Brand Management lessons from Disney & its Marvel Cinematic Universe

When an actor signs on to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe owned by 'Disney'), they have to adhere to some pretty strict rules aka protocols, which serve 2 purposes:
1. Data Security
2. Brand Management

Some of these rumored protocols are:

1. FAKE SCRIPTS AND WINDOWLESS ROOMS
To read a full movie script, each actor must individually go into a dark, windowless room without their cell phone and finish the reading in one sitting. Apparently, each script comes with fake items and endings to prevent actors from spoiling the movie.

2. EXTENSIVE BACKGROUND CHECKS CONDUCTED ON PROSPECTIVE ACTORS
Whenever Disney signs up an actor for an MCU role, no matter how seemingly small, extensive background checks are conducted in order to unearth any potential skeletons in their closet. They do background checks to ensure they weren't hiring someone with weird baggage or someone likely to leak things on social media.

3. NON–COMPETE CLAUSE
People might not understand the gravitas of the Marvel vs. DC feud. These two comic book entities have been fighting back and forth, jockeying for position for years now.

4. MUST ATTEND ANY AND ALL PRESS TOURS TO PROMOTE THE FILMS
Not long after the camera stops rolling, and the actors take off their costumes, they begin packing for a traveling caravan of interviews. These tours are extensive and can leave actors extremely exhausted and jet-lagged. Not only are these events lengthy, they're hosted at a variety of international venues.

5. ALL MCU ACTORS HAVE TO MAINTAIN THE DISNEY IMAGE
Disney has never hesitated to drop actors because of their public image or any negative publicity. This means that once the Avengers strip off their tights, they still have to remain a superhero in real life. Each MCU actor must maintain his/her public image by constantly being a person that children look up to. This means that they volunteer at children’s hospitals, partake in charities, and give back to the community.


Credit:

Brand Management glossary simplified - volume 1

Brand essence
It is the spiritual center - the central & timeless essence of the brand ie. the core value(s) that defines the brand and permeates all other aspects of the brand. It is most likely to remain constant as brand travels to new markets and products.

Brand identity
It is how the company presents the brand to the market & how the company wants its customers to view its brand.

Brand personality
It is a set of human characteristics that consumers attribute to a brand. The personality makes the brand more relatable in the eye of the consumer. A consistent set of traits that define this personality will appeal to a specific market segment, and increase brand equity and brand affinity. The personality is a qualitative value proposition for the brand, in addition to its more tangible, functional benefits. The theory behind brand personality states that humans feel more affinity to certain brands as the personality they embody matches that of the customer. There are five types of brand personality: sincerity, ruggedness, excitement, competence, sophistication. Within these categories are further associations. Excitement is associated with being carefree, daring and having a youthful attitude.

Brand positioning
Brand's positioning takes the brand's identity and positions it to a particular audience in a way that magnifies certain attributes of the brand while downplaying others. You’ll notice I say downplay; it must never contradict them. So when Apple, for example, sell to businesses, they position themselves a little differently from when they’re selling to consumers. Sure, the products are still beautiful and easy to use, but Apple know they need to give a little more detail to assist in what is a more rational decision process. They will talk about how apple products aid collaboration, improve efficiency, and increase security. Another example would be me on a night out. My intended brand identity would be a mature, sophisticated Ryan Gosling lookalike, and I’d likely be trying to position myself for the evening as still fun and cool and generally down with the kids, while the reality of my brand image would be that a short, greying man entering middle age who probably shouldn’t be hanging around student nights any more.

Brand experience
It refers to the subjective, internal customer responses (sensations, feelings, and cognitions) and behavioral responses evoked by brand-related stimuli that are part of a brand’s design and identity, packaging, communications, and environments. In other words, brand experience means the experiential aspects consisting of the sum of all points of contact with the brand. These shape how someone perceives your brand ie this shapes the brand's image.

Brand image
It is the set of perceptions that the customers have in mind about a particular brand. It signifies what the brand currently stands for, how it is viewed by the customers. The brand’s image really determines its position in the market, regardless of what the technical details may be.

Brand equity
It represents the value of your brand in the eyes of your customers. Unlike brand value, which is weighed against the market, this metric takes into account loyalty, trust, emotion, and perception. A positive brand value does not always equal positive brand equity, but a positive brand equity tends to equal a positive brand value.

Brand affinity
It describes the consumers who believe a particular brand shares common values with them. These shared values help build a relationship which tends to retain loyal customers for longer. All brand purchases are a mixture of an emotional, rational and behavioral decision. When a customer feels an affinity to a brand, the emotional aspect is more likely to play a part in the decision.

Brand loyalty
It is the tendency of consumers to continuously purchase one brand’s products over another. Someone can be loyal to a brand without feeling an affinity for that brand, simply because they believe it sells the best product. With brand loyalty, there is often no strong personal connection tying consumer to brand. The customer is loyal to the brand because they perceive the brand to provide them with some value. This perceived benefits of this value can keep customers loyal to the brand regardless of pricing or competitor actions. Consumers who are loyal to a brand remain loyal because they believe it offers the best experience and higher quality than the competition. It is a rational decision, rather than an emotional one. It can also be a behavioral decision, in that a customer might continue buying the same brand due to apathy, not loyalty. The difference between the two can be difficult for brands to understand. This habitual nature of a loyal purchase can be accentuated by so-called customer loyalty programs. Encouraging loyalty through special offers does not foster real customer loyalty. Brand affinity is the most valuable and enduring level of customer relationship, as there is a connection between brand and consumer, as well as product and consumer.

Brand value
It is the financial worth or market value of your brand, should you choose to sell it. If someone were to buy your brand, how much would they be willing to pay?


Credit:
Brandwatch.com/blog/brand-affinity
Boss-digital.co.uk/blog/difference-brand-identity-image-positioning
Quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-brand-value-and-brand-equity
Quora.com/What-are-the-differences-between-brand-image-and-brand-equity
Quora.com/What-are-the-differences-between-brand-identity-and-brand-image
Quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-brand-identity-and-brand-personality
Quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-brand-essence-and-brand-positioning
Medium.com/@sillysampi/cutting-through-the-jargon-brand-positioning-brand-essence-brand-equity-and-brand-idea-4020d64f22f3