The function of branding is to create preference by managing consumer’s perceptions and expectations of the brand. This is accomplished by developing a brand strategy that outlines rules and guidelines to ensure that the brand owner’s goals and objectives are met. The role of branding has become an integral part of business strategy as it defines a realistic and manageable brand promise, detailing what the brand owner must deliver and what consumers expect of the brand.
Branding preconditions consumers to consider and purchase a brand offering by managing the associations between that brand and its audience. This increases consumer confidence in both the functional and emotional benefits that the brand promises to deliver. As brands reside within the hearts and minds of consumers, branding is not about getting your target market to choose your offering over the competition, it is about preconditioning consumers to see your offering as the only way to satisfy a specific need, want, or desire.
