What is Brand Identity? Brand identity is the manner by which a business presents itself to and needs to be seen by, its buyers. Brand identity is particular from mark picture. The previous compares to the plan behind the marking: the way an organization picks its name; outlines its logo; utilizes hues, shapes and other visual components in its items and advancements; creates the dialect in its promotions and trains workers to communicate with clients — all with the objective of developing a specific picture in shoppers' brains. Brand picture is the real aftereffect of these endeavors, fruitful or unsuccessful.

Separating 'Brand'

A brand is viewed as one of an organization's most significant resources. It speaks to the substance of the organization, the conspicuous logo, trademark or stamp that the general population partners with the organization. Truth be told, the organization is frequently alluded to by its image, and they wind up one and the same. An organization's image conveys with it a money-related an incentive in the share trading system (if the organization is open), which influences investor esteem as it rises and falls. Thus, it's essential to maintain the respectability of the brand.

Making a Brand

At the point when an organization chooses to settle on a brand to be its open picture, it should first decide its image character, or how it needs to be seen. For instance, an organization logo frequently consolidates the message, trademark or item that the organization offers. The objective is to make the brand paramount and speaking to the customer. The organization, for the most part, counsels an outline firm or configuration group to concoct thoughts for the visual parts of a brand, for example, the logo or image. An effective brand precisely depicts the message or feeling the organization is attempting to get crosswise over and brings about brand mindfulness, or the acknowledgment of the brand's presence and what it offers. Then again, an insufficient brand regularly comes about because of miscommunication.

Once a brand has made positive assessment among its intended interest group, the firm is said to have assembled mark value. A few cases of firms with mark value — having exceptionally unmistakable brands of items — are Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Ferrari, Apple, and Facebook.

On the off chance that done right, a brand brings about an expansion in deals for the particular item being sold, as well as for different items sold by a similar organization. A decent brand induces confide in the shopper, and, subsequent to having a decent involvement with one item, the customer will probably attempt another item identified with a similar brand. This wonder is regularly alluded to as brand faithfulness.

What is Brand Identity?

Brands Throughout History

Brands have for quite some time been utilized to separate items and have taken a wide range of structures. For instance, the most seasoned known nonexclusive brand still utilized today is a homegrown glue from India called Chyawanprash. In the thirteenth century, Italians started putting watermarks on their paper as a type of marking. The expression "mark" likewise alludes to the special imprints consumed into the covers up of cows to recognize the creatures of one proprietor from those of another.

More academic research on the topic:

The brand and management of the brand become a high priority for companies to maintain a lasting competitive advantage and make sense of consumption.
Therefore, companies have adopted a comprehensive approach to managing their brand.
The challenge with an inside-out approach is to align the internal brand identity, what brands communicate, with the external brand image, what consumers perceive.
Therefore, it is crucial to answer two questions: how does the brand want to be perceived and how is the brand really perceived? There is a risk of gaps in the communication of the brand, and these gaps are crucial to control and prevent effective management of the brand.
This document proposes a method to measure and align the identity of the brand and the image of the brand, based on the existing theories and models on the management of the brand.
The method is evaluated through a case study, where the difference between the identity of the Happy Plugs brand and the brand image is analyzed. The method was designed using the Kapferer Brand Pyramid and the Brand Identity Prism.
Both qualitative and quantitative data are used to examine how wide is the gap between the brand identity of Happy Plugs and the brand image.
Happy Plugsbrand is only used as a tool to apply the designed method and evaluate its validity.
The results show that there is a gap in the identity of the brand and the image of the brand, at higher levels of the brand's pyramid, or brand identity. The results of the case study indicate that the model designed is an effective tool to identify and measure possible gaps, and is a useful approach for companies that wish to align their brand identity with the brand image.

1.1 Brand

Branding is a practice, dating back several decades; Throughout history, it has been used to identify the owners or manufacturers of products, from marking livestock to showing the origin of a product (Riezebos, 2003, Keller, 1998, Kapferer, 2012).
Today we live in a brand-oriented society. Globalization and technology have increased the amount of information and opportunities available to consumers, making the brand an important strategy for all organizations to distinguish themselves and increase their competitive advantage. The increase in interchangeability between the offers of products and services has made brands crucial and the engine of purchasing decisions (Burmann, Jost-Benz and Riley, 2009).
The way brands are seen is changing. Brands are seen as concepts; an identity that attracts customers instead of just an added name (Riezebos, 2003).
The focus has shifted from an organization's reputation to the real brand, a shift from a defensive market orientation to an offensive (Kapferer, 2012).
Lifestyles are associated with a brand, rather than product advantages (Riezebos, 2003). Research has shown that products are more easily distinguished when marked, and consumers prefer the presence of brand names (Riezebos, 2003).

1.2 Brand Equity

It is only recently that the financial value of the brands was realized; A successful brand is one of the most valuable assets of a company (Riezebos, 2003; Kapferer, 2012). This has been overlooked due to the intangible nature of the brands.
The value of organizations has often been measured through their tangible assets, without realizing that the real value lies outside the organization, in the minds of consumers (Kapferer, 2012).
Brands are recognized as intangible assets for companies, and the management and valuation of these assets is increasingly important.
Measuring the value of the brand involves looking at the assets of the brand, its strengths and its value. The assets of the brand are the sources of influence for the brand, and may include brand recognition and associations, brand reputation and image, brand personality and brand values ​​(Kapferer, 2012).
The strength of the brand is the result of the brand's assets, evaluated through competitive measures such as market share (Kapferer, 2012).
The value of the brand is the financial equity of a brand or the ability to generate profits (Kapferer, 2012).

1.3 Brand heritage based on identity

The increasing importance of the value of brands for organizations has led to the development of several models of brand value. According to Burmann, et al (2009), these models adopt an external perspective; the focus is on consumer perceptions and the external image of the brand.
The image of the brand focuses on the receiver, while the identity of the brand focuses on the sender. Burmann et al (2009) recognize the lack of models, which use an integral approach, where the identity of the brand precedes and provides the basis for the image of the brand.
This approach implies that the active management of a brand is only possible through the management of the identity of the brand (Burmann et al, 2009).
A brand equity model based on identity is suggested, where the strength of the behavioral brand, the financial brand value and the potential brand value are measured. In the behavior of the brand, both external and internal perspectives are measured. The internal strength of the brand observes people within the organization, such as employees, and analyzes the measures of behavior and attitude, personal development and enthusiasm for the brand, and the identification and internalization of the identity of the brand.
This is then combined with measures of external force, of the brand image, when looking at customers. By combining internal and external measures, you can establish a better valuation of a brand. (Burmann et al, 2009)

1.4 Brand identity and brand image

The definitions of what a brand is and how it should be managed have evolved over the years. Previously, the image of the brand was emphasized, in how consumers position a brand in their minds and differentiate it from their competitors. However, the importance of the identity of the brand is increasingly recognized (Chernatony, 1999, Aaker, 2010, Riezebos, 2003). Brand identity describes the individuality of a company, the core values, the objectives and the beliefs that differentiate it from other brands. It is the internal identity of the brand. (From Cher-Natony, 1999)

Consumers today want their consumption to convey a meaning or transmit a message through their materialistic purchases; to do so, brands that convey a feeling or added value to their products can help consumers create this meaning or convey their self-image. strive to achieve (Kapferer, 2012).
A brand is more than an image; it is an identity, with a meaning, and this meaning must be communicated to consumers.
Much brand activity focuses on creating emotional values ​​instead of functional or physical characteristics, due to the interchangeable nature of the brands (Goodyear, 1996, cited in Chernatony, 1999). Many organizations choose to focus on the corporate brand instead of product or line brand. It reduces the workload of brand management for organizations and simplifies the purchasing decision process for consumers. In the line brand, consumers build perceptions based mainly on advertising, packaging and distribution. However, with the corporate brand, these perceptions are based on corporate communication and marketing and interactions with the corporation. Another benefit of the corporate brand is that generating trust in consumers with an offer increases the chances that consumers will accept and choose another offer from the organization (Chernatony, 1999). There is also a change of brand image to brand identity in the construction of brands. Brand identity refers to how managers and staff make brands unique (Kapferer, 1997, as cited in Chernatony, 1999).

The identity of the brand, the image of the brand, the reputation of the brand and the positioning of the brand are closely related, although they are different, they build (Aaker, 2010). The brand image is how a brand is currently perceived, while the reputation of the brand shows the external evaluation of a brand, formed by perceptions from different sources over time (Chernatony, 1999). Brand identity is how a brand wants to be perceived. The brand's position is part of the identity of the brand and the value proposition that will be actively communicated to a target audience (Aaker, 2010). The positioning of the brand can be described as the implementation of the identity of the brand, and the image of the brand is the result of this (Aaker, 2010; Kapferer, 2012). The gap between customer experiences and customer expectations is what determines customer satisfaction; The positioning of the brand is what determines the expectations of the customers (Kapferer, 2012).

1.5 Brand management

Brand management involves relating a concept with inherent value to products and / or services that are identified with a name or signs and symbols (Kapferer, 2012). It is the practice of aligning brand identity with the brand image, and managing both intangible and tangible values ​​of a brand. Brand management analyzes all aspects of a brand: the image, identity and reputation of a brand.
Manage communications between an organization and its consumers to influence the perception of the brand. (Kapferer, 2012)

In brand management, much emphasis has been placed on external issues, such as brand image.
Most studies have analyzed consumers and their interactions with brands, with little analysis of internal factors such as organizational culture and employees (de Cher-natony, 1999). Companies must focus on internal factors when creating and managing a brand. De Chernatony (1999) compares the internal management of the brand with the management of culture and external management of the brand with the management of the customer interface.
A challenge facing organizations is to communicate values ​​throughout the organization while ensuring consistency in the values ​​and behavior of employees.
When there is a lack of coherence in this communication, a gap is created.
The brand must be an active participant, rather than a passive one, as is common in internal approaches when studying the relationship with clients (de Chernatony, 1999).
Several relationships should be taken into account when managing a brand, including personnel among staff, staff to consumers and staff to other interested parties.
In all relationships, the presentation of the brand must be aligned with the identity of the brand, to ensure consistency. While presentations are not aligned with the main brand identity, where there are gaps, corporations must work to ensure consistency (Chernatony, 1999).
By examining internal and external measures, it is easier to maintain a balance between brand identity and reputation.

1.6 Discussion of the problem

Brand management is a crucial process for organizations in order to maintain a brand that will provide a lasting competitive advantage. Organizations are increasingly adopting an inside-out approach to brand management by managing the brand's identity to manage the brand's image (Burmann et al, 2009).
The identity of the brand is the core of the brand, such as the vision, the heritage of the brand, the culture of the brand and the personality of the brand.
The image of the brand is the perception of the brand by the consumer, including the ingredients, attributes, benefits and unique promises of the brand and its products.
Aligning the brand image with the identity of the brand is crucial, since identity is what adds value and avoids the substitution of competitive products. (Kapferer, 2012)

Organizations face a challenge by taking an inside-out approach, aligning brand identity internally and aligning it with the external brand image.
Two questions must be answered; How does the brand want to be perceived?
How is the brand really perceived? There is a risk of gaps in the communication of identity both internally and externally. It is crucial, for effective brand management, to be able to identify these gaps and prevent them.