Introduction
Over the recent past, marketing has grown to become a critical part of any organization. This is because of the numerous changes that the business environment is forced to undergo in the quest to survive and/ or thrive in market as it seeks to attain its goals and objectives (Klaus, 2002).
One of the ways that marketing has helped organizations promote their products is by embracing the latest models developed by the marketing gurus in order to ensure that their products remain favorites among the consumers. This paper discusses whether a brand can have more than one personality in multiple international markets.
According to Aaker, a professor and a marketing scholar at the university of California, in order for a brand to undergo successful management, a brand identity for that particular product must be developed. His model incorporates four different attributes that a product identity ought to be built along that ensures the success of that particular product. One of the four attributes is the brand personality.
This seeks to present a brand that is stronger than the product attribute. It also seeks to present a brand as a product that connects to the consumers at a deeper level than the mere satisfying of the needs of the consumers (Knapp, 2000).
A common way that companies achieve this is through the use of personalities and public figures such as celebrities to identify with the brand. In the wake of globalization and the emergence of cross border trade, the question at hand is whether a brand can have the same ‘personality’ in multiple countries.
Globalization has brought both benefits and challenges in equal measure. Multiple international markets have emerged as a result of technology and globalization. Many products enjoy a worldwide consumption and this has been attributed to marketing.
However, an important aspect of promoting a brand the personality attribute of that particular brand. It has been found that the culture attributes of different countries provides a barrier to a brand having one personality across different countries (Upshaw, 1995). This is because of the fact that different cultures have different values.
It is therefore, impossible for a brand to have one personality in multiple international markets. People have different laws, customs, beliefs, and ways of life that are significantly different from other cultures and as such, even with the world becoming a global village thanks to information technology, the different people will want to relate to a product in a different way.
The need for specialization in personality branding in the world still remains high due to the different cultural beliefs that govern the people’s ways of life (Park & Macinnis, 1986).
Celebrity endorsement has a significant impact on brand personality. Most of the celebrities who are used in personality branding are usually individual who have gained stature in the society due to the influence they have gained over time.
Their influence mostly emanates from their use of art to appeal to their cultures and therefore, endorsing a brand usually brings about a positive impact on the brand visibility and adoptability among consumers in a particular region of culture.
Conclusion
While marketing remains a vibrant functional unit of an organization, branding continues to be a top priority among marketers. As such, different ways of branding continue to be discovered.
This has also been catapulted by the emergence of information technology and globalization. It should however be noted that, in spite of globalization, personality branding will need a specialized approach that is unique and congruent to the culture of the target consumers.
References
Klaus, S. (2002). Inclusive Branding. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Knapp, D. (2000). The Brand Mindset. New York: McGraw Hill.
Park, C., & Macinnis, D. (1986). Strategic brand concept-image management. Journal of marketing, 135-45.
Upshaw, L. (1995). Building Brand Identity. New York: John Wiley.