Research Paper on:
Using Real People as Analogies for Brand Names

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
as well as a wide variety of substitutes. This is particularly true in the retail sectors. To compete successfully, Michael Porter has argued a company must gain a competitive advantage  (Thompson, 1998). With only one company able to gain a cost advantage, this means other will seek to differentiate themselves from the competition, so that consumer will buy their product,  rather than that of a competitor. One source of differentiation that has been used is that of brand image and brand personality. The analogy of a brand as a person  has been seen many times over, and as such it may be one that increases the ability for a consumer to understand and relate to a brand.  The use of an analogy looks to compare similarities of one element with another, and put it into terms that can be more easily understood by  the observer. For example, the will of an individual may be compared to a brisk wall which will not and cannot move, or to a reed that bends in the  currents of a river. Both will bring tom mind stronger images than a description alone. Analogy helps the individual to perceive that which is being described.  It has also been stated by William James, a US philosopher and psychologists, that if "people perceive a thing to be real then we may as  well act as if it is real" (Edwards, 1998). The development of brand personality may be seen as both contrived and also as a natural evolution. The use of certain  images to sell products may have been aimed at association marketing rather than creating a brand personality as such. However once in place, it is perceived by the customers as