Branding and Changing Brands

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Branding and Changing Brands
Part 1: Branding and Brand Positioning
A loyal consumer of Levi & Strauss blue jeans and denim wear has preferred this brand
of denim wear since high school. The consumer is a 45 year old male with two children,
working in corporate sales for a top competitor in the cellular service industry. When asked
about brand preference, this individual responded that he may first try a popular brand simply
because others speak highly of it. However, loyalty only comes when he perceives a difference
in quality or some other feature, among competing brands. During the time he was growing up,
competing brands such as Wrangler and Lee offered similar products at similar prices. The
value that Levi Strauss provides is comfort, which is obtained by producing a better fitting blue
jean.
As the company began to product other products, such as denim jackets, this consumer
was eager to try the new products as soon as they hit the market, believing they would provide
the same quality and comfort as the blue jeans. What this consumer specifically likes about the
brand is that with each washing, the products seem to become even softer and more comfortable
than before. Though styles of blue jeans have changed, even with the products Levi Strauss
offers, this consumer prefers the original jeans for their reliable fit and comfort. This consumer
does not exclude competing brands, if he feels they may offer the same fit and comfort. In the
past decade he has purchased a couple pair of Lee jeans, as the new offerings seemed to provide
the same comfort, but were easier to obtain.
Though the consumer has purchased other brands, the Levi Strauss brand represents a
value that is hard to find in competing products. One perspective on brand equity, known as
the information economics perspective argues "that a brand name acts as credible signal of

product quality derived from perceived firm costs or investments" (Anderson, 2007). In
other words, the consumer has come to associate the brand with a recognized level of
quality. In the case of the consumer interviewed, the perceived quality is in the fit and
comfort, rather than in other features, such as durability. However, the consumer does ...