Why Do We Purchase A Luxury Brand

Brands are an integral and important part of our daily lives, Brands help you to enhance your image by possessing them, the reason why do we shell out an extra buck for a brand, even though the satisfaction or the core benefit which we derive is the same. For example a decent watch(unbranded) would cost you Rs 350-800 and it would serve the core benefit that is make you read time as good as to any other premiuim brand like TITAN,TOMMY HILFIGER,POLICE. but the difference between the price range is huge even though both the devices solve the same problem in a similar fashion.

Strong and powerful Brands have this capability to command a premium in the market due to the Image which they have built or due to the superior brand Image.now an individual always has two personalities that is the actual self that is what he is at present,,,An indivdual always aspires to move or upgrade his image to someone or some personality he admires that is called his Ideal self which he carves to achieve. How can an individual achieve or upgrade his Image ??? the answer is Brands help individuals to achieve their Ideal self by transferring the qualities or characteristics of the brand to the user. for example if the user is driving a landrover its implied that he loves sports and wants power over things. and his need of gaining power is tapped and fulfilled by land rover, he feels better and a sense of power when he rides the SUV, The SUV satisfies the EGO needs of the user.Marketers try to position their brand on these image or personalities targetting those individual aspiring to achieve their Ideal self.

How important are Associations for a Brand

Its very important for a Brand to have the right brand association or the right people to be associated with the brand as these people's image and credibility affects the brand personality and even the ambassador endorsing the brand.

Kiran bedi is a strong personality in India with characteristics like sincerity,honesty and sophistication a women who has done few commercials on social causes and issues relating to women and polio.It was quite unusual for me to see Kiran Bedi in an advertisement for a fairness/anti-marks cream Nomarks. The commercial starts with kiran Bedi walking and explaining about the product and pitching the product as a True/honest cream.Kiran bedi is known for her boldness and fearless attitude..Nomarks as a brand doesnt have any of the characteristics that kiran bedi has, if kiran bedi was a small town girl who had made big in the beauty/glamour industry then it would have made more sense for the brand to associate with such kind of a personality.

The idea or thought process behind using kiran bedi as a brand ambassador could be to transfer or associate Nomarks with characteristics of Kiran bedi, but the product as such is a low-involvement product with little or less brand image, and a consumer would never feel proud/special that she is using a NOMARKS cream. If No-marks was a product which would add or enhance the user image then yes kiran Bedi could be a right choice.
Its very important for a personality like kiran bedi to have the right association as the credibility which she has gained for years could be affected due to the wrong choice made.

Aping the West

The best part about being home is access to T.v and Great food..while i was watching T.V, I came across Himesh Reshammiya after a long time and this time without his unusual cap and long hair, he was looking decent in his new hairstyle,but the image which he has built over years is so strong that we just can't break the association of Himesh as a wierd and unusual guy. The song has some unusual lyrics in English "man ka radio" the song tries to copy 50 cents and other pop bands..the video starts with Himesh walking with a negro women completely oiled, i just cannot understand what made the director to choose that girl in that song when the song is supposed to be a sad song...it makes the video more sick.. I think the director wanted to create an image in the minds of the viewers of a modern day song which is shot abroad hence tries to provide cues like negro girls around men,and girls wearing bikinis to show westernized approach and to go in sync with the song which is partly in English and hindi. the lyrics are really funny, I think Himesh is actually a good actor as he manages to put up a sad face all through the song even when the lyrics are so funny.. hats off himesh,,,

But the truth is he still makes money and popular among all sec b and sec c cities..