Part I Mass marketing and great availability of products have accelerated our transformation into a consumer society, or the one that exists simply because it buys. People express themselves through what they possesses. However, nowadays the product has been replaced by a brand, a shopkeeper replaced by advertising. Corporations have become accustomed to the fact that although they produce products, what consumers pay for is basically the brand. Enterprises are no longer manufacturers of products – they have turned into sellers of the meanings.
The implications of this new paradigm of marketing are significant. Since the brand is a self-contained product which is separated from its primary relation with the physical embodiment for which it was made and with which it developed, the brand can be everything. In other words, one may say that the brand is no longer physically limited.
A strong brand is primarily a profitable brand. It is also a brand that has the potential and is constantly growing. Moreover, it is the brand that eventually can start selling new products or services under its umbrella, enjoying the favorable halo effect. The halo effect1 is a term used in marketing to explain the bias shown by customers towards certain products because of a favorable experience with other products made by the same manufacturer or maker. Basically, the halo effect is driven by brand equity. How to build such a brand?
Part II
Companies bring new products to market every day. Most of them go unnoticed, however a group of gets some attention and achieves moderate success. But there are also such brands, the occurrence of which is a truly media event. Often their debut is preceded by some speculation, and even attempts to steal information by the competition. Every new product needs a promotion. To call the appropriate noise around him, arouse interest and desire, sometimes the brand reach a surprising form of promotion.