Brand Strategy Principles

2- Brand Strategy

• Brand strategy is the roadmap to success for a brand.
• It identifies who the brand is working with, where it's going, why it matters, and what is required.

Why do brands exist?

• A bold brand strategy combines sound logic and inspired faith to take a brand further.
• Planning and research are crucial to creating a successful brand strategy.

Old vs. New Idea of Brands

• Traditionally, brands were viewed as a central part of the business, like finance, HR, sales, and marketing.
• New ideas view brands as a central organizing principle, including elements like finance, HR, sales, marketing, traditional communication, manufacturing/retail operations, brand strategy, and R&D, all interlinked and crucial to success.

Definition

• Brand strategy is the plan for a brand's delivery, answering key questions like who, where, why, what, and when.
• These questions are addressed through brand criteria including purpose, vision, values, mission statement, proposition, positioning, personality, and audience.

The Benefits of Brand Strategy

• Consistent brand messaging.

• Desirable branded offerings.

• A trusted brand image.

• Good value offered by the brand.

• This ensures customers recognize and prefer the brand, build relationships with it, use it for their identity, and love buying from it.

The Brand Criteria

• Purpose: What does the brand do?
• Vision: What is the brand's ambition?
• Values: What does the brand stand for?
• Mission statement: How will the brand achieve its vision?
• Proposition: Why do I need this brand?
• Positioning: How does the brand compare to competitors?
• Personality: What is the brand's character?
• Audience: Who is interested in the brand?

1- Purpose

• How does the brand make a better world?
• What is your big idea?
• What inspires you to succeed?
• What clear benefits does the brand provide?

The Elements of Successful Brands

• Well-defined purpose.
• Authentic purpose as an impulse.
• Compelling motive.
• Passionate commitment.
• Emotional value exceeding market price.

Elaborations on Brand Strategy

• A sense of purpose is important for customers, employees, investors, and suppliers.
• Customer engagement is vital for the future of the brand.
• Progressive and dynamic brands often share their purpose with their audience.

Consideration for Brand Purpose

• Brand purpose reflects the brand's identity and values.
• It should be broader than just profit—it should aim to positively impact the world.
• Brand purpose fosters employee engagement and strong community spirit.

2- Vision

• The vision clarifies the "big picture" of how a brand's "big idea" (purpose) will blossom and thrive.
• It should be inspirational and achievable.

Consideration for Brand Vision

• Vision should be easily understood.
• Focus on the destination, not the journey.
• Avoid vague or overused words like "best," "leading," or "number one."
• The vision needs to be measurable and achievable.

Tip

• The vision should inspire and unite a community towards common goals.
• Strong visions are emotional and passionate.
• Helping your audience visualize the vision, makes it easier for them to imagine their role in the ideal future.

3- Values

• Brand values act as a compass that guides the brand in its decisions.
• Values facilitate relationships with people who share similar beliefs, this is true also for selecting brands.
• Strong values guide employee behavior and are vital for brand trust.

Brand Values & Employees

• Brand values must resonate with employees' job descriptions, empowering them.
• Corporate values are crucial for guiding employee actions.

The Value of “Trust”

• Trust is a core value to be demonstrated across the brand.
• Employees should trust their managers and by extension, trust the brand as well. Customers should trust the products or services provided.

Consideration for Choosing Brand Values

• Brand values should be sincere and memorable; they should differentiate the brand.
• Values must be relevant to customer experience and realistic for employees.
• Actions that can be measured ensure effective brand performance.

4- Mission Statement

• Mission statements that summarize core brand criteria in 100 words or less are effective.
• It is a critical communication of the company’s ambition.
• It clarifies the brand, its aspirations, and its identity.

Consideration for Mission Statement

• A mission statement should succinctly summarize brand criteria, be clear, inspire movement, provide a measure for achievement.
• Keep the mission statement concise and focused.

The Key to Writing a Mission Statement

• Brands can inspire and guide by being displayed in places like old ships, buildings, etc.
• Mission statements are essential for expressing a brand's purpose and making a positive impact.

5- Proposition

• The proposition is a brand's unique selling point (USP), or the key difference that sets it apart from competitors.
• A brand proposition is a promise, and a successful brand keeps that promise through consistent experience.
• A brand proposition is often viewed as a combination of promise, experience, and perception.

Consideration for Brand Proposition

• Brand propositions should meet customer needs and set them apart.
• Proposition statements need to be brief and clear; they must be relevant, unique, and honest.

6- Positioning

• Brand positioning is the place a brand holds in the customer's mind.
• It is important to position your product or company by being the first and most prominent in an emerging sector.
• Effective positioning should help customers visualize the brand relative to competitors.

Brand Positioning Map

• Brand positioning maps depend on how you choose to categorize the important dimensions—using examples like quality vs. price and ease of usability vs. durability.
• This visual representation helps compare your product or service to similar offerings.

7- Personality

• Thinking of your brand as an archetype of a famous person can help provide a vivid image and personality for your brand.
• Brand personality influences communications and greatly influences how customers relate to the brand.

8- Audience

• The audience interacts with the brand via multiple touch points.
• Brand perception is greatly affected by audience response.

Brand Audience Parties

• Brand interactions span across employees, management, resellers, advisors, competitors, charities, and the media.
• Interactions with investors, government, associations, customers, prospects, suppliers, and partners shape overall brand perception.

The Audience's Key Points

• To effectively market a brand, you must understand your target market's habits and what influences them.
• Analyzing their interests, behaviors, means of consuming information, and lifestyle preferences is vital to effective marketing.

Brand Essence

• Brand essence is determined by the emotional benefit a customer gets from it, the functional benefit it provides, principles, and how it is described.

Co-branding

• This is a collaboration between two brands in one product.

Next Step

• The next step after creating a robust brand strategy is to visually represent it through brand identity.