COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

OF MERCEDES vs BMW
BASED ON
Brand Identity Prism
(Kapferer)
BY
SUMIT MUKHERJEE
SHASANK SHARMA
PRITHWIRAJ SANYAL
SIBASISH BANERJEE
HARSHANKIT
BIPLAB DAS
SANDIP PAL
KAPFERER represents brand identity diagrammatically as
a six-sided prism as shown below:
Constructed Source/Sender

E I
x n
t t
e e
r r
n n
a a
l l
i i
s s
a a
t t
i i
o o
n n

Constructed Receiver
• Physique according to him is the basis of the brand.
– E.G. the physique of Philips is “technology and reliability” while for the
brand Tata it is “trust”

• Personality is same as Aaker, it answers the question “what

happens to this brand when it becomes a person?”

• Culture symbolizes the organization, its country-of-origin and the

values it stands for.
– E.G. traditional brands like balsara, dabur and zandu.
• Relationship is the handshake between consumer and the
organisation.
– E.G. the relationship with “safola” is safety.

• Reflection is the consumer’s perception for what the brands stands

for.
– E.G. coke’s image more attract youth.

• Self-image is what the consumer think of himself.

– E.G. benz Car owner think that since he has bought the car he is
treating himself to one of the best car in the world.
Let us understand the model in detail…
What is a Brand???

“ A Brand is a complex symbol. It is the intangible sum of a product’s

attributes, its name, packaging and price, its history, reputation, and
the way it’s advertised. A brand is also defined by consumer’s
impression of people who use it, as well as their own experience ”

- David Ogilvy
Now let us look at how Brand Experience is differentiated…
Brand Experience are of Two types

Brand Experience

External Internal
The External Brand Experience include

• Name
• Logo
• Advertising
• Brand Identity
• Environments
• Products & Service
The Internal Brand Experience include

• Business Process
• Customer Relations
• Brand Values
• Training
• Quality
• Staff Motivation
• Recruitment Policies
• Technology etc..
Now let us look at the Brand Identity Prism based on Kapferer model
and the 6 key dimensions in it
-Name -Logo -Business Process -Customer Relations
-Advertising -Brand Identity -Brand Values -Training
-Environments -Products & Service -Quality -Staff Motivation
-Recruitment Policies -Technology etc..
Constructed Source

E I
x n
t t
e e
r r
n n
a a
l l
i i
s s
a a
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Constructed Receiver
• Physical
– Product features, symbols & attributes

• Personality
– Character & attitude

• Relationship
– Beliefs & association

• Culture
– Set of Values

• Reflection
– Customer’s view of the brand

• Self-Image
– Internal mirror of customer as user of brand
Now let us do a Comparative analysis through Kapferer’s Prism model
 Two aspects of Brand Identity

Sender Receiver

Physique Personality Reflection Self-Image

Kapferer means
what the central
purpose of the brand
is (that is what the
brand does)
Kapferer means the Kapferer means how
soul of the brand the individual in the
targeted group
identify himself as a
person in relation to
the brand
Kapferer means how
the individual in the
targeted group
identify the brand in
relation to himself

Two dimensions are still left to be explained in the prism, the Relationship and the
Culture
The Relationship is, according to Kapferer, externalizing the brand from the
company outwards, and the culture is an aid for internalizing the brand in the
organization and in to the conscious of the customer

The Culture is, according to Kapferer, the strongest dimension in the prism. It
represents the difference between one brand and another

Now let us look at the prism of Mercedes and BMW

 MERCEDES

Picture of Sender

Physique Personality
NAME, 3 POINTED PERFECTIONIST,
STAR,PREMIUM, BUILD SOPHISTICATED,
E QUALITY DEPENDABLE I
x n
t t
e e
r r
n n
a Relationship Culture a
l BATCH OF SUCCESS GERMAN ENGINEERING l
i i
z z
a a
t t
i i
o o
n n
Reflection Self Image
RICH & FAMOUS SUCCESSFUL OWNER

Picture of Receiver
 BRAND ESSENCE :
ENGINEERING PERFECTION
 BMW

Picture of Sender

Physique Personality
NAME, PROPELLER, YOUNG, EXCITING,
PREMIUM PASSIONATE, SPORTY
E I
x n
t t
e e
r r
n n
a Relationship Culture a
l PLEASURE MACHINE GERMAN l
i PERFORMANCE i
z z
a a
t t
i i
o o
n n
Reflection Self Image
RICH AND FAMOUS DRIVER, CAR LOVER

Picture of Receiver
BRAND ESSENCE : THE
THRILL OF DRIVING
 MERCEDES BMW

Picture of Sender Picture of Sender

Physique Personality Physique Personality

Name, 3 Pointed Perfectionist, Name, Propeller, Young , Exciting ,
E I E
star, Premium, sophisticated, Premium Passionate, Sporty I
x n x
Build Quality Dependable n
t t t t
e e e e
r r r r
n n n n
a Relationship a a Relationship
Culture Culture a
l Batch Of Success l l Pleasure Machine
German German l
i i i
Engineering, Performance, i
z z z z
a a a a
t t t t
i i i i
o o o
Reflection Reflection o
n Self Image n n Self Image
Rich And Famous Rich and Famous n
Successful Owner Driver , Car lover

Picture of Receiver Picture of Receiver

Comparative Analysis