The Identity

The identity prism
By Pierre Mare
Pierre Mare is a Windhoek-based brand consultant. He has contributed to many of Namibia’s leading brands and has worked with leading Namibian communications agencies

In the previous column I discussed the difference between two commonly confused concepts: identity and image. Identity is that which is communicated and image is the interpreted result of the communication. If the two are similar, the brand will be strong, however if the two are very different, the brand will be weak.

What is implicit to all of this is that communication of identity must be programmed and goal-directed. A programmed identity not only establishes what to communicate, but also serves as a baseline for measurement of the resulting image, indicating where correction and adjustment are needed. The question is how to decide what identity to communicate? Jean-Noel Kapferer, a respected brand theorist and academic, has suggested an elegant tool known as the brand prism. It comprises six elements, three of which are externalized, and three of which are internalized. The fact that his model has been adapted by a number of large advertising agencies is testimony to its effectiveness, and its simplicity.

The externalized elements are the relationship, reflection and physique. The internalized elements, which the consumer incorporates into his or her own psychological make-up to a greater or lesser degree, are personality, culture and self-image. The relationship has been discussed in detail in these columns. What is important to mention at this point is that the relationship becomes a dependency bond between the consumer and the product. The stronger the relationship, the greater the utility to both. And obviously, the stronger the relationship the greater the longevity of the product, the greater the turnover and the greater the barrier to the competitive entrant.

The reflection is somewhat more difficult to understand. If the consumer is questioned about the characteristics, he or she will very often assess the brand in terms of a visual archetype of the brand user. A traditional product may be viewed as an old person, a fast car as a young man, etc. The reflection has obvious impact on the design of communication. If the reflection of the brand does not match that of the actual target market, the brand needs to be reconsidered. The physique is the most easy to understand. It consists of logos, colours, shapes, advertising, visual identity materials and all the other visual aspects of the brand. What is important to not is that it is only a part of the brand and not the sum of it.

The internalized elements are particularly important. It is quite possible that the consumer will select a brand based on a match to his or her own psychological make-up, and use the brand to develop himself or herself. The personality of the brand is very similar to the reflection, but used by the consumer as a model on which he or she develops the relationship, rather than an assessment. In this regard, Kapferer notes the power of using characters to market the brand, for instance the young woman touting make-up that we see in so many advertisements.

The culture of the brand describes the broader environment of the personality. In the make-up ad, the young woman is often seen in a very modern environment surrounded by attractive people which will be desirable to the other young woman; the one making the decision to purchase the make-up. The consumer who is familiar with this sort of broader environment or aspires to it will bolster the purchase decision by taking cognizance of the environment.

Self-image is a very interesting factor. How does the brand transform the consumer? A Porsche knocks years off the age of an old man. A product cheaper than the product acquired by a peer can be an embarrassment to a consumer. It is important to understand, from a consumer’s viewpoint how a brand transforms a person and to reflect the transformation in the identity. A controlled and programmed identity is far more than a luxury. It is a vital management tool on which turnover can be built.

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