BUS631: Brand Management

The dimensions of the brand core values constitute the most telling connotation of the brand's core values; according to the amount of the core values of the brand contained dimensions, we may divide the brand core values into two-dimensional, three-dimensional and multidimensional.

Two-Dimensional

Chernatony and Mcdonald believe that the brand concept is characterized by the presentation of two metrics, one is rational function, and the other is a symbol of emotional. Zhang Xiaoyan also believes that the brand core values includes the emotional value and rational value into two parts, in which the emotional values include historical heritage, personality characteristics, social characteristics, personal contact degree and perceived value, rational values include perceived quality and functional benefits.

Three-Dimensional

Most scholars agree that the brand core values is three-dimensional, but the specific meaning of the three- dimensional content is also different. For example, Park, Jaworski and Maclnnis believe that the brand offers three kinds of benefits to consumers, namely functional benefits, symbolic interests and experiential interests. Among them, the functional benefits can be allocated to the value of a property related to the product type (functional or rational), the latter two can be classified as non-product value (mental or emotional). Sun Zaiguo advices that when you want to plan and refine the core values of the brand, you can choose from the following aspects: functional value, mental or emotional value, self-expression values. Wang Yanchen deconstructs the core values of the brand into three dimensions: the physical dimension, the emotional dimension and the symbolic value dimensions. Physical dimension is the most basic dimension of core values of the brand; affective dimension is to construct a life style, culture, spiritual world, and guide consumers to obtain sustenance and emotional resonance in commodity consumption through the emotional attachment of goods or dependent effect.

Multidimensional

Wang Yan points out that the essence of core values of the brand locates the core values of the brand from the following four aspects: brand attributes, brand benefit, brand value and brand personality. Luo Jiujiu and Wu Qingsheng point out that the establishment of the core brand values, not just should be based on consumer demand, but also should be to compare the advantages and disadvantages of competing brands, at the same time it should reflect the corporate mission and vision, which consists of four dimensions constitute, respectively it is the physical dimension, emotional dimension, symbolic value dimension and enterprise value dimensions. Physical dimension mainly refers to the utility and value of the products, emotional dimension of the product impresses consumers from the heart deeply, so that consumers of the brand will form an emotional sustenance or emotional dependence, symbolic value dimension could be one set of values, attitudes or certain characteristics to form a specific image of flesh and blood, to win consumer recognition. In addition, an important source of brand core values is the core values of the corporate, corporate mission answers the question "Who am I", which is based on the enterprises to carry out various business activities, is the starting point of corporate brand building and driving force, which includes the interests of requirements and corporate social responsibility. Corporate vision answers the question "Where am I going", which determines the direction of enterprise development, and core values of enterprises is spiritual core in pursuit of the vision and mission, is the views and attitudes towards enterprise customers, employees, competitors, society, etc.

There are also different views that brand core values constitute six elements and eight elements. Six elements say that the corporate brand connotation, namely the brand core values should include specific product attributes, functional and emotional benefits, and a sense of enterprise value, brand culture, brand personality and target consumers. Eight elements hold the view that personality factors, conformity, culture, symbol, mission, trust, habits and consistency are the eight areas which constitute the core values of the brand. Six boundaries are not so clear, or there is an overlap, eight elements put its core brand values reflect the functional characteristics without distinction to be listed, resulting in difficult to understand.

Although there are different views about the dimensions of brand core values, however, the current situation is that most scholars believe that the core values of the brand is a three dimensional concept.