Hey guys!
Looking to learn more about the massive competition between our two major companies?
You've come to the right place!
First, let's have a look at their strategies. As we know, DC Comics and Marvel both have strong company names and are widely recognized.
Marvel for instance, can be considered what is called an "iconic" brand; they can use a "no-brand" strategy because they are so recognizable thanks to the writing and the red colour that is specific to that company.
On the other hand, DC Comics can't be seen as an "iconic" brand mainly because they are not as well known as Marvel.
Both brands have strong names that can be used as a vehicle for new or modified products; this is what we call brand extension.
Furthermore, both Marvel and DC Comics have what is called a brand identity. They have an appealing physique; physical features which are evoked in people's minds when the brand name is mentioned but we notice that Marvel is more recognizable. For example, when watching a marvel movie at the cinema, the beginning is very specific to Marvel, showing pictures of comics and the Marvel sign whereas for DC movies, it isn't as noticeable and not as emphasized.
Marvel and DC comics have their own personality; it is what corresponds to the brand's character. For Marvel, it is the red colour and for DC Comics, it's that very particular blue colour.
What make Marvel and DC Comics so specific are their distinctive characteristics that make them different from their competitors and appealing to the public (we can for example see what impact Batman or Superman have on children but also on adults)
Co-branding and brand extensions are huge parts of Marvel and DC Comic's core.
Indeed, even though the main and primary product launched by both companies were comic books, both have areas of interest claimed by the brand, such as movies, video games, clothes or even accessories.
Their common philosophy appeals to children and adults, boys and girls with these ethical morales of good and bad, superheroes and villains.
What is interesting to notice is that both brands have recently been bought over by bigger and much more influent companies; Marvel have been bought over by Disney and DC Comics by Warner Bros.
Recently, they have acquired many partnerships and fully utilized the concept of co-branding.
Who hasn't seen the Evian add featuring the famous Marvel character Spiderman?
How to miss the amazing new items customized by Marvel, from Reebok Spiderman trainers to
Marvel-printed Vans shoes?
Even more astonishing is the partnership between Marvel and the very famous National Basketball Association (NBA), from the customization of shirts to adds all over New York.
Nonetheless, DC Comics have nothing to be ashamed of!
For instance, the famous brand New Era (mainly a hat brand) has a lot of fun customizing their snapback hats with Batman or Superman symbols.
Another powerhouse partnership was created between the LEGO group and DC entertainment; it is a funny, light-hearted tale new to the DC Comics universe.
Last but not least, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the famous super hero from Gotham City (being Batman of course), DC Comics has teamed up with Paris-based brand Berluti on a special Batman edition of their Playtime sneakers; the DC Comics x Berluti playtime is exclusively available at the Colette store in Paris.
All the superheroes in Marvel or DC Comics are considered sub-brands; they have developed a personality of their own mainly thanks to these movies.
They have always been in a tight competition, and it keeps going on.
In fact, no later than 2 weeks ago, DC Comics released a big announcement; the studio and the Warner Company announced a selection of no less than 10 movies to come out from 2016 to 2020.
It wasn't long until Marvel Studio released THEIR selection of movies, only a week after.
No vacation for competition!!
However, Marvel still outperforms DC Comics in several fields; it is the case in the volume and dollar value as well as in monthly comic sales.
What seems to be very influential is licensing particularly for Marvel, who have been given the license for Star Wars by Disney.
To sum up, Marvel seems more influential and well known compared to DC Comics but what gets interesting is the fact that DC Comics' heroes are for some reason very famous. One of the reasons might be that Marvel usually uses it's own name, whereas DC Comics mainly uses the names of their heroes.
We hope you enjoyed our little explanation about these two giants' branding strategies and we hope to see you soon for another adventure!
To be continued…
By Cat Julia
Sources:
- www.boundless.com/marketing/textbooks
- econsultancy.com/blog
- eurib.org/fileadmin/user_upload
- http://epubl.ltu.se/1402-1773/2006/159/LTU-CUPP-06159-SE.pdf
- http://www.licensemag.com/license-global/power-co-branding
- http://www.warnerbros.com/studio/news/dc-comics-super-heroes-tap-hello-kitty-super-power-fan-favorite-brand-collaboration
- http://ifanboy.com/articles/quantifying-the-value-of-the-marvel-and-dc-brands/
- http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=cal_event&id=6514
- http://www.cinetrafic.fr/actu-cine/218/les-10-prochains-films-dc-comics-au-cinema
- http://www.cinetrafic.fr/actu-cine/232/toutes-les-revelations-de-marvel-au-cinema
- The new strategic brand management - JN Kapferer 4th Edition
Images from:
-http://www.licensemag.com/sites/www.licensingexpo.com/files/static-files/i1_883.jpg
-http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120122093817/lego/images/f/f8/DC_comic.jpg
-http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/dc-hello-kitty2.jpg
-http://searchswear.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/collection-marvel-vans-2013.jpg
-https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx69u76wlS7gdmxnLKt6u1lCj0Nlg-gcyhA_61qc-hiLwL_8CPoUy2FTs6rpWynrT42I6SFFLOU6ssht0oSXgw6crOcWJKJGyqjSQckDWFckSYvPo4RpvvItD9M2JL7i2uSC5hDnx91FI/s1600/marvel-nba-covers-espn-07.jpg- http://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel/i/mg/6/b0/4d506f7a28b76.jpg
-http://instagram.com/p/upkGJAnV1T/?modal=true
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