The Glue that Keeps A Brand Going
By: Kimberly Grant
Everything and everyone are a brand. Everywhere we look, there are recognizable symbols, phrases, and sounds that remind us of a product, company, person, or service. In 2011, when Starbucks decided it wanted to update its brand logo by removing the wording and enlarging the siren (yes, it’s a siren), customers erupted in outrage. How dare Starbucks mess with its defining symbol?! While the outrage felt and seemed ridiculous, it was a clear sign that Starbucks had built a brand with quite a bit of equity. Luckily for Starbucks, their customers weren’t angry long.
What is a brand?
In his Forbes article, Jerry McLaughlin defines brand as “the name given to a product or service from a specific source” and “what your prospect thinks of when he or she hears your brand name”. All companies are eager to have their customers and potential customers smile when they think of their brands. They also want brand loyalty so that the brand can build what’s called positive brand equity. This positive equity can translate into more opportunities for the brand as a whole.
When these six attributes of brand equity align in perfect harmony, you have positive brand equity. The elements that make up brand equity include:
- Brand image (impression of the product by a consumer),
- Brand association (attributes linked to a brand),
- Brand loyalty (repeated engagement with the brand despite competitor actions),
- Customer perception (how consumers think and feel about a brand),
- Brand awareness (consumer recognition), and
- Brand identity (visual elements of the brand).
Building Brand Equity With Positive Results
Building positive brand equity takes time. It includes finding one’s position within a specific market, like online retail, then addressing all six of the above elements to make up a brand. Once the above elements are addressed, a company hopes to achieve positive brand equity, which is how a brand establishes itself as a leader in its industry; as well as allows the brand to expand.
There are a number of companies that have positive brand equity. For instance, Amazon’s brand is synonymous with convenience, affordability, and customer engagement. Any consumer that has interacted with Amazon, which is a B2C and B2B company, has enjoyed the perks of exchanging with Amazon. Two of those perks are their standard practices of giving customers real-time updates on when their package will arrive, along with photo evidence once their package is delivered. These honest practices that Amazon employs allows the brand to enjoy positive brand equity with its customers, which can translate into increased brand loyalty and has helped the company become a leader in the global marketplace during the Coronavirus pandemic.
When Brand Equity Suffers
Unfortunately, not all companies enjoy positive brand equity. There are times when a company has to go above and beyond to improve its image or risk disaster. The Gorilla Glue brand is currently feeling the heat right now after a Tik Tok user, Tessica Brown, used their spray adhesive on her hair instead of hair spray. Ms. Brown has since needed surgery to remove the adhesive from her scalp, which will require a few months of recovery time.
In a recent USA Today article, it was found that some social media trolls decided to spoof the Gorilla Glue Twitter account to berate Ms. Brown for her poor choice and it prompted Gorilla Glue’s manager of digital, social, and public relations, Melanie Blumental, to post a tweet that reads: “We are very sorry to hear about the unfortunate incident that Miss Brown experienced using our Spray Adhesive on her hair. We are glad to see in her recent video that Miss Brown has received medical treatment from her local medical facility and wish her the best.”
Now, this is a good statement, but it’s not great. There isn’t much compassion in this statement and it makes Gorilla Glue seem like they don’t really care about their customers. The Gorilla Glue brand image is not necessarily in jeopardy, but it could suffer some backlash as a result of this fiasco and slow their response. While the Gorilla Glue brand is experiencing some negativity, through no fault of their own, the company still has an opportunity to regain its positive brand equity.
A way to regain some positive brand equity would be to make an official statement and provide some sort of charitable giving; like offering to cover Ms. Brown’s medical expenses. This would increase Gorilla Glue’s brand image to be a brand that cares about their customers, even when they aren’t at fault. In hindsight, Gorilla Glue’s lack of response in the beginning of this situation should give consumers pause. A better way of reacting to Ms. Brown’s mishap would have been to offer their condolences early and provide expert solutions for her to rectify her situation. Unfortunately, this did not happen.
Valuing Positive Brand Equity
Positive brand equity is a major part of any company’s well-being. For any company or individual, having their brand seen as having positive equity adds value to the brand and the consumer. It also allows the company (or individuals) to enjoy benefits like brand loyalty within their customer base, a higher potential of brand forgiveness, and opportunities for brand extensions, like when Amazon bought Whole Foods and expanded its reach to the grocery industry. As a result, there was an easy transition with minimal brand dilution.
Looking at Amazon’s brand image, if they had been an unwilling participant in a spray adhesive scandal, they probably would have reacted in a more empathetic way. This is because Amazon’s brand suggests them to be caring and honest with their customers. It is the glue that keeps Amazon enjoying positive brand equity.
