Brand Identity & Branding: A Comprehensive Guide
Alignment to the Purchase Funnel Identity aligns with the Awareness stage – Arena aligns with the Interest stage – Positioning aligns with the Consideration stage – Character aligns with the Intent stage – Experience aligns with the Post-Purchase stages, often referred to as the loyalty loop. Arena – The space where a brand establishes its position and competes for consumer interest. Assets to Review – Tangible assets: Items you distribute to consumers. Digital assets: Content found online. Physical assets: Elements that are part of the retail experience. Flexible assets: Items like a logo or slogan used across all branding efforts. Assessment – To assess and optimize an existing brand identity, companies should consider the following: Equity: The value in existing brand elements. – Effectiveness: How well existing brand elements perform. – Signal: The impact you want to make. – Cost: The money, time, and attention required to make changes to the brand.
Brand – The core ideas and tangible elements that set a company or product apart from its competitors. Brand Archetypes – Qualities of a brand that are represented through a role, inspired by Carl Jung’s symbolism. Brand Associations Related to brand attributes—qualities that consumers see as inherent to a company or product. Brand Definition A comprehensive statement that combines the brand promise, the company’s unique offerings, and elements of brand character, all tailored to the intended audience. Brand Effectiveness – Leadership may set the vision, but the true evolution of the brand is driven by the everyday employees. These individuals are the core of the organization and play a key role in influencing others. Brand Equity The value that comes from a brand’s name or reputation, even though it can’t be touched. Brand Identity The visible and audible elements of your brand that can be seen and heard, such as: The brand name, A logo, A symbol. Brand Image – The perception of a branded company or product held by consumers. Brand Loyalty – The repeated purchase behavior by consumers who are committed to buying from the same brand over time. Brand Management The process of establishing and communicating a brand’s key ideas to stand out from competitors. Brand Manifesto A longer brand statement that forms a narrative about the brand. Brand Position The role that clarifies what makes the brand unique and how it meets consumer needs. Brand Promise A commitment made by the brand to consistently uphold its values and product quality for consumers. Brand Territories Involve different aspects that define a brand’s identity and competitive edge. This can include assets, skills, offerings, beliefs (vision and mission), and more. Brand Valuation An estimate of the total financial value of a branded company. (money spent, comparison shopping, money being earned). Determining Brand Valuation Money Spent: This method is like calculating the cost of buying a house. How much did it cost to build the brand? How much was spent on improvements over time? What were the ongoing costs like taxes (or equivalent brand expenses)? Branding The strategic process of establishing and communicating a company’s core ideas and unique elements that distinguish it from competitors.
Character Elements of the brand that make it relatable and give it a personality, helping consumers decide to purchase. Character Workshop, Brainstorm, Organize, Characterize, Distill, Craft, Validate, Finalize. Commodity A basic product or raw material that is not differentiated from alternatives offered by competitors. Guiding Principles These are the core branding elements that define who you are as a company. They come from the foundational work you do in defining your character, arena, and positioning.
Kapferer’s Brand Identity Prism Overview: Jean-Noël Kapferer created this model to show how different aspects of the brand and consumer come together to shape an identity that affects perception, revenue, and brand equity.
Physique: The external elements commonly associated with brand identity, such as logos, packaging, color palettes, and other design features
Personality: The brand’s character, which reflects the internal elements and how consumers begin shaping their own image of the brand
Relationship: This element mirrors the brand experience and the various ways the brand and consumer interact
Culture: Aligned with brand statements and the high-level thinking of brand positioning
Reflection: Mirrors how the brand views its target audience.
Self-Image: Reflects how the consumer sees themselves.
Logo A symbolic image that uses design, distinguishing marks, names, and phrases to identify a brand.
Mission The ideals that drive the brand, focusing on the brand’s purpose and advocacy.
Mission Statement A statement that explains how the brand operates, detailing its role in achieving the vision and underlying purpose.
Perceived quality Relates to the Consideration stage of the purchase funnel.
Porter’s Five Forces
Competitive Rivalry: Measures how many players are in the market and how unique or similar their offerings are.
Supplier Power: Indicates the ability of suppliers to increase prices based on their control over goods and services.
Buyer Power: Examines how much influence consumers have on pushing prices down, based on their interest, available options, and brand loyalty.
Threat of Substitution: Highlights how easily consumers can switch to alternatives if offerings are too similar, increasing price sensitivity and the likelihood of switching.
Threat of New Entry: Highlights the potential for new competitors to enter the market, increasing competition and putting your brand at risk.
Public Perception Many people think most brands are not genuine and don’t stand for something meaningful. Purchase funnel Awareness, interest, consideration, intent, purchase. Purpose Statement A statement that declares why the brand exists, helping to guide deeper discussions about what the brand should become.
Vision Statement A statement that declares what the brand plans to do, guiding how the brand should evolve.
should evolve.