Brand Culture
Between consumers and brands
The empirical data that lies behind this survey comes from field work between 1992 and 1995. This field work represents work I made myself as a sales-man for the company, Malmberg Original Water. The task was to implement the Malmberg mineral water brand on the restaurant market of the South-Swedish area. Our aim was to reach the upper-scale, premium market of restaurants. The mission was successfully completed, and at 1996 we had completed the position as the most exclusively positioned mineral water brand in Skåne (Southernmost Sweden). How could we fulfill this mission so fast, and with a very limited marketing budget (=0)?The secret key was that we managed to work and be in line with the values of our targeted customer group. We lived close to the customers and developed what was in line with their needs. This follows the research of Porter (1980) and Philipson (2011), serving the customer groups´ needs. Despite lack of money and budget from PR and promotion we made a large effort of serving and doing service towards our targeted customers.The thesis also focuses the target group´s importance for the construction of the brand identity. Strategic brand management-literature normally considers the target group taken-for-granted. Consumer research-literature, on the other hand, considers it as something vague and undefined. By applying a perspective of cultural values between the company, the brand and the target group it is possible to qualify the target group more than just refer to it as consumers or customers. The thesis also point to the conclusion not to consider brand identity as an independent entity, but dependent on the customers and the consumers. The consumers give birth to the brand. Finally since the target group is a group that is constantly set in motion, the brand also should reflect and represent change.