Everything You Need to Know About Adobe

Adobe is essentially a dried mud brick, combining the natural elements of earth, water, and sun. It is an ancient building material usually made with tightly compacted sand, clay, and straw or grass mixed with moisture, formed into bricks, and naturally dried or baked in the sun without an oven or kiln. In the United States adobe is most prevalent in the hot, arid Southwest. Although the word is often used to describe an architectural style—adobe architecture—adobe is actually a building material.  Adobe bricks have been used around the world, including near the muddy river areas of ancient Egypt and the ancient architecture of the Middle East. It is used today but also found in primitive architecture: mud bricks were used even before the grand ancient stone temples of Greece and Rome. Construction methods and the composition of adobe—the recipe—vary according to climate, local customs, and the historical era. Adobes strength and resilience vary with its water content: too much water weakens the brick. Todays adobe is sometimes made with an asphalt emulsion added to help with waterproofing properties. A mixture of Portland cement and lime may also be added. In parts of Latin America, fermented cactus juice is used for waterproofing. Although the material itself is naturally unstable, an adobe wall can be load bearing, self-sustaining, and naturally energy efficient. Adobe walls are often thick, forming a natural insulation from the environmental heat that creates and sustains the material. Todays commercial adobe is sometimes kiln-dried, although purists may call these clay bricks. Traditional adobe bricks need about a month of drying in the sun before they can be used. If the brick is mechanically compressed, the adobe mixture needs less moisture and the bricks can be used almost immediately, although purists may call these compressed earth bricks. About the Word Adobe In the United States, the word adobe is said with the accent on the second syllable and the last letter pronounced, as in ah-DOE-bee. Unlike many architecture words, adobe does not originate in Greece or Italy. It is a Spanish word that does not originate in Spain. Meaning the brick, the phrase at-tuba comes from Arabic and Egyptian languages.  As Muslims migrated across northern Africa and into the Iberian Peninsula, the phrase was transformed into a Spanish word after the eighth century CE. The word entered our English language through the colonization of America by Spain after the 15th century. The word is widely used in the southwestern United States and Spanish speaking countries. Like the building material itself, the word is ancient, going back to the creation of language—derivations of the word have been seen in ancient hieroglyphics. Materials Similar to Adobe Compressed Earth Blocks (CEBs) resemble adobe, except they usually do not contain straw or asphalt, and they generally are more uniform in size and shape. When adobe is NOT formed into bricks, its called puddled adobe, and is used like the mud material in cob houses. The material is mixed and then thrown in lumps to gradually create an earthen wall, where the mixture dries in place. In the Natural Building Blog, Dr. Owen Geiger,  Director of the Geiger Research Institute of Sustainable Building, contends that Native Americans used puddled adobe before the Spanish introduced adobe brick-making methods. Preservation of Adobe Adobe is resilient if well-maintained. One of the oldest known structures in the U.S. is made from adobe bricks, the San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe, New Mexico, built between 1610–1628. Preservationists at the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior provide guidance on historic preservation, and their Preservation of Historic Adobe Buildings (Preservation Brief 5) published in August 1978 has been the gold standard for keeping this building material maintained. Constant monitoring of deterioration sources, including the breakdown of mechanical systems like leaky plumbing, is the most important part of maintaining an adobe structure. It is the nature of adobe buildings to deteriorate, we are told in Preservation Brief 5, so careful observation of subtle changes and performing maintenance on a regular basis is a policy which cannot be over emphasized. Problems usually have more than one source, but the most common are (1) poor building, design, and engineering techniques; (2) too much rainwater, ground water, or watering of surrounding vegetation; (3) wind erosion from windblown sand; (4) plants taking root or birds and insects living within the adobe walls; and (5) previous repairs with incompatible building materials. Traditional Methods of Construction To maintain historic and traditional adobe, its best to know traditional methods of construction so that repairs can be compatible. For example, true adobe bricks must be assembled with a mud mortar of properties similar to the adobe. You cant use cement mortar because its too hard  Ã¢â‚¬â€ that is, the mortars cannot be stronger than the adobe brick, according to preservationists. Foundations are often constructed of masonry red brick or stone. Adobe walls are load-bearing and thick, sometimes braced with buttresses. Roofs are usually wooden and laid flat, with horizontal rafters covered with other materials. The familiar vigas projecting through the adobe walls are really the timber parts of the roof. Traditionally, the roof was used as additional living space, which is why wooden ladders are often propped up alongside an adobe home. After the railroads enabled the transport of building materials to the American Southwest, other roof types (e.g., hipped roofs) began to appear atop adobe brick buildings. Adobe brick walls, once in place, are usually protected by applying a variety of substances. Before an exterior siding is applied, some contractors may spray on insulation for added thermal protection—a dubious practice in the long term if it allows the bricks to retain moisture. Since adobe is an ancient building method, traditional surface coatings may include substances that seem odd to us today, such as fresh animal blood. More common sidings include: mud plaster, a mixture of elements the same as the adobe brick mixturelime plaster, a mixture containing lime, which is harder than mud, but more prone to crackingwhitewash, a mixture preservationists describe as ground gypsum rock, water, and claystucco, a relatively new form of siding for naturally dried adobe bricks—cement stucco does not stick to traditional adobe bricks, so wire mesh must be used Like all architecture, construction materials and methods of building have a shelf-life. Eventually, adobe bricks, surface coverings, and/or roofing deteriorate and must be repaired. Preservationists recommend following these general rules: Unless youre a professional, dont try to fix it yourself. Patching and repairing adobe bricks, mortar, rotting or insect-ridden wood, roofs, and surfacing agents should be handled by seasoned professionals, who will know to use matching construction materials.Repair any problem sources before beginning anything else.For repairs, use the same materials and building methods that were used to build the original structure. The problems created by introducing dissimilar replacement materials may cause problems far exceeding those which deteriorated the adobe in the first place, preservationists warn. Adobe is a formed-earth material, a little stronger perhaps than the soil itself, but a material whose nature is to deteriorate. The preservation of historic adobe buildings, then, is a broader and more complex problem than most people realize. The propensity of adobe to deteriorate is a natural, ongoing process....Competent preservation and maintenance of historic adobe buildings in the American Southwest must (1) accept the adobe material and its natural deterioration, (2) understand the building as a system, and (3) understand the forces of nature which seek to return the building to its original state. — National Park Service, Preservation Brief 5 Adobe Is Not Software Since the first Earth Day, people from all walks of life have found a calling advocating for natural building methods that will help save the earth. Earth-based products are naturally sustainable—you are building with the materials that surround you—and energy efficient. The folks at Adobe is not Software are just one of many groups in the Southwest devoted to promoting the benefits of adobe construction through training. They offer hands-on workshops on both making adobe and building with adobe. Adobe is more than software even in the high-tech world of southern California. Most of the largest commercial manufacturers of adobe brick are in the American Southwest. Both Arizona Adobe Company and the San Tan AdobeCompany are located in Arizona, a state rich in the raw materials needed to manufacture the building material. New Mexico Earth Adobes has been producing traditionally made bricks since 1972. Shipping costs can be more than product costs, however, which is why architecture made with adobe is mostly found in this region. It takes thousands of adobe bricks to construct a modest-sized home. Although adobe is an ancient method of construction, most building codes tend to focus on post-industrial processes. A traditional building method like building with adobe has become non-traditional in todays world. Some organizations are trying to change that. The Earthbuilders’ Guild, Adobe in Action, and the international conference called Earth USA help keep the mixtures baking in the heat of the sun and not in ovens run by fossil fuels. Adobe in Architecture: Visual Elements Pueblo Style and Pueblo Revival: Adobe construction is most closely associated with what is called Pueblo architecture. A pueblo is in fact a community of people, a Spanish word from the Latin word populus. The Spanish settlers combined their knowledge with the terraced communities occupied by the people already living in the area, the  indigenous people of the Americas. Monterey Style and Monterey Revival: When Monterey, California was an important seaport in the early 1800s, the population centers of the new country called the United States were in the East. When New Englanders like Thomas Oliver Larkin and John Rogers Cooper moved West, they took with them ideas of home and combined them with local customs of adobe construction. Larkins 1835 home in Monterey, which set the standard for the Monterey Colonial Style, exemplifies this fact of architecture, that design is often a mixture of features from different places. Mission and Mission Revival: When the Spanish colonized the Americas, they brought the Roman Catholic religion. The Catholic-built missions became symbols of a new way in a new world. Mission San Xavier Del Bac near Tucson, Arizona was built in the 18th century, when this territory was still part of the Spanish empire. Its original adobe brick has been repaired with low-fired clay brick. Spanish Colonial and Spanish Colonial Revival: Spanish style homes in the New World are not necessarily constructed with adobe. The only true Spanish colonial homes in the United States are the ones that were built during the long Spanish occupation from the 16th to 19th centuries. Homes from the 20th and 21st centuries are said to revive the style of the Spanish homeland. However, the traditional construction of a house in the medieval town of Calataà ±azor, Spain shows how this method of construction moved from Europe to America—the stone foundation, the overhanging roof, the timber beams for support, the adobe bricks, all ultimately hidden by a surface coating that defines the architectural style. Sources Preservation of Historic Adobe Buildings, Preservation Brief 5, National Park Service Publication, August 1978, https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/5-adobe-buildings.htm and PDF at https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/preservedocs/preservation-briefs/05Preserve-Brief-Adobe.pdfSan Xavier del Bac, National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/tuma/learn/historyculture/san-xavier-del-bac.htm and https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/american_latino_heritage/San_Xavier_del_Bac_Mission.html [accessed February 8, 2018]A Brief History of Mission San Xavier del Bac, http://www.sanxaviermission.org/History.html [accessed February 8, 2018]Photo Credits: Adobe Pueblo in Taos, New Mexico, Rob Atkins/Getty Images; Thomas Oliver Larkin House, Ed Bierman via flickr.com, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0); Calataà ±azor, Spain house, Cristina Arias/Getty Images (cropped); Mission San Xavier Del Bac,Robert Alexander/Getty Images (cropped)

Being A Psychiatric Therapist For Fourteen Years Essay

Having been a psychiatric therapist for fifteen years, I was stumped. Why were my clients finding it so difficult to beat depression? Was I teaching my clients the wrong things? I thought about what I was teaching them: how to talk back to negative and often really nasty self-thoughts; the importance of human connection; the essential need to seek out meaning and purpose in life; the need to toss aside, no hurl away, self-sabotaging behaviors; the vital role medication often plays. No, the problem wasn t with these things. These things were solid. I decided to ask other therapists if their clients were finding it particularly difficult to beat depression. Seriously? they said. You re really asking that? Why was depression so hard to beat? After giving the problem much thought, I had several epiphanies, which very well may have been tied to the electrical storm lighting up the blackened sky in my part of the country. These led me to write a book, If I Could Just Snap Out of It, D on t You Think I Would? A Nine-Month Plan for Smashing Depression and create a website on smashing depression. There were obstacles standing in the way of people beating their depression. And these obstacles have to do with the way people think about things. And unless the obstacles were overcome, depressed people couldn t go on to the next step. I call the fist obstacle The Brain as the Holy Grail. Ever since sixth grade science, I and all the other humans I know have been awareShow MoreRelatedMultiple Personality Disorder Essay1635 Words   |  7 Pagessuffer with it. This essay will clearly define Multiple Personality Disorder along with a detailed synopsis of the disease itself. The diagnosis, alter personalities, different treatments and views will indicate the disease is real. The American Psychiatric Association named Multiple Personality Disorder in 1994 Dissociative Disorder. 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These factors are psychological, environmental, social, and cultural. Not all of these factors play a part in every adolescent who abuses alcohol, but one of these factors is usually present. Psychological disorders have beenRead More Innocence Taken Essay1805 Words   |  8 Pagesdesire by an adult for a child, but in all actuality it is the rape of childhood innocence from our youth. As more and more people crowd into this densely populated city, pedophilia increasingly grows as a major social problem for Miami. Just over a year ago, a sophisticated â€Å"pedophile sex ring was uncovered which had multi-national ties connecting Miami with Italy, China, and England. This is why parents must be prepared in this day and age to deal with sexual child abuse, especiall y since there

Conflict and resolution Free Essays

In preparing to make this particular essay, much to my consternation I could not immediately think about a conflict that may be appropriate to nor have I found something that must be worth telling. After debating about the onerous and numerous conflicts that had already occurred in my life, there is a particular problem that I had found worth telling. It would not be amiss if I had chosen to talk about the inner turmoil that had surfaced in my life –the turmoil that is religion. We will write a custom essay sample on Conflict and resolution or any similar topic only for you Order Now Upon reaching the age of awareness and understanding, it had been a long standing question for me whether or not I would take up the religion that my parents that had adopted or to continue tradition and take up my grandparents long standing religion. The background of this familial conflict is dated when I was still small, approximately, at the age of 9 or 10. My inner turmoil then continued on when I was in my adolescent years and finally resolved when I was nearing the age of nineteen. My inner conflict, my religious affiliation, had been resolved by deciding not to just choose the two religions that were pushed to me by my elders but I have chosen to open myself up with the possibility that religious affiliations will not be the only way for me to come to terms with my faith in a Higher Being. Notice that I have used the term Higher Being? I believe it to be a wise decision especially when later I would present the main reason for it. Relating this tear-jerking experience is at some degree hard for me. It was tear-wrenching since I remembered myself crying over it a couple of times and I remembered myself frustrated and flustered with the idea. At the young age of 9 or 10, my grandmother poked around my own feelings about the change in religion that my mother, and eventually, my father had taken. Raised to an honesty policy, I found it hard to just let the topic die down with a simple affirmative answer. I confessed to them my confusion and my own conflict, since for at least 9 years of my life I had grown to know my grandparents’ religion. It was just innocent enough and maybe too naà ¯ve and unguarded. After that particular conversation, I saw my mother crying in my parents’ room. Guessing the reason why, I had come to a realization that I had put my mother in a deeper fix than she was before. My grandparents are Catholics and my mother chose another religion that my grandmother was skeptical about. This particular religion still involves worshipping God but its ways are different from that of my grandparents’. My grandmother and my mother had a row about it and eventually there was a rift between them. They were still in speaking terms but both of them had conveniently forgotten about the issue of religion. In fact, my grandmother tolerated my mother’s decision and my mother tolerated my grandmother’s opinions. This was the routine until I was about to enter high school years. It could then be seen here that my conflict started when I witnessed my mother crying over something that I had said to my grandmother. It seems that my grandmother blamed my mother for the state of confusion that I was in at that time. After the incident, I have learned a little tact and learned to curb my tongue when it comes to religious outbursts. Personally, this would have been left as is given that I was still young and playing was my main concern. But the incident has glued on to my head for a few more years. I did not anticipate that it would take a better half of my life fighting over and pretending that I believed in what both parties were telling me. Eventually, I had taken up my parents’ religion for a while and I was content at that time. But as time passed by, I became restless with the mind boggling experiences that I have witnessed. Take for example my other relatives; they began seeing my mother as a deviant and that her religious choice was highly dubitable. As an adolescent, my parents had provided me certain independence and other liberties to explore my own self. They may still have influenced me greatly but in this particular subject, they could not sway me from my convictions. I had given my parents’ religion a chance and engaged in activities that were thrust upon me. The fusses that the activities had made me forget, temporarily though, my inner turmoil. Only when I began school again that I was able to fully recover the idea from the back of my mind. During this time, my grandparents had slowly changed their opinions about my mother seeing that this change did not become destructive. But the scene kept playing in my head and it grows more vivid by the time passes by. In school, I would ask other people regarding religion and still could not find a satisfactory answer. My inquiries had taken me nowhere but deeper than I was before. It was later that Sunday service could no longer satisfy my growing need for an answer. It came to a point that I almost became an atheist, and blamed my parents for it. The redeeming factor that came into my mind was due to the pastor’s statement that God loves me regardless of what I have become. This display of unconditional love had made me realize that there is more to life than just religious affiliations. I could even remember having a heated debate with a friend regarding my opinion. It is in my strong belief that a Higher Being, regardless of who he/she is, would actually accept me for what I am. I do not think that my values and/or virtues would have a direct link with what religious affiliation that I would take. Seeing other religious people and their fervor in proving whose religion is much better only makes me shake my head in disbelief. The shock that such juvenile bickering could still ensue among adults, like my mother and grandmother, had led me to a decision that would not hurt both adults and would benefit me as a person. What is religion then? They say that religion is a certain system of belief but this definition may have been problematic still and that the problem of the definitions are still at large now (Robinson). For me, religion became a hindrance to a contented life. It made me agitated thinking that I had to choose and that I had to set myself with the restrictions and limitations that the religions have. In the end, I had chosen a path where I could actually be satisfied with. Some people would still nag me about it and some people may scorn me about it but this decision actually works in my life. It may sound too pragmatic and impermanent but this is how I could cope with after the pressures that I had. I learned here that inquiries and a degree of skepticism would not be bad especially when a decision is something that could be of great importance. Doubting should not be taken negatively but it should be embraced especially when it could help resolve things as well as finding satisfaction in decisions and how it was arrived. Works Cited Robinson, B.A. â€Å"Definitions of the Word â€Å"Religion†Ã¢â‚¬ .   2007. September 23 2007. http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_defn.htm. How to cite Conflict and resolution, Essay examples

Brand Strategy Evaluation

Question: Discuss about the Brand Strategy Evaluation. Answer: For many decades, MultiChoice has proudly given the best in entertainment through evolving the entertainment in television. Naspers which happened to be a mass media in South Africa in collaboration with other media companies in South Africa formed an entertainment firm know as M-Net. However, in 1993, M-Net split into two groups, and one group was tasked with airing entertainment channels, the other managed signal distribution and the operations of cell phones. South Africa MultiChoice grew out of the management division. Today, MultiChoice is a video entertainment leader in the country and has a subscription of more than five million viewers. In the late 80s there was a massive campaign by M-Net to expand and operate beyond South African borders. According to one of the visions of one of its founders, it was that the company was to rank itself as an entity of Pan-Africanism. The significant milestone came when Namibia awarded a license in 1991.The other countries soon followed the pace. MultiChoice served fully after 1994 and had subscribed more than four million viewers. MultiChoice South Africa is located in Randburg. Some of the brands aired by MultiChoice are DStv, GOtv, and SuperSport. Brand equity Brand equity can be defined as the power that a product commands from the goodwill and the identity that it has earned over time which has the effect of increasing the volume of the sales and profit margins as compared to the competitors (Aaker, 2017). In another definition, brand equity is defined from the consumers point of view where it is embedded on the attitudes of the consumers regarding the positive attributes that can be derived from using a particular brand and the favorable outcomes arising from the usage of the name. (Gunelius, 2017) Key components of brand equity Brand loyalty is a long term goal and fundamental to marketing in most firms developing a brand. It is one of the criteria used for measuring the degree of attachment that a customer has towards the product. In most cases, it is a reflection of the likelihood of a customer switching to another product in cases where there are changes in the prices or features associated with the product (Aaker, 2017).DStv has for decades developed loyalty to the brand through having products that touch and satisfy the needs of different viewers. The different packages that are charged differently ensure that there is channel for every segment of customers at an affordable price and as such the customers maintain their loyalty. It is for such reasons that DStv has a million viewers across the continent. The quality of the product as perceived by the consumers is also another fundamental element. Users will always want a product that is of high quality without any alterations that would render the commodity of poor quality (@stylehatch, 2017).MultiChoice provides adamant signals that enhance quality image of the aired channels. MultiChoice ensures constant frequency of their channels which has the effect of improving quality pictures for their channels. Brand awareness among the people is crucial in brand equity. People are satisfied and always purchase a brand they are familiar with as compared to new products. DStv is a brand that is well known due to the channels that it airs. There are channels for children making it a favorite brand for most of the television viewers. However, advertisements through social media, television, and internet about DStv have contributed in increasing the awareness of the brand. Other proprietary assets associated with the product such as the patent rights, trademarks, and copyrights. MultiChoice has been active in ensuring that its brands are not copied by other competitors in the market and as such their trademarks are distinct from the competitors and also. Licensing with the relevant authorities in the countries where they operate has minimized cases of patent rights. Brand association is also another practical element for brand equity. DStv channels that air football have been associated with the major players in football leagues which have made its fame rise. In conjunction with other key sponsors of football such as Chevrolet has made MultiChoice a channel of choice for many viewers in South Africa. Internal branding Internal branding refers to a change in the culture within an organization. In such a change; employees become centered on the customers and focus more on the business. Internal branding is focused on connecting employees with the outward brand. It goes further showing employees what is expected of them in connection to the brand and ensuring that the employees live in agreement with the company mission. Internal branding goes further as a corporate philosophy in ensuring that the corporations culture and premises are brought closer to the employees as well as the clients and has the effect of making workers representatives of the values of a company (Pullig, 2008). It is fundamental that a business defines the values and mission. The values and the missions give the direction that a company follows and the employees can get identity from such missions and values. Coca-Cola has done better in defining its mission and values, and the employees have an identity with the company, and that is ensuring that quality product gets delivered and always making the customer a priority in developing its products (Hall, 2017). Internal branding entails engaging people within the organization. The internal branding encompasses employees and in most cases gets defined by the individuals and is controlled by the employees. As such it is always important for the people to get involved. Employees feedback on how they perceive the brand and seeking their recommendations in shaping and structuring a product is necessary. MultiChoice has been conducting employee surveys and focuses groups with the aim of making employees feel that they are part of ownership so as to increase workers engagement (Hall, 2017). Internal brand should have an identity and should match with the external brand. In most scenarios, the external brand is usually defined. It has its logo, colors, and a font. An internal brand should also have the same. Making a lasting impression in the minds of the employees while in their duties will help develop internal branding. In the process of designing an internal brand, it is necessary to have a single name have a connection with the external brand. When employees understand how the internal and external brands relate to each other, it helps promote integrity among employees (Hall, 2017). Communicating the strategy involved in internal branding and embedding it is another component of internal branding. Communication entails creating a connection among employees and the brand which is something that cannot be achieved in the memos and the poster. In ensuring such a connection, employees understand their roles properly, and they know that their decisions affect the brand d irectly (Hall, 2017). Finally, awarding employees who have shown exemplary efforts and recognizing outstanding employees is part of internal branding. One of the main reasons behind the collapse of internal branding is a failure to motivate employees. It is crucial to recognize employees who have performed well in their daily duties using channels that are internal. Intranet communication can be used to share the story of the successful employees (Hall, 2017). Brand elements The identity of the brand is the way people recognize the name. MultiChoice, the provider of DStv, is one of the brands that has sourced channels from other parts of the world, has been identified as the best due to the variety it offers from children all the way to the adults. The logo of DStv is unique and cannot be compared to any other logo of a different channel (Sharma, 2017). The image of the brand is the picture that people have in their minds. It also reveals their expectations of the brand. When people are watching football from a soccer channel aired through DStv, there is a real and permanent impression derived from such a channel. In the case a channel such as National Geographic it leaves a lasting image worth not forgetting about the brand (Sharma, 2017). Brand position, on the other hand, refers to how a product is ranked in the market. It mostly defines the target group being segmented. Consumers would always want to be classified with brands that are leading in the market and in this case MultiChoice has been on the front page in the world of entertainment through brands such as DStv (Sharma, 2017).MultiChoice has lately invented other brands such as GOtv so as to increase its awareness and position itself better among the competitors. Brand experience refers to the way a consumer feels when purchasing or consuming a certain product. The sense of pride associated with MultiChoice products due to the quality and the wide range of channels as compared to other brands is overwhelming for most consumers (Sharma, 2017). Brand differentiation refers to how the product gets distinguished from other products in the market. MultiChoice has packages for every consumer depending on the target audience. It is for such reasons that a brand such as DStv gets differentiated from other competing brands (Sharma, 2017). Brand communication refers to how the message gets passed to various clients through either advertisements or other channels. MultiChoice ensures that the consumers receive important updates regarding the channels they have subscribed through either the internet in their website and also through sending text messages to their esteemed clients (Sharma, 2017). A brand can be compared to a human being who has a name, vision, culture and even personality. The creator of the brand plays the role of ensuring that it is relevant to the market and also to the target group of satisfying their needs and wants (Sharma, 2017). A brand is in one dimension a way of telling the consumers what they should expect from the product. Branding is one of differentiating a product from the competitors (Sharma, 2017). Critical evaluation of the Brand Building a strategy that translates to a successful company encompasses an honest look that enables a company to see how far they have come from and what others think of them. One of the strategies is to evaluate perceptions of the brand. Reviewing the already perceptions has the effect of improving the already existing perceptions of the product creating room for innovations and product development (culture, 2017). One of the strategies that have made DStv dominate the entertainment industry for many years is the fact that, the management always reviews the perceptions so as to accommodate changes in the new generation regarding tastes and preferences. It is also necessary to know the competitors and how they differentiate themselves from the company. It is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of competitors from the consumers perceptions. As such it helps build the profile of the enterprise and improve on the areas that are seen as ineffective and outperforming (cul ture, 2017). The process includes ranking the competitors and categorizing them in the order of competition. Exploring communication channels that are most useful to the personality of the brand is an important strategy. It entails choice of words, logos, and features of a product. The DStv logo has for decades and many generations been in the mind of the consumers through effective advertising. It is also important to screen the architecture associated with the brand. It includes the name and the logo so as to evaluate the image it has on the mind of the consumer (Keller, 2013). Branding is an important concept for any business irrespective of the size of the firm. It is through the adoption of an effective strategy that a business has a lead in competitive markets. A brand is simply the name tagged to a product that distinguishes it from other similar products in the market. In the modern world, many products are produced; it is through a branding that a commodity gets identified and has the effect of attracting consumers (Williams and more, 2017). It is a brand that a firm charges premiums that are higher after recognizing the popularity of the product in the market. References @stylehatch, S. (2017). Four Components of Brand Equity. [online] BeMoRe. Available at:https://tumblr.gobemore.com/post/30536391195/four-components-of-brand-equity [Accessed 12 Mar. 2017]. Aaker, D. (2017). Best Website on Marketing Strategy, Marketing Plan, and Marketing Management. [online] Studymarketing.org. Available at: https://www.studymarketing.org/articles/Brand_Management /Key_Elements_of_Brand_Equity.html [Accessed 12 Mar. 2017]. Aaker, D. (2017). What is Brand Equity and Why is it Valuable? | Aaker on Brands. [online] Prophet Thinking. 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