Page 244 - Design for Six Sigma for Service (Six SIGMA Operational Methods)

Brand Development and Brand Strategy 213

IBM’s brand vision is stated as follows:
At IBM, we strive to lead in the creation, development, and manu-
facturing of the industry’s most advanced information tech-
nologies, including computer systems, software, networking
systems, storage devices, and microelectronics. We translate these
advanced technologies into value for our customers through pro-
fessional solutions and service businesses throughout the world.

According to Davis (2000), a good brand vision should have four com-
ponents: (1) a statement of the overall goal of the brand, (2) the target market
that the brand will pursue, (3) the points of differentiation that the brand will
strive for, and (4) the overall financial goals for which the brand will be
accountable. Davis (2000) gives an example of such a brand vision statement:
Around the world, our eye care brand will stand for leadership in
visual care. Consumers and the professional channel will recognize
us as the industry leader in visual care solutions, including the best
service, follow-up, expertise, and product innovation. Our brand
will help us fill one-third of our stated financial growth gap through
price premiums, better relationships with the channel, and close-in
brand extensions.
Development of a brand vision links the brand development process to the
strategic objectives of the company. This linking is an important step to
ensure the necessary top management and financial commitment to the
brand (Davis 2000). During this step the strategic and financial goals of the
brand are defined, and the commitment of senior management to the goals
and objectives of the brand are obtained.

Customer Analysis
The activities in this step are focused on understanding the trends,
motivation, and unmet needs of the various segments of the customer market
(Aaker 1996). This step creates an understanding of how the “customer
thinks and acts and why and how they make a purchasing decision” (Davis
2000). The objectives of this step are fourfold (Aaker 1996):
1. To determine the functional, emotional, and self-expressive benefits
that customers seek when they buy and use the brand. Customer
surveys are usually needed to determine these benefits as well as the
relative importance of these benefits. The following set of questions is
used to assess the functional benefits:
• What functional benefits are relevant to customers?
• What is the relative importance of each functional benefit?
• Can benefit segments be identified?