Branding

Branding is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design or a combination of these that identifies the products or services of one seller or group of sellers and differentiates them from those of competitors (Kotler). It is important for a company to have a good brand image embed in its target customers' mind. A good brand image can be a strong tool against your competitors.

Wal-Mart is a good example of this. This giant is now trying to make its supply chain greener (The New York Times, Feb. 26, 2010). Wal-Mart not only makes this decision for idealization, but also to make itself more competitive toward its competitors. People are now more aware of the ability of a company to be environmentally friendly. In addition to its slogan 'Save money, Live better', which suggests the seller is selling everyday low price; the giant believes that their decision of making the supply chain green will attract more customers to shop/shop more at Wal-Mart. After its scandal of being claimed to underpay its employees, Wal-Mart is also trying to use this strategy to bring back customers' confidence in them. When thinking of Wal-Mart, people used to think about low prices, but now they may have a greener image in mind when Wal-Mart comes around.

Chen, Hsiang Ting (Nita)

Section G