Difference Between Brand Image and Brand Identity

Customer’s perception of a brand affects business performance in all aspects. While this is repairable, it is no doubt that a ruined brand name is expensive to repair, and even irreparable in most instances. With branding, terms such as brand identity and brand image are common. While these two are often used interchangeably, they are different in various aspects.

What is Brand Image?

Usually intangible, this is the way consumers view a brand, and reflect the outward authenticity, character, and personality to the brand. A brand’s image is based on how consumers perceive, connect and relate to a brand, and is important in paving the way to attaining a set market target. Although it relates more to organizational culture, a consumer’s perception of the image is who the brand is and what it stands for. It is developed over time through interaction with consumers and well as campaigns, whereby customers can have a negative or positive image of the brand.

What is Brand Identity?

This is how a brand packages itself and the way it wants to be perceived by potential and existing customers. Although most people relate brand identity with the brand logo, other aspects that affect brand identity include tangible factors such as color, language, and images. It mainly entails operational and intellectual operations of the brand and correlates with a brand’s current market position. Companies have total control of the brand identity and are often created through an organization’s active engagement.

Similarities between Brand Image and Brand Identity

• Both relate to ways in which a business presents itself to the market

Differences between Brand Image and Brand Identity

Definition

Brand image refers to the way consumers view a brand, and reflects the outward authenticity, character, and personality to the brand. On the other hand, brand identity refers to the way a brand packages itself and how it wants to be perceived by potential and existing customers.

Development

A brand image is created based on consumers’ experience with a product or service. On the other hand, a brand identity is created through an organization’s active engagement.

Focus

While brand image focuses on improving the consumer’s experiences and maintaining relationships, brand identity focuses on improving consumer’s experiences.

Basis

While the brand image is based on consumer’s experiences with the brand, brand identity is based on how the company presents itself to the target customers.

Indicates

While brand image indicates the consumer’s perception of the brand, brand identity relays the organization’s objective, mission, vision, and goals.

Elements used

While brand image uses both brand associations and brands visible elements, brand identity uses the brand’s visible elements.

Representation

Brand image is a representation of other people’s views or perceptions of the brand while brand identity is a representation of a company’s desire.

Control

While companies do not have total control over the brand’s image, companies have total control of the brand identity.

Tangibility

While a brand’s image is intangible as it reflects the authenticity and character of a business, a brand’s identity is tangible as it relates to the visual representation of a company.

Brand Image vs. Brand Identity: Comparison Table

Summary of Brand Image vs. Brand Identity

Brand image refers to the way consumers view a brand, and reflects the outward authenticity, character, and personality to the brand, with the use of a brand’s association and visible elements.  On the other hand, brand identity refers to the way a brand packages itself and how it wants to be perceived by potential and existing customers, with the use of visible elements. While the brand image is a representation of other people’s views and used as an indicator of the consumer’s perception of the brand, brand identity is a representation of a company’s desire and is used as an indicator of the organization’s objective, mission, vision, and goals.

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