1. Marketing Assignment – 3<br />‘Advertising a brand’s personality through Symbolism & Imagery’<br />Submitted by<br />Uchit Gupta<br />Roll no. 050 448<br />MBA (ad)<br />SIMC, Bangalore<br />Submitted to<br />Dr. Semila Fernandes<br />Faculty- Marketing Management<br />Dt. 29/01/10<br />Symbolism<br />A symbol is something that represents something else, either by association or by resemblance. It can be a material object or a written sign used to represent something existing on non-existing, visible or invisible.<br />Language itself is a system of spoken or written symbols by which we communicate. Every word is a symbol; the three letters that form the word 'car' represent a sound as well as a physical object. <br />In writing, symbolism is the use of a word, a phrase, or a description, which represents a deeper meaning than the words themselves. This kind of extension of meaning can transform the written word into a very powerful instrument.<br />Just as in any media, symbolism is used extensively in advertising. A good example, with which one is certainly familiar, is the use of logos, colours, brand ambassadors or mascots, tag lines as well as the brand personality. Use of any or all of these in an integrated fashion is required for the communication to be effective as well as for the brand to be frequently recalled.<br />Brand Imagery<br />Promoting the image, or general perception, of a product or service, rather than promoting its functional attributes. Commonly used for differentiating brands of parity products. It has to do more with the personality and attitude of the brand than its visual appearance.<br />For example: Men are back, used for Maruti Suzuki SX4, giving it an imagery of a tough on road and masculine car, whereas, it is not meant only for men.<br />Importance of a Logo<br />Logos are the centrepiece of a company's brand. People are exposed to way too many concepts and ideas on a daily basis to remember them all. A brand’s logo should be the symbol for everything that the brand represents. When a customer sees the logo, they should be able to quickly connect with the brand. <br />Importance of a Tagline<br />A tagline is an important part of branding. It can be your best brand communication tool, if done right. However, you don't need a tagline to have a successful brand. Some great brands such as Google don't use a tagline.<br />What Taglines Do?<br />Good taglines perform three important functions for your brand:<br />They cut through marketing clutter and communicate your brand promise in a sticky, memorable way. <br />They are an accountability tool in that they remind you of your own brand promise. <br />They are the customers' indicator of a future experience. <br />Importance of Colors<br />Colour plays a significant part in conveying the message across to a vast number of people. Advertisements are not meant to address individual readers. They are meant to communicate to a crowd of people. The perception of colour is one of the central features of human sight. Colours themselves convey messages across. Though people have different perceptions of colour, a company or brand can actively utilize different colours to magnify its message.<br />Thus, appropriate choice of colour is important in advertising, in order to convince people.<br />Certain Advertisement Examples<br />3342640609600<br />NIKE<br />This Ad by Nike does not contain any imagery of Nike. However the mega-sized football breaking into a building symbolizes the effect of Nike football shoes. This OOH advertisement clearly depicts the attitude of Nike as an outstanding Sports apparel and accessory brand and also reflects it’s personality of ‘Just do it’.<br />-4305303638550<br />FEVICOL<br />The Fevicol Ad alongside is strategically positioned in a way that symbolises its utility, i.e, a strong adhesive which binds things together.<br />The positioning statement, ‘Fevicol aisa jod lagaye acche se accha na tod paye’ is self explanatory from this OOH advertisement of Fevicol.<br />28194006657975<br />Maruti Suzuki SX4<br />Image courtesy: Google ImagesMaruti Suzuki SX4 was launched with the message of ‘men are back’. The looks, features and performance of the car are well represented by the Ad which gives it a persona of being a manly car.<br />The Ad contains all the supportive information to prove its claim.<br />lefttopThe print Ad of Idea, once very popular was used to communicate the prepaid service of Idea cellular, which talks about higher value gained on bigger recharges. The imagery used connects well with the service’s offering.<br />26479502924175Coca Cola<br />The Coca Cola Ad here tries to communicate itself as a replacement of water in a country like India facing water crisis.<br />The wall painted in red saying, “Drink Coca Cola” represents the brand symbolism by appropriate placement of colour and logo at an appropriate location.<br />-3333756210300<br />Mc Donald’s<br />The Mc Donald’s Ad on the left was published on the launch of a new Mc Donald’s restaurant in India. The little baby wearing a makeup of Ronald (Mc D’s brand mascot), represents the start of a new restaurant. <br />Image courtesy: Google ImagesThe eyebrows of the baby are arch shaped, complementing the golden arches of Mc Donald’s logo.<br />Thus, from the above examples, it can be clearly understood that the symbolic representation of any brand is very crucial in its advertisements and helps in effective communication.<br />“A picture is worth a thousand words”<br /># # #Thank You# # #<br />