Overview

Products satisfy needs; brands add meaning and loyalty. Product managers navigate life‑cycle stages, portfolio decisions, and new‑product development (NPD). Brand managers build equity through positioning, identity, and consistent experiences.

Key Concepts

• Product Levels: Core benefit, actual product, augmented product (services, warranty).
• Product Life Cycle (PLC): Introduction, growth, maturity, decline—guides marketing mix adjustments.
• Breadth & Depth: Product mix width, line length, consistency; use BCG matrix for pruning.
• NPD Stages: Idea generation → Screening → Concept testing → Business analysis → Development → Test marketing → Commercialization.
• Brand Equity: Awareness, perceived quality, associations, loyalty (Aaker model).
• Brand Architecture: House of brands, branded house, endorsed brands, sub‑brands.
• Packaging & Labeling: Functional protection + communication of positioning and regulatory info.
• Service Attributes (for services marketing): Intangibility, inseparability, variability, perishability (IIVP).

Step‑by‑Step Example

Scenario: PureGlow launches a smart LED skincare mirror.

1 PLC Projection → Tech gadget category suggests rapid growth then obsolescence in ~3 yrs.

2 NPD Execution → Conduct concept test with beauty influencers; prototypes pass usability metrics.

3 Branding → Create sub‑brand “PureGlow Aura” under parent PureGlow to signal premium tier.

4 Packaging → Recyclable molded pulp tray + holographic sleeve communicates tech‑meets‑beauty.

5 Launch Mix → Skimming price; limited‑edition drop via DTC site; unboxing YouTube campaign.

Answer: Integrating PLC insights, NPD rigor, and thoughtful branding positions PureGlow Aura for a profitable growth phase.

Quick Tip