Differences Between Vichy Brand Image and Vichy Brand Identity

Brand identity originated by the company should be maintained across the markets. It is the essence of the brand. Brand identity is communicated to consumers through coded messages and signals. As the result of the communication process brand image in consumers' minds is constructed. Brand image refers to the perception of the brand by consumers, & it can be different from the original brand essence created by the company. The gap between brand identity and brand image may happen due to the influence of the external factors on the process of delivering messages from the company to the consumers or the specifics of the information perception by the latter. The key challenge for marketing managers is to construct the understanding of the brand among the target audience aligned with company's vision. In this research paper the issue of the gap between brand identity and brand image is studied on the example of Vichy brand (L'Oréal Groupe). Recently Vichy has revised its identity, thus for the company it is an acute question whether the renewed identity is recognized by the consumers. The research is done in French and in Russian markets, and the results are compared between countries.