Reality in Branding: The Rules of European Brand Management in 50 Answers

Von Dr. Arnd Zschiesche und Oliver Errichiello

Believing is not the same as knowing:
The fundamental facts about the laws of european brand management in 50 answers

From breakfast cereals to smartphones, nothing is left unbranded: brands are with us every step of the way. We define ourselves through the brands we surround ourselves with. Even if we reject brands, that's a brand statement. Brands are everywhere in the 21st century – that's exactly why we all have an opinion on them. When it comes to private life, there is little objection to this concept. However, when it comes to brand management and brand positioning with – in a company, personal sensitivities and feelings are out of place.
Too many opinions, too little wisdom: In 50 timeless answers, brand sociologists Dr. Arnd Zschiesche and Prof. Dr. Oliver Errichiello put a stop to the brand debates that are shaped by the zeitgeist. They speak in plain language where vague chatter typically prevails. And they show why every brand is a social phenomenon that has an impact: It's about the management of social "hard facts." Not just in Europe. Classic European Brand Management leads the way for every company seriously focusing on economic success for the long term – internally, as well. It's time for timeless, value-oriented Branding from the old continent.

• Sprache: Deutsch
• Herausgeber: GABAL Verlag
• Erscheinungsdatum: 22. März 2021
• ISBN: 9783967400885

Buchvorschau

A commodity appears, at first sight, a very trivial thing, and easily understood. Its analysis shows that it is, in reality, a very queer thing, abounding in metaphysical subtleties and theological niceties. So far as it is a value in use, there is nothing mysterious about it […], But, so soon as it steps forth as a commodity, it is changed into something transcendent.

From Capital, Chapter 1,

The Fetishism of Commodities

Karl Marx, branding expert 1867³

1

What is a brand?

Answer: A brand is a positive prejudice.

Every brand is a positive prejudice in people’s minds. Every brand exists – commercially – because a certain group of people has a positive prejudice about the performance of this particular brand. Whether it’s Nivea, a regional tiling installer, or your favorite pizza-maker at the pizzeria around the corner, all of them – the global brand, as well as the regional craftsman or the neighborhood restaurant – have their economic livelihoods for one specific reason: because a certain number of people agree that the specific performance of each of the companies is good, and these people therefore regularly make use of these performances when needed. An inherently heterogeneous group of people shares a positive prejudice about a specific performance and forms a homogeneous group in relation to that performance.

The creation of a positive prejudice follows normal organic social principles: a company’s performance meets a response from a particular group of people who are then willing to repeatedly invest their money in that specific performance. The regular sale of goods to this group creates economic security for the supplier. It is only thanks to the existence of repeat buyers that the responsible company receives a serious base for their cost and price calculations. Only regular customers enable forward-looking guidance and action. Whether we’re talking about a corner pub in the village, socks or a stair lift in an apartment building – a brand does not have an effect simply based on a somehow predetermined percentage of popularity. It has an effect from the moment when a certain group of people become repeat buyers, and these people entrust their money to the company – usually in advance – because they have developed trust in this special