To be ‘successful’ a brand needs to establish both points of parity and points of difference with competitors’ brands.

A brand is a crucial aspect of any business today due to the increasing competition within many markets. Consumers have a wide range of products and services to choose from yet they are becoming more alike due to trends in technology therefore a brand needs to be more than just a symbol, logo, name or design. In order to gain a competitive advantage, brands are adding other dimensions that create a unique and meaningful identity in consumers’ minds. These brand associations are also known as points of difference. However, some associations are ‘not necessarily unique to the brand but may in fact be shared with other brands’ (Keller, 2012pg44). These are known as points of parity which are functionally similar or equal associations that give consumers no reason against buying a specific brand. However, it is arguable whether a brand needs to establish points of parity and points of difference with competitors’ brands in order to be successful. This paper looks at buyers of competing retailers and their purchase motives, brand differentiation, brand associations, brand salience, brand mantra USE CATERGORIZATION MODEL, IMPLICATIONS FOR BRAND EQUITY MANAGEMENT,,, CATEGORY DOMINATED BY TWO MAINB BRANDS SO EVALUATE POSITIONING OF EACH USING E.G OF TARGET MARKETS AND POPS AND PODS. ALSO DISCUSS NEGATIVELY CORRELATED ATTRIBUTES AND BENEFITS.
Another prime example is Windows and Apple who are both computer vendors. Consumers are aware of both computer brands yet the consumers would identify the attributes differently. Apple can be perceived as stylish and cool whereas Windows is perceived as a world class computing system. This process of creating points of parity and points of difference in consumers’ minds and finding the right place for a brand