Brand Strategy

There seems to be a lot of confusion about what constitutes a brand strategy. Seth Godin is quoted as saying that a brand isn’t merely a logo, but the sum of all customer experiences and expectations. A successful brand connects on an emotional level with its customers, as it promises to deliver a very circumscribed level of quality and value to a specific profile of customers.

Many companies are simply not capable of establishing a brand. Some would argue that most companies have either not attempted to develop a brand or have a poorly defined brand. A brand does not follow the pack. It leads in its niche. Customers are loyal to the brand, and the brand is accountable to its customers.

For those that look to define their brand and create a brand strategy, here are some helpful steps to follow.

1.    Founder’s Vision

Developing your brand strategy starts with understanding the founder's vision for the company. This is a critical step that is often overlooked. You want customers to develop a deep affinity for your brand. However, if your founder can’t articulate the brand story, or buy-in to the brand promise, then there’s a problem. It will be difficult for founders to make management decisions that are aligned with the brand strategy.

2.    Brand Promise

The next step is to define your brand promise. It needs to be bold, speak to your brand's differentiation, and it must resonate with customers. Your brand needs to occupy a position in the market that your competitors cannot occupy.

3.    Value Proposition

The 3rd step is to define how the brand benefits the customer. What problem does it resolve? How does it impact their lives? It must be authentic. The benefit your brand provides may affect the emotional connection customers have with your brand.

4.    Authenticity

The next step is to demonstrate evidence of the brand promise by listing real-life examples or scenarios. What proof can be provided that demonstrates the brand promise for real customers? Is the brand promise authentic or is it fiction?

5.    Consistency

Consistency of customer experience and how it delivers on its brand promise is vital. If it only delivers on its promise when all the stars align, then it is inauthentic, and will fail to build loyalty with customers. Consistency in logo appearance, logo usage, messaging, and tone are all key to a successful brand.

6.    Bringing It All Together

The final step is to connect the common threads from steps 1 through 5, and distill the brand promise to a single, articulate description. The brand's "story" can now be told.

From this, the graphical identify (the logo) and the messaging are developed. The voice and tone of the brand can be created. The demonstration of the brand promise usually extends to the company values, product guarantees and the marketing of the company's products.

Of course, this is a condensed summary of the initial steps in your brand development process. There are many more factors and processes for the documentation and execution of your brand strategy. If Dogged Marketing can help you with brand development, please don’t hesitate to ask.