Gérard Caron : What are the obvious advantages of a strong brand name ?

Lars Wallentin : They are several.

stable sales : When the people at Del Monte start the day’swork, they have a fair idea of what their sales will be that day. The Del Monte brand is noticeable on the shelve. Had it been an anonymous brand it would not have been so easy to predict the day’s sales.

Protect market : Nescafé has staked out such a huge claim to the instant coffee market that is highly unlikely that any other brand could gain a significant part of its market share, even if the competitor spent immense sums on advertising.

GC : Communication with consumers is easier thank to the support of a famous brand ?

LW : Definitly yes ! Kodak do not own any photo shops, so they cannot speak to the consumers in the shops and tell them to buy Kodak film ! But because Kodak is one of the most established brand name in the world, the company can bypass the shopkeeper and still create demand for its products by talking directly to the consumer via various form of advertising. But let’s resume the avantages of a strong brand : confidence in the purchase A person buys an IBM computer does not ask himself whether it will work or not. With a brand name made up of a mass of incomprehensible characteres in a strange language, straight off a pallet, He is probably not as confident ! added value for the consumer : When comparing differently priced, competing products, it is natural to wonder how much of the difference can be motivated by the higher quality of the more expensive product, and how much by the satisfaction of consuming a product with a stronger brand name. The consumer is not really interested in all the others factors : transport, labour costs, etc. that contribute to the higher price.

All of this does not only apply to consumer goods, it is also true in most other situations in which a consumer choose between competing goods and services.