In order to be able to define a brand, there must be a willingness to scrutinise the company very honestly and openly. This honesty and transparency must prevail throughout the whole process, otherwise the repercussions of an unrealistic brand development may be fatal.
Defining a brand means providing this brand with an identity. Such an identity will mark out the brand within its competitive environment and trigger associations which will contribute to the differentiation of the brand itself. The identity of a brand is the synthesis between the visual reference points of this brand (logo, packaging, etc.), the messages that are used to put the brand across (advertisements, web site, etc.), and the collective perception of the brand by customers or by the community at large. The identity of a brand therefore rests on three main pillars: identity, communication, behaviour.
The brand in pull markets
If just one of these three pillars is neglected during the brand development process, there is a real danger that the definition of the brand will turn out to be incomplete, unrealistic or deceptive. In markets where the pull effect is becoming more important than the push effect, an incomplete or unclear brand identity will be met with indifference. This aspect is of crucial importance in B2B markets on account of the reduced range and intensity of messages that are available there. Expansion within a B2B market hinges much more on vicinity to the community, its problems and its needs.
There are many similarities between the definition of a brand identity and the formation of a personality. In our early years, we often try to emulate some idol or other. We pay much attention to our environment, and we take our place within it. But the older we get, the stronger the influence of our own experiences on our personality becomes. As we grow older, the shaping of our identity relies increasingly on our own strengths, interests, self-perception, and motivation.
During a brand development process, it is essential that these very aspects be brought together. And, just as is the case with a human being, it makes a difference whether one is dealing with a long-established company or a start-up one. The identity of the former tends to be far more pronounced, indeed sometimes dominant. In such cases, changes – whether they are an integral part of the brand development process or are called for by the market – will prove more difficult to implement, and the capacity to stick to an approach which is honest, open and as realistic as possible (see above) will be stretched to the limit.
Start-ups demonstrate far more flexibility with regard to their own identity. In many cases the brand itself is even eclipsed by the benefits from the product or service, and that makes it more difficult to enhance the added value of the brand.
Step 1: Input = Output
The first essential prerequisite for the development of a brand identity is the input. One must look at the brand from as many different perspectives as possible. Choosing to concentrate exclusively on the top level management might be justified from a business-political point of view, but it could do more harm than good to the future brand identity. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the process put in place assimilates inputs both horizontally and vertically. It is not uncommon for really valuable inputs to come from outside when considering the brand from the market, customer’s or even non-customer’s perspective. The more extensive the preparation and research phase, the better founded the resulting brand identity.
Step 2: Personas
The production of information that has characterised the first phase gives rise to characteristics, behavioural patterns, forms, and tasks that will be typical of the future brand. During the second phase, they are grouped into clusters. This leads to the creation of various identities or personas. The brand is pictured as a persona/an identity. Its features are defined in the greatest detail. Various situations are simulated in order to determine the behaviour of the brand. The people’s experiences and observations lead to a most important phase, the aim of which is to raise awareness about the brand.
Step 3: Visual identity
The third step is devoted to the creative interpretation of the brand personality. It is necessary to formulate the core statements and to define the positioning of the brand, the brand promise, the distinctive features, and the definitive brand profile. It is then time to move to the final stage of this process by deciding the appearance and the definition of the visual identity through which the new brand will be perceived on the market.
What’s next? Once a new brand has been defined, it is necessary to introduce it in the company and in the market with the same amount of sensitivity with which it was established. Because a brand becomes a brand only once the community says that it is a brand and says what it stands for.
By Richard Bush, MD, Base One
