Consumer brand perception and brand image. Market research Nokia brand perception

Consumers prefer a brand when the brand's messages are objective and its values are clearly positioned. The main task of the brand is to define, express these features and inform consumers what advantage it has. The study of consumer perception of the quality of a product provides an opportunity to obtain the information necessary to develop a brand project and position its values. To increase the value of the brand in the eyes of consumers, the following procedures should be carried out.

Consumers prefer a brand when the brand's messages are objective and its values are clearly positioned. This forms a trusting relationship, as a result of which consumers receive satisfaction from using the goods of this brand (brand). The main task of the brand is to define, express these features and inform consumers what advantage it has. Manufacturers also prefer to receive objective information about brand values, since only on this basis a benevolent attitude towards the brand is formed, which, in turn, promotes the sale of goods at higher prices, makes it possible to expand the position of the brand and stimulate the effectiveness of marketing technology.

The ability of a brand to fulfill its purpose is the main characteristic of its quality.

Each product group has its own specific quality criteria. Product quality - important factor, which forms consumer attitudes towards the brand. It should be noted that the quality characteristics offered by the manufacturer and the quality characteristics expected by the consumer may not only not coincide, but even differ significantly from each other.

The consumer perceives product quality not as a level of progressive manufacturing technology, but as a product that reflects the qualitative consumer properties of the product.

The consumer quality of a brand is determined by the choice, search, purchase, use, as well as whether expectations were met when purchasing this product.

The study of consumer perception of the quality of a product provides an opportunity to obtain the information necessary to develop a brand project and position its values. So, for example, the qualitative characteristics perceived by alcohol consumers are purity (transparency), the country of origin and the tradition of manufacturing products. Skillful use of the characteristics of perception and mass opinion about the brand allows the brand to win a leading position in the market.

Each consumer has a stable idea of which country produces the best goods of a certain group. stereotypes mass consciousness are used by brand managers to create an impression of the brand's global leadership, the highest quality or the uniqueness of its production technology.

Brand image

A well-known brand always enjoys a certain sympathy and respect. However, sympathy and respect for the brand must be maintained. To maintain this position, it is necessary to constantly and timely update proposals for brand values, new shades of product quality and all other characteristics of the product. Such an update allows the brand to make products the basis of its communications and form a favorable image.

The current brand image is evaluated according to the following parameters:

Consumer perception;
conformity of the brand to the image of the consumer;
accounting for differences between consumers;
accounting for differences between consumer groups;
compliance of the brand with the characteristics of the product;
distinguishing features by the name of the product;
distinguishing features of the quality of the goods;
understanding the offers and promises coming from the brand;
meeting consumer expectations;
stereotypes and prejudices that arise in relation to the brand.

The brand manager should strive to effective communications with consumers, through which they can create a quality experience. Today, neither the product nor the technology can no longer be the main means of brand promotion, since the consumer is put at the forefront of all business decisions. Therefore, the brand must develop the individuality of the consumer and give him pleasure from self-consciousness of his own importance, create his image.

The consumer's own imaginary image must be in harmony with the goals of his life. To do this, it is necessary to identify and select useful emotional characteristics of the brand that will motivate and exceed the needs of consumers in self-image, i.e. a person's sense of their own individuality.

Consumer brand loyalty

The essence of brand loyalty is determined by the subjective factor of expanding the boundaries, within which brand change does not lead to qualitative changes in consumer behavior. If these characteristics (quality, assortment, price, etc.) in the mind of the buyer go beyond what is permitted, then the consumer uses other brands (brands).

Consumer behavior is influenced by many factors:

Price increase;
decrease in the quality of goods, unstable quality;
insufficient assortment;
prolonged (regular) absence of goods at points of sale;
temporary absence from the points of sale;
low quality of warranty and service maintenance;
failure to fulfill promises given by the manufacturer, etc.

The behavior of the buyer also depends on the ability to forgive minor errors and roughness associated with production technology.

The degree of loyalty to the brand is directly proportional to the width of the boundaries within which its characteristics can change, and inversely proportional to the degree of exactingness and criticality of the consumer in relation to the chosen brand. With the systematic strengthening of the “consumer-brand” relationship, the degree of loyalty increases.

With a change in the market situation and increased competition, brand loyalty allows the company to retain the majority of its customers.

Studies conducted in the United States have shown that 10% of consumers who differ a high degree brand loyalty, bring the company more than 50% of all revenues. Moreover, the purchasing activity of the most loyal consumers is three times higher than the activity of the group of the least loyal consumers.

Customer Relationship Management Mechanism

The customer relationship management mechanism is a set of means (acquaintance with the customer, technological service, knowledge, etc.) and management methods (organizational-planning, economic, socio-psychological) that ensure the achievement of the set goal. The goal in this case is to increase the significance of the brand by maintaining constant contact with consumers and taking into account their needs and interests.

The main objective of the relationship management mechanism is to form a long-term mutually beneficial brand relationship with consumers based on a strong emotional connection. This approach creates conscious brand loyalty. Consider the fundamental relationship with consumers of brands (brands).

Ability to communicate with the buyer. The relationship between the brand and the consumer depends on how skillfully the partners conduct the dialogue. If manufacturers do not regularly communicate with buyers, then accordingly they will not know anything about their needs and interests. Consumers of the brand, in turn, will feel disinterested in their needs. If the brand constantly supports a good relationship with current buyers, constantly meets their expectations, then they become the best buyers and potential customers of the brand. Brand orientation to the consumer is the key to the success of the relationship management mechanism.

The traditional model of customer relationship management has a very logical basis - product orientation. This approach is typical even for new high-tech industries, when technology is at the forefront. When modeling a product-oriented brand, the internal potential of the company is determined, i.e. that the staff knows what the company has raw materials, materials, etc., and then develops the goods needed by consumers.

The most effective approach to building a customer relationship management mechanism is customer focus. With this approach, it is necessary to strive to create a strong brand through the buyer, i.e. study your potential and real customers.

When forming the relationship management process, it is necessary to be guided by the following principles:

1. Studying the interests and needs of the buyer, i.e. comprehensive study of buyers based on information support about contacts and communication channels with him (who is the buyer, his interests, needs, impressions, etc.).

2. Communication between the brand and the consumer - is carried out by various means; by phone, mail, via the Internet, thanks to personal contact. Communication channels should be open to the buyer so that he can easily communicate with the brand.

3. Information support of the consumer. The buyer must be informed:
about the potential of the brand (what it will be able to acquire);
brand development strategists;
negative factors affecting the development of the brand (what will be done to increase its value).

4. Information support of the customer relationship management process should be clear, clear and objective: how often they make purchases, for what amount, their last purchase, what they do not accept in the brand, which competing brands are purchasing, why they do not buy this brand.

5. Creation integrated program information support of the customer relationship management process implies the creation of a database that combines all the main characteristics of the functioning and development of the brand.

These principles contribute to the development of tactics for managing relationships with the buyer, and as a result, the formation of close relationships between the brand and the buyer based on knowledge about it. This approach blocks the actions of competitors, good knowledge of the consumer is beyond competition.

Organizational procedures of the relationship management mechanism

To develop proposals for the development of brand values, the following procedures should be carried out.

1. Analysis of all subsystems of the company. It is necessary to analyze all the links that are associated with the collection, processing and storage of information about customers. Sales, marketing, accounting subsystems, subsystems for processing applications and offers, after-sales service, and control over the provision of loans are analyzed.

2. Analysis of information about buyers (collection and storage). Analysis of information about customers is carried out in the following areas:
in what form each information element is presented - in the form of text, number, percentage;
how the data collection process is organized (is it in free form, when the value can be anything, or is it a pre-designed list of values);
efficiency, timeliness of information receipt, its age and reliability.

3. Analysis of the relationship system. When analyzing the system of brand relationships with consumers, it is necessary to identify the extent to which buyers contribute to its distribution. The ability of a brand to expand (increase demand for it) is called elasticity. Brand elasticity depends on targeted attention to the buyer and is formed on the basis of a single approach to choice. target consumers with certain characteristics and taking into account specific situations.

To study the elasticity of the brand (demand), quantitative and qualitative characteristics are used. Quantitative research determines the size, composition of a separate market segment, preferred brand franchise system, place and time of purchase. Qualitative characteristics are associated with the emotions of customers regarding the brand, because most often a certain attitude to the brand depends on the emotions of the consumer. As a rule, in quantitative and qualitative research, a questionnaire method is used, since a large sample is required for an objective assessment.

4. Analysis of the financial subsystem. The financial analysis allows you to determine how effective the customer relationship management process is. Therefore, when forming a mechanism for managing relationships with customers, it is necessary to conduct its feasibility study.

The development of a financial model for the functioning of a customer relationship management mechanism requires the study of the main sources and cost items associated with the development of brand communications, namely:
the amount of costs to attract one buyer at the present time;
the amount of costs for the long-term retention of one consumer;
the amount of profit brought by each buyer during long-term contact with the brand;
additional profits or losses if the interests and behavior of the buyer change;
brand assets (tangible and intangible assets).

5. Development of a strategy for the development of the customer relationship management process. It should be carried out in conjunction with the brand strategy based on the analysis and feasibility study of effective customer relationship management.

The management process development strategy should reflect the following trends:

Using the potential of the brand through new approaches and methods of working with customers, restructuring and re-equipping the system;
creation of an economic mechanism for determining the amount of remuneration and retaining the best buyers based on a reward system;
increase in the number of new buyers with the necessary consumer potential;
determining the potential of competitors on the basis of ongoing analysis and evaluation of their programs;
development of measures to save the time of consumers.

The information obtained allows us to understand how a particular competitor positions its brand and what are its distinctive features what the company should do with its own brand to improve the mechanism of customer relationship management.

Branding is a day-to-day hard work with consumers who may not lack money but are limited in time. For such consumers, saving time is, if not more important, then at least equivalent to saving money. Therefore, it is necessary to develop such communication technologies that would save the consumer's time. Trust in the brand and means of communication is the foundation for the formation of loyal customer relationships to the brand.

1.1.3. Socio-psychological mechanisms of brand perception by the consumer

Among the socio-psychological mechanisms of brand perception, the following seem to us to be the most significant in terms of the formation of commitment.

1. Personification mechanism

To describe any animate or inanimate object, a person tends to use a common set of adjectives. Since ancient times, human thinking has been characterized by anthropomorphism, i.e. endowing inanimate objects with human characteristics. This process is also characteristic of brand perception. What is the difference between the perception of a person's personal characteristics and the perception of a brand's personality? In the first case, perception is determined by human behavior, physical qualities, beliefs and demographic factors, stereotypes, facial expressions and gestures, etc. As for the perception of individual brand characteristics, they are formed under the influence of any direct or indirect consumer contacts with the brand. Direct contacts are made by comparing the personal characteristics of people associated with brands, such as, for example, the image of the user of this brand. This gives the brand personality traits. In addition, they may be associated with the brand indirectly through product attributes, product categories, symbol or logo, advertising style, price and distribution channels.

Thus, the mechanism of personification is one of the most important in brand perception [Perelygina, 2002]. With its help, the buyer can form his own idea about a particular brand, which can be supported by the formed identity of this brand.

2. Identification mechanism

When perceiving a brand, the consumer perceives its individuality, with all its inherent qualities, and correlates the individuality of the brand with its own identity. When the brand personality is similar to the desired identity, the consumer prefers the brand. When using a brand, the brand's personality is "embedded" into the consumer's identity, the brand becomes a part of the consumer's personality, which can lead to "brand dependence" - a phenomenon of total commitment to the brand that has not been studied yet.

Referring to the actual mechanism of brand perception - identification, we can define it as a comprehensive awareness of the characteristics of the brand described above, correlating them with one's own preferences and, in the case of choosing this brand, referring oneself to the desired group. When choosing a brand, the consumer identifies his personal characteristics with the characteristics of the formed brand identity.

3. Mechanism of social categorization

J. Bruner, who developed the concept social cognition, believed that the process of perception can be represented as a process of categorization, which is one of the ways a person systematizes his external world. According to J. Bruner, social categorization underlies common sense, everyday knowledge and understanding. Under the process of social categorization, he understood "the process during which the body performs a logical conclusion, assigning signals to a certain category.<…>. Assigning an object or event to a certain category allows us to go beyond the immediately perceived properties of an object or event and predict other, not yet perceived properties of this object. The more adequate category systems constructed in this way for coding events environment, topics more opportunity prediction of other properties of the corresponding object or event” [Bruner, 1977, p. 23].

By efficiently organizing information, categorization facilitates the rapid determination of behavioral strategies. Thus, we can conclude that the categorization process is an integral component of the process of perceiving such a socio-psychological object as a brand and making a decision to buy it.

The process of purchasing a product can be characterized by either high involvement in the purchase process, or low. An example of the first case would be, say, the purchase of a car or other expensive item. In this case, the buyer perceives significant differences between brands. The processing of information about competing brands occurs on the basis of the criteria allocated to them. As a result of the assessment, a brand can be selected, the product of which will be purchased. The next stage of evaluation is carried out already when using the product. Satisfaction with aspects of a given brand can form a positive attitude towards the entire product line of a given brand. Therefore, next time the consumer will greatly facilitate the selection process, while at the same time forming commitment (loyalty) to this brand. If the consumer has low involvement, for example when buying everyday goods, he perceives only minor differences between competing brands. The categorization process usually proceeds on the basis of the experience already gained and the degree of satisfaction from the brands that have already been used. By regularly purchasing certain brands, the consumer forms buying strategies that reduce his decision-making efforts. These strategies are nothing more than the use of certain categories.

4. Formation of installation (attitude) as a mechanism for brand formation

The presence of a brand significantly reduces the time for choosing a product, since it serves as a kind of signal or reminder device that the consumer uses to retrieve enough information about the product from memory, and then based on it make a purchase decision. When a brand is perceived, three interrelated processes take place: the processing of information about its attributes, their emotional evaluation, and the formation of a behavioral response. The combination of these three processes can be called the formation of an attitude towards a given brand.

The concept of a social attitude (or attitude) was introduced in 1918 by W.I. Thomas and F.W. Znanetsky [Andreeva, 2001]. They studied the adaptation of Polish peasants who emigrated from Europe to America. Thus, they established two dependencies, without which it was impossible to describe the process of adaptation: the dependence of the individual on social organization and the dependence of social organization on the individual. Later, they proposed to characterize two dependencies using the concepts of “social value” (to characterize social organization) and “social attitude”, “attitude” (to characterize an individual). The concept of attitude was defined by them as “a psychological process considered in relation to social peace and taken, first of all, in connection with social values” [Ibid., p. 267]. Later, the American researcher M. Smith revealed the structure of the attitude, which includes three components: the cognitive component - awareness of the object of the social attitude (what the attitude is aimed at); emotional component (affective) - assessment of the installation object at the level of sympathy and antipathy; behavioral component - a sequence of behavior in relation to the installation object.

Referring to the perception of the brand as an attitude, we can define it as a predisposition formed in the consumer to respond to it in a certain way. Once again, we define the relevant components of the installation in the perception of the brand.

The cognitive component is a system of knowledge about the attributes of the brand, about the product - the carrier of this brand, the company - the manufacturer of the goods, its history. The source of relevant knowledge can be direct experience with the brand, an advertising campaign, the media, information from others, etc.

The affective component is a complex complex containing a wide range of emotional sensations related to a particular brand. This component is perhaps the most important in brand differentiation. It is worth noting that the diagnosis of this component of the attitude is the most difficult, since it includes both conscious and unconscious emotions of the consumer.

The behavioral component is the actual strategy of the consumer's behavior in relation to the brand: whether he will buy it or not.

Another similarity between the brand and the installation is found in the process of their formation. It was found that the formation of the attitude is determined by both external and internal factors. external factors for the brand are advertising, information about the product, the experience of using it. In turn, consumer motivation, individual consumption strategies can be considered internal.

Much attention of researchers was paid to the question of which of the components (cognitive or affective) has a greater influence on the formation of the attitude to purchase a particular brand. Thus, researchers Ch. Yu and D. McInnis analyzed two strategies used in advertising messages. The first strategy is informational. It is aimed at strengthening the role of the cognitive component of the attitude. The second is emotional, which seeks to evoke a strong affective response of the consumer to the message, thereby influencing the corresponding affective component to a greater extent. The study revealed that it is impossible to draw an unambiguous conclusion about the prevailing effectiveness of the influence of one of the strategies on strengthening the reliability of the attitude. When using "emotional" messages, they are better remembered. However, when using "informational" messages, a conclusion is made about their reliability and significance.

Thus, the mechanism of brand perception as the formation of an attitude makes it possible to apply methods of socio-psychological research, such as semantic differential.

Influence of the reference group on brand perception

As mentioned above, an important characteristic of a brand is the set of associations associated with it. Based on a huge amount of research devoted to the study of consumer behavior, we can conclude that with its help, buyers form their identity and Self-Concept. According to Jennifer Escalas, the assignment of certain associations to a brand depends largely on the use of this brand by the consumer reference group. Therefore, by buying goods of this brand, the consumer receives such benefits as social approval, self-expression, self-esteem and others.

First of all, let's define the term "reference group" from the point of view of social psychology. This term was introduced by G. Hyman, who opposed the reference group to the membership group. In his experiments conducted on groups of students, he showed that some of their members share the norms of behavior adopted in another small group to which they are oriented. Such groups, in which individuals are not really included, but whose norms they accept, G. Hymen called reference.

Reference groups are those social groups that are important to the consumer and with whose members he compares himself. With the help of brands, a person actively constructs himself, choosing brands that have such associations that correspond to the individual's current self-image or desired self-image.

Thus, we understand a brand as an image of a social object, purposefully formed by the audience in order to influence the attitudes towards this object. When perceiving a brand, the mechanism of personification operates, i.e. the individual attributes to the brand certain properties of the subject. Brand preference arises when an individual is identified with a brand personality.

1.2. Brand image as a result of its perception by the consumer

Consumer perception of a brand can occur in two ways. The first (direct communication) is carried out within the framework of marketing communication between the brand and the consumer, which is built by the organization whose portfolio includes this brand. Perception in this case occurs both through direct contact with the brand's products in stores, and through advertising video, photo and audio materials, the website and various channels of marketing promotion on the Internet.

The second way of perception (indirect communication) includes sources that are not directly related to the brand. Examples of this way of perceiving are reading various publications in the media where the brand is mentioned in a positive or negative aspect, viewing reviews of the brand's products on the Internet from people who have bought products and rated its qualities in proportion to their needs, as well as receiving recommendations and any information about the brand. from friends and acquaintances.

Thus, brand perception is carried out either directly between the consumer and the brand, or through obtaining information from other sources. The ratio of both these ways of perception and specific communication channels depends on the specific brand, the products that are produced under this brand, and the specifics of the marketing communication that the organization uses to interact with the consumer.

Brand perception includes the perception of the characteristics and value of the product, the value of the brand and its image, and the uniqueness of the brand attributes. Brand attributes are the features of the product perceived by the consumer and distinguishing it from other brands. With the help of attributes, a brand can stand out from many similar products and become more visible to the consumer. In this way, the attributes act as markers with which the brand is associated, which makes it easier for the consumer to remember it, as well as to recognize it faster and more often.

Brand awareness is one of the most important characteristics of a brand, reflecting the level of its popularity and the ease of perception of its attributes.

An indicator of brand awareness is the percentage of respondents who were able to recall it when conducting a survey in response to a request to name a brand belonging to a certain category of goods. Brand attributes can be identification symbols (trademarks, logos, slogans); corporate characters and persons (for example, the clown Ronald McDonald is the corporate character of the McDonald's restaurant); packaging design and appearance of the product; product features and functional purpose; technologies for the manufacture of goods or the provision of services; the uniqueness of advertising messages and other ways of presenting the brand in the eyes of the consumer.

In the process of perception, the brand image of a particular consumer is gradually formed.

1.2.1. The concept of brand image

Brand image is “a set of perceived qualities and virtues of a brand, kept in memory and affecting the overall impression of the consumer”. F. Kotler defined brand image as "a set of beliefs, ideas and impressions that a person has regarding an object" . According to D. Aaker, brand image is "a set of associations organized in a meaningful way" . Another definition: "brand image is the consumer's rational and emotional perception of a particular brand." All these definitions are united by the understanding that brand image is associated with brand perception.

It also follows from these definitions that a brand image is formed only when the perceived information about it can be stored in memory and reproduced. For this, a single case of perception of information is not enough - it must be remembered. Successful memorization occurs in two ways. First, memorization occurs better with an increase in the number of stimulus presentations. Secondly, vivid images that stand out from a large amount of information around are better remembered. Thus, remembering brands occurs through the mechanism of association. A brand image is formed by creating strong associations with a need that a brand product can satisfy, with a problem it can solve, or with positive emotional states. Image as a certain set of brand ideas that are stored in memory and can be easily recalled, is formed as an image in the mind of the consumer and is interpreted as a set of various strong associations with the brand. Association research is a popular method in brand image research.

Since the brand image is determined by a set of individually formed associations in relation to a particular brand, it cannot be universal. Each individual consumer has his own set of brand associations, so his perception of the brand in the eyes of other people may be erroneous. Moreover, the brand image can be perceived differently by the consumer and the organization that owns the brand. Employees of an organization often have difficulty understanding the current brand image, as they are involved in the organization's business processes and cannot put themselves in the shoes of the consumer. The way a consumer perceives or interprets a brand image is called the perceived image. The purpose of the organization is to study and manage the brand image in order to achieve the desired image (desired image). Organizations can only assume how the consumer perceives the brand image, so there is still a presumed image.

These three levels of brand image can be in different relationships and change over time. Sometimes a discrepancy between levels can mean a contradiction and adversely affect the goals of the company. For example, employees in an organization may feel that a brand has a good image, while consumers rate the brand poorly. In this case, there is a discrepancy between the intended image and the perceived image. But the perceived image can also be better than the image employees assume. In both cases, brand image measurement methods (if they are used at all) cannot provide a representative sample or cannot provide objective data.

The concept of brand image must also be correlated with the brand identity construct. Aaker offers the following definition of brand identity: “A brand identity is a unique set of brand associations that a brand developer seeks to create or maintain. These associations represent the meaning of the brand and the promises made to consumers by members of the organization. Thus, the brand identity is created by the developer, and the brand image is the result of its perception by the consumer. While brand identity is a static structure that does not change and is embodied in a company's various products and advertising activities, brand image is dynamic, influenced by many factors, both situational and personal.

1.2.2. Psychological mechanisms of influence of brand image on brand preference

Brand image is one of the most important factors in consumer behavior. A demonstration of the importance of brand image is the famous 1964 beer brand taste testing study by P. Allison et al. Respondents took turns testing the taste characteristics of different brands. One group of respondents saw the logos of the beer brands they consumed, while the other group had the logo hidden. It turned out that when the perception of taste took place without presenting the logo, all six brands of beer, except for Guinness, were perceived in the same way and were located very close to each other on a special map. When the beer brands logo was presented, their taste was evaluated differently and the beer brands were more widely distributed on the map. This experiment, which has been replicated many times over the past half century, clearly illustrates the importance of brand perception and how the brand image, which is part of this perception, gives unique characteristics to the product.

There are two main approaches to understanding the influence of brand image on product choice. The first approach is based on Joseph Sirgi's Self-Concept theory and describes how a person may prefer different brands based on how close their image is to his self-concept. This can happen both consciously and subconsciously. According to the theory of "extended self" (extended self) Belka, people define "their" everything that they own, manage or create. Jennifer Aaker has shown that consumers prefer brands with individual characteristics that match the characteristics that make up their self-schemas. Another study uncovered a link between brand personality and brand preference: the attractiveness of a brand personality has a direct impact on brand loyalty. Tidwell and Horgan have shown that people use different products to enhance their image.

The second approach is based on theories of social identity and self-categorization, according to which people tend to classify themselves using various social categories. This leads to evaluating the goals and values of different groups and organizations against their own values and goals as a consumer. Thus, a person prefers those brands that share his goals and values.

The social identity theory of Henry Tajfel and John Turner and the self-categorization theory of John Turner underlie the second of the above approaches. According to the theory of social identity, personal and social identity are distinguished in the structure of identity. Personal identity refers to the individual characteristics of a person, and social identity refers to his role and belonging to social groups. From this point of view, the use of certain brands is one way to emphasize one's personal identity or belonging to a particular social group.

Human behavior is never reduced to individual characteristics or to belonging to certain social groups, but is a single whole, including both individual and social. The main aspiration of a person, according to the theory of social identity, is the desire to achieve a positive originality (positive distinctiveness), i.e., the expression of one's uniqueness and one's positive aspects.

Achieving positive identity can be achieved by several strategies.

1. The strategy of individual mobility (individual mobility) is applied in situations where the boundaries of the social group are permeable. This strategy involves separating the individual from the group and pursuing individual goals aimed at improving his situation rather than improving the situation of all members of the group.

2. The strategy of social creativity (social creativity) is applied in situations where the boundaries of the social group are not permeable, and the relationship between individuals within the group is stable. In this case, low-status members of the group can also increase their positive identity without leaving the social group. This happens by comparing the ingroup with the outgroup according to some new criterion, downplaying the significance of the achievements of other groups in various aspects, or by choosing an alternative outgroup to compare with the ingroup.

3. The strategy of social competition (social competition) is used in situations where the boundaries of the social group are not porous, and the relationship between individuals within the group is unstable. This strategy involves the achievement of positive identity through the strengthening of intra-group favoritism.

The questions posed to social psychology by the theory of social identity led to the creation of the theory of self-categorization, which explains the mechanism of a person's assessment of himself and other people, which results in the allocation of social groups and attributing oneself to one of them. Social identification occurs as a result of social categorization, i.e., the allocation of social categories, which is a consequence of the perception of both differences between social groups and similarities within a social group. According to the theory of self-categorization, the self is not an initial given, the foundation on which the cognitive assessment of other people is built, but, on the contrary, is the result of cognitive processes, which is one of the main provisions of the theory. There is an assessment of one's identity in the context of other social groups and how one's own identity fits one or another group, which will result in a process of self-categorization, i.e., recognition of oneself as a member of one of the social groups.

The social identity approach, combined with the self-concept theory, forms the foundation of Joseph Sirgi's self-congruity theory, according to which one of the determinants of consumer behavior is the perception of the common between the "self-image", or one's own image (self-image). or self-concept), perceived brand consumer image and brand image. Self-conformity influences consumer behavior through the human need to achieve self-consistency and maintain self-esteem. Achieving a high level of self-fit occurs when the consumer finds a similarity between the "self-image" and the brand image. High level self-conformity allows the consumer to self-improve their self-concept, change in a positive direction and can lead to the formation of a positive attitude towards the brand and repeat purchases of products.

The process of finding common ground between a consumer's image and a brand's image not only helps to make a choice and purchase a product of this brand, but also determines how the consumer will evaluate this brand and its products. When a brand has a positive image, it means that strong, positive and unique associations have been established between the brand and the self-image, which can be divided into two groups.

The first group of brand image associations relates to the perceived image of a typical user of that particular brand and is formed in the process of assessing the similarity of the consumer's image and the image of the user. The second group of associations relates to obtaining psychological benefits, such as increased recognition from the peer group (i.e. social approval), as well as an expression of how the person would like to be perceived and seen by other people (i.e. self-expression). Thus, the mechanism of influence of the brand image on consumer behavior is the process of self-categorization of the consumer as a representative of the reference group of brand users, as well as the expected social approval from the environment and the expression of one's own identity. This process can take place both consciously and unconsciously.

Consumer behavior can also serve to improve the self-concept of consumers, and the brand associations associated with it help to achieve various self-improvement goals. The goal of the consumer can be what he can become, what he would like to become, or what he fears to become. People build their coherent identity based on self-enhancement and self-verification.

Self-elevation refers to the tendency to emphasize more positive experiences and minimize negative self-criticism. People use brands to project a positive image to others or themselves. Self-elevation is about maintaining and improving self-esteem. People are trying to make good impression to gain social approval and enjoyment. They also tend to actively build self-presentation in order to obtain a positive feedback. A brand can be an object that helps to make a good impression on others (for example, branded clothing or accessories).

Self-verification means a person's desire to be understood by others according to their beliefs and feelings about themselves. The main strategy of self-verification is the influence on the reactions of other people through building around oneself an environment corresponding to one's identity, including expressive signs of one's identity. Such a feature may be a brand with an identity close to the consumer's identity (for example, a car of a certain brand). People facing a multi-brand purchase choice represent a typical user of each brand and make a choice based on how much the product chosen can increase their similarity to the brand's desired consumer image.

According to the theory of "extended self" (extended self) Russell Belk, property is a significant factor in the perception of one's identity by the consumer. People consider their property, consciously or unconsciously, as part of their "I". Our fragile sense of self needs the support we get from possessions, because a person is to a large extent what he has and possesses.

However, Belk's theory goes beyond consumer psychology, as he interprets as an "extended self" everything that the subject can associate with his "central self" (central self), which is represented by the "I" itself, my free will (free will). The “extended self” includes the human body, its internal processes, ideas, experiences, as well as those people, places and things to which a person is emotionally attached. The problem of distinguishing between the "central Self" and the first four categories of the "extended Self" refers to a psychophysical problem, the solution of which is the task of philosophers and psychologists of personality. Belk, on the other hand, focuses on the last three categories - people, places and things that are uniquely included in the "extended self". The most interesting of these categories for consumer psychology is the category of things, although both people (such as popular actors or TV hosts) and places (such as popular resorts) can be brands.

It is very difficult to draw a line between what a person calls “I” and what is called “mine”. People think and act about things they call "theirs" in much the same way that they think and act about themselves. Belk confirms his position on the connection between the "central self" and things by providing evidence. If the property is considered as a part of the "I", then the unintentional loss of property will be evaluated as the loss of a part or the reduction of the "I". Goffman cites the example of a partial loss of the "I" being in institutions such as mental hospitals, prisons, military camps, etc. . One of the stages of entering into them is the deprivation of one's own clothes, money and names. Even the body becomes the object of encroachment on the part of these institutions, as standardization takes place in them. appearance and behavior: certain uniforms must be worn, many activities are prohibited, communication may be prohibited most of the time, soldiers must be cut in a certain way. This is how personal identities are lost.

Before proceeding with the description of theoretical models and consideration of empirical data that will allow us to determine how the perception of the brand of the University will be measured in our work, first of all, it is necessary to indicate exactly how we consider applicants and what place they are given in the study of perception university brand in our study. This designation is necessary so that in the future we can decide which brand measurement models we can consider and analyze for our work.

There is an opinion that in higher education “students are raw materials, graduates are products, and employers are buyers/consumers”. However, this judgment cannot be taken unequivocally, since very often it is students who pay universities for education, educational services, and, ultimately, for a diploma. In addition, in general, applicants act as a target audience for a university recruitment company. J. Ivy argues that the messages sent by the university through the media, such as, for example, brochures or leaflets, are designed in such a way as to not only inform, but also remind or convince future students to choose the advertised university, because, just they, future students will be direct recipients of educational services (that is, interaction with the faculty, staff and other students, involvement in student organizations).

Thus, in our work, it is important for us to study the perception of the university brand from the point of view of applicants, since they are the future direct recipients of educational services and the branding strategies of universities are mainly focused on them. In addition, the above gives us reason to consider applicants as consumers of higher education, which in turn allows us to adapt the classic models of brand creation and positioning focused on potential consumers to study the components of a university brand. Let us clarify that parents can also act as consumers of educational services, since sometimes the decision on admission is made by the parents of the child. However, we are limited by time resources and, therefore, allow ourselves to concentrate only on applicants - as the main consumers of higher education. It should be noted that for our work, models of creating or positioning a brand can serve as a theoretical basis for further measuring the perception of a university brand, since such models contain the main elements and sub-elements of the brand. In other words, they can provide us with the brand structure we need to further analyze the brand perception of the institution.

At the moment, many similar models are presented in the literature, for example, A.V. Zozulev identifies the following as the main models for creating a brand: “Brand wheel, TTB model, Unilever Brand Key model, A.V. Zozuleva, a model of the stages of brand creation. However, it is important to remember that the concept of a university brand is inherently more complex, and as a result, traditional branding mechanisms may not be applicable to the higher education market at all. For this reason, we will allow ourselves to consider only those brand building models that are adapted specifically for higher education institutions.

So, we managed to find one of the models listed above, namely, the “Brand Wheel”, which would satisfy the conditions we set. Let us turn to the work of V.V. Azarieva and consider how the author describes the proposed model and, accordingly, adapts it to study the perception of the university brand.

V.V. Azaryeva also emphasizes that it is necessary to study brand perception directly from the point of view of the consumer, since the brand is created only in the head of the latter. In order to get an accurate perception of brand information from the point of view of consumers, in our case, applicants, the author suggests using special tool- “Brand wheel”.

"The brand wheel is a way of representing consumers' feelings about a brand." The use of the wheel allows not only to identify these sensations, but also to study what they are made up of.

Let us turn to the Wheel model, which describes the perception of the brand of a technical university by enterprises in industry and the service sector, proposed by V.V. Azarieva.

The brand wheel includes five levels: attributes, benefits, values, personality, and core (or essence) of the brand. Let's consider each of the levels in more detail.

1) Attributes - describe the product as a physical object. What is a brand?

An example for studying the perception of the brand of a technical university by industrial and service enterprises: "main educational programs, programs of additional education, postgraduate studies, research activities, etc."

2) Benefits - the final results that the consumer receives from using the brand. What does the brand do for the consumer?

An example for studying the perception of the brand of a technical university by industrial and service enterprises: "attracting the intellectual potential of the University, young professionals and employees to participate in research projects, training highly qualified personnel, and so on."

3) Values - characterize the level of description of the emotions that the consumer experiences when in contact with the brand. What emotions does the consumer experience when using the brand?

An example for studying the perception of the brand of a technical university by industrial and service enterprises: "high scientific potential, the fundamental nature of scientific research, traditions of personnel training, reliability of relationships with partners, and more."

4) Personality - a characteristic that allows you to metaphorically represent the brand in the form of human qualities. If a brand were a person, what emotions would it have?

An example for studying the perception of the brand of a technical university by industrial and service enterprises: "a modern specialist with competencies in the field of engineering and technology, modern management methods and innovation."

5) The core (essence) is the main idea that convinces the consumer to make a choice in favor of a particular brand.

An example for studying the perception of the brand of a technical university by industrial and service enterprises: "the mission and vision of the university."

The brand wheel, which makes it possible to reveal the perception of a technical university when industrial and service enterprises act as a consumer, V.V. Azaryeva presented as follows (Fig. 1).

Rice. one. "Model of university brand perception".

We have considered the model that V.V. Azaryeva formed for the technical university, given that the consumers were industrial and service enterprises. However, the author draws attention to the fact that for each consumer group it is necessary to draw up its own Brand Wheel and describe in detail all 5 levels, since each consumer group has its own characteristics that must be taken into account. However, in our opinion, this model is not entirely suitable for our study, due to the difficulty in understanding the procedure for collecting and processing data, which significantly complicates the understanding of the operation of the model.

Thus, based on theoretical developments in the field of studying the perception of the brand of the University, we determined that in our work, applicants will be perceived as potential consumers services offered by universities. Having arranged the positions in this way, we allowed ourselves to turn to traditional branding mechanisms, in this case, to the brand positioning model - “Brand Wheel”, adapted by V.V. Azaryeva for the higher education market, and, despite the fact that this model was not clear enough in application, we noted for ourselves the structure of the university brand proposed by V.V. Azarieva and, in the future, we may use the elements of the wheel as a theoretical basis for measuring the perception of the brand of the University in our work. In addition to theoretical information, it is also important to consider models that have been directly tested in practice, therefore, further, we will consider empirical developments in the field of studying the perception of the university brand.

However, before proceeding to the description of empirical studies, it is worth noting that despite the many articles we found, especially among foreign literature, one way or another related to the study of the brand of the University, we nevertheless allow ourselves to concentrate only on those of them in which, firstly, quantitative methods were used, since our study is also quantitative, and secondly, those in which the perception of the brand of the University by applicants was directly investigated.

Let us turn to the article by R. Bennett and R. Ali-Choudhury "Prospective Student's Perceptions of University Brands". The purpose of their work was to outline the main components that make up the brand of the university, to determine the possible prerequisites and consequences of these components, as well as to test a tool that measures the usefulness of a student's potential perception of brand components.In this case, we are interested in the first part of the study, devoted to identifying the brand components of the University from the point of view of applicants.

R. Bennett and R. Ali-Choudhury suggested three main components of the brand of the University, which they based their model on. According to the authors, the university brand is based on three main components:

1) Responsibilities (covenant): a set of promises that the university establishes and presents to the outside world, including brand benefits;
2) Brand essence (quiddity): row distinctive characteristics inherent in the brand, which distinguish the brand from others and determine its nature;
3) Symbolic and external representation of the brand (symbolic and external representation): a set of aesthetic designations and external communications that describe the brand.

To implement the study, 198 respondents were interviewed (young people who planned to enter the following universities: South Bank University, Westminster University, and London Metropolitan University). The questionnaire consisted of two parts (Section A - About yourself and Section B - your views): the first part - socio-demographic characteristics, the second - open and closed questions, according to the interpretation of the components of the brand model. In other words, section B included questions about: 1) the learning environment, prospects after graduation, the Mission and Vision of the University, the Social Environment - forming the "obligations" (covenant) component; 2) internal values, the academic position of the University, students, the practicality of the University, the composition of students and the physical location of the University - the essence of the brand (quiddity); 3) the name and logo, as well as marketing communications of the University - a symbolic and external representation of the brand (symbolic and external representation).

R. Bennett and R. Ali-Choudhury came to the conclusion that "obligations" (covenant) are the most important component of the brand of superior educational institution. The prospects after graduation, the university learning environment (especially the measures taken to support students) and the social environment were found to be the most important elements of covenant. As for the other components of the model - "the essence of the brand" and "symbolic and external representation of the brand", the results of the study showed that they should also be included in the brand model of the University. Let us consider in more detail which elements of each of the components turned out to be the most significant. First of all, let's turn to the "essence of the brand".

The "essence of the brand" includes such an element as "practicality of the University" for future students. According to respondents, practicality is present when “the university establishes acceptable entry requirements to allow applicants to be admitted to a higher education institution, provides the desired curriculum, and is located in a physical location suitable for the student.”

As for the symbolic and external representation of the brand, here R. Bennett and R. Ali-Choudhury got a rather interesting result. It turned out that the logo is not an important component of the brand of the university according to the respondents: only some of the participants in the study were able to recall the logos of the three universities covered by the study. Nevertheless, the researchers note that marketing communications, as well as university advertising, are important components of the university brand.

We also note that R. Bennett and R. Ali-Choudhury revealed the disinterest of respondents in the mission of the university, its vision and internal values, from which we can conclude that these elements may not be so important to take into account when compiling a university brand model.

Thus, we considered the model proposed by R. Bennett and R. Ali-Choudhury to determine the components of the university brand. We found that “covenant” is the most important component of the brand of a higher education institution, but, nevertheless, the two remaining components - the essence of the brand (quiddity) and the symbolic and external representation of the brand (symbolic and external representation) are also important and must be present in the model. According to the results of the study, Special attention When identifying the components of a university brand, it is worth looking at elements such as prospects after graduation, the university's learning environment (especially measures taken to support students), the social environment, and the physical location of the university.

However, it is important to note some limitations of the study, which the authors themselves have pointed out. R. Bennett and R. Ali-Choudhury emphasize that this model of brand components was tested at universities founded after 1992. That is, the sample included relatively young British universities that did not have time to receive a certain status of recognition in society. For this reason, the researchers point out that for more prestigious universities, the model should be modified and supplemented to reflect the specification of the latter. This limitation is especially important for our work, since we will measure the brand perception of prestigious universities.

Now let's turn to next study dedicated to the study of the brand of the Ural State University of Economics (USUE). O.V. Lupashina and T.B. Minina used the 4D branding technique developed by T. Gad in 1977. This technique is based on the assumption that the brand is built in the minds of consumers, based on four dimensions - functional, social, mental and spiritual. The interpretation of each of the measurements, the authors have adapted for the brand of the university. Let's take a closer look at each of the measurements.

1) Functional dimension - "highlights the exceptional properties of the service, determined by the assessment of its usefulness associated with the brand." O.V. Lupashina and T.B. Minina define this dimension as "the brand's ability to fulfill its main purpose - to provide quality education and be a socialization mechanism."
2) Social dimension - "Brand as a symbol of belonging to a group." O.V. Lupashina and T.B. Minina define this dimension as "the brand's ability to represent the social group to which the consumer belongs or wants to belong in the eyes of the environment and strengthen its prestige."
3) Mental dimension - "Brand as an element of self-representation, self-esteem of the consumer." The authors note that the mental dimension plays an important role for the educational services market, however, it is often not given due attention.
4) Spiritual dimension - "reflects the global or local responsibility that the organization assumes to society." According to the authors, the spiritual dimension for universities is expressed in their main task before society - to prepare highly qualified specialists.

Now consider how O.V. Lupashina and T.B. Minin identified each of the four dimensions in relation to the USUE brand. The functional dimension of the USUE brand, according to the authors, is expressed in the faculty of this university, which ensures the high quality of the education provided. The results of the online survey showed that the respondents (students and applicants) adequately perceive the functional privileges of the USUE brand and define it as "the best economic university". Among the factors characterizing the attractiveness of the university for admission - 26% noted that the economic specialty will allow you to get interesting work, 16% - the economic specialty will allow you to find a highly paid job and 15% - the specialty will be in demand.

Exploring the social dimension, the authors asked the question: what exactly can distinguish USUE students from students who also study in economics, but in other universities of the city. The survey results showed that USUE students consider themselves "more competent in matters relating to the economy" - 16%, and also note "a creative approach to educational and extracurricular activities" - 52%.

As part of the interpretation of the results of the social dimension, O.V. Lupashina and T.B. Minina emphasize that prestige and a special style are the most important elements of this dimension. In order to improve organizational structure USUE, the authors recommend creating a special service that would deal not only with the development of the corporate structure of the university, but also regulate the process of adaptation of students and teachers. As for the results of the mental measurement, O.V. Lupashina and T.B. Minina draw attention to the problem of “information noise”: 46% of respondents noted that they “do not accept active participation in the life of the university, due to lack of information about ongoing activities.

Under the spiritual dimension of USUE, the authors understand "the obligation of the university to train qualified specialists in the field of economics." O.V. Lupashina and T.B. Minina note that the functional and spiritual dimensions are closely related to each other, with the difference that the spiritual, in this case, "is responsible to society for who will carry out all actions in the economic sphere of this society tomorrow."

Thus, we considered a 4D branding model that allows us to study how a university brand is perceived in the minds of consumers using the Ural State University of Economics as an example. This study allowed us to consider how the 4D branding model can be adapted in relation to the brand of the University, however, this way measurement of brand perception, is more focused on students, while within this study We are interested in applicants. Therefore, in our work, this model will be considered only as additional information, we will not apply it in practice.

So, after analyzing all the above models, we came to the conclusion that the model of R. Bennett and R. Ali-Choudhury is most suitable for our study as theoretical model to measure the perception of the university brand. Firstly, this model most clearly and in most detail describes the components of the university brand - obligations (covenant); brand essence (quiddity); symbolic and external representation of the brand, revealing them through twelve elements of the brand perception of the University. Secondly, this model was tested on applicants, and, according to the results, it turned out to be quite successful, which is especially important, since applicants are also the empirical object of our study. In addition, it is important to note that this model can be adapted to study the brands of more prestigious universities, which is noted by the authors of the model - R. Bennett and R. Ali-Choudhury. This is especially valuable in our case, since we study the perception of brands of prestigious universities.

Thus, R. Bennett and R. Ali-Choudhury's University brand components model will act as a theoretical base model for measuring the perception of the University's brand in our study. Let us immediately clarify that the model will be adapted, firstly, to study the brand of prestigious universities, and secondly, we will also take into account the fact that the original model was created for British universities, respectively, we will make the necessary changes, adapting the model to Russian reality .

So, we have considered various sources in the field of studying the perception of the brand of the University and decided on a model that will act as theoretical basis for our research. Next, let's turn to the designation of subjective factors that determine the perception of the brand of the university, and also consider in more detail the objective factor we have identified - the tendency to conspicuous consumption.

Brand perception by customers and "brand image"

The “brand image” is understood as a holistic image of a product, brand or service (F. Kotler, “Fundamentals of Marketing”, ch.2, fig. 10).

feature this concept is a reflection in it, first of all, of the integrity of perception and the possibility of direct comparison of objects that cannot be compared by traditional methods due to the difference in the criteria applied to objects by consumers. The need to highlight the "brand image" in contrast to the "brand characteristics" was caused by the fact that in the mid-50s, experts drew attention to the fact that the motivation for purchases made by consumers has the following characteristics:

1. When choosing a product / brand, consumers use criteria that are not significant for this product from the point of view of the manufacturer (in terms of the actual technical or functional characteristics of the product).

2. Consumers often do not understand or misinterpret certain arguments of advertisers, and after using the product in such cases, they believe that they have been deceived.

As a result of the research, data were obtained that made it possible to assert that consumers make their choice on the basis of a holistic image ("Gestalt") of the product, formed by them as a result of the interaction of their ideas about the significant qualities for this product group, information from advertising, communication with other people , prices, product availability, etc.

It turned out that the subjective significance various characteristics reported by respondents in research does not match either the frequency of their use or the results of direct ranking (when the respondent directly indicates that feature X is more important than feature Y). To solve all these and some other methodological and technical problems, the use of methods of subjective semantics, borrowed by marketers from psychiatric and psychological practice, made it possible (these methods were developed in their modern form by the Ch.Osgooda group in the 50s, and were adapted in the late 70s in the USSR, in the second European edition of F. Kotler in Russian, 1999, there is a separate section "Map of Perception").

Nevertheless, in modern Russian marketing practice, the correct use of psychosemantic methods for solving problems of marketing and mass communication is carried out by two research teams, one advertising agency, and such methods are mentioned in promotional materials of one research firm.

The ability of a brand to fulfill its purpose is the main characteristic of its quality.

Each product group has its own specific quality criteria. The quality of a product is an important factor in shaping consumer attitudes towards a brand. It should be noted that the quality characteristics offered by the manufacturer and the quality characteristics expected by the consumer may not only not coincide, but even differ significantly from each other.

The consumer perceives product quality not as a level of progressive manufacturing technology, but as a product that reflects the qualitative consumer properties of the product.

The consumer quality of a brand is determined by the choice, search, purchase, use, as well as whether expectations were met when purchasing this product.

Each consumer has a stable idea of which country produces the best goods of a certain group. Stereotypes of mass consciousness are used by brand managers to create an impression of the brand's global leadership, the highest quality or the uniqueness of its production technology.

20.01.11

1. Brand perception by buyers and “brand image” (brand image): what is meant by primary sources and why the concept was introduced

By "brand image" is meant holistic the image of a product, brand or service (see F. Kotler, "Fundamentals of Marketing", ch. 2., Fig. 10 "Product positioning and consumer preferences schemes" - the text under the figure explicitly states that this is a reflection of the subjective perception of brands, rather than a reflection of objective characteristics).

The peculiarity of this concept is the reflection in it, first of all, INTEGRITY OF PERCEPTION and the possibility of direct comparison of objects that cannot be compared by traditional methods due to the difference in the criteria applied to objects by consumers. The need to highlight the "brand image" in contrast to the "brand characteristics" was caused by the fact that in the mid-50s, experts drew attention to the fact that the motivation for purchases made by consumers has the following characteristics:

When choosing a product/brand, consumers use criteria that not significant for a given product from the point of view of the manufacturer (in terms of the actual technical or functional characteristics of the product).
Consumers often misunderstood or misinterpreted certain arguments of advertisers and after using the product in such cases, they believe that they were deceived.
Consumers may persistently prefer goods whose objective qualities worse than competitors.

As a result of research, data were obtained that made it possible to assert that consumers make their choice based on a holistic image(“Gestalt”) of a product formed by them as a result of the interaction of their ideas about significant qualities for a given product group, information from advertising, communication with other people, prices, product availability, etc.

It turned out that the subjective significance of various characteristics reported by respondents in the research does not coincide with either the frequency of their use or the results of direct ranking (when the respondent directly indicates that characteristic X is more important than characteristic Y). To solve all these and some other methodological and technical problems, the use of methods of subjective semantics, borrowed by marketers from psychiatric and psychological practice, made it possible (these methods were developed in their modern form by the Ch.Osgooda group in the 50s, and were adapted in the late 70s in the USSR, in the second European edition of F. Kotler in Russian, 1999, there is a separate section "Map of Perception").

When researching brand image, the marketer faces the following challenges:

As a result of the study of the “brand image”, it is necessary to obtain such a description of one’s own and competing brands that would allow them to be compared according to known criteria. But when discussing different brands belonging to the same group, consumers often use different criteria (for example, one brand is “beautiful” and another is “reliable”) - then the problem arises of comparing objects described by consumers in different (often weakly overlapping) sets criteria.
In most product groups in Russia, there are up to several dozen brands (in our practice, there was a study that analyzed the position of almost 70 brands). Limiting the number of brands studied based on some formal criteria (by “price group”, personal opinion of a brand manager, etc.) can lead to a lack of significant information and errors in making key business decisions. It is all the more dangerous to conduct research only on your brand, choosing, for example, the best from a certain set of packaging designs - perhaps this design is really the best among the presented set, but this does not mean at all that it better designs those packages among which the consumer makes a choice.
Consumers use 20-30 criteria to describe brands, the significance of which depends on the stage life cycle brand and "drifts" under the influence of various social processes. The inclusion of certain criteria in the "image" of various brands also varies greatly and is of a diagnostic nature.

Taking into account the above problems, when answering questions like: “How do consumers perceive my brand?”, “Are there brands that consumers perceive better than mine? Why?”, “How to make my brand perceived better? Which positioning to choose? ”, the marketer is faced with the need to conduct a study in which the “standard respondent” must answer several hundred questions (for example, evaluate 20 brands according to 25 criteria, in total 20x25 \u003d 500 questions). An analysis of studies known to us in which this approach was used showed a very expected result: very quickly, on average, starting from the fourth or sixth brand, respondents begin to sabotage the study, which is manifested in a decrease in the variability in the choice of proposed estimates, a shift in the choice to the first and last list positions of characteristics, etc. The results obtained in this way, in fact, are not subject to any adequate interpretation and cannot be used in practice.

The results obtained using the widely used “softened” version of such a study, which had fewer brands and used the “selection of an important and / or specific characteristic” method, we will consider in more detail below in comparison with the results of the analysis of the “perception map”, but if mass surveys even outwardly look like a possible method of researching the “brand image”, then the use of focus groups for the same purposes is generally unacceptable.

Inability to use focus groups to diagnose "brand image"

The incorrectness of the use and the impossibility of correct diagnosis of the "brand image" in the focus group process stems from the technical and substantive limitations of the method:

There are known technical limitations in the focus group discussion process for comparing and evaluating different brands. Traditionally, this number is limited by the capacity of a person's RAM, i.e. the well-known rule “seven plus or minus two” and is equal to nine in its maximum (for respondents with an average and low level of education, even less). In case of discussion more brands one way or another, they are divided into subgroups and, as a result, the use of different criteria in comparison in subgroups and the impossibility of comparing brands from different subgroups. Considering that many product classes contain dozens of brands, the use of focus groups becomes impossible, if only for this reason.
"Brand image" is by definition "holistic" and therefore highly specific to the individual and society. But "If a simple, straightforward, consistent answer emerges in a focus group study, that answer is most often incomplete, or comes from the wrong question" ("...If a simple, straightforward, consistent answer emerges in a focus group study, that answer is often incomplete, or it is the response to the wrong questions” - paragraph one of 25 Reasons To Use A Professional Qualitative Researcher, QRCA). That is, the focus group cannot answer the questions of diagnostics of the “brand image” in a meaningful way.

These limitations and problems of diagnosing “brand images” are not sincerely realized by some researchers, and by a smaller part they are no less sincerely hushed up, although informative and technological methods themselves have long been described and are included in mandatory set research methods studied at the faculties of psychology and sociology.
3. Diagnostics of the “brand image”: how to do it right

Diagnostics of the "brand image" should be carried out by the method of experimental psychological research based on the use of one or another variant of the semantic differential.

The advantages of these methods are:

Unlimited number of objects (brands, promotional materials, etc.) among which the comparison is made.
The ability to include new brands in the research and test advertising options as they are created relatively long time(within a few months).
The semantic differential or multidimensional scaling methods also make it possible to compare objects that have different sets of significant features in cases where the usual methods of formal comparison cannot be applied. It becomes possible to formalize and study the relationships in the subjective world of goods belonging to different product groups (for example, comparison chocolates, car and clothes).
The influence of the researcher (moderator, interviewer) on the respondents is minimized.
Also, to participate in these studies, it is not necessary to gather respondents at a certain time in a certain place, as for a focus group.

The methods of semantic analysis themselves are built on the principle that the entire set of characteristics that people use to describe something can be reduced to a certain small number of factors (usually 2-4), which are subjective criteria for comparing objects. These factors can be identified using mathematical procedures (factor analysis), after which it becomes possible to compare different objects, regardless of what characteristics respondents use to describe these objects.

For example, despite the many words that can be used to characterize this or that person (in English, about 4500, in Russian, about 2100), people are actually compared in the three-dimensional space of qualities “Evaluation - Emotional Strength - Activity”. When comparing different products, factors are most often identified that can be interpreted as "Quality", "Price", "Fame", "Reliability", etc. (the set and hierarchy of factors for each product group is different).

The main stages of diagnosing the "brand image".

When conducting brand image research, at the first stage, with the help of a small number (30-40) of personal interviews with the help of open-ended questions, the consumer criteria used to describe a particular product group are identified. During the interview, the interviewer captures all the characteristics that the respondent uses, and in the terminology of the respondent, without interpreting it - this allows you to determine the key vocabulary of target consumers and use it both when compiling survey questionnaires and creating communication materials.

For various products, consumers usually use 10-20 criteria (less for drugs and food, more for complex technical products). When compiling lists of criteria, the most important thing is to use the criteria of consumers, not producers. This is due to the fact that consumers use the criteria of "effects" or "characteristics" of goods (for example, for TVs - "good picture", " Beautiful design”), and the manufacturers criteria for “composition” (for example, “high-aperture gun”). These differences are reflected in common metaphors such as "People do not buy a drill, but holes in the wall."

At the second stage, the characteristics/criteria most often mentioned by consumers are converted into one or another type of scale (usually from -3 to +3) and the respondents (of course, different than at the first stage) are asked to rate the tested object for each criterion.

Technically, each respondent can evaluate from 1 to 6 tested objects in one interview (this depends on the product group, the length of the questionnaire, etc.). This method The study is also convenient because, due to the processing methods used, there is no need for each respondent to evaluate all the variety of objects (brands, advertising materials, etc.) that the researcher included in the study. With such a “distributed” interview, it is required to respect the randomness of the presentation of incentives to different respondents (to exclude the “influence of a neighbor”) and strict quotas in the formation of the sample, but there is no need for a long and/or multiple interview. For one test object, it is necessary to receive answers from 40 to 100 respondents, depending on the accuracy of determining the target group and its size.

As a result of the factor analysis of the ratings given by the respondents for each criterion, these criteria are grouped into several factors, with the help of which the so-called “brand maps” are obtained, which characterize the subjective perception of various brands (see Diagram 1). With the help of such a map, one can also describe the “brand image”, and compare it with other brands, with an ideal brand, evaluate its packaging, advertising materials, develop recommendations for positioning, etc.

Diagram 1. 3D map of six brands.
There is a comparatively higher score on all brand 2 factors and a low score on brand 3 factors X and Y.

With the help of special mathematical methods, it is possible to answer questions about the effect of "cannibalization" of brands - when one of the products under the "umbrella" brand begins to suppress sales of other products under this brand; and regarding the effect of "vampire" brands - when the trade name begins to be perceived as the designation of the entire product group.

An example of the effect of brand cannibalization: the evaluation of different products under the same brand. Technically, the balls were supposed to be of equal size, but due to the cannibalization effect of "product 4" and "product 2" of the brand, "products 1 and 3" could not take place in the market for a long time.

An example of a brand's "vampire" effect at work: balloons representing different brands were supposed to be the same size, but at the time of the study, three brands (the group in the lower center of the graph) were generally poorly distinguishable by consumers, and the group had a "vampire" that personified for consumers almost the entire product group (vampire brands are, for example, Xerox, Pampers).

By building a brand map, you can also pretest promotional materials. The respondent is asked to evaluate the advertising material according to the same criteria that formed the basis of the questionnaire for evaluating the "brand image", and after the survey, this advertising material becomes a point on the map. An analysis of its position in relation to the position of the brand itself (packaging), the ideal brand, as well as competing brands helps to choose the advertising material that creates the brand perception necessary for the advertiser, i.e. is located on the “specified” place of the “stamp image” map.

In order to organize adequate communication with the consumer, in addition to the analysis of the “brand image”, an analysis of the “consumer image” is necessary. There are situations when, with a high assessment of the product, the consumer avoids buying it or puts forward a false motivation for refusing to buy because this product / brand, in his opinion, although good, is not intended for him - “other people use it who are not like me." In the literature, this effect is described as "avoidance of identification with the image of the consumer" (see F. Kotler, chapter 3, box 6: "Why were consumers initially reluctant to buy instant coffee?").

To study the “consumer image”, the same semantic scaling techniques are used as for the study of the “brand image”, using the appropriate criteria (usually a list of general psychological characteristics of a person is used).

Thus, the results of the study of the "brand image" by methods of diagnosing subjective semantics make it possible to assess the perception of the brand relative to competitors by potential and real consumers, the structure of the emergence of preferences, and also to identify the development dynamics of other brands. The results of the study of the "image of the consumer" will allow us to assess the adequacy of the used communication strategy (message style, advertising design, etc.), as well as to carry out its purposeful and conscious correction.

An example of comparing the results obtained when using the "perception map" method and the "selection of the most important characteristics" method.

Consider the results obtained using various research methods. The baseline survey was one in which respondents were consistently asked to 1) list no more than five key product characteristics; 2) characterize the brand that they consider the best. As can be seen from Table 1, the frequency of choosing the “most important” characteristics and the characteristics of the “best brand” is different, which is already somewhat strange from the standpoint of formal logic.

Table 1. The probability of choosing characteristics depending on the task.

Product/brand criterion in this product group	The probability of choosing a criterion as one of the five most important for a given product group	The probability of choosing a criterion as a characteristic of the best (ideal) brand in a given product group	The ratio of the probability of choosing this criterion as " the most important characteristic» for a product of a given product group and the probability of choosing the “best” brand in this product group as a characteristic

A similar problem arises when trying to compare the ratings of several brands by their users. As you can see from the graph below, the likelihood of choosing one or another characteristic in relation to a particular brand is much less than choosing the “most important” or “best” characteristics.

Comparison of several brands with this technology also causes many problems: purely visually the best Brand6, as well as positions "2" and "3", but the level of sales did not reflect such positive assessments either before or after the study (usually changes in the "brand image" are ahead of market fate: image suffers before sales; and for new brands, growth rate can be predicted depending on the attractiveness of its image to consumers).

It is believed that the use of factor analysis makes it possible to identify factors hidden from direct observation, but explaining several primary variables. An attempt to carry out a factor analysis of the data collected by the “feature selection” method led to an uninteresting result, since the first two factors described only 18% of the variance.

		%total Variance

As can be seen from the map above, Brand6 is the leader in the first factor, and the severity of the characteristic by the first factor, with the traditional approach to interpreting such data, would allow us to assert the leading position of the brand. The problem was again the lack of external validity of these results.

Conducting a study using the multidimensional scaling method made it possible to obtain a more informative solution. First of all, the first two factors, obtained even without improving the model, already described 46% of the variance (in total, significant factors described about 2/3 of the variance). More importantly, the results obtained had much greater external validity: positions 4 and 5 were highly advertised and competing brands, and brand 1 was ranked third. Brands 2 and 6 ranked last in popularity and use, while brand 3 was widely known and mythologized for historical reasons, but is practically not represented on the market.