IT IS my take that a brand has to be bold and assertive! It must be one that is remembered quickly and with ease, in a positive way. Not all brands, however, rise up to this description.
Sithandekile MaGida [email protected]
Why could this be the case? Well, it is because brands are largely affected by what consumers perceive of them.
If brands are perceived well they will sell and if they are not perceived well they may not sell as much as a company may expect. So what is perception and why is it such a big deal?
Perception is how a consumer views a situation that is presented in the market place. It is the process, by which a consumer selects, organises and interprets information inputs to create a meaningful picture of the world.
It is this perception that affects the consumer’s behaviour. It determines whether the product is bought or is left on the shelf. Obviously each company wants the consumer to pick and buy their brand instead of the competitor’s offering.
A recent study that I undertook of the performance of the house brands of one of the retail giants in Bulawayo revealed that the way consumers perceived these brands affected their performance in sales.
Most consumers were still under the impression that these house brands were of the same poor quality that they had once experienced when the economy was going through an economic meltdown and foodstuffs were in short supply.
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Whatever these retail outlets laid their hands on was packaged in packaging bearing their logo and merchandised onto the gondolas. These products sold like hotcakes.
The consumers had no choice but to buy these grocery items if they came across them despite their poor quality because of their scarcity.
The majority of consumers have not quite healed from their perceptions of these house brands hence their low performance in sales as compared to national brands.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending a cricket festival at St Thomas Aquinas Primary School. While I was there I was reminded of the Spur brand, a brand that had almost gone into total oblivion in my mind.
Spur is a brand that came in with a bang several years ago as they partnered with the Holiday Inn brand. Spurs is supposed to be famous for their burgers, steak and ribs.
Now, how did I start thinking of Spurs at a cricket festival? It is simple. Spurs sponsored the event and gave each boy who was playing a cap.
Each team had its own colour, but it was the red caps that caught my eye and made me notice the Spurs logo. I am certain that all who attended the festival have a positive impression about the brand.
A brand that supports young talent in sport will definitely affect each person present positively. In my own opinion it is a brand that is worth remembering should the children want a meal away from home.
It is a brand that is worth being given a chance to prove itself again. Maybe indeed they have “A Taste for Life”.
The Bulawayo one is called Arizona Spur and is situated at the Holiday Inn.
Sponsorship is undoubtedly a good way to revive a brand. It is, however, not enough for the brand to sponsor a cricket festival in the neighbourhood and leave it at that.
It is also important that they work on improving the meal quality and the cleanliness of the place. Their staff ought to be trained well to ensure that they serve their diners well and to give them a warm experience that will give a lasting impression of the visit to the steakhouse.
I cannot overemphasise staff training. I have seen many a good brand lose its equity all because the staff thought that the customers or clients owed them anything.
The consumers don’t actually owe the service provider anything and it is up to the staff to help the business earn the customer or clients’ loyalty.
Once the staff is perceived to be rude and unhelpful, the business may as well be throwing away its expected return on investment despite its relentless efforts on product quality.
