A brand is essentially the identity of a company/product/ person, It is a representation, a reflection and the way a company presents itself to the world (Shadle and Meyer, 2015). How the brand intends to be perceived by others can be described as the brand's representation, and the methods of communication of branding can come from Logos, slogans and advertisements(Shadle and Meyer, 2015). Through logos and slogan's customers can simply and directly identify with a brand forming a recognisable and familiar connection if exposed with the advertisements and logos often enough
However a brand's identity and representation doesn't just come from Logo's and slogans.
The companies "Mission and Vision" is a defining factor of a brand and should be taken into consideration with the construction and communication and delivery of a brand identity. The Representation of the brand is built up from the brands intentions and desires for practice, presentation and "Value proposition"(Shadle and Meyer, 2015). The mission defines a brand by providing aims and intentions, and the vision is what defines a brands recognition and future intentions and innovations (Shadle and Meyer, 2015)..
When analysing representation, a factor that needs be considered is that a representation comes from how a brand desires its customers/clients to see it, upon distribution the company always has in mind an idea of what they want to gain in the sense that the brand distributes what they want clients to see/think or feel. It is all a matter of perception, not all representation is reality(Woods, 2013).
Multi-platform Representations
To enhance a brands representation to the maximum, distribution and presence across a multi-platform scale is essential to ensure the brands identity is recognised worldwide and exposed through many different methods as possible (Aronstam, 2012) .
Analysis of Apple's representation to customers
To begin my analysis of the brand before any research, I first devised a mind map of my perceptions of apple as a brand, and what key words came to mind when thinking about the company.
These words and conceptualisations all came to my mind through apples representation of itself as a brand.
"Marketing experts like Marc Gobe argue that Apple's brand is the key to the company's success".
When analysing Apple's brand representation I decided to firstly begin with the history of the brand and researched marketing campaigns from the very beginning to the present.
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First of all, The brand is presented as individual and like no other before. This is reflected through the name of the brand: "Macintosh"/ "Mac". The name presents individuality because there are many different brands and companies that make computers or "PC's" however apple cleverly avoided using the word PC or computer establishing the brand as something completely different with a whole new "Sophisticated"(EveryAppleAd, 2014) name and although it was a computer, apple instead used the marketing technique of comparing a PC to a Mac in its adverts presenting it as different, innovative and much better than a 'Computer', which gave the brand its individual distinction from others and a brand positioning that represented apple's computers as something completely different.
Regarding the previous point, within the campaigns Apple used quotes such as; "More Sophisticated, less complicated","what your PC can't do, a Mac can","The power to be your best". Slogans like these present Apple as a better alternative to anything else and the message delivered is if you want to be the best you should choose apple. In addition to Apple presenting itself as a brand better than other computing brands, it additionally presents itself better than people alone, by featuring adverts where people struggle to keep up with deadlines and workloads by handwriting business documents, Apple presents that a Mac can do weeks worth of work in a single "Lunch Hour"(EveryAppleAd, 2014) which represents the brand as fast, efficient, and the future. Apple is also represented to its customers as a powerful brand through some of its advertising campaigns featuring the forces of nature such as storms. The brand is also described as "personal". This presents the brand in an intimate light, representing that customers are able to connect and engage to this computer and brand on a personal level, providing the representation that a Mac can serve customers on an individual level, catering to anyones needs and intentions when using the computer.
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Apple's first logo design is presented as an apple with a multi-colour rainbow.
from my analysis this could reflect how the brand is multi-platform, multi-skilled, a 'colourful' 'bright' exciting brand, and has a lot to offer.
The brand represents itself as innovative, creative and visual (Kahney and Staff, 2002) which could be another representation that is reflected in the logo through the use of colour.
The colour can also be said to represent how the brand's intention was to encourage its customers to "think differently" (Aziz, 2016).
The Apple alone, I analyse it to represent simplicity and the obvious. The reason "obvious" is a word that comes to mind when thinking about apple is because an apple is a very popular fruit, one of the most obvious choices and first kinds of fruit that come to mind when I think about fruit. This could provide the representation that apple should be the obvious choice when choosing a brand to purchase from.
Additionally the phrase "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" comes to mind which presents an apple as special, predominant, used everyday and possibly even magical for keeping illness away. This being said, an apple as a logo provides the brand with a very successful representation in a positive light, in the form that everybody should be using apple everyday, and that the brand is just as famous, popular and important as a simple apple fruit.
The apple as a figure also has connotations with Sir Issac Newton which could represent the brand as brilliant, creative and innovative (Aziz, 2016).
The story of Adam and Eve also come up as a connotation from the image and apple even used this
representation in an early add campaign.
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This could therefore provide connotations regarding power, knowledge, or even the birth of mankind, which could symbolise how apple products are the birth of the future.
2016- The present
Today apple is one of the most successful multi-platform companies in the world (Elgan, 2015).
Since then, marketing and advertising campaigns have changed and evolved as the technology has evolved over time.
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Apple's representation now is extremely simplistic, clean, organised and very modern.
Apple removed the multi-colour from the logo leaving it purely simple and with a flat design making it appear paper thin and with a very sleek look. This gives a representation of an uncluttered, uncomplicated, un-compromised brand, which could give off the effect that apple does not need flashy colours and designs to be great, it just is. This ideology could also give off the reflection that the brand makes life easier and simpler in addition.
Advertisements and campaigns communicate this message also.
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Advertisements containing nothing but a white background and the product provide the representation that the product does not need anything else to gain attention or attraction. The imagery of purely the phone and nothing else could show how important, dominant and powerful it is which in addition can be reflected in the brands representation of itself as a whole.
References
Apple (2015) IPhone 6s - the only thing That’s changed Is… , 9 September. Available from: <https://youtu.be/aBYWGjIzvyw> [Accessed 13 March 2016].
Apple (2016) Apple Apple. Available from: <http://www.apple.com> [Accessed 13 March 2016].
Aronstam, S. (2012) Measuring the effectiveness of multi platform advertisingAvailable from: <http://www.irisnetwork.org/Publications%20Downloads/SPA/SPA_Multi-Platform-Advertising.pdf> [Accessed 13 March 2016].
Aziz, J.T. (2016) More by this writer Available from: <http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/19792/the-evolution-of-the-apple-logo/> [Accessed 13 March 2016].
Elgan, M. (2015) Why apple is the most successful company in history Computerworld. Available from: <http://www.computerworld.com/article/2883747/why-apple-is-the-most-successful-company-in-history.html> [Accessed 13 March 2016].
EveryAppleAd (2014) Thirty years of Mac ads (1984-2014) , 25 January. Available from: <https://youtu.be/5SIgYp3XTMk> [Accessed 13 March 2016].
EveryAppleAd (2015) 7 years of iPhone ads (2007-2014) , 13 July. Available from: <https://youtu.be/jDZEoBgKTiY> [Accessed 13 March 2016].
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Murray, S. (2005) Brand loyalties: Rethinking content within global corporate media. Media, Culture & Society, 27 (3) May, pp. 415–435.
Redding, D. (2014) Available from: <http://www.magneticstate.com/blogdept/what-does-the-apple-logo-mean/> [Accessed 13 March 2016].
Search brandxpress.net (2006) Available from: <http://www.brandxpress.net/2006/10/logo-and-slogan-key-elements-of-brand-positioning/> [Accessed 13 March 2016].
Shadle, C.C. and Meyer, J.L. (2015) What’s in a Brand? MORE THAN JUST A NAME. Veterinary Team Brief [Article]May, pp. 47 – 49. Available from: <http://ezproxy.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=111832121&site=eds-live&scope=site> .
Willard, B. (2015) Multi-platform brand marketing CAN maintain focus! Go Creative Go. Available from: <http://gocreativego.com/multi-platform-brand-marketing-can-maintain-focus-and-energy/> [Accessed 13 March 2016].
Woods, R. (2013) Robyn Jordan Available from: <http://www.slideshare.net/RyanWoods/representation-in-the-media-27160885?qid=f917e470-4ca3-4f1d-815f-100a8d552976&v&b&from_search=3> [Accessed 13 March 2016].
myoldmac (2009) First apple commercial 1977 by high technology, Inc , 3 July. Available from: <https://youtu.be/FxZ_Z-_j71I> [Accessed 13 March 2016].
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