Brand Strategy
There are many approaches to formulating Brand Strategy, but most rely on the same basic principles.
The Brand Strategy should align with the company's business goals, values, and target audience. Defining the brand positioning, messaging, and differentiation to communicate the brand's unique value proposition effectively at every touch point, externally and internally.
The steps in formulating the Brand Strategy fall into two main categories:
Research
Identify and isolate what makes the offering different from a set of competitors and other options that the buyer has.
Simplification
Define and refine your offering, developing compelling reason(s) to believe in and buy the product or service.
The following sections outline a proven methodology vetted across many years and case studies.
Business Strategy informs Brand Strategy, which should drive the Marketing Strategy.
Developing a Brand Strategy requires seeing and thinking in all directions at once. You must look back to where you've been in order to move forward to a destination you want to occupy.
Assessing your current category, adjacent categories, or attempting to create new categories.
Before deploying across Marketing channels, it's crucial to establish a still point. This is where you conduct a 360-degree assessment of your position, utilizing the research and insights gathered to formulate the guiding principles for future decision-making.
Each step in the process drives the next, but it can also inform rethinking in the prior stage.
Research, then Simplify & Amplify.
Research
Identify and isolate what makes your offering different from a set of competitors and/or other options that the buyer has.
Simplify
Define and refine your offering, developing compelling reason(s) to believe in and buy your product or service.
Amplify
Create a brand platform composed of statements and messages to guide the Brand's story across all elements, ensuring alignment with the brand's unique value at every touch point.
