Assignment Title: Weekly Integration Assignment 05
Date: 17 April 2021
1. After reviewing chapters 9, 10, and 11 of the Kotler and Keller text, and using specific information
derived from the text, provide a brief comment about each of the following:
a. How an organization defines and characterizes its product/service and brand relationships.
Include a brief analysis of how this product/service and brand relationship is both positively
and negatively affected by co-branding and ingredient branding practices from a brand equity
perspective (consider information from pages 142 – 145 of the text). Please use appropriate
APA citation and attribution rules for all information sources.
An organization’s brand is differentiated by its products offering but the set of products
offering and marketing can be optimized when products are related to one another (Kotler
& Keller, 2016, pp. 164-166). The aggregate of all the products offered by an organization
is referred to as product mix, however, different products can be related and function in a
consistent way (Kotler & Keller, 2016, p. 166). According to Kotler & Keller (2016, p.
166), the product mix of an organization comprises diverse product lines with defined
dimensions (width, length, depth, and consistency). Understanding the dimensions of
product mix can help an organization expand its offerings in four possible directions. The
addition of new product lines can result to widening the product mix, lengthening each
product line, deepening the product mix by adding more product variants, and pursuing
more product line consistency (Kotler & Keller, 2016, p. 166). Nevertheless, the product
line analysis helps an organization to make good product decisions.
An organization can improve and expand its offerings by combining its products with
products from other firms. Co-branding is one of the ways to achieve strategy, a
combination of two or more popular brands into a joint product or jointly marketed in some
style (Kotler & Keller, 2016, p. 169). A good example is Apple and Nike (Apple Watch
Nike+, bringing sports and music together). Both organizations separately have brand
equity, and this combination is targeted at specific customers. Co-branding establishes
credibility of products and strengthens the market position of the organizations involved.
It makes products less susceptible to imitation, enhances the image of the products and
consumers tend to trust the products more. The improved products translate to increase in
sales. Co-branding allows organizations to have joint advertisement, thus extending the
reach and visibility of the products as well as gaining interest in each other’s market. Also,
joint advertisement increases return on investment (ROI). However, the negative effect of
co-branding is the reputational risk and credibility risk involved. The bad traits of one of
the companies can spell doom for both companies and unsatisfactory experiences with one
brand can snowball to the other brand, thus destroying the total equity.
A special case of co-branding known as ingredient branding is targeted at making a less
famous brand gain recognition. It develops brand equity for materials, components, or parts
that are necessarily contained within other branded products (Kotler & Keller, 2016, p.
169). A good example is Dell (famous computer manufacturer) and Intel (provides
processors for the computers). Ingredient co-branding provides unique awareness, specific
touch of difference and superior quality products. It provides long-term customer
relationship (Intel – Dell relationship) for the seller of the ingredient brand. Nevertheless,
the lesser brand can overshadow the primary brand as consumers sights the ingredient
brand as a signal of quality, just as in the case of Intel and all the leading original equipment
manufacturers (OEM).
b. How an organization can develop consumer experiences that enhance the vague, abstract, and
often complex characteristics of services (consider information from pages 160 – 169 of the
text). Please use appropriate APA citation and attribution rules for all information sources.
To develop consumer experiences, an organization needs to understand the four distinctive
characteristics of services from the viewpoint of the marketing programs design:
intangibility, inseparability, variability, and perishability (Kotler & Keller, 2016, pp. 184–
186). Physical products are tangible, but services are vague and abstract, thus the need to
put life into services. An organization should manage the evidence of quality and make the
intangibility character of services tangible. Progressive insurance has succeeded in
transforming intangible insurance service into tangible service. Their adverts have made
consumers to visually identify their service and the real value of their offerings. An
organization should show customers how the service works and focus more on the expected
results as well as emotional benefits, which are all wrapped into customers’ expectations.
Sharing case studies and testimonials can be a starting point for an organization to develop
positive experience and gain the trust of consumers.
According to Kotler & Keller (2016, p. 185), services are often produced and consumed
simultaneously, thus inseparable. Considering the progressively challenging environment
