Brand Laddering

Does wearing a Raymond suit makes you feel like a “complete man” or eating Parle G biscuits turn you into a “genius” overnight? This is what brand laddering is all about. It is progressing from product attributes to product benefits to the more abstract values or motivations, attaching an aspirational value to the brand. It means repeatedly asking what the implication of an attribute is or what's the ultimate benefit that the brand can provide to the customer.

At first when a new brand is launched, the focus is about its functional benefits, for example a textile brand would talk about For example, textile brands would talk about superior quality, texture etc. An electronic brand would talk about superior technology. Once these attributes are firmly established in the mind of the consumer, the brand moves into the next step in the laddering process .This stage involves positioning the brand on the product benefits. So focus shifts from functions to benefits. For example, Maggi Noodles built its brand based on the product qualities like “easy to cook “and good taste. Later the brand repositioned itself on the health platform. The more recent tagline of Maggi “Taste Bhi, Health Bhi”, takes the brand from attributes focus to benefit positioning.

The most important stage of brand laddering process is to associate the brand to abstract benefits. These are more aspirational in nature, encompassing conceptual benefits that focus on a deeper need of consumers much above the product benefits. Communicating is a functional benefit, but “Express yourself” is an abstract benefit. Similarly, other brands like Fair & Lovely that talked about beauty and fairness in the initial stages now talk about women empowerment and confidence. Raymond makes you feel like a “complete man”. Bournvita makes you “confident” and Fiama Di Wills make you “beautiful, today, tomorrow and always”.

There are multiple benefits of brand laddering. First and foremost, it gives you flexibility in the way you present yourself. It gives the marketer option to communicate itself in multiple ways and more creatively. It also helps the brand to extend itself into related categories since its positioning is no more conceptual and not limited by any functional attributes of a product.

The final stage in the laddering process is where the brand becomes synonymous with the abstract benefit. This is a level where the brand starts personifying abstract benefit. Example can be Johnson & Johnson which has now become synonymous with the tender and loving mother – child relationship. Over these years, the brand has established itself by positioning on this abstract concept. In theory, this is referred to as Brand Essence.