Portfolio Spotlight: Brand Development Student Project
The following content is a project that I completed during my undergraduate program. This project challenged everything I had learned until this point related to brand development and implementation planning. Organizational branding is a facet of professional communication that I find especially interesting and engaging. The skills I developed from previous classes, including understanding visual design communication aspects, social media strategizing, and internal organizational communication skills were all applied to this comprehensive project.
The entire duration of this project taught me the concept of the brand equity model. This model is a technical concept that can be applied as a technique in brand development and is a wider examination of the positionality of branding as a concept and how it relates to sociology, culture, and social norms and changes. Having a strong understanding of the brand equity model is a deeply important lesson that will help me meet my career goals by giving me a tool to use on a technical level, and an invaluable understanding of how my position as a communication professional affects internal and external stakeholders, and help me to recognize how organizational branding affects myself and my community. The completion of this project was a milestone in my academic career.
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Part I: Current Brand Evaluation
Current Customer Analysis
Pasta Amore currently benefits from a significant customer base that visits frequently, indicating strong brand loyalty despite recent negative feedback. This loyalty highlights the importance of enhancing, rather than changing, the elements customers appreciate as brand changes are implemented. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019). Current weaknesses include issues with tangible goods and services, such as food and atmosphere. Two out of five negative feedback points focus on the menu, with customers seeking vegetarian, vegan, and healthier options. The third concern involves the restaurant’s atmosphere, with reviews describing it as “dated,” suggesting a need for evaluation of interior and exterior design. While customer loyalty is evident, Pasta Amore is missing customers interested in healthier and vegetarian options. There is an opportunity to introduce new menu items catering to health-conscious consumers. Similarly, modernizing the atmosphere while retaining the brand’s family-friendly and high-quality service traits can strengthen brand equity (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019).
New Target Audience Analysis
Strengths associated with these new target audience segments include their shared traits of valuing businesses that are ethical, sustainable, and are seeking family-friendly dining experiences through a brand that engages with the community. Weaknesses associated with these new target audience segments are a wide range in disposable income and technology literacy. These differing traits between segments could make brand resonance between different communication channels more challenging to achieve. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019).
Income disparities between these segments also poses the challenge of identifying which segment is more likely to visit restaurant locations more frequently than others. Opportunity areas exist in changing menu options to include healthier foods, including vegan and vegetarian dishes. Additionally, practicing more sustainable business will also resonate with each of these segments. Finally, making proactive efforts to engage with the community will resonate with each of these segments.
Competitive Analysis
Pasta Amore has done critical work to build brand personality traits associated with family, high service quality, and affordability. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019). It would be wise to use these traits as the basis for brand extension opportunities. For example, building a narrative around Pasta Amore’s cuisine as an extension of an authentic Italian experience by engaging more actively with the Italian communities local to and near franchise locations will position Pasta Amore as a unique brand focused on celebrating culture rather than attempting to cater to a less-authentic dining experience.
Additionally, offering other menu options on top of vegetarian and vegan dishes that cater to dietary restrictions, such as gluten-free and low-sodium, will enhance the narrative of positioning Pasta Amore as a brand that celebrates diversity while still upholding traditional Italian dining. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019). Future endeavors to extend the brand’s effectiveness while remaining competitive include offering delivery or take-out options.
Brand Equity Analysis
Pasta Amore’s brand currently resonates strongly with a customer base that appreciates high quality service, family-friendly atmosphere, and affordable dining. The strength of Pasta Amore’s brand equity is reflected in the loyalty of their current customer base; over half of whom frequent the franchise locations at least once a month. However, Pasta Amore’s brand image currently alienates customers with dietary restrictions, healthy eating habits, and those who appreciate sustainable business practices and a modern dining atmosphere. These demographic and psychographic traits align and overlap with several of the new target audience segments. (Porta, 2022).
Communication Practices
Pasta Amore currently limits its brand presence on social media to Facebook. It should consider diversifying its social media accounts to include more platforms that will resonate with its new target audience segments, two of which being more likely to engage with digital media. (Wroblewski, 2019). Also, Pasta Amore should consider integrating digital media with its current print communication content in online newspapers. This will resonate with all the new target audience segments and promote consistency across communication channels. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019).
Finally, Pasta Amore should consider re-designing the website and billboards they currently use for communication and marketing. While these channels are not actively detracting from Pasta Amore’s brand image, organic rebranding demands consistency across all platforms; Performing due diligence in re-evaluating every currently in-use communication channel as a part of the rebranding effort reinforces brand equity. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019).
Brand Extension Recommendations
Brand extensions recommended for Pasta Amore are tangible changes involving physical inventory and products. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019). It is recommended that Pasta Amore include vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and low-sodium menu options. It is also recommended that Pasta Amore engage in sustainable business practices by sourcing ingredients from local producers and using recyclable materials in storage containers, like to-go boxes. Finally, it is recommended that Pasta Amore re-visit its digital communication channels and consider developing social media strategies that include a more diversified portfolio of accounts.
Brand Revision Recommendations
Brand revisions recommended for Pasta Amore involve changes in physical franchise location interior and exterior designs, and revising its mission, vision, and values statements to reflect the rebranding as one focused on family, diversity, community, sustainability, and healthy eating. Finally, the brand’s logo, colors, fonts, and other visual design aspects associated with the trademark should be revised to reflect the rebranding. This is key to unity across all aspects of the brand and enhancing brand consistency. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019).
Communication Strategies
Recommended changes in Pasta Amore’s communication strategies involve integrating digital media and print media channels synchronously and consistently across all marketing and external communication efforts. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019). These changes include expanding its social media presence, updating the website, and engaging with the community through physical and digital media by utilizing print and digital versions of newspapers. These new and improved communication channels should be utilized to their full extent to promote the rebranding efforts by celebrating the shift in brand identity as a positive one which will be more inclusive to Pasta Amore’s already loyal customer base and be used to provide educational material to customers about Pasta Amore’s new focus on healthy and sustainable dining.
Part II: New Brand Development
Mission, Vision, and Values Alignment
The mission, vision, and values statements will be the foundation for this rebranding process. The brand equity model demands that the materials that build the brand must be contingent on the brand alignment. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019). The constructive collaboration between these concepts and the response they generate from the audience, and the ability to adapt to that response, is what builds a brand culture with equity as its highest priority. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019). Maintaining the mission, vision, and values statements should come naturally so long as the rest of the brand identity is built from them, and so long as they are flexible enough to be revised later as needed without total loss of that already-established brand identity.
Leveraging Existing Equity
Currently, Pasta Amore has a dedicated audience segment that displays loyalty to the brand through direct positive feedback and engagement. It is crucial to leverage the brand equity which already exists with this base for the benefit of the rebranding effort. Critically, the goal of rebranding efforts should be to excite and honor the loyalty that has already been displayed by building on that brand equity rather than detracting from it.
Brand Identity and Personality
Pasta Amore’s current brand identity and personality could be described as “warm, traditional, and family-friendly.” The manifestation of this personality is partially based on the target audience that engages with the brand in a meaningful way; resonating with the brand identity on a personal level. (Mindrut et al., 2015). The personality that Pasta Amore already communicates with its audience should be expanded upon as to not alienate these critical consumers and to continue to align with the mission, vision, and values rather than transformed in a dramatic way as branding materials change. Promoting this personality through new branding components will help maintain brand equity. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019).
Proposed Tagline
“Where family, community, and comfort meet.”
This new tagline is simple and straight to the point. It communicates the three most valuable brand identity descriptors that both the current audience is loyal to, and prospective consumers crave. Inclusion, community engagement, and traditional Italian food are the highest priority traits that both groups are seeking when they interact with the Pasta Amore brand. This tagline can be incorporated into internal messages by including it on memos, email signatures, and employee relevant permanent postings. (Hassan, 2016). The tagline can be incorporated into external messages by including it in advertisements and promotional material to shareholders. (Hassan, 2016).
Visual Brand Elements
Out of each of the newly proposed visual brand element concepts, concept #1 is recommended. The color pallet in this concept is the strongest aligned with brand values, mission, and the target audience, both already established and prospective. Green is representative of tranquility and harmony. Orange is often associated with energy; colors found on the red side of the RGB spectrum are also used frequently in branding for food service and production organizations, as there is evidence to suggest it subconsciously makes viewers hungry. Finally, yellow communicates excitement, brightness, and happiness. (Hughes, 2019). The two font families chosen for typography are universal and easy to read. (Hughes, 2019). One recommendation would be to re-evaluate the typography used in the logo itself and measure the effectiveness of using something like that used in the other concepts. The logo font in this concept could be difficult to read and its unorthodox nature could be an area of improvement to find something that better communicates a higher sense of sophistication and professionalism. (Hughes, 2019).
Brand Channels
Recommended communication channels used to promote Pasta Amore’s new brand design are a mix of print and digital. (Wroblewski, 2019). Digital channels include social media platforms, digitized versions of newspapers, and the Pasta Amore website itself. The website should be updated with its user interface made more friendly, modern, and optimized for mobile devices. (Wroblewski, 2019). Print communication channels include newspapers and leaflets to be distributed to local businesses near the Pasta Amore locations, examples including other eateries and tourist location centers. (Wroblewski, 2019). Since Pasta Amore positions itself as a part of their local community, it is important that their branding be visible in those critical community spaces rather than in areas with high travel, such as billboards on the side of highways.
Data Collection
Data collection and feedback strategies to evaluate the success of brand changes for Pasta Amore should be developed for the target audience segments and their unique needs. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019). Previous data collection methods used to analyze the current brand resonance with audience members were effective and provided empirical evidence based on demographic and psychographic factors. (Keller & Swaminathan, 2019). These methods should be applied once more, in tandem with other supplemental data collection techniques. Some examples that might suit the needs of the audience and encourage active participation from new perspective consumers include social media initiatives that use persuasive triggers and calls to action. (Clampitt, 2017). This might look like holding a contest for a free dinner for two where audience members can vote between two new proposed taglines on social media platforms. This type of initiative would give Pasta Amore metric data from account interaction, direct feedback on new brand materials, and promote Pasta Amore’s values by participating with the community directly.
Sources
Clampitt, P. G. (2017). Social media strategy: Tools for professionals and organizations. SAGE
Publications, Inc.
Hassan, S. (Academic). (2016). Strategic brand management [Video]. Sage Knowledge.
https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473980617
Hughes, K. (2019). Graphic Design : Learn It, Do It. Taylor & Francis Group.
https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/lib/snhu-ebooks/detail.action?
docID=5785742
Keller, K. L., & Swaminathan, V. (2019). Strategic Brand Management (5th ed.). Pearson
Education (US). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9780134877952
Mindrut, S., Manolica, A., Roman, C.T. (2015). Building Brands Identity. Procedia Economics
and Finance, 20, 393-403. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(15)00088-X
Porta, M. (2022). How to Define Your Target Markets. Mansueto Ventures.
https://www.inc.com/guides/2010/06/defining-your-target-markets.html
Wroblewski, M. (2019). How to Determine the Appropriate Communication Channel. Chron.
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/determine-appropriate-communication-
channel-24098.html