time – 30 seconds• How does having a strong, well-known brand help a

business to create an advantage over other companies when encouraging customers to try out a product?

• When customers want to buy a product, they are more likely to try out a product with a brand name than those with weaker or unknown names

Branding and Repeat Purchase

• How does having a strong, well-known brand help a business to encourage repeat purchases?

• A strong brand can help to influence a purchase decision because consumers associate a brand with positive feelings and so are more likely to choose the same brand again

• For example, the owner of a Sony TV might buy a second Sony TV or a DVD player because of their positive association with the Sony brand

Activity

The three brands above can all be considered as being examples of strong brands.

Thinking about these three brands, what are the advantages and disadvantages to a business of having a strong brand?

You might want to consider what the three brands have in common and think about the four P’s of the marketing mix to help you come up with

the advantages.

Strong BrandsAdvantages Disadvantages

Encourages customer loyalty – leading to repeat purchase and

word of mouth recognition.

High costs associated with promotions in order to gain brand

recognition.

Companies able to charge higher prices – especially if market

leader.

Constant need for promotion in order to maintain the brand.

A single bad event may damage the brand and affect all products.

Have to protect brand names worldwide.

1. Five things that you have learnt this lesson.2. Think time – 1 minute3. Who goes first - wait for start4. In pairs, Partner A shares, Partner B listens5. Time up6. Partner B responds by summing up what Partner A has

said7. Both partners record answers on the last page of the

lesson worksheet8. Partners switch roles – wait for start

Take timed turns listening,

sharing and responding

Think, Pair Share

Learning OutcomesAll Most Some

• Understand what is meant by a ‘brand’• Understand what

is meant by ‘generic’ products and ‘own-label’ brands

• Understand the advantages and disadvantages of having a strong brand

• Suggest possible advantages of having a strong brand• Explain the

importance of brands as an aid to product trial and repeat purchase