Brand Management Report: Microsoft's Strategies and Portfolio Analysis

This report delves into the realm of brand management, using Microsoft as a case study. It begins with an introduction to brand management and its significance as a marketing tool, emphasizing how it shapes a company's image and fosters customer relationships. The report then explores key...Read More

Brand Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1. Importance of branding as a marketing tool and the way it has emerged in business
practice........................................................................................................................................1
P2 Key components of successful brand strategies and managing brand equity........................4
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................5
P3 Different strategies of portfolio management, brand equity and hierarchy management......5
Task 3...............................................................................................................................................8
P4 Brands are managed collaboratively and in partnership........................................................8
Task 4...............................................................................................................................................8
P5 Different tools and techniques for evaluation and management of brand value....................8
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Brand management is a organisational process in which is used to having specific
knowledge of the term Brand. This is generally used to build specific position of organisational
product and its services in target market. Effective brand management is used to alter prices of
good for customer for build a specific image and brand awareness. Through this process
organisation can easily build strong competitor in target market and appropriate relation with
customers. It is use as appropriate procedure to creating awareness among strong competitors
firm. This is basically used to introduce new values and quality services in market to their
consumer and target market (Ashworth, 2010). This report is based on Microsoft Corporations
which is an multinational technology company and its headquartered in Redmond, Washington.
This organisation was established in the year of 1975 by Bill gates. This company is deals in
Windows, office, Skype, visual audio, mobile services and all. Project report determines
importance of branding as marketing tool and some key components of successful brand
strategies or managing brand equity. It includes different strategies of portfolio management,
brand equity and hierarchy management. At last it is represent brand management importance
and partnership impacts as well as Different tools and techniques for evaluation and management
of brand value.
TASK 1
P1. Importance of branding as a marketing tool and the way it has emerged in business practice
For a business organisation it is very important to build specific image of their products
and quality for customers. Through this process, they can easily build strong relation with
customers. It is help to create specific image of a brand for gaining competitive advantages
easily. In this organisation build a process to getting higher information about market, customer
demand, new trends and some other elements like culture which is follows by individuals to
produce quality goods for them easily. These kind of process are use to provide them higher
satisfaction and earn effective portability easily (Bigné, 2012).
Brand – This is a creation of a product that includes unique design, combination, symbol
and sign which make them different from others. It is basically a specific name of product which
is used to provide them a identification. This is used to build loyalty, trust and faith between
customers for company and its products. But it is all de3pends on quality of various products that
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includes in brand, its market value and promotional tool to spread awareness about specific
information of product and its services.
Brand as a marketing tool – In a market, lots of business organisation lots of business
organisation use effective promotional toll to spread specific information of brand in front of
target customers and market. This is all about create new world for a brand which is used to
provide effective services to consumers. Microsoft is a well known company which is deals in
multinational products and services for worldwide customers. Brand management for them is
very useful for getting effective competitive advantages easily (Brodie, 2013). There are some
marketing tools are given below -
Establish credibility for the products: In this process management of organisation
builds effective strategy for their products and services to create new and appropriate image in
target market. These kind of credibility help to maintaining products quality and services for
getting higher profitability easily.
Key in to customer psychology and connect them emotionally: These kind if
strategies are build by managing level department of organisation who work to create specific
relation with customers to get higher business advantages easily and for long terms as well. In it,
they analyse customers and market demand for services and after this manufacture quality goods
for them.
Create loyal customers base: Customers are internal part of organisation who affects
decision making approach of organisation. So for organisation it is very important to build higher
customers range to getting long term benefits easily. Customers loyalty helps to getting higher
business advantages easily (Buil, 2013).
Difference between Product and Brand -
Products and brands are very different to each other but it crates complexity to
understand them individually. Sometimes it makes lots of confusion between products an brand
because these both things are help to providing higher satisfaction to customers. There re some
specific difference between them are given below -
Brand Products
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Brand is basically used to built a specific
image in front of customer for organisation
services and its goods.
Products are manufacturing to build
relationship with customer in terms of money
by selling goods.
Brand is uses appropriate stages of analysis
customers and market demand.
Products are manufacturing to provide
appropriate satisfaction to customer according
to their need and demand.
Brand can not be copied it build own image
and goodwill in market.
Products can be copied according to competitor
good.
Brand is associate with legal authority to
survive long time in market.
For manufacturing various products company
needs to take legal permission.
Brands are unique and it has own value to
survive in market.
Products can be common and copied and for
them it is very important to be in under of
specific brand for surviving in competitor
market.
Mange and develop a brand over time – For a brand it is very important to collect all
marketing information to survive in target market easily because through this thy can develop
brand image for long time in market. In this process it is very important to build specific relation
with customers to getting higher business advantages easily. Customers loyalty also help to build
brand over time because in it they build faith and trust toward brand and its product.
Main challenges developing a brand – Before developing a brand it is very important to
analyse market and customers demand for specific quality. Brand has its own value and goodwill
so for this, it is very important add new and unique features that helps to make them different
from others. For a specific brand it is very important to build amount of customers and its loyalty
to survive in competitive market for a long time (Christiaans, 2012).
Emerging in business practices -
Brand management is very important for a organisation to build appropriate image and
goodwill easily. This is leads as successful global brand to manage various activities between
local and international level brands. There are various activities are used to build and maintain
effective process -
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Adaptive and flexible: For a iconic brand it is very important to build flexibility for
customers and choose appropriate strategy easily. It is used to enhance values for earning higher
benefits and growth easily (Dempsey, 2012).
Leverage technology: These kind of things are used to providing quality products that
includes higher technology easily. Through this they can easily serve quality services with new
and innovative ideas to their customers.
P2 Key components of successful brand strategies and managing brand equity
Any organization or institution will give their primary importance or concentrate on
construction of their brand or trade name by adopting different strategies as well as tools, tactics
or techniques that assist in succeeding its brand equity among different competitors. It is broadly
concerned with expectations and perception of customers regarding specific product or service or
both with the intention of measuring the brand value in the socio-economic class or market .
Numerous institution or organization believes in creating or constructing the brand or trade
value in the socio-economic class by adopting foremost strategies which are suitable for their
customers for maintaining strong relationship between customers and company .For any
organisation customers satisfaction is the foremost priority and attract new potential buyers
towards their organisation (Esch, 2014).
Microsoft is one of the most notable organization in the field of Information Technology
(IT) which deals with computer software applications and they also concentrate on adopting new
innovative ideas or techniques for developing the existing products or services as per the modern
requirements . They have reached at world-wide with an remarkable image .
Brand strategy - Here are several branding plan of action that support in increase the brand
value among competitors so that they can attain competitive advantages such as:
Regular products launches: Microsoft launches its products and services at world wide
according to their customers needs or demands and also according their rivalry product and
service. Microsoft covered huge market and they are present almost everywhere just like media
management app , Skype for business , MySQL Server , Microsoft Azure and many more
(Gratwohl, 2011).
Networking Marketing: It is the foremost strategy followed by Microsoft organisation
such as each window products are compatible with other window's products and device also .so
it has constituted the concept of network marketing absolutely.
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Learning and adapting: For any organisation to remain remarkable in their field has to
be follow this methodology and Microsoft is one of them who always want to learns and adapt
new innovative technology with new methodology through which maximum output with
minimum input.
Factors for building brand equity:
Illustration 1: Brand equity strategy 2017
Introduction – This is all about launching a new product in target market to getting
higher business advantages and serve quality or unique good in target market as well. In it brand
equity take place to evaluating an item through it equity values.
Communications factors:This is a most important factor for any organization for
increasing growth or achieving competitive advantage by building strong brand image through
effective or efficient communication procedures which requires for spreading awareness
regarding any particular products and services (Hanna, 2011).
Create more awareness- For a business organisation as Microsoft it is very important to
create awareness in market to get competitor advantages easily. Through this organisation can
easily build awareness in market to getting higher business advantages easily. It is very useful to
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get competitive advantages easily and build effective image in m market through their products
and services as well.
There are some other components are available to build successful brand strategy to
equity process are given below -
Build understanding - For a firm, it is very important to build brand awareness in
market to provide information about products ns services as well. These kind of things help to
build appropriate relation with customers for long time. If consumer do not understand quality of
products and its importance then they will not showing interest to purchase it.
Relevance – Brand need to be relevant to market and customer need or their demand as
well. Through this they can easily provides higher satisfaction to customers.
Differentiation – A brand ned to be different from existing organisation and their
products to build their own value in market.
Esteem – This thinks is all based ion quality and cost of products which is served under a
brand. It is includes value of a brand in market to getting higher business advantages easily
(Hollebeek, 2011).
Task 2
P3 Different strategies of portfolio management, brand equity and hierarchy management
Brand management simply refers to the procedure of generating awareness and meeting
customers wanted prospects and requirements through effectual goods and services. Numerous
of firms used to adopt this process for achieving success in order to do correct management of
brand.
They are having strong image in marketplace. Therefore, it is essential for them to
maintain their presence as well as value of brand among their challengers. Microsoft company
deal in manufacturing, designing and merchandising computer hardware and software system at
the international level. They should make effective and efficient policies for extant in the
competitors surroundings and accomplish its predetermined targets or objectives in suitable
manner. Some branding strategies are as follows:
Portfolio management: it is an efficacious or most famous strategies that specifically use by the
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large firms or sizeable administration who run business at vast or big level (Hwang, 2012). This
includes those administration who are large in size or quality and function aggregate brands,
increase, product and services and any other firms. In such strategy, the organisation use their
own trademark which essential to be approved by legal bodies and they have some judicial
rights that assist in distinguish them from any other challengers. Also Portfolio management is
very effectual in cooperation or coordination that influence in achieving best outcome or result
in proper way.
Brand portfolio strategy
There are some strategy of Brand portfolio are given below -
Corporate brand: In it company provides various products and items with a specific name of
their company.
Umbrella brand: This is determine various product that a organisation serve under a specific
brand.
Endorsed Sub brand: In this different items are offered with a separate brand which is known
ad parent company.
Product: It is a direct approach, in which organisation directly selling their products without
any parent brand (Jiang, 2011).
Management hierarchy of Microsoft
Umbrella brand : firms are uses different kind of products to serve effective services in target
market. In it Microsoft build appropriate strategy to create brand equity for offering quality
products in market.
Products : Microsoft provides various products to their customers such as Skype for Business.
Exchange Server, Dynamics ERP, Microsoft Azure, Share Point Server,SQL Server, Windows
Client, Microsoft Office Suite (Kavaratzis and Ashworth, 2014).
Management hierarchy of Apple
Umbrella brand : Apple is a well known organisation which is used effective strategy to
provide quality services in market.
Products : Apple provides various products to their customers such as iPhone, iPod, Apple
watch, iOS 10, Keynote, macOS Sierra etc..
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Brand equity : Their primary purpose is to attract more users towards organization so that they
can gain more money or can easily generates large sum of printability. For doing the same,
Microsoft should also use different strategies in order to maintain its brand positioning in
current market or among their rivals so that more and more consumers can be attracted
effectively.
CBBE model (Consumer based brand equity)
CBBE model was introduced by Kevin Lane Keller. According to them organisation need to
promote quality and information of their products in front of customers. These kind of strategy
help them to expend business structure in target market. Promotion is a marketing tool which is
used to build relation with customers for long time (Li, 2012).
Advantages of CBBE model
Brand identity : This is a important tool which is used to identify customers relation and their
loyalty with specific brand.
Brand meaning : This model is very important for a organisation to introduce brand name that
helps to build specific image in market.
Brand response : This is all about customers awareness and organisation promotion activities
for building specific image and reputation of brand in market (Lucarelli, 2011).
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Illustration 2: Brand Hierarchy 2018

Brand resonance : It is all about brand's image and reputation in tar4get market to stay in long
term period in competitive market.
Task 3
P4 Brands are managed collaboratively and in partnership
Brand is an essential ingredient of any company that must be managed or maintained by
an organisation or institution. Because through brand or trade name, an organisation will be able
in achieving higher revenues or economic growth in the industry. Brand symbolise the firm on
front of customers and also maintain social relations with its customers. Microsoft and Apple
both is an multinational technology company (MNC) specially in the field of Information
Technology (IT) and both are situated in US (Som, 2015).
Both Microsoft and Apple develops and manufactures licenses and also sell laptops,
tablets and desktops hardware with their own operating systems as Windows and IOS to its
customers with several others services and products also. Microsoft products are Windows,
Microsoft Azure, MySQLServer, Microsoft Office, Skype, Edge Web Browser and so on
whereas Apple manufacture and sell iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, IOS and many more. Both
Apple and Microsoft are competitors of each others in the socio-economic marketplace world-
wide. So brand management is very crucial or essential factors for each and every organisation or
brand to stay and compete its rivals in this competitive world (Torres, 2012). Collaboration with
different small-business or start-ups is foremost way of increasing their market value with social-
economic reputation and also for maintaining their brand or trade name in this competitive
world.
Brand Extensions: This is foremost way of for each and every brand to stay and compete with
its rivals and also for maintaining brand reputation and customer-relationships with its existing
or non-existing customers .
Brand extension can be done by collaborations with existing small-business or with start-
ups through launching new products and services or by expanding existing products and services.
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For example- Microsoft is collaborate with Field One System for providing service management
solutions into the Microsoft Dynamics global independent software vendor program. Whereas
Apple is collaborating with Cisco for fast Lane service for its IOS users.
Strategies and approaches for extensions of brands:
There are several big and small firms who are dealing with same kind of products or
services and they are competitor of each others in this competitive world. So it must be
compulsory for each and every small or big firms to adopt or follow different strategy for stay
and maintaining their brand reputation along with customer relationships in this competitive
environment. Each firm has a similar goal with different strategy that is attract huge people and
target large numbers of audience by providing them best of best service and products and
increase maximum customer satisfaction level in this competitive world or socio-economic
market (Vivek, 2012).
Firms consider several promotional tools or techniques such as advertisement,
commercial ads meeting, workshops and conferences on regional or national issues, social media
advertisement and through ceremony for promoting their products or services.
Some strategies, methods or approaches are discuss below that helps firms for maintaining their
brand reputation with customers satisfaction:
Innovations: This is most important tools nowadays for any small-business or start-ups
or for any existing big brand into this competitive world for stay and compete its rivals and also
for maintaining relationship with its customers.
This strategies can be followed by just simplify or modified its existing service or products either
by collaboration, merger or by acquisition with other firms (Wallace, 2014).
Brand portfolio management: Brand management is an strategies or a way of solving
problems which is faced by an organisation or by a brand. Through this methodology, a firm will
establish and sustain their customers interest towards products and services for long period of
time. This methodology also help firm to enhance their sales and profit through which any firm
is able to increase their market share and also maintained their relationship with its customers. In
this methodology, a firm is able to find its weak and strong products or services and also able to
find solutions of these problems either by removing or dismiss weak products or services or by
modifying existing weak products or services and by maintaining strong relationships with
strong products or services firms.
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Brand imaginations: This is the plan of action which each and every firm or
organisation wants to follow for future enlargement of their business, market share value,
customer relationship (Zaglia, 2013).
Through this methodology any existing big brand ,small-business or new start-ups wants
to expands their business and market value by merging with other firms either they are newly
start-ups or small-business or merging of two big brands.
Task 4
P5 Different tools and techniques for evaluation and management of brand value
Brand value is very much useful components for the developing of business in market. It
is something which support the organisation and having a decision which is regarding to the new
inventions and innovation as well and thus company is having strength, weakness and needs to
have growth and development of business at the various competitive world. This concept is such
which make them to have an effective working and also attract many more customer towards
their product and services. Moreover, Microsoft and Apple is such which try to maintain their
relation with their customer in proper manner even though (Merrilees, 2011).
Therefore, various tools and techniques is such which help to maintain and manage brand
value in right contrast of different competitors and those are as:
Clarification of brand value: This is such tool which help company try to clear the market
for and competition as well and thus it makes them to perform in better manner. Although, it also
include two elements and those are as hard line and soft line. Microsoft and Apple consider more
effective and efficient tool and technique so that they can generate demand in a market. Although
all such will help in having a better promotional technique in right contrast.
Identify the behaviour of customer toward brand: Microsoft and Apple is such which
generally observe the behaviour of customer towards their product and services as preferences
and perception has to be analysed. Moreover, both the companies goes with organising a survey
for finding the appropriate result of such thing in market (Morgan and Pride, 2011).
Evaluation of various differentiation: This is such which help firm to determine the
various buyers motive and perception in right contrast and related to brand values and entity
products and services in the competitive market in better manner and make their business to
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survive. Hence, Microsoft and Apple is the most famous brand and also having a great impact on
customer with market and it is among the top priority organisation then their strong competitors.
SWOT analysis of the Microsoft Company:
Microsoft is such which is serving millions of people with their product and services and
company is among the leading technological organisation. Business manufactures various like
Windows OS and it is being under the user friendly operating systems. Firm is having its
strength of such company and it is adopted by different people across the boundaries of country.
SWOT of organisation as:
Strength:
Reputed brand: Microsoft is that company which is MNC and having operating through
the regional subsidiaries and also reduces the difference in culture across the boundaries.
Moreover, it is that which is a lading provide of the hardware and software goods and services.
Technologically advanced: Company is based on technology and through such they
develop their activities and with it they also go for innovation and optimisation in market and
goes with having a strong research of market and mainly organisation conduct survey for the
innovation criteria (Nam and Pardo, 2011).
Availability of finance: Microsoft is most popular brand among others and serving pople
from last so many decades as well and with such thing the company is having a great financial
resource which is making them to perform in better manner and bring any changes they want.
Weaknesses:
legal proceedings: Organisation is such which usually defendant against the several
unresolved cases against it and firm works according to such only.
Lagging in the innovation: Customer have the common complaint and such is being
regarding to the innovation as Microsoft and thus Microsoft is also looking forward to maintain
and upgrade their product and services which is nothing new from bottom to up regarding to the
brand.
Opportunity:
From razor to blade model: Microsoft is looking in future to provide the better and
effective expensive software product and service to their customer so that company can work in
right contrast and can attain their goal and objective as well (Park, 2013).
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Smartphone market: Mobile phone is having a great market and thus having a great
opportunity to increase their market in mobile phones which can make them to perform better.
Moreover, Microsoft can earn higher amount as well in right contrast.
Threats:
Competition: It is being there that the company is having a great competition in market
and firm has to perform according to such only and thus to face competition entity is making
various strategy which can help them to attain their goal and objective in right contrast as well.
Bad reputation for mobile phones: Microsoft is having a threat in market as company's
mobile phone does not be able to provide satisfaction in the minds of customer for their
cellphones and thus it can be seen as threat for the organisation. It includes various techniques an
tool to getting higher business advantages easily (Punjaisri, 2011).
CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that Brand management is very important
for a organisation to build their own value and product strategy in market. Through this process
they can easily build loyalty, trust and strong connection with customers to get long term benefits
easily. This project report is based on Microsoft Corporations which is an multinational
technology company. This organisation was established in the year of 1975 by Bill gates. This
report includes Importance of branding as a marketing tool and Key components of a successful
strategy for building brand equity. Some key strategy like portfolio management, brand hierarchy
and equity management also used to provide brand strategy and its values for target market. At
last this report includes Various sort of techniques for measuring and managing brand value and
SWOT analysis of the Microsoft Company to provide effective information easily.
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Online
Brand equity strategy 2017. [Online]. Available
through<http://regions.cim.co.uk/london/home/news/2015-october/studying-or-not-
why-brand-equity-matters/>
Brand equity strategy 2017. [Online]. Available
through<http://regions.cim.co.uk/london/home/news/2015-october/studying-or-not-
why-brand-equity-matters/>
Brand Hierarchy 2018. [Online]. Available through
<https://www.bruceclay.com/blog/branding-hierarchy-of-needs/>
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