Contribuição da gestão da marca para a obtenção de vantagens competitivas: o caso Moçambique Celular

Abstract

The brand, in addition to being a tangible characteristic of the product, if taken as the set of elements that characterize a good, such as the name and symbols, is currently associated with intangible aspects of products and services, with the aim of translating those into perceptible characteristics to any audience. The brand, maintained and reinforced in continuous marketing communication, through a brand management process, becomes a unique factor of differentiation between goods, as it creates associations in the mind of each individual who interacts with it. These associations, increasingly exploited by companies, allow them to develop defensible positions against market forces, through the development of marketing strategies based on brand communication. However, in Mozambique, the perception of the brand concept and the importance of marketing is latent within organizations. The brand is also associated with the set of signs, symbols and the possibility of registering patents or other related rights of an asset. Only since 1997 has the country had laws relating to the international registration of trademarks and there is no information or disclosure about their importance. The brand's true potential remains to be explored. This paper sought to describe how the brand management process can contribute to the creation of a unique, lasting and profitable market position, to help Mozambican companies and society in general understand the brand management process and the its contribution to obtaining a competitive advantage in the market. To this end, it was based on an analysis of the brand management practice, carried out by mozambique Celular (mcel). The company is currently one of the two mobile telephone operators in the country, and has been noted for the effort to communicate its brand after the change, for the second time, of its corporate identity. To carry out the work, we used the exploratory method based on observation and analysis of the history related to the practice of brand management in the Mozambican cell phone company. Literature related to marketing theory, branding and documental information related to the company's actions was searched. Information was collected from primary sources, such as an interview with the “head of the data and content business group” (cgdc) at mcel, and a questionnaire, whose sample was collected in the city of Maputo and in the city of Nampula, in the belt aged from 17 to 55 years, mostly students, according to the characteristics of the majority of mcel's customers, using the convenience sampling method. Completing the questionnaire allows us to verify that the mcel brand is well known in the market and that it is preferred by current and potential customers. The brand management process, carried out by mobile mozambique, helps the company to create a strong and high-value brand, which contributes to obtaining a competitive advantage in the market