Meeting on the Importance of Branding

Carlos Chance, the head of branding at Slate, Inc. soon hosts a kickoff web meeting asking for the case team's insights into the company's logic on brand strategy.

"Over time, products may become generic showing very little differentiation, like cereals," Carlos says. "That's why branding is crucial in differentiating products. Even utilitarian product choices are influenced by branding, and the driving force is competition.

"When competition is intense, all products soon offer functional advantages: me-too products or follow-the-leader strategies. Accordingly, the only sustainable advantage is brand image, which you might recall from Johansson's work in his book, Global Marketing (2009). That's why a continuous marketing effort is needed to support the brand or product.Some researchers argue that anything can be brandedeven something as plain as pasta, like Barilla and Buitoni.

"Do you agree or disagree with this statement, and why? Will this argument impact your analysis of Slate's competitors' branding strategies?"

Contribute your thoughts in the Slate, Inc.'s project team discussion area, and discuss your ideas with your team members.

Support your arguments with one scholarly and one reliable nonscholarly source.

Slate, Inc. has asked us to provide a brand analysis report on these two competing brands to inform Slate's decisions on the direction of its own branding strategy.

Casio has a solid market reputation, although people mostly know the company for its other products, such as watches. However, the company makes outstanding keyboards, ranging from entry models to pricier keyboards for experts (AIMM, 2018).

Roland keyboards are renowned for their similarity to real pianos. Their keyboards produce sounds that closely mimic the tones of grand pianos, making their stage pianos among the best instruments available. Roland keyboards are well crafted and are suited to consumers who pay attention to the smallest details (AIMM, 2018).

References:

Johansson, J. K. (2009). Global marketing (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Levitt, T. (1983). The globalization of markets. Harvard Business Review, 61(3), 92-102. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/1983/05/the-globalization-of-markets

Atlanta Institute of Music & Media. (2018). The top 5 electronic keyboard brands to help launch your music career. Retrieved from https://www.aimm.edu/blog/top-5-electronic-keyboard-brands