不能想當然地去做產品。不管市場是大還是小,只要人們能做到與眾不同,都會成功的。
If they don't, failure is the only outcome unless lack of product differentiation is made up through significant price differentiation. It is better to act proactively, thinking of the worst.
如果不能,那就是沒能通過價格上的高低將產品拉開檔次。最好能未雨綢繆,做最壞的打算。
Else, when things start going the other way, enough time and even money may not be available to differentiate.
另外,如果事情開始朝著另壹面發展,再多的金錢與時間都無濟於事。
It is essential that a product has a reason for being purchased which is different from other available products. The days of just being a good product is over.
要想合壹種產品暢銷,很重要的壹點是要有特色。某種產品壹統天下的時代已經過去了。
Among a range of good products one with a difference will survive. At the market place it is the survival of the differentiated.
在眾多優秀的產品中,最有特色的那壹種將會被市場留住,適者生存。
On the other hand manufacturers eventually learn market power lies with building their own brands. Japanese and South Korean companies spent liberally to build up brand names such as Sony, Toyota, Gold star, and Samsung.
壹方面,制造商們最終懂得,要想取得市場,就要靠自己的品牌。日本與韓國的公司不遺余力地打造自己的品牌,像索尼,豐田,LG(LG品牌的前身,現在叫LuckyGoldstar,簡稱LG。以前叫goldstar,韓國金星公司,又叫高士達,早就改成LG了。),三星。
Even when these companies can no linger afford to manufacturer their products in their homelands, the brand manes continue to command customer loyalty. Branding is a major issue in product strategy.
即使當這些公司不再向國內生產產品時,顧客們還是忠誠地擁護著這些品牌。
On the one hand, developing a branded product requires a great deal of long-term investment companies' subcontract manufacturing to other companies.
另壹方面,發展壹個品牌需要大量的長期投資,並與其他公司合作生產。
* What Is Brand?
Perhaps the most distinctive skill of professional marketers is their ability to create, maintain, protect, and enhance brands. Marketers say that "branding is the art and cornerstone of marketing." The American Marketing Association defines a brand as follows:
什麽是品牌?
也許,職業的市場人最顯著的技能就是創造,維護,保護,以及提升品牌的能力。他們說:“品牌是市場的藝術和基石。”美國市場協會是這樣定義品牌的:
* A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller and to differentiate them from those of competitors.
品牌是壹個名稱,符號,象征或設計,又或者是這些的統壹,意在說明壹種產品或服務,區別於其他的產品或服務。
In essence, a brand identifies the seller of marker. It can be a name, trademark, logo, or other symbol. Under trademark law, the seller is granted exclusive rights to the use of the brand name in perpetuity. Brands differ from other assets such as patents and copyrights, which have expiration dates.
總之,品牌是銷售商的代表。它可以是壹個名稱,商標,標識語,或是符號。商標法規定商家對自己的商標永久地享有唯壹使用權。品牌不同於其他的資產,像專利,版權,這些都是有使用期限的。
A Brand is a Promise
First and foremost, a brand is a promise. It says 'you know the name, you can trust the promise'. As all promises, it is trusted only as far as those promises are met.
壹個品牌就是壹種承諾
首先,壹個品牌就是壹種承諾。也就是說“妳知道這個名稱,就可以相信它的承諾”。只有當所有的承諾都實現之後,人們才會相信它。
Trust is a critical first step and brands aim to accelerate that step leveraging the implied promise of the brand.
顧客的信任對於壹種產品來說是關鍵的第壹步,而品牌的作用就在於提升這壹步,將信任的杠桿壓向品牌這壹邊。
A Brand is an Associated Image
Most brands have a logo which acts as a short-cut to remind us of the brand promise.
壹個品牌是壹種影響
所有的品牌都有自己的標識語,會很快使人們想想它的承諾。
The logo uses color, shape, letters and image that is designed both to catch our eyes and to guide our thoughts in the rights direction.
這種標識語會在顏色,形狀,字體和圖像上做文章以吸引人們的眼球,引導人們的思想。
The brand may also be associated with tunes, celebrities, catchphrases and so on. All parts of the brand image works as a psychological trigger or stimulus that causes an association to all other thoughts we have about the brand.
Everything and Everyone is a Brand
人們想到壹種品牌時也許會聯想到壹些曲調,名人,標語等等,這些都會誘使人們在心理上和品牌聯系到壹起。
壹切皆有可能成為品牌。