Brands play an active part in any consumer life. Whether you support a product or not is usually pegged to a knowlegde of a name, a brand. But how do we formulate in our minds an impression of any product or service provider is link to what we know about it; its brand image.

What is brand image?

It is the impression in the consumers’ mind of a brand’s total personality; how it looks, shortcomings and its potential. It is also developed over time through advertising campaigns and maketing strategies with a consistent theme, and is made real through the consumers’ direct experience.

According to Kristofferson Nunes, president of the UWI Entrepreneur Builder Club, brand image is creating quinessentially through telling of a story.

“Using an extract from the Kia Soul Commercial 2014, featuring the three hamsters, brand image is essentially storytelling that encompasses elements of emotions, experiences, and culture, then uniquely creating a relationship among them,” he said.

Nunes added: “The story behind the Kia Soul Commercial shows a timeline of the three plump hamsters investing time working out and in the transforming their ‘image’ to that of James Bond: sleek, elegant and exquisite. The experience shown is going to the gym and working out to get that body we desire. It’s an experience that a wide cross section of individuals can relate with, especially young college men at that.”

Below Nunes shares with Career and Education how a good brand image can work to a company or individuals benefit.

1. Ensure the consumer feels what you want them to feel.

Nunes said using the definition of brand image, the Kia Soul car was designed to tell a story with images that allow the potential purchaser to perceive driving their brand, and the culture for which it stands. “With regards to attracting the females in society and the cool, crisp and composed emotions it evokes, paired with a relatively affordable budget for a car, Kia may have won over the ‘what matters most is what the consumer feels and believes’ concept, which is a quote from Seth Godin in All marketers tell stories. This story gives rise to the belief that their cars, which are affordable, can attract females just as much as other expensive ones,” he said.

2. Brand image is also about reputation and meeting the customer as he/she is.

“It is the creation power to differentiate you from other products and services in the market. With regards to alcoholic brands such as Smirnoff and Guinness, we can show how each brand has unique images in their products,” Nunes said. He explained: “Would Guinness sponsor an event among the demography of A+ and A? The answer is no actually. Drawing from my experiences working closely with the brand, Guinness has an image associated with dancehall…and the entertainment lifestyle, while Smirnoff has an image of being premium, smooth and sophisticated.” Nunes said it shows in the types of events each brand sponsors, such as Smirnoff Dream Weekend and Guinness Flava Unit Anniversary.

3. Appeal to the senses

“The designing of the logo and colour scheme speaks subliminal seduction in its storytelling process to the consumers. The transformation of the hamsters into a type of James bond image represents ideals of cute and cuddly to handsome and enrapturing. The music also plays and integral aspect of the image. It created an anticipated build-up, anxiety and passion behind the transformation,” Nunes said.

The story told, brand image formed, potential customer assimilates…convert created.