Tutorial 2 – Cultural Branding

Iconic brands set themselves aside from other brands because the customers valuing the product as much for what it symbolizes as for what is does. The brand needs to express certain values held dear by some parts of society.

In order for a brand to become iconic is has to provide a myth about its identity providing consumers with an identity value of the brand, if the brand can guide the consumers in self-expression and constructing their identities it is on the right path of becoming iconic. Consumers usually flocks towards brand that embody specific ideals that they admire and that the brand expresses something that they want to achieve.

Like any other brand iconic brands are created on the basis of a set of principles. Holt (2004) calls this collection of principles used to create and sustain iconic brands over time the cultural brand model.  This model is completely different from the principles used to create conventional brand frameworks and it is based in several axioms.

The first axioms states that iconic brands address acute contradictions in society by appealing to the nationally shared and linked identity many citizens experience due to the shared historical changes in one society. Since large sections of a nations population share similar anxieties, hopes, dreams and aspirations an iconic brand can focus on this and target this audience. For example, in the 1980’s in the US the economy was dwindling and women independence was on the rise which led to a large portion of the American male population to feel emasculated, the iconic brand Budweiser targeted this tension offering their brand and product as a relieve for these men.

The second axiom is that iconic brands perform identity myths that address these desires and anxieties. Brands becomes iconic by creating myths concerning their identity. These are often simple fictions that address societal tensions from afar creating imaginary worlds that consumers encounter in their everyday lives.

The third axioms address that identity myths reside in the brand, which consumers experience and share via ritual action. What this means is that the brand itself becomes a symbol when the audience starts to perceive that the myth resides within the markers of the brand, logos, name and design elements for example. So, whenever the customers use the product the myth of the brand is always present.

The next axioms states that these identity myths are set in populist worlds which are places separated from everyday life and the realms of commerce and elite control. What defines the people living in populist worlds is that they act on their own free will not because of money or in the search of power. The myths of iconic brands draws from populist worlds as a source of material to create credibility that their myth is authentic and originate from real people guided by said beliefs.

Iconic brands also perform as activists, leading culture by encouraging people to think differently about themselves. The myths of iconic brands are supposed to prod people to reconsider accepted ideas about themselves.

These brands rely on breakthrough performances rather than consistent communication. What turn the brand into an icon is not constant forgettable market communication but a few great performances.

Lastly iconic brands enjoy a cultural halo effect, Great myths enhance the brand’s quality reputation, status value and distinct benefits, if the brand manages to create a myth that customers find useful in their quest for identity its cast a halo on all aspects of the brand.

According to Klein (1999) not only products and corporations can become iconic brands but also people, music, media and sports. Iconic branding does not limit itself to merely products and logotypes. One of the most successful cases of iconic branding in our current society is Beyoncé based on the axiom from the model for cultural branding created by Hall it is clear that she has perfected iconic branding. Firstly, Beyoncé embodies her own myth which hold ideals for what a lot of people strive to become.  Her myth includes women empowerment, music, sexiness, vulnerability and strong political agenda definitely fulfilling the axiom of driving culture forward and embodying ideals people strives toward. Many fans would argue that Beyoncé has reached a place of almost goddess-like stature. Important for a cultural brand is the power to have certain great performances that stick with the audience, Beyoncé has on a number on occasions ignored album promotions and simply released music without any warning keeping her fans on their toes and not over communicating her message. She also creates her own sort of brand design elements via catchphrases and visual logotypes which embodies her myth and gives her audience a sense of self fulfillment and identity. Most recently phrases such as: slay, lemonade mouth and formation has been the words on everyone’s mind. Beyoncé has managed to stay true to herself while becoming an icon of her culture and a brand to be reckoned with which is spreading to other endeavors besides music with perfumes, a record label and her clothing line Ivypark.

According to Klein (1999) one of the main risk with such super brands is that what cultural branding generates is the loss of the unbranded space, she argues that brand such as Nike, Michael Jordan and in this case Beyoncé represents a paradigm that eliminates all barriers between branding and culture, leaving no room for un-marketed space.

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