Satire in Catch 22 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Satire in Catch 22 - Essay Example Being able to view war from both within and outside the bureaucrats’ decision-making zone, Heller’s readers can assess the causes of war, not on the traditional right-or-wrong judging standard, rather on the basis of the underlying bureaucratic motivation that has remained unnoticed by the critics in the post Second World War period. One of Heller’s twisting propositions is that since the concept of right-or-wrong and the glory of war are essentially the projections of the bureaucratic polity, one should delve into the bureaucrats’ perception of the war in order to trace their idiotic manipulation of the ideology of war. Heller’s success lies in his ability to take his readers to an excursion to the bureaucrats’ decision-making zone that often is forbidden to the mass commoners. From the laughter-invoking bureaucratic whims, he gradually takes his readers to a more serious exploration of the destructive effects of these warring whims on the s oldiers as well as the mass commoners’ life. Focusing on the experiences of a bombardier, Yossarian, at the Air of Pianosa in Italy Heller goes on exhuming the offstage perversion, folly and idiocy of bureaucratic systems in modern society. Putting the right vs. wrong rhetoric of the stories on the Second World War aside, Heller questions whether the bureaucrats’ purpose behind the curtain of patriotism and honor are healthy for modern society. He attacks on the composition of the provision of Catch-22 that is manipulated by different military and government official differently. These different interpretations of the doctrine of Catch-22 by different persons are inspired by their own ends. Therefore, the Catch-22 doctrine serves the military officials as a blank check to do whatever they want to. The military officials use it to achieve their own ends, whereas it is manipulated by them as a means to suppress their subordinates. By putting the self-contradictory and ci rcular logic of Catch-22 in application, Heller has tried to lay the problems and duality of the bureaucratic reasoning and operation. The narrator of the novel describes Catch-22 in the following manner: â€Å"There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind.† (Heller 78). But in the lines that immediately follow this definition, the narrator upholds the peculiarity and circularity of the provision, as he says, Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he were sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. (Heller 176) Yossarian become delighted to find that this clause can keep his friend Orr away from going to further missions. But Heller’s readers cannot but note the fact that this clause provides the military bureaucrats with enormous power to do anything without being accountable to anyone, as at some point, a military police says, â€Å"Catch-22 states that agents enforcing Catch-22 need not prove that Catch-22 actually contains whatever provision the accused violator is accused of violating.†

Public Relations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public Relations - Research Paper Example The company was faced with the major crisis when one of its most popular products, extra-strength Tylenol capsules were used as murder weapon to kill three people in Chicago on 30 September, 1982. Another three people also dies by consuming the capsules which had traces of cyanide. The PR efforts were successful in reaffirming company’s commitment towards the welfare of the people. The case study of Johnson & Johnson involved two types of public: internal public comprising of the company’s management and workforce; and external stakeholders like shareholders, public who uses the products, distributors, media and all those who directly or indirectly are impacted by the use and misuse of the products. The timely communication to the public by the Chairman of the company assured them of their fair intention to investigate the issue and to withdraw the lot that was used in the crime. It strengthened company’s credibility amongst its stakeholders. No, at that time, the company followed the best recourse to rebuild its image. The public messages and appearance of the CEO in the media greatly helped the company to project its stand on the issue. Indeed, Burke’s appearance on the ‘investigative news program 60 Minutes’ was the best strategic exercise in PR that not only convinced the public but also changed the opinion of the media about the company’s future. The projection of its image to the public influenced the factors that have direct implications on issues and define its stand to the issues and the way it is handled by them. The company used various tools of public relation. PR briefing was used to disseminate important information regarding company’s position vis-Ã  -vis the product, extra-strength Tylenol capsules. Accepting that cyanide was used in its premises was a huge step forward in establishing its credibility and transparency of the company’s functioning in the eyes of its various

Brand Extensions In Fashion

Brand Extensions In Fashion The Indian market and the Indian consumer are evolving. India is currently on its growth path, and India, currently the worlds twelfth-largest consumer market today is expected to become the fifth-largest consumer market by 2025 (Zachariah, 2012).The Indian consumer has become aware and is moving from need based to kind of need based, thanks to the upbeat mood of the economy and populations increasing integration with globalised lifestyle and consumption patterns (Gupta,2011).The Indian consumer market, primarily dominated by the younger generation, is also becoming increasingly sophisticated and brand conscious. The Indian consumer today prefers to carry out a research and compare various brands and product features, prices etc before making a purchase decision. In most cases their evaluation and the purchase decision is based on their previous experience with a brand or a friends suggestion. These changes in the Indian market and the Indian consumer have created opportunities as we ll as challenges for the Indian and the multinational companies operating in India, and these challenges have called for innovative and pragmatic responses from the marketers (winning with the Indian consumer, 2012 )(Zainulbhai, 2009).Thus, various companies, in order, to respond to the constantly changing consumers needs and to understand what they truly value, are trying to build their brands and businesses around this new Indian consumer. To keep at pace with the evolving market and to claim success in this rapidly changing marketplace, companies are innovating with increasing speed, efficiency, and quality and launching new products to satisfy constantly changing consumer demands. New product and brand development has thus, become one of the most powerful business activities (Gupta,2011). But one of the challenges of brand management in todays over-cluttered world of information is to generate strong and positive feelings towards a specific brand and build brand equity. The new products, brands thus, easily become prone to failures because building brand equity is difficult due to many factors like the high level of advertisement costs and the increasing competition (Zachariah,2012). Therefore, in an effort to reduce new product and brand failure rates and to maximize the returns for their stakeholders, more and more companies with strong brand equity are opting for brand extensions, as they believe that innovating products within established brands that consumers trust is a powerful strategy(Gupta, 2011) 1.1.2 Brand extension, an important marketing strategy Brand extension is a marketing strategy, in which a firm marketing a product with a well developed image uses the existing brand name, in the same or a different product category. Organizations use this strategy to increase and leverage brand equity. It increases awareness of the brand name and increases profitability from offerings in more than one product category. A brands extendibility depends on how strong consumers associations are to the brands values and goals (Jonathan Ablett, 2007).Brand extension is, thus one of the, new product development strategies to introduce new products, create awareness and promote new products benefits and to create sales, since launching a new brand is risky, time consuming and also requires a big budget. But like everything else there are various advantages as well as disadvantages of brand extensions. Some of the benefits being that it makes acceptance of new product easy and also has feedback benefits for the parent brand and the organization. Whereas, on the other hand, if the brand is extended into an unrelated market or is extended too far, then it might lose its reliability, and also, the new product might generate implications that in turn might damage the image of the core brand. Therefore, poor choices for brand extension may dilute and deteriorate the core brand and damage the brand equity, and result in a diluted or severely damaged brand image. In the past, along with many successful brand extensions there have also been many failures. The failure of extension may come from difficulty of connecting with parent brand, a lack of similarity and familiarity and inconsistent messages conveyed to the consumer(Ashok Gopal,2006).In case of brand extension failures, the equity of a brand can be significantly affected, and they can also disturb and confuse the original brand image and meaning in the mind of the consumer. Thus the marketers need to pay close attention to brand extension strategy, because one small mistake can be of considerable damage to the brand equity. A number of elements related to the existing brands, in a companys portfolio need to be considered. The current equity of the brand should be transferrable to the extended product/category and it is also essential that the effect a brands current equity will have in the branding strategy is well understood. So basically while evaluating a brand extension opportunity, some fundamental questions need to be considered by the brand managers, i.e. if it makes sense strategically, for the brand and the company in terms of its product and brand portfolio ; further, if it makes sense strategically, then will the change fit in terms of brands equity ; and lastly, if the change makes sense strategically and the brand logically fits into the new market, then will it be profitable for the company. 1.1.3 Role of consumer in evaluation of brand extension Another important factor to be closely studied by the marketers when considering brand extension is consumer. In fact, consumers evaluation of brand extension plays a major role in determining success or failure of an extension, with consumer playing a moderating role in the evaluation process. It is the consumer, who has the ability to process information into useful knowledge by measuring and comparing the difference between core brand and extension product on the basis of former experience and knowledge. Consumers evaluation is a part of consumers buying behavior process, which often takes place over a period of time. The consumers buying behavior process consists of, searching for, evaluating, purchasing and using of products and services that the consumers expect will satisfy their needs. The overall goal during this decision process is to evaluate various alternatives and choose the product that satisfies them in an optimal way. Therefore the brand managers and the marketers, c onsidering brand extensions are required to study the consumer buying behavior for better understanding of the consumer. 1.1.4 Brand extensions in the world of fashion In the world of brand extensions, fashion brands have a relatively easy path from clothing to fashion accessories. It is not uncommon, for example, to see brand names that may have started their lives associated with fine clothing become equally known for handbags, footwear, jewelry and other accessories. In fashion industry, brands from the luxury segment also get into extensions, through brand diffusion, wherein they mix haute couture with lower priced range of ready to wear, at the same time there are some luxury brands refuse to go in for the same, because they feel that this would just confuse the existing customers of the brand. But a perfect example of a fashion brand, which has successfully got into various line and category extensions, is Armani. The brand has successfully extended itself by sticking to the core values of the brand i.e. by been consistent in its strategy of launching exclusive products to a high end category of customers. Similarly, many fashion brands have successfully evolved and extended themselves into various lines and categories. For instance, Ralph Lauren, a brand that began almost 40 years ago with a collection of ties has today grown into an entire world, redefining American style. The brand includes childrens wear, eyewear, underwear, jeans wear, shoes, accessories, house wares, furs, luggage, and a range of many other products, and over the years the brand has not suffered from brand image dilution due to rapid expansion and instead has only strengthened with time is because, it has been able to maintain its American Aristocrat image all along, i.e. the brand has always stood for providing quality products, creating worlds and inviting people to take part in his in dream, and has been able to maintain it across the extensions. But not all brand extensions are accepted by the consumers, like in case of levis. In the early 1980, when the brand had attempted to introduce a tailored classics line of mens suits, the extension was not well accepted by the consumers due to the lack of fit between the brands informal, rugged, outdoor image and the image the company sought from its suits. 1.2 Problem Identification Consumers play a major role in determining the success and the failure of the brand extension. Consumers evaluation of brand-extensions is in turn influenced by various factors. Most of the existing literature on the same focuses on the western countries, thus limiting the validity of the findings to our country. This study aims to fill this gap by studying consumers evaluation of brand extensions in the Indian context, for the fashion and lifestyle brands in India. 1.3 Project Objective To define the role of brand equity in shaping consumers attitude about a brand extension. To determine the various factors that influence Indian consumers evaluations of brand extensions, especially of premium fashion and lifestyle brands based in Delhi, NCR. 1.4 Research Approach Literature Review: The approach to writing this paper included literature review to understand the context of consumers decision making, brand extension (branding strategy), and consumers attitude towards brands extensions. For a good understanding of the same, various case studies of brand extensions in the west and in India were explored. Studying various success and failure stories, helped in determining how consumers evaluate brand extensions and the various steps a brand needs to adopt when considering a brand extension. Methodology: Primary and secondary research methods were used for the study. Primary research method was used to ascertain the learning and reflections from the literature review for the Indian market and consumer. It was done with the help of quantitative research by conducting structured surveys, with the help of self administered questionnaires, with close ended questions. Secondary research method was used to study the premium fashion and lifestyle brands in India already into or working towards brand extensions. 1.5 Scope The research has helped in establishing the role and importance of various factors in shaping consumers attitude about brand extension and also the significance of consumers evaluation of brand extension in making it a success or a failure. 1.6 Significance and Value Since, India has heterogeneous consumer segments, and every segment has different needs, this study will be of great help for fashion and lifestyle brands in taking insightful decisions within consumers decision making/consumers evaluation parameters regarding brand extension in India. Moreover, a lot of fashion and lifestyle brands in India are diversifying into new segments due to many reasons like in order to increase their shop productivity, to make shoppers spend more time in their shops and buy more, etc, but at the same time there is also a lot of risk involved in extending into new segment. This study will help them to understand consumers evaluation criteria, which will in turn help them create a connection with their consumers. Limitations The limitation of the study is that the research could not explore the entire Indian market due to geographical constraints. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Brand Principles of Marketing, by Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong and the American Marketing Association (2008) defined brand as a name, term, sign / symbol or a combination of these that identifies the maker or seller of the product and differentiates them from those of the competition. Aakers (1991) widely accepted definition of a brand is to identify the goods or services of whether one seller or a group of sellers, and to differentiate those goods or services from those of competitors. Brands are thus, valuable assets and tools influencing consumer behavior which includes awareness, choice, use, satisfaction, recommendation, trust and loyalty. They reduce information search costs and risk for consumers and deliver quality, values, promises, and lifestyle enhancement (Czellar, 2010) .According to Keller (2002) the benefits of a strong brand can be categorized under 4 different categories, namely, product-related effects, price-related effects, communication-related effects and channel related effects. Product-related effects of brand include consumer product evaluations, consumer confidence, perceptions of quality, and purchase rate positively related to a brand name. If consumers are well aware of a brand, their attitude and their purchase intention toward the brand are increased. Price-related effects refer to the fact that brand leaders have higher priced positions and consumers have a lower level of price sensitivity toward those leaders. Communication-related effects refer to how the evaluation of brand advertising can be positively biased when consumers have positive feelings toward a brand which is a well known and well-liked brand and the effect of the well-known brand, which is most likely to have competitive advantage in marketing activities, is the channel-related effect. 2.2 Fashion and Branding According to Solomon and Rabolt (2004), fashion is defined as a style that is accepted by a large group of people at a given time. Generally people use the term fashion and style interchangeably. In the fashion context, consumers choose a certain fashion brand over others because they are associated with a certain style (Ferney et al.2005).The way individuals have their own distinctive personalities and styles in the manner of living, speaking as well as dressing, the brands too can be associated with a particular personality, because branding has the propensity to distinguish a brand from others by creating an individual brand personality, by using different brand elements like name, logo, symbol, and package design(Newman and Patel ,2002).Branding is important in fashion retailing as the brand can project a specific image like personality, sex, lifestyle and age, to the target consumers. Like in case of a sports brand, the attribute of sporty feeling would be formed in consumers mi nd whereas a casual fashion brand would be associated with the casual attribute (Keller 2002). The brand image allows fashion merchandise to communicate a distinct symbolic meaning, through merchandise, store atmosphere, sales associate attraction with customers, and marketing campaign, between the retailers and the consumers (Ferney et al, 2005). Newman and Patel discovered that brand image is crucial in this intensely competitive fashion retail sector. As different types of fashion consumers are matched with particular clothing styles, brand image can create a point of difference and assist consumers in selecting a suitable fashion brand. A successful fashion brand can capture the market share and maintain a positive relationship with its customers, therefore creating an appropriate fashion brand is one of the primary ways for the marketers to differentiate the products from the competitors. In brief, fashion and branding are closely related (Solomon and Rabolt 2004; Newman and Pa tel, 2002). 2.3 Brand Equity In Building Strong Brands, David Aaker defined brand equity as a set of brand assets and liabilities linked to the brand-its name and symbols-that add value to, or subtract value from, a product or service. The major asset categories are brand loyalty, brand name awareness, perceived quality and brand associations. http://www.tvonlinesurveys.com/enquete/Brand%20equity%20model%20Aaker.bmp(Aakers Brand Equity Model) The model mainly talks about how brand equity is formed of five components and how each has a role to play in the performance of the brand and indicates that how the brand equity will rise with the increase in brand loyalty, brand name awareness, and perceived quality and with stronger and positive brand associations and also with the increase in the number of brand related proprietary assets. This model can thus be used to get to grips with a brands equity and gain insight into the relation between the different brand equity components and the future performance of the brand. Apart from the five components, the model also reflects indicators or the consequences of the pursued branding policy. (Aaker, 1991) The five components and the factors having an influence on these components are: Brand loyalty: Aaker (1991) defines brand loyalty as the attachment that a customer has to a brand. Two different levels of loyalty are classified: behavioral and cognitive loyalty (Keller, 1998). Behavioral loyalty can be indicated by a number of repeated purchases (Keller, 1998) or commitment to buy the brand as a primary choice .Cognitive loyalty refers to the consumers intention to buy the brand as the first choice .Another indicator of loyalty is the customers willingness to pay higher price for a brand in comparison with another brand offering similar benefits. The extent to which people are loyal to a brand is expressed in the following factors: Reduced marketing costs, as hanging on to loyal customers is way cheaper than charming potential new customers. Trade leverage, as loyal customers represent a stable source of revenue for the distributive level. Attracting new customers, as current customers can help boost name awareness and hence bring in new customers Time to respond to competitive threats, as loyal customers that are not quick to switch brands give a company more time to respond to competitive threats. (Aaker, 1991) Brand awareness: It is a key determinant of brand equity. It is defined as an individuals ability to recall and recognize a brand. Top-of-mind and brand dominance is other levels of awareness included by Aaker (1996) in measuring awareness. Awareness can affect customers perceptions, which lead to different brand choice and even loyalty (Aaker, 1996). A brand with strong brand recall (unaided awareness) and top of mind can affect customers perceptions, which lead to different customer choice inside a product category. The extent to which a brand is known among the public ,can be measured using the following parameters: Anchor to which associations can be attached (depending on the strength of the brand name, more or fewer associations can be attached to it, which will, in turn ,eventually influence brand awareness) Familiarity and liking (consumers with a positive attitude towards a brand ,will talk about it more and spread brand awareness) Signal of substance/commitment to a brand. Brand to be considered during the purchasing process (to what extent does the brand form part of the evoked set of brands in a consumers mind) (Aaker, 1991) Perceived quality: It is defined as the customers judgment about a products overall excellence or superiority in comparison to alternatives brand and overall superiority that ultimately motivates the customer to purchase the product (Aaker and Jacobson, 1994). It is difficult for customers to make a rational judgment of the quality. They are likely using quality attributes like color, flavor, form, and appearance of the product and the availability of production information to infer quality. The extent to which a brand is considered to provide good quality products can be measured on the basis of the following criteria: The quality offered by the product / brand is a reason to buy it. Level of differentiation/position in relation to competing brands. Price, as the product becomes more complex to assess and status is at play, consumers tend to take price as a quality indicator. Availability in different sales channels, i.e. consumers have a higher quality perception of brands that are widely available. The number of brand extensions (this can tell the consumer the brand stands for a certain quality guarantee that is applicable on a wide scale) (Aaker, 1991) Brand associations: Consumer must first be aware of the brand in order to develop a set of associations. Brand association contains the meaning of the brand for consumers; it is anything linked in memory to a brand (Aaker, 1991). Brand associations are mostly grouped into a product-related attribute like brand performance and non product related attributes like brand personality and organizational associations. Customers evaluate a product not merely by whether the product can perform the functions for which it is designed for but the reasons to buy this brand over the competitors. Brand personalities include symbolic attributes (Aaker, 1996; Keller, 1993) which are the intangible features that meet consumers needs for social approval, personal expression or self-esteem. The associations triggered by a brand can be assessed on the basis of the following indicators: The extent to which a brand name is able to retrieve associations from the consumers brain, such as information from TV advertising. The extent to which association contribute to brand differentiation in relation to the competition (these can be abstract association or associations with concrete product benefits) The extent to which brand associations play a role in the buying process (the greater this extent ,the higher the total brand equity) The extent to which brand associations create positive attitude/feelings(the greater this extent, the higher the total brand equity) The number of brand extensions in the market (the greater this number, the greater the opportunity to add brand associations) (Aaker, 1991) Other proprietary assets: Some of the examples are patent and intellectual property rights, relations with trade partners, etc. (the more the proprietary rights a brand has accumulated, the greater the brands competitive edge in those fields) (Aaker, 1991) The model also provides an insight into the criteria that indicate to what degree actual value is created with both consumer and company due to pursued branding policy. However, this model does not make a clear distinction between added value brand can have for the consumer /customer and added value it can have for the brand owner/company and does not even discuss the process that goes into building strong brands, and is only useful to gain insight into the various brand equity components and the relation between them. (Wood, 2000) 2.4 Kellers Customer-based Brand equity model This model depicts the process that goes into building strong brands. It is set in the realm of brand added value, i.e. the focus of this model is on the added value a brand offers its customers/consumers. Kevin Lane Keller introduced this customer-based brand equity model, and has defined it as the differential effect that consumers brand knowledge has on their response to the marketing of that brand (Keller 1993).Differential consumer response is mainly based on consumers knowledge of the brand as well as the favorability of associations. The model is made up of various steps, which should be taken in a fixed order. The model talks about the six dimensions of brand equity, namely, brand salience, brand performance, brand imagery, consumer judgments, consumer feelings and brand resonance. According to Keller, the highest level of brand equity is realized when the top of the pyramid is attained. In his view, the resonance comes about when the consumer has a high level of awareness of and familiarity with the brand and holds some strong, favorable and unique associations in memory. (Keller, Strategic brand management, 2002) http://markhendrikse.squarespace.com/storage/post-images/july-2009/cmmemodel.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1247443493748 (Kellers customer based brand equity model) The six dimensions and the process that goes into building of strong brands, as identified by Keller are: Brand Salience: The first step in the development of a strong brand involves describing its identity, and revolves around the question: Who am I? .To achieve this, the brand managers need to ensure that the customers should be able to identify with the brand. A clear associative link between the brand and a specific product class/category has to be established in the mind of the consumer, this also further helps in creating a solid footing for the building of brand awareness and knowledge. Salience basically refers to how familiar consumers are with a brand and whether the brand is actively considered when consumers find themselves in purchase or consumption situations. A high level of salience means that a consumer has knowledge of both the depth and the width of a brand, (depth here refers to the ease with which a brand can be activated in the consumers brain, while width refers to the extent to which happens when the consumer is making a purchase decision.)Brand Salience is thus a precondition for moving up on the brand pyramid. (Keller, 2002) (Keller, Strategic Brand Management: a european perspective, 2008) Brand performance and brand imagery: when brand salience has been realized, the process moves on to the next steps in the development of brand meaning. The second step basically answers the question: What am I?This question is answered by using intrinsic (tangible) and extrinsic (intangible) characteristics of a brand.(Intrinsic characteristics refer to the degree to which a product/service is seen to perform by consumers, and extrinsic characteristics refers to how consumers think about a brand. In order to boost overall brand equity the focus needs to be on both brand performance and brand imagery, since they together add on to the brand associations. Raising brand performance starts by delivering a product/service that fulfills current customers needs, followed by attempts to surpass the triggered customer expectations. Brand imagery on the other hand can be increased by tailoring to consumerspshyco-social needs. Imagery refers to what people think about a brand (in terms of value and meaning) and not so much about what exactly the product does or can do (in terms of functionality).It can be raised directly by creating brand experience or indirectly through advertisement. In the end, these two dimensions together need to bring about certain brand associations that are strong, positive and unique. These dimensions also play an important role in creating brand loyalty. (Keller, 2002) Brand judgments and brand feelings: After realizing strong, positive and unique brand associations, the third step deals with the way consumers think and feel about a brand. This step basically contains the responses to the efforts from step 2(performance and imagery).the brand is evaluated and judged at this stage, formulating a certain attitude towards the brand. The two dimensions at play here are: brand judgments (rational) and brand feelings (emotional).the former denotes the opinion consumers have of a brand, and how they evaluate the brand. The opinion in this case is formed rationally and based on three criteria, quality, reliability and superiority. Brand feelings on the other hand are the emotional reactions by consumers to brands and their marketing efforts. What feelings does the brand evoke in the consumer, and in the social environment? Are these feelings intense or not, positive or negative? These feelings can very strong and can have an affect on brand observation dur ing actual use of the product. These feelings are based on various factors, namely, warmth, pleasure, tension, security, social acceptance and self respect. (Keller, 2002) Brand resonance: once when the consumer has acquired a positive idea of the brand in both a rational and an emotional sense, a solid base is created to further jump on to the last stage. This stage answers the question whether the consumer is willing to enter into a (lasting) relationship with a brand. If this stage is attained, then its considered as the brand has achieved true brand loyalty, where the consumer identifies him/herself with the values of the brand to a considerable degree and is willing to invest in a relationship. Brand resonance is an ultimate relationship between a brand and a consumer. The closeness of the bond can be measured using factors like loyalty, emotional bond, being a member of a brand community and active brand involvement. (Keller, 2002) Brand equity if used appropriately, possesses a huge potential to create advantages and benefits for the firm, the trade and the consumer. Some of the benefits of strong brand equity being, improved perceptions of product performance, greater loyalty, less vulnerability to competitive marketing actions and marketing crises, larger margins , more inelastic consumer response to price increases and more elastic consumer response to price decreases ,greater trade cooperation and support ,increased marketing communication effectiveness along with licensing opportunities and additional brand extension opportunities.(Wood ,2000 ; Feldwick, 1996) 2.5 Brand equity and brand extension Brand equity can be leveraged by building it, borrowing it, or by buying it. Building brand equity is not an easy task due to the rapid increase in the number of brands and the intense competition that is prevalent in many industries. Thus, the brands generally prefer to opt for the alternatives to building brand equity i.e. by borrowing it or buying it. (Moisescu, 2005; Tuominen, 1999) Since the study focuses on the role of brand equity in brand extensions, leveraging brand equity by borrowing it, will be discussed. Borrowing brand equity: According to Tuominen (1999), many firms borrow on the brand equity in their brand names by extending existing brand names to other products, which is referred to as brand extension. There are two types of brand extensions namely, a line and a category extension. A line extension is when a current brand name is used to enter new market segment in the existing product class, whereas, a category extension is when the current brand name is used to enter a different product class. A line extension occurs when a company introduces additional items in the same product category under the same brand name. A line extension often involves a different size, color, flavor or ingredient, a different form or a different application for the brand (Richard Elliot, 2006). Products in line extensions are technically congruent, i.e., similar in many attributes. They belong to the same product category or subclass. The vast majority of new-product activity consists of line extens ions. Excess manufacturing capacity often drives a company to introduce additional items. The company might want to meet the consumers desire for variety. The company may recognize a latent consumer want and try to capitalize on it (Moisescu, 2005). The company may want to match a competitors successful line extension. Many companies introduce line extensions primarily to command more shelf space from resellers. Line extensions involve risks. There is a chance that the brand name will lose its specific meaning. This is called the line-extension trap (Eun Young Kim, 2000) .The other risk is that many line extensions will not sell enough to cover their deve

President Clinton’s Pentad Essay -- Burke Clinton Social Action Essays

President Clinton’s Pentad Throughout time, many theorists have studied modes of persuasion. The ancient Greeks focused on persuasive discourse in the public arena which allowed a democracy to function properly. However, more recently Kenneth Burke, a literary critic and philosopher, has also evaluated how our language influences social action. Yet unlike the ancient philosophers, Burke was interested in how not just public messages but all symbolic activity leads to persuasion of others. From this belief, Burke developed the theory of Dramatism which he defined as, "The study of human relation and motives by means of a methodical inquiry into cycles or clusters of terms and their function" (Hauser, 1998, October 30). He viewed life as a drama which contained a series of accounts with interacting parts that create meaning and persuasion (Gusfield, 1989). Burke coined many terms unique to his theory that he could apply to any situation involving persuasive communication. Therefore, Burke’s theory of Dram atism can be clearly illustrated by identifying his key terms and applying these to an instance of persuasive communication; however, this theory does not easily apply to other forms of communication. To begin, it is important to understand Burke’s main themes and the terms involved in each. Burke has three main themes in his theory: the necessary elements for a foundation which leads to persuasion, the tools needed to evaluate a persuasive situation, and the involvement of guilt in the outcome of the persuasive situation. A sequence of these three themes appear within persuasive communication. First, Burke focused his work on the use of persuasion in the social realm. Furthermore, in accordance with what was stated befor... ...his theory provides a clear understanding of rhetoric and its effects, but does not apply to all communication scenarios. Therefore, Burke’s theory of Dramatism is strong within a limited scope, but weak as an overarching theory of all communication. Works Cited Craig, R. (1998, November 9). Lecture in Boulder at the University of Colorado. Desilet, G. (1972). Kenneth Burke’s Dramatism in Perspective. Santa Barbara. Griffin, E. (1997). A First Look at Communication Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Gusfield, J. (1989). On Symbols and Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Hauser, G. (1986). Introduction to Rhetorical Theory. Prospect Heights: Waveland Press, Inc. Hauser, G. (1998, November 2). Lecture in Boulder at the University of Colorado. Hauser, G. (1998, October 30). Lecture in Boulder at the University of Colorado.

Castor & Pollux

Castor and Pollux Nationality/Culture Roman Castor and Polydeuces (Greek), the Dioscuri, the Tyndaridae Appears In Homer's Iliad, Hyginus's Fabulae Lineage Sons of Zeus and Leda Character Overview In Greek and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux (known as Polydeuces to the Greeks) were twin brothers who appeared in several prominent myths. The twins were worshipped as gods who helped shipwrecked sailors and who brought favorable winds for those who made sacrifices to them. The Romans considered Castor and Pollux the gods who watched over horses and the Roman horsemen known as equites (pronounced EK-wi-teez).There are many stories about the twins and numerous versions of those stories. According to the Greek poet Homer, Castor and Pollux were the sons of Tyndareus (pronounced tin-DAlR-ee-uhs) and Leda, the king and queen of Sparta. For this reason, they are sometimes called the Tyndaridae (sons of Tyndareus). Another account identifies the twins as the sons of Leda and Zeus, from whom they received the name Dioscuri (sons of Zeus). Still another legend says that Castor was the son of Leda and Tyndareus†and therefore a human†while Pollux was the son of Zeus†and therefore a god.This difference became significant later in their lives. All tales about the twins agree in portraying Castor as a skilled horse trainer and Pollux as an expert boxer. Inseparable, the brothers always acted together. In one of the earliest myths about the twins, Castor and Pollux rescued their sister Helen after she had been kidnapped by Theseus (pronounced THEE-see-uhs), king of Attica. Helen would later gain fame as the queen whose abduction by Paris, a Trojan prince, launched the Trojan War. The twins also accompanied Jason and the Argonauts on their voyage in search of the Golden Fleece.During that expedition, Pollux demonstrated his boxing skills by killing the king of the Bebryces. When a storm arose during the voyage, the Argonaut Orpheus prayed to the gods and playe d his harp. The storm immediately ceased and stars appeared on the heads of the twins. It is because of this myth that Castor and Pollux came to be recognized as the protectors of sailors. Another story concerns the death of Castor. According to one account, the twins wanted to marry their cousins Phoebe and Hilaria. The women, however, were already promised to two other cousins, Idas Page 212 | Top ofArticleand Lynceus. Castor and Pollux carried the women away to Sparta, pursued by their male cousins. In the fight that followed, the twins succeeded in killing both Idas and Lynceus, but Castor was fatally wounded. St. Elmo's fire is a natural phenomenon that occurs during certain stormy weather conditions. It appears as a glow on the top of tall pointed objects, such as the masts of ships, and is often accompanied by a cracking noise. When stars appeared on the heads of Castor and Pollux during the voyage ot the Argonauts, the twins became known as the protectors ot sailors.From hat time, sailors believed that St. Elmo's fire was actually Castor and Pollux coming to protect them during a storm. In another version of this story, the four men conducted a cattle raid together. Idas and Lynceus then tried to cheat Castor and Pollux out of their share of the catde. The twins decided to take the cattle themselves, but were caught as they started to sneak away. A fght broke out in which Castor, Idas, and Lynceus were all killed. This story also has several different endings. In one, Castor's spirit went to Hades, the place of the dead, because he was a human.Pollux, who was a god, was so devastated at being separated from his brother that he offered to share his immortality (ability to live forever) with Castor, or to give it up so that he could Join his brother in Hades. Taking pity on his son Pollux, Zeus declared that the brothers would take turns dwelling in Hades and with the gods on Mount Olympus. On one day, Castor would be with the gods and Pollux would be in Hades; on the next, the two would change places. In another ending, Castor remained in Hades, but Pollux was allowed to visit him every other day.Most versions of the myth say that Zeus placed the brothers in the heavens as part of the constellation†group of stars† known as Gemini. Today the two brightest stars in the constellation Gemini are named Castor and Pollux. Castor and Pollux in Context The Romans developed a strong cult†a group that worships a specific god or gods above all others within a religion†around Castor following a military victory by the Romans over the Latins at Lake Regillus in 499 Page 213 | Top of ArticleBCE. When the Roman infantry failed to hold its ground in the battle, the dictator AulusPostumius decided to send in the cavalry (the horsemen of the military) to help. Castor's association with horsemen prompted the dictator to make a vow to build a temple to Castor in exchange for his Page 214 | Top of Articlehelp, and the Romans we re victorious. The Romans completed the temple in 484 bce. Pollux Joined his brother in the cult much later, but never had quite the same level of honor. The images of Castor and Pollux appear on many early Roman coins. The Romans celebrated the Theoxenia Festival each year on July 1 5th in their honor, with the Roman cavalry riding in a ceremonial parade.

Connection of Figurative Language in the Scarlet Ibis

â€Å"The Scarlet Ibis†, there is a multitude of figurative language used to underline the theme that is repeated in Naomi Long Midget's poem â€Å"Woman with Flower†, ultimately enlightening the reader with a true moral of don't be exceedingly prideful and work something before it is ready. â€Å"Woman with Flower† introduces readers to a woman who is trying to shelter her flower and make it perfect, rather than letting it take its own path and literally letting it grow into a beautiful flower.The poem reflects the short prose â€Å"The Scarlet Ibis† via figurative language. An example would be, â€Å"Much growth is stunted by too careful prodding. † This personifies the flower with human like attributes of being sheltered and protected, like many youth are in present time. â€Å"The Scarlet Ibis† can also relate to that because of the narrator's need for Doodle's success, not so much for Doodle, but for the narrator's own pride. â€Å"The things we love we have to learn to leave alone. Demonstrates the underlying thought of the prose', when do we leave someone to Geiger life on their own terms, and when do we Intervene and help out? The narrator in â€Å"The Scarlet Ibis† struggles to find the answer to this query as he teaches Doodle to walk and become what society views as a normal little boy. In the end of the prose, he makes an irrational decision due to his dwindling patience.