Research on the features of anima: An expressional factor of brand identity: A case study of service advertisements of 3 major mobile communication enterprises in Korea

Abstract

This research on the concept of anima commenced with a question on how the expressional factors of brand identity could turn into a subject with vital force. The question was derived from the fact that a logo or symbol of a company, which is simultaneously its brand identity, not only plays the role as a brand name, but also harbors the business philosophy of the firm as well as assumes an important role in collusion with the relationship between customers and a company. The expressional factors of a brand should incorporate unique characteristics and symbol of the trademark. When seen through Upshaw's opinion, a company expresses its intrinsic ego to the outside through the expressional factors of its brand. Here, the expressional factors of a brand should be impressive enough for the consumers to be attracted and perceive them as a 'living personage' or symbol beyond a mere product. The core concept of anima can be viewed largely through its lexical definition and the two categories by Aristotle. The first is 'soul as vital force' and the second is 'a link to connect the soul and body'. The service advertisements by the three major mobile communication enterprises in Korea reveals the anima features that gratify the two conditions. Accordingly, solid design of symbols and logos as expressional factors of brand identity, followed by motions and movements after considering the design factors, will realize a brand identity utilizing motion. Also, this can be seen as brand identity utilizing visual expressions pursuing a certain extent of diversity, while featuring a consistent subject for its intrinsic implicational factors. The writer have discovered that the storytelling factor and motion as expressional factors of anima is actively utilized in advertisements and marketing, which is not a separate phenomena but are under the similar context of Anima: 'visualizing storytelling in order to synthesize the intrinsic and extrinsic factors', and 'motion for vital force'. © 2009 IADIS.