Brand management and research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Brand management and research - Essay Example This increased wave of competition in the business markets has forced firms to devise strategies that tend to enhance their competitive advantage in the market. The increased wave of competition in the market has enhanced the importance of branding and brand image towards generating competitive advantage. The aspect of branding assumes even more importance as customers largely use the brand to distinguish between products and services of different market players. Firms are therefore trying out different strategies that tend to increase their brand value so as to gain competitive advantage. The aspect of branding has assumed so much importance that well known brand like Apple are being valued in billions for their brand image and their image on the minds of the customers. Aspects like brand equity which involves the extra value addition in the product or service offering have also assumed large scale importance for business organizations (Stadtler, 2010, p.1). The present study would try to analyse the different dimensions of branding including elements like brand value, brand image and brand positioning. The organization selected for the study is Nintendo which is an organization that deals with the manufacture and sales of gaming consoles in many nations across the world. The study would highlight the relative strengths and weakness of the organizations with regards to the aspect of branding. Company Background Nintendo is a Japanese organization that deals in the manufacture of gaming consoles. The company started its business in the year 1985 as a manufacturer of games and gaming consoles. The initial operations of the firm were restricted to Japan. After initial success the company expanded into different nations like USA, UK and is presently operating in about 20 nations across the globe. The company’s initial products of Mario and Zelda became instant hit with the target audience and still continue to be largely popular among the members of the tar get audience. The company by virtue of its highly innovative products has established a strong brand image in the minds of the customers. The other products of the company include Nintendo Ds, Nintendo Game cube which have been huge hits with the customers across the world. In the year 2006 the company launched the Nintendo Wii that was a revolution in the world of gaming industry which had exiting and unmatched product features. The core competence of the firm includes its innovative product line and a continuous and uniform diffusion of innovation that helps it to establish itself as a unique brand in the minds of the customers (Nintendo, 2011). The subsequent sections would try to analyze the different aspects of branding including the elements of value, image and positioning towards generation of competitive advantage. Brand Position Brand position implies the image of the brand in the minds of the target market audience. Knox (2004) undertook a study on the aspect of brand posi tioning and stated that in order to stay competitive firms need to look beyond the realm of the product and service mix so as to generate greater value and image of the brand in the minds of the consumers. The author cites the example of Coca Cola by stating that most of its value comes from its brand image rather than its other existing assets (Knox, 2004, p. 105-106). Grad et.al