A FRAMEWORK OF ICONIC BRANDED PRODUCT IDENTITY

The identity of an object is the character or qualities, attitudes or beliefs that distinguish it from other similar objects in space.An iconic identity is one which is unique, stable and culturally relevant.Scholars in marketing, psychology, neuroscience and communications domains discuss the characteristics of brands, icons and product design.The purpose of this paper is to integrate the streams of research in this area and propose an approach to evaluating branded products to determine if they be considered iconic or not.Specifically, consumer response to branded products in the three dimensions of functional, emotional and visceral areas are evaluated by considering several categories.This paper explores several dimensions in the design of tangible products including, but not limited to, consumer behavior, markets, media and branding, art and culture, technology, usability, and user experience with the express purpose of identifying reasons for some products becoming iconic in their class while others remain nondescript.Integrating Design and Marketing has been prevalent in both scholarship and pedagogy, especially the topics of iconic branding.Several research propositions are forwarded and research methodical approaches recommended.