How does branding help in creating product differentiation? Does it help in marketting of goods and services? Discuss.

Explanation

Branding implies giving a unique name, sign, symbol or term for the identification of a product.It is one of the most important decisions for a marketer. Through branding the firms differentiate their products from that of other similar products. If instead of branding the firms opt for a generic name for their product, they would not be able to distinguish their product from that of competitors. This is because a generic name would represent the whole class of the product. It not only helps in product differentiation, rather also helps in marketing of goods and services.
The following points highlight the importance of branding in marketing of goods and services.


`1.` Helps in Advertisement: Branding helps a firm to advertise their product. Unless branding is not done a product cannot be advertised. Advertisement for a generic product can only create awareness about the category of product as a whole. It cannot attract customers towards a specific product. On the other hand, advertisement for a branded product helps in highlighting the specific qualities and features of the product.


`2.` Enables Differential Pricing: Good branding helps in creating a loyalty of the consumers towards the product. The firms can benefit from this loyalty and charge a different price for their product from that of their competitors. For example, if consumers become habitual of using a particular product they would not mind paying a slightly higher price for it.


`3.` Facilitates Introduction of New Products: Good branding helps in establishing a base for the introduction of a new product. If a new product is launched under an established and reputed brand then, it gets an initial boost and benefits from the brand name. Nowadays, many companies such as Samsung, Cadbury, etc. have multiple products under a single brand name.