Caveats to the Research

• We were not provided a geographic focus for this project, so we assumed a broad approach and looked globally. Overall, this is not much of an issue until we examine the significant examples of brand identity in the technology industry. If a more targeted approach is desired for that particular aspect of the research, for example, the United States, this would have to be clearly communicated to us in any reply.

Brand Identity Findings: Brand Image

•  According to Qualtrics, "[b]rand image is the customer’s perception of [a] brand based on their interactions. It can evolve over time and doesn’t necessarily involve a customer making a purchase or using [the] products and/or services.
•  Management Study Guide asserts that "brand image is defined as "is the current view of the customers about a brand. It signifies what the brand presently stands for. It is a set of beliefs held about a specific brand. In short, it is nothing but the consumers’ perception about the product. It is the manner in which a specific brand is positioned in the market. Brand image conveys emotional value and not just a mental image. Brand image is the overall impression in consumers’ mind that is formed from all sources."
•  Feeddough believes that the definition of brand image is "how customers think of a brand. It can be defined as the perception of the brand in the minds of the customers. This image develops over time. Customers form an image based on their interactions and experience with the brand. These interactions take place in many forms and not necessarily involve the purchase or use of products and services."
• All three definitions provided in the previous three bullet points all point to the same definition.

Brand Identity Findings: Identity Marketing

•  SheerID defines identity marketing as "the new way brands are using personalized offers to identify and acquire consumer tribes like students, teachers, and the military." Identity marketing uses instant, digital verification to create a personalized experience for buyers without asking them to provide any sensitive data. Because these personalized offers recognize the consumer’s true identity, they increase purchase intent, trigger greater sharing with other members of the consumer’s tribe, facilitate deeper trust, and lower acquisition costs."
• This above bullet point is verified by Forrester.
• "Identity-driven marketing is using that ‘whole person’ understanding to recognize that specific individual wherever and however they interact, and present them with tailored and consistent messaging at all promotional and transactional touchpoints," according to 4 A's.
• All three sources point to the same definition. We also found this McKinsey source that discusses Identity Marketing, but speaks of it in context of conversions. We included this in case it was of interest.

Summary Of Our Early Findings Relevant To The Goals

• Our initial hour of research was spent making sure that all the aspects of the research could be answered by publicly available sources, and then providing the answers to two of the seven questions asked.
• We want to note that we found no separate definition for "identity advertising". All definitions from credible and reliable sources pointed us back to "identity marketing". This is likely because the definition of marketing and advertising is virtually identical. While advertising involves a company paying to get its message in front of a target audience, marketing is broader: It includes all aspects of advertising, but also the research needed to serve those ads properly, to price those goods and services competitively, and to monitor the efficacy of all related efforts. However, it is close enough that we could find no sources that separated the two when it came to "identity". We are not suggesting any further research for this aspect of the project.
• Please select one or more of the options provided in the proposed scoping section below.