Understanding your brand

The identity of the brand I'm studying (Yellow Pages) can be divided into four parts - personality, heritage, values and essence.
The personality of the brand is trust-worthy, reliable but also old-fashioned. In the advert, the protagonist turns to the Yellow Pages for help and asks someone to 'save his life'. It shows that the product is very helpful to anyone in an emergency and a feeling of no failure is conveyed. However, as the settings of the advert is not the present, it could emphasise the fact that Yellow Pages is old and traditional, yet still helpful to us. Moreover, the product looks heavy and big and it could show its reliability by showing how much information it contains. Furthermore, the yellow colour of the product conveys that it's energetic, just like the protagonist when he jumps above the obstacles in his living room to get the Yellow Pages.
Traditional and simple could be its heritage because the advert is set in the 1980s and also the costumes of the characters suggest that it is not in the present. It emphasises the fact that the brand was created years ago and the product is still available and used often now. This shows that even though the brand is old, it could show its matureness and how people trust it throughout the years. Therefore, timelessness is also one of the brand's heritages. The music used is fast and comedic which keeps up with the rhythm of the story and also shows timelessness as it suggests time passing. Also, it reinforces the energetic personality of the brand.
The brand puts emphasis on its quality and efficiency as in the advert, the protagonist finds the number he needs almost immediately after he opens the Yellow Pages without much effort and his 'rescue team' arrives in no time. This shows that the product provides high quality and quick services, which the costumers can feel secured about. Also, the advert mentions about the protagonist's family. It could be one of the values of the brand because the protagonist wants to fix everything before his parents come back to avoid arguments and fights between them. Hence, family might be a theme in this advert and for the brand, as everyone in the family could use the Yellow Pages in ease.
The hard benefits of the brand would be providing help whenever it is needed and the services are efficient and affordable, whereas the emotional benefits could be the owner feeling safe and secured when owning the product as they know that it is handy and helpful to them.

Practical project reflections

The product of our advertisement is yellow pages and from the original advert, I learn that this book is almost ‘omniscient’, it has every phone number that one might need when in emergency like the teenager in the commercial, where the scratch on the table needs to be covered before his parents get home and find out. The narrative starts off by the main character receiving a phone call and we assume that it is from his parents informing him that they’re coming home soon. However, the house is in bad condition and there’s a scratch on the table that his parents cannot know about. Hence, he takes out the yellow pages and finds the number for cleaning services. At the end, the ‘hero’ comes and clears the scratch on the table and ‘saves the world’. It is shown that the service is efficient because it finishes before his parents come back. The music is fast and creates a rhythm that matches with the idea of time passing and everything happens very fast.

I would want to buy this product because it seems very helpful to me as a university student living on my own because all of the problems can be solved by just one phone call.

We plan to draw the storyboard and divide the shots first before shooting as this will help us organise our shooting better. This advert is chosen because the yellow pages is a multifunctional product so that it's easier for us to brainstorm new ideas for the advert. We have decided to keep some of the elements from the original advert but add in new scenes/scenarios to make the advert more interesting. Some of the problems we might have would be creating the setting, as we need a messy kitchen and broken things. Also, we need to consider the number of pictures we need to take in order to complete the scene without any misunderstanding.

Brand Identity

'Think different.'

Apple Inc. is a very reputable brand that produces high quality electronic products, computer software and provides online services. It is one of the most luxurious electronic brands in the market but the users ranges from teenagers to elderlies in their 60s. As shown, it is a very popular brand with its sleek and high-end products that are loved by most people.

The brand was established in 1976 when Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne started selling the Apple personal computer kit. The company has been focusing on producing computer hardware and software until 2007, when its company name changed from Apple Computers Inc. to Apple Inc. It started to produce mobile devices since then and widened its market.

The products are largely used in daily life, for instance, the iPhone is a smartphone that can be used for phone calls, texting, internet, taking photos/video and more. The iPhone 5C launched in 2012 set a new record of selling over nine million devices in the first day of launch. It reinforces the popularity of the brand. On the other hand, another popular product is iPad, a tablet that enables users to watch movies or videos on a larger retina monitor comparing to the original iPhone. People use it as portable computers to be used conveniently in conferences and meetings. Therefore, it is much loved by businessmen and even teachers.

The products are said to be produced in America until 1990s, after that the manufacture line has extended to overseas. According to the New York Times, the industrial skills of foreign workers have 'outpaced' the American counterparts that 'made in USA' is not a good option for producing its products.

Moreover, the brand's slogan 'Think different.' suggests the creativity and refreshing feeling of the brand. The photos used on its official website are sophisticated and look professional, which allows consumers to trust their products and helps to build up its brand image.

The slogans on its adverts and website are simple and straightforward, such as 'The New Macbook' and 'The watch is coming.' which are short but powerful. Also, the message is delivered to the consumers accurately while enhancing the clean, professional image of the brand.

According to the Apple website, all products include an unlimited complimentary support within the first 90 days of purchase. Also, the costumers could buy a one-year limited warranty and AppleCare protection plan in addition to further protect their products.

Apple Inc. has experienced rebranding in 1997 to improve its brand image and gain more costumers. The conversion started by changing its logo from a colourful, fun colour to a more sophisticated silver, suggesting expertise and profession. Moreover, not only the logo, the company has developed different products other than computers to attract even more consumers, such as mobile apps with App Store and music with iTunes. This change has transformed Apple Inc. into a more diverse company which produces high quality products that are user-friendly.