The Augmented Level

Considered majorly to be the most essential of all levels – Augmented Level values those attributes, which could be either functional or emotional, that successfully differentiates a product offering or a service offering from closely fought substitutes. This is the level which helps marketers to effectively visualize and develop a brand positioning and thump the same in consumers’ minds in a way which earns the brand a successful image. It is quite apparent that the augmented features would be added to a product only after it meets the first three levels; Core, generic, and the expected levels.

A consumer buys a ‘Brand’ only when he scans across all these levels. Click here to know the process of brand selection. This brand selection is influenced majorly by the augmented level which not only entails the functional and emotional attributes but also delivers certain symbolic benefits.

To quote an example let us deviate from the mobile phone illustration explained in previous posts, and look at the car industry. Owning a sedan would give immense emotional + functional benefits. However, owning an Audi would bestow the same along with a symbolic benefit – being the symbol of wealth and also synonym with quality and style in the world of automotives. This is what premium brands have successfully been able to pull off – creating symbolic values and benefits that appeal to the niches. That does not mean, other not-so-premium products do not entail any symbolic features; consider Tata’s Nano, which covers both emotional + functional features along with the symbol of being ‘The people’s car’.

Augmentation is possible with every product category and is considered the most important of all other levels of ‘The Product Concept Level’