The Influence of Advertising on the Creation of Brand Meaning, Looking Specifically at Coca-Cola and Nike

In discussing the influence of advertising on the creation of brand meaning, it is first necessary to define advertising and brand meaning. In this particular study, advertising can be seen as 'any paid form of non personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsor.' (Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders and Wong 2002) Focus will be on television, radio, billboard, sponsorship, celebrity endorsements and public forms of advertising rather than promotional material and forms of personal selling. I will be looking primarily at 'channels that carry messages without personal contact or feed back'. (Butterfield 2002)
Brand meaning can be identified by 'the set of beliefs that consumers hold about a particular brand' (Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders and Wong 2002) and the way that this influences their buying habits. Particular attention will be paid to the brands attributes, values and personality and the way in which equity is created. The aim is to identify the particular role that advertising plays in helping to build and sustain brands. (Butterfield 2002)
The modern world is filled with images of products and brands that manufacturers hope that we will buy into. Why do some of these images leave a more lasting impression than others, is it the content of the visual image, or the product itself? Many companies have tried and failed to make good use of the media available for public advertising, I intend to concentrate on one or two successful examples of brand advertising, and assess the benefits for the overall brand image.
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