Brand Architecture Workbook

BrandArchitectureWorkbook

By Dave Dunn

Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 1

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CONTENTS

I. Introduction...................................................................................2

II. BrandArchitecture............................................................................2

III. BrandProduct/ServiceDifferentiation.......................................................2

IV. BrandVision...................................................................................3

V. BrandPositioning.............................................................................4

VI. BrandTarget...................................................................................4

VII.BrandName...................................................................................5

VIII.BrandIdentity.................................................................................6

IX. BrandPromise..................................................................................7

X. BrandCharacter................................................................................7

XI. BrandPersonality..............................................................................8

XII.BrandEmotion.................................................................................9

XIII.BrandExperience..............................................................................10

XIV.BrandQuality..................................................................................10

XV.BrandPricing...................................................................................11

XVI.BrandPackaging...............................................................................11

XVII.BrandDistribution.............................................................................12

XVIII.BrandAssociation..............................................................................12

XIX.BrandCredentials..............................................................................13

XX.BrandMessage................................................................................14

XXI.AppendicesSection............................................................................15

•Worksheets.........................................................................16-24

•GlossaryofTerms......................................................................25

•ReferenceSection......................................................................29

•AbouttheAuthor......................................................................31

•Contact................................................................................32

ReferstoCorrespondingWorksheet

This document is based on the 2nd step from the book, “Branding: The 6 Easy Steps,” by Dave Dunn.

Points of Differentiation Should Be:

•Believable •Relevant

•Unique •Understandable

•Supportable •Easytocommunicate

19 building blocks of brand architecture:

•BrandProduct •BrandEmotion

•BrandDifferentiation•BrandExperience

•BrandVision •BrandQuality

•BrandPositioning •BrandPricing

•BrandTarget •BrandPackaging

•BrandName •BrandDistribution

•BrandIdentity •BrandAssociation

•BrandPromise •BrandCredentials

•BrandCharacter •BrandMessage

•BrandPersonality

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INTRODUCTION coordinatedplantocreatebrandclarity.Itisthisfocus

thatmultipliesthepowerofyourmarketingefforts.

p.17Afteryouhavedoneyourduediligence—analyzed

your market, the competition, and gained insight

intowhatmakescustomerstick—it’s timetogive

yourbrandsomeshape. p.16

Brandbuildingisnotaseriesof isolatedactivities. It

needstobeviewedasacompletesystem.Buildinga

brand is like building a skyscraper. You start with a

plan—anarchitecturalblueprint.

Abrand’sarchitectureisoneofthekeydeterminants

ofwhetheritwillbesuccessfulornot.Yetlessthan5%

ofmarketersengageinthislevelofplanning.

Thearchitectureofabrandensuresthatthekeycom-

ponents of strategy, creativity, and tactics all work

together inharmony.Thegoal is to create aunified,

coherent approach that gets a customer to buy and

remainloyalforalifetime.

BRAND ARCHITECTURE

Themostimportantstepinthebrandingprocessin-

volvesdefining the19elementalbuildingblocksofa

brand’sstructure.

The combined integration of these blocks is called

brand architecture or the brand’sDNA. It’s the blue-

printforyourproductorservice.Eachblockneedsto

bebasedonwellthought-outstrategiesderivedfrom

the factsof themarketplace.All theelementsof the

architecturemust be aligned to work together in a

BRAND PRODUCT/SERVICE AND BRAND

DIFFERENTIATION

The first step in building a brand is decidingwhat

productorservicetooffer.Makesureitdifferentiates

youfromthecompetitioninameaningfulwayandis

relevanttothecurrentandemergingmarketplace.W

p.18

Toensureyoursuccess,ithelpstooffersomethingnew

tothecategory—orbetteryet,createanewcategory.

Whatever you offer, itmustmeet theneeds ofwhat

peoplewant.Justbeingnewwon’tcutit.

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Some companies offer products just because they

dreamedthemuporbecausetheyhaveexcessmanu-

facturing capacity. These brands have always failed,

becausethecompanytookashortcutanddidnotre-

searchwhatthecustomerwantedorneeded.

On some occasions, however, brands are introduced

that customers don’t know they need orwant. PDAs

areanexample.Inthisinstance,it’simportanttoget

theproductrightbeforeintroduction,andnotbetoo

far aheadof themarket; remember theAppleNew-

ton?Severalyearslater,PalmPilotandBlackberrygot

itrightandthecategorytookoff.

Some products may change over time despite the

brand remaining the same. PCs, for example, change

allthetime—andsomeproductsmayseemneverto

change.ThetasteofJackDaniel’s,thefamousTennes-

seewhiskey, has the image of beingmade the same

wayformorethan100years.

If you are not selling a classic, be alert and continu-

ouslyadaptyourbrand’sofferingtotheever-shifting

needsofthemarketplace.Theageofmassproduction

isover.Customizationisking.LikeBurgerKing’s“Have

it your way” and Dell’s build-to-order computer, the

betteryoumeetthecustomer’sneeds, theeasierit is

tobuildlong-termbrandloyalty.

Onceyouhavedecidedwhatproductorservicetoof-

fer,youneedtothinkaboutavision.Somepeoplecall

it the “long-term view.” Every brand should have a

long-termvisionofwhereitwouldliketoendupina

perfectworld.Withoutavisionyourbrandislikelyto

gonowhere.Abrand’svisionisalong-termsnap-shot

—notashort-termnumericalobjective.

The better you meet

the consumer’s needs,

the easier it is to build

brand loyalty.

BRAND VISION

Visionisaboutwhat’sontheedgeof,andsometimes

beyond,thehorizon.It’saboutbig,ambitiousgoals

thatinspireemployeestogetinvolvedtomaketheir

brandgreat.

Avisionoftensetsthetoneforthecompany’sculture

and acts as a guide tomaking day-to-day business

decisions. It’s away for companies to connectwith

theiremployeesandhelpfocustheireffortsonbuild-

ingabrand.

AccordingtoaleadingSanFranciscoBayAreabrand-

ing consultancy, “When creating a vision for your

brand,thinkasbigasyoucan—butmakeitspecif-

ic.”

Forexample,HenryFordwantedtomakecarsafford-

ableforeveryfamilyinAmerica.SteveJobswanted

toputthepowerofacomputeronthetopofevery

desk.


WhenPresidentKennedyboldlystatedthatwewould

landanAmericanonthemoonbeforetheendofthe

decade—hewasveryspecific.JFK’sstatementseemed

outrageousat thetime,but itsocapturedeveryone’s

imagination,prideandsenseofself,thatitgotdone.

Positioniswhereyourbrandfitswithinthegalaxyof

product choices. It isanexpressionofhowyouwant

yourprospectsandcustomers toperceiveyouversus

yourcompetitioninthemarketplace.

For example, with hundreds of cars to choose from,

Volvohaspositioneditselfas“thesafecar.”Soifsafety

is really themost important thing to you—Volvo is

thecar.

Fora longtime,Hertzdominatedthecarrentalbusi-

ness,andAVISwasperceivedasequaltoalloftheother

seven competitors. To differentiate itself, AVIS posi-

tioneditselfwiththemessage:Becausewe’reonly#2,

“Wetryharder.”Asaresult,AVIS’ business increased

andnolongerwasitlumpedtogetherwiththelesser

brands.Itbecameadistinct#2andthealternatechoice

toHertzbecauseitclearlypositioneditselfagainstthe

leader.p.19

“When creating a vision

for your brand, think as

big as you can — but make

it specific.”

Brandswithgreatvision—Wal-Mart,Dell,ThePeace

Corps,Amazon,Google,MySpace,forexample—often

endupontop.Sometimes,wayontop.

Wal-Mart started as a small five-and-dime store in

Arkansas.SamWaltonwasonly27yearsoldwhenhe

began,buthisvisionwastobuildthefinestretailing

company he could. His first year’s sales in 1945were

$80,000.By 2006,Wal-Martwas the largest corpora-

tionintheworldwithsalesofmorethan$350billion.

Notbadforacountryboyfromthemiddleofnowhere!

Samprovedthatit’ssmarttohaveavision.It’stoobad

Sears,Macy’sandJ.C.Penneydidn’thavethesamevi-

sion.

BRAND POSITIONING

Positioning is one of the most important building

blocks. Often marketers resist the intellectual disci-

plineandtimerequiredtogetitright.Butthisisnot

theplacetotakeashortcut.

BRAND TARGET

Aclearlydefinedbrandtargetisabasicnecessityfor

all your marketing programs. Its primary role is to

guide you in product refinement, developing your

sellingmessage,placingyourmedia,andidentifying

thosesegmentswiththemostprofitpotential.

Nobrandshouldtrytoselltoeveryoneintheworld.

Nobrandcanbeallthingstoallpeople.Noteventhe

globalWal-Mart.

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A good brand name should be:

•Short

•Unique

•Consistentwiththecategorytype

•Noteasilyconfusedwithcompetition

•Freeofhiddenmeaningsinforeignlanguages

•Easytoremember

•Pleasantlookingintype

•Availableforadomainname

•Clearofinfringingonsomeone’strademark

•Consistentwiththebrand’spersonality

Demographic characteristics:

•Age

•Gender

•Education

•Income

•Ethnicity

Psychographic characteristics:

•Innovators

•Earlyadopters

•Lateadopters

•Laggards


Youneedtonarrow,andclearlydefineingreatdetail,

yourprimarytargetmarket.Decideifyouwanttobea

local,regional,nationalorglobalbrand.

Youneedtodetermine,throughaprocessofdata-driv-

ensegmentation,your idealcustomer’sdemographic

andpsychographic characteristics—so youwill know

howtotalktoandconnectwiththeminameaningful

way.

Youcanneverknowtoomuchaboutyourcustomers.

Themoreyouknow,thebetteryouwilldo. Abrandnameactslikeabigpot.Itcapturesandstores

alltheequityyoubuildintoyourbrandbyyourvarious

marketingandbusinessactions.

Whenyoustartout,thepotisemptyandthenamehas

novalue.Butinthelongrun,whenthepotisfull,the

namecanbeofgreatvalue.Notbecauseyouchosethe

rightname,butbecauseyoutooktherightstepstoput

valueintothename.

Choosing a brand name is often agonizing. You can

makeamistake.Don’tpickanamethatpeoplecan’t

spell,pronounceorunderstand.Companiesgenerally

selectanamebydevelopingalistofatleast20names,

then trying themout on their target audience, em-

ployeesandbusinessassociates.

Somecompaniesdoformalresearchtonarrowdown

the list;othersdoit themselves. Ifyougothebudget

route, make sure you talk to at least 30-40 people.

Basedonfeedback,narrowthelistdowntotwo.Then

make your selection based on the one that best fits

the brand’s architecture. One other consideration in

Keepinmindthatnotallcustomersarecreatedequal.

Somearemoreprofitablethanothers.Aimyourmar-

ketingat thegroupthat’snotonly themost likely to

buy, but the oneswhogive thehighest potential for

cross-sellingandup-selling.p.20

BRAND NAME

Whattocallyourproductorserviceisalsooneofthe

earlybrandingdecisionsyouwillneedtomake.This

ishowacustomeridentifiesandremembersyou.

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Examples of strategic tag lines:

TAGLINE STRATEGICUSE

•Since1904 •BrandCredential

•HRConsulting •BrandService

•Justdoit •BrandEmotion

•ThinkDifferent •BrandPersonality

•OvernightDelivery •BrandService

•BreakfastofChampions •BrandAssociation

•GoodtotheLastDrop •BrandQuality

•UltimateDrivingMachine •BrandMessage


pickinganameiswhetherornottousethecorporate

nameinconjunctionwithabrand’sname.Forexam-

ple, Proctor & Gamble always separates its brand’s

name from the corporate name by putting the P&G

nameonthebacklabel.Hewlett-Packard,ontheother

hand,doesjusttheopposite.Itscorporatenameisthe

brandnameonall itsproducts.Formanycompanies,

it’savariedcombinationofboth.

The last step in thenamingprocess isapplying fora

trademark. It’swise to do this early, so youwon’t be

sorrylater.It’snotashardasitusedtobe—youcan

doitonline.

BRAND IDENTITY

Brandidentity(i.e.,alogo)ishowpeoplewillrecognize

you.Generally it’sa combinationofa color,a symbol

andyourbrandname.Sometimesit’syourcompany’s

initials(e.g.,IBM,G.E.)Onrareoccasion,it’sonlyasym-

bol(e.g.,Apple).Sometimesataglineisaddedtothe

logo.

People often place toomuch value on logo develop-

ment.Agreatlookinglogo,inandofitself,isoneofthe

least importantelements inbuildingabrand. Ifpeo-

plespentasmuchtimeonbrandingstrategyasthey

spendongettingaflashylogo,theywouldbefurther

aheadinbuildingabrand.

Nomatterwhat your logo looks like, it is important

tobeconsistent in itsusage,sopeopledon’tbecome

confused.Theoneexception is thatbecauseofspace

limitationsyoumighthavetodropthetaglinefroma

logo.Butgenerallyyoushouldusethetaglinewiththe

logoifthat’stheofficialusagestyle.

Taglinesorbrandslogansmustbetakenintoaccount

before developing a logo. A long tag line generally

doesn’tworkwellwithany logo thatmustbeplaced

onsmallermarketingmaterials.

A tag line can be problematic unless it serves some

strategicbrandingpurpose.Ifitdoesn’t,it’sbetternot

touseone.

Brand logos need to:

•Workwellwithbrandname

•Bedistinctive

•Beeasytoread

•Workinblack/white

•Beusableinallyourcommunicationpieces

•Befreeofanyhiddenmeanings

•Beconsistentwithmarketcategory

•Beconsistentwithyourbrand’spersonality

Brand character traits:

•Honest •Respectful

•Responsible •Expert

•Fair •Trustworthy

•Environmental •Employee-oriented


Taglinesvarywidely.Somearenecessary—othersare

not.Someaddvalue—somedonot.Theyall should

beas shortaspossiblebecauseevenashort tag line

altersthevisualbalancebetweenabrandnameanda

brandsymbol,whereeverythingiscompetingfor the

eye’sattention.

BRAND PROMISE

Sometimesthereisaseemingoverlapbetweenbrand

promiseandbrandpositioning.Theyaredifferent,but

complementary.

Wal-Mart’s“everydaylowpricing”isabrandpromise.

Itspositioncanbedescribedasthelargest(therefore

lowercost)generalmerchandisediscountstore.

Ifacarcompanystates that its cargets30milesper

gallon—thisisabrandpromise.Youexpecttogetit;

ifyoudon’t,youlosetrustinthatbrand.

Abrandpromisesometimesinvolvesparityattributes

incombinationwithpoints of differentiation.Obvi-

ously,makingapromisethatnooneelsecanmakeis

anadvantage,butmakingpromisesofparity should

notbeoverlooked;theymightberequiredtogetinthe

game.Forexample,ifcarcompaniesdon’tpromiseat

leasta50,000-mileenginewarranty, theircarswon’t

beconsidered.

BRAND CHARACTER

Brandcharacterdescribessomeattributesaboutyour

companythatacustomerfindsattractive.Sometimes

itiscalledcorebrandvalues.

There are three categories of brand character that a

customer isexposed to:productor service,employee

andcommunity.

Fromaproductor service standpoint, for example, a

customerexpectsabanktobetrustworthyandanor-

ganicfarmertobeenvironmentallyfriendly.

Customers are also interested in how you treat your

employees.Peopledon’twant tobuy jeansor sweat-

shirts if theyareproducedinanoverseassweatshop.

Themajorityof customerswant tobuy fromcompa-

niesthatarerespectfuloftheiremployees.

Peoplealsofeelgoodaboutdoingbusinesswithcom-

paniesthatsupporttheircommunities.Somecompa-

niesevenpublicizethattheyareadoublebottom-line

company—pledging todonateacertainpercentage

oftheirprofitstocharity.

AccordingtoresearchbytheStanfordSocialInnovation

Review, being a good corporate citizen is an effective

brandingtoolandshouldbeconsideredagoodoppor-

tunityforbuildingbrandimage.p.21W W

Brand personality traits:

•Warm •Fun

•Friendly •Sophisticated

•Loud •Rugged

•Corporate •Strong

•Casual •Contemporary

•Off-beat •Traditional

•Innovative •Exciting

•Sexy •Leadingedge

•Genuine •Hip

•Flexible •Creative

•Glamorous •Practical

•Serious •Technical

•Nononsense •Athletic


BRAND PERSONALITY

While brand personality might seem far-fetched,

it’saboutrelatingtotheconsumer.Andrelatingisa

critical ingredient indeveloping long-termrelation-

ships.

Brandpersonality is different frombrand character.

A person who says nothing might lack personality,

butmayhavegreatcharacter.Characterconnectson

amorallevel—personalityconnectsonasociallevel.

It’snotunusual,insomecrowdedcategories,tofind

competitive brands with similar factual specifica-

tions— so it might be the personality element of

brandingthat letsyouestablishasustainablepoint

ofdifferentiation.

Tocreatetherightpersonalityforyourbrand,youneed

togothroughaprocessofeliminationtoidentifythe

right traits.Personality traitsareoftendifferentfora

productthanaservice.

Youneedtoanalyzeyourtargetaudienceandasksev-

eralquestions: Is yourbrand female,male, orgender

neutral;young,oldormiddle-aged;sophisticated,ur-

ban,rural,ormainstream?Forexample,Marlborocer-

tainlyhas adifferentpersonality thanVirginia Slims

basedonthegenderofitstargetaudience.

Onceyouhavedeterminedsomeoftheparametersof

whomyouaretryingtoreach,createalistof10to12

potentialbrandpersonality traits.Thencompare this

listtowhatyourcompanyorproducttrulyis.Don’ttry

tobesomethingyou’renot.Atthispoint,trytogetthe

listdowntosix.Makesurethatyourcustomerswould

relatetothesetraits.

Being a good corporate

citizen is an effective

branding tool...

Consider a Harley-Davidson versus a Yamahamotor-

cycle.Botharewell-engineeredandgothesamespeed,

buttothebuyer,theyareasdifferentasnightandday.

Theyhavecompletelydifferentpersonalities. Just the

guttural sound of their engines tells you the differ-

ence.

EmotionalFunctional

Self-expression

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Forthefinalroundofelimination,reducethelistdown

to threeor four for thesakeofbrandclarity.Pick the

ones that are most consistent with each other, that

give youpointsofdifferentiation, andare traits that

canbeusedinyourmarketingmaterials.

The other type of personality difference a brand can

project(onethatisbecomingmoreimportant)isstyle.

Itused tobe that form followed function.Now,with

manyproducts,formfollowsemotion.

Appleisoneofthemastersofthisstrategy.Recogniz-

ingthatpeopleareveryvisual, theyhavetakencom-

puterdesigntoanewlevel.Nolongerareallpersonal

computersbeigeorboxy.Appledoesn’tmaketoasters,

but if they did, youwould expect them to reflect its

brandpersonality—onewithgreatstyle.p.21

Brand-BuildingStrategies

For someproducts,emotionplaysnopart. Forexam-

ple, when you buy a box of laundry detergentmost

people want just a performance relationship. You

simplywantyourclothestocomeoutclean,softand

smellingfresh.

Forotherproductcategories,buyersalsowantanemo-

tionalrelationship.Theywantboththefacts(whyit’s

better) andan emotional connection— is this prod-

uctright forme?Thecarcategory isagoodexample

ofcombiningbothelements.Peoplesay,“Ilovemycar.”

Theygenerallydon’tsay,“Ilovemydetergent.”

Emotionalbrandingcanalsoresultwhenacustomer

hastheoptiontoself-expressorpersonalizeaproduct

withoptionsoraccessories.Whenacustomerdictates

exactlyhowhewantshisDellPCconfigured,he feels

emotionallyempoweredashecreateshisconnection

tothebrand.

Brands also connect on a self-expressive level when

thebrand(asasymbol)allowsapersontocommuni-

catehisself-image.Aperson’schoiceofbrandssaysa

lotaboutwhotheyfeeltheyare,orwhotheywantto

be. If apersonwants toproject success, for example,

theymaychoosetodrivealuxurycarorwearexpen-

siveclothes.

It used to be that form

followed function. Now,

with many products, form

follows emotion.

BRAND EMOTION

For some brands, emotion can be as important as

function in influencing the purchase decision. De-

pendingon the typeofproductorserviceyouoffer,

emotionmayormaynotcontributetobuildingyour

brand.Youneedtoanalyze,defineandseparate the

rolesoffunction,emotionandself-expressionwhen

developingyourbrand-buildingstrategies.


BRAND EXPERIENCE

Overthelastdecade,brandingstrategistshavebeen

payingmoreattentiontothecustomer’sexperience

withtheirbrand.

Brand experience has many levels. If your laundry

detergentgetsyourclothesclean,youmightsayyou

hadagoodexperience.Butwhatifitonlycamein50-

lb.boxes,and itwasapain to lugfromthestore to

yourcar—notaverypleasantexperience.Thisexam-

plemayseemfar-fetched,buthaveyouevertriedto

handlea50-lb.bagofdrydog food?Therearehun-

dredsofexamplesofgoodproductsthatproducebad

experiences.

youmet thewinemakerand visited the caveswhere

thewineagedinsmalloakbarrels.

Coffeeistheotherendofthebeveragespectrum.You

generallydon’thavetogotoofarforthisexperience.

Youmighthaveseveralchoicesinyourneighborhood:

maybealocaldinerandaStarbucks.Coffeeinthelocal

dinergoesforabout$1.50acupandStarbucks’isabout

$2.50.IfyouchooseStarbucks,itmightbebecauseyou

wanttheexperienceofsippingcoffeeinaplacewith

atmosphereandaparticularsenseofcommunity.Cus-

tomersarewillingtopayabuck-fiftyforthecoffeeand

anextrabuckfortheexperience.

BRAND QUALITY

Onitsown,abrand’sactualqualityisnotasurefirefor-

mulaforbrandsuccess.

Manypeoplethinktheycantellhighqualityfromlow

quality.Inreality,itisnotalwaysthatclear.Whenyou

compareproductsratedinConsumer Reports,thereis

often little correlationbetweenqualityand sales. It’s

notthatqualityisunimportanttobranding—itisa

keyfactor.Butyouneedtoeducate theconsumeron

yourqualityproposition,ortheywon’tseethevalue.

Wherequalityhelpsbuildbrands isnot in theprod-

uct quality itself, but in the perceived quality in the

customer’smind. Swisswatchesdon’t keep timeany

betterthanaTimex,butsomepeoplesurethinkthey

do.Theworld’sbest-knownluxurywatchesgotogreat

lengths tobuild theperceptionofquality in thecon-

sumer’smind.

A positive brand experience

that creates complete

satisfaction leads to

enduring brand loyalty.

Brandmanagers should research and quickly correct

experiences that lead to customer dissatisfaction. A

positive brand experience that creates complete sat-

isfactionleadstoenduringbrandloyalty.

Customerexperienceforsomebrandscanalsogoway

beyondthefactualelementsof:“Doesitwork,”and“Is

iteasytouse?”

A Napa Valley winery tour, for example, can be an

experience that creates a lasting impression and as-

sociationwiththebrand.Thewineisbetterbecause


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Tobuildastrongbrand,youmustfindmultipleways

tobuildandmaintainstrongperceptionsofqualityin

themindsof your targetaudience.The linkbetween

perceivedqualityandabrand’sfinancialperformance

is so strong that some largecompanieshavewritten

plansdedicated to thisgoal,because theyknowthat

peoplewillpayforqualityiftheyunderstandit.

p.22

Pricing is tricky. Italldependsonwhatcategoryyou

arein,butasageneralrule—accordingtoChuckMoy-

er,aleadingpricingconsultant—chargeasmuchas

youcan.There’snothing toapologize for, if thevalue

is there. Based on research, 92% of products are un-

derpriced— 4% are overpriced and 4% are correctly

priced.

BRAND PRICING

Pricinghasbothacompanyandacustomerperspec-

tive.

Itiscriticaltomostcompaniesbecauseitisakeyde-

terminantinhowmuchtheymake.Basedonastudy

bytheHarvardBusinessSchool,every1%increasein

priceincreasesyournetincomeby12-30%,andevery

$1increaseinnetincomeincreasesthevalueofyour

businessby$3-$5.

Pricing is also important because it directly reflects

onyourbrand’simage.Theoldcliche,“Itmustbebet-

terbecauseitcostsmore,”isstillfixedinthemindsof

manypeople.

Ahigherpricesayshigherquality,andifyouwantyour

brandtobeperceivedasthebestinitscategory,you

certainlydon’twanttobethelowpriceleaderorrun

toomanydiscountpromotions.Andifyourbrandis

thecheapestinitscategory,howmanypeo-plemight

thinkthere’ssomethingwrongwithyourproductor

service?

From the consumers’ point of view, pricing is impor-

tantbecauseit’stheirmoney.Theywanttoknowwhat

thevaluepropositionis—exactlywhatdotheygetfor

whattheypay?

Ted Levitt, of Harvard University, summed it up best

whenhesaid,“Priceisthetruemeasureofyourmar-

ketingskills.”

BRAND PACKAGING

Whether you are selling a product or a service, you

needtoensurethatyourpackagingisconsistentwith

your other brand strategies. Packaging for consumer

productsisextremelyimportantbecauseitcarriesso

muchbrandidentity.

...92% of products are

underpriced — 4% are

overpriced and 4% are

correctly priced.


That distinctive robin’s-egg blue box with the white

ribbon says“Tiffany” quality. You don’t even have to

opentheboxtoknowit’sspecial.

Consulting and accounting firms often go to great

lengths todesignandpackagetheirreports, tomake

their findings and recommendations look authorita-

tiveandsubstantial.

Winethatcomesina1/2gallonscrew-capjugdoesn’t

necessarilytastebad,butitbumpsupagainstcertain

pricepointsatretail, therebylimitingitsprofitability.

Sometimesone easy solution to correct lowmargins

istorepackage.Takethesamewine,putitinasmall-

erbottlewithacork,andraisethepricebyadollaror

moreperbottle.Whosayspackagingisn’timportant?

Itdefinitelyaffectsperceivedquality.

BRAND DISTRIBUTION

Branddistributionmightseemlikeasimplestrategy

tothinkabout.Isn’tthegoaltoselltoeveryoneand

everywhereyoucan?Yesandno.

Ifyouaredealingwitha luxurygood,youmightnot

want to sell to a mass-market store. When Martha

StewartsellsherlineexclusivelytoKmart,itsaysvol-

umesaboutwhoshethinkshercustomersare.Andif

youarenotaKmarttypeofcustomer,youmight,right-

ly orwrongly, decide thatMartha’s products are not

foryou.Thepointis,whereyoudistributeyourbrand

impacts the imageofyourbrand.Sopickyourstores

carefully.

Oneother facet ofdistribution to consider iswheth-

er to selldirect to the customeror throughdistribu-

torsand resellers. Ifdirect to the customer,will itbe

through stores, catalogues or online? Generally, the

morechannelsthebetter.

BRAND ASSOCIATION

Onelow-costwaytoextendabrand’sawarenessand

imageistoassociatewithanotherbrand.Sometimes

it’s called sponsorship— sometimes co-branding—

sometimesendorsing.Thekeytoasuccessfulassocia-

tionistomakesureyourbrand-partneriscompatible

withyourbrand’svalues,desiredimageandtargetau-

dience.

WhenCresttoothpastefirstassociatedwiththeAmeri-

canDentalAssociation,itsmarketshareshotupfrom

14%to28%inthetoothpastecategory.

Butdoyou think theAmericanCancerSocietywould

wanttopartnerwithMarlborocigarettes?No—notin

amillionyears.However,SutterHomeWinery’sasso-

ciationwithapromotionforfindingacureforcancer

isawinforbothbrands.

Nike’s partnership with Tiger Woods makes sense.

Buick’sassociationwithTigermightnot—it’snotbe-

lievable.Doyoureallythink,athisage,theworld’sbest

andrichestgolferisgoingtostepoutofhisprivatejet

andintoaBuick?


BRAND CREDENTIALS

Abrand’scredentialsareoftenoverlookedasanim-

portantbrandingelement.AccordingtoAlRies,who

co-authored The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding,

“Credentialsarethecollateralyouputuptoguaran-

teetheperformanceofyourbrand.”

Credentialsaregenerallymoreimportantintheserv-

iceandentertainment industries, but they canalso

behelpfulwithintheconsumerandindustrialprod-

uctscategories.

Yourbrand’s credentialsgiveanextradimension to

your brand’s reputation based on actions, achieve-

mentsorawards.Thebetteryourcredentials,theeas-

ieritisforacustomertobuy.

Credentials also help provide the assurance cus-

tomers need when they are wrestling with a close

purchasedecision.Oftenit iscredentials thatactas

thetie-breakerbetweentwoverygoodchoices.

Abrand’scredentialsneedtobedevelopedovertime.

Andwhenmarketed,theycanhaveadirectimpact

onbothsalesandthebottomline.

Forexample,amoviethatwinsanumberofAcademy

Awards can expect to sell a lotmore tickets simply

basedonthiscredential.AcarthatwinsaJ.D.Power

Awardcancountonextrasales,ascananautomobile

companywhenitsteamwinstheDaytona500.

“Credentials are the

collateral you put up to

guarantee the perform-

ance of your brand.”

When colleges try tomarket themselves to prospec-

tivestudent-athletes,ithelpstohaveawallfulloftro-

phiesinthegym.

Stanford,forexample,whensellingitssubbrand“Stan-

fordAthletics,”notonlyshowcasesthemassiveamount

ofgoldandsilverinitstrophycase—theresultofwin-

ning70NCAAteamchampionshipssince1980—but

stressesitscredentialsasatop-tieracademicinstitu-

tion.

Theirpitch is simple: It’sallaboutcredentials.Where

else,theyasktherecruit,canyouplayforaNCAAcham-

pionship,roomwithanOlympicathleteandbetaught

byaNobelLaureate?

Buildingbrandcredentialsissometimesbeyondyour

spanofcontrol.Butmostlyitisuptoyou.

GettingagoodrankingfromConsumer Reportsisout-

sideyourcontrol,butbuildingthesuperiorproductto

getthatrankingisuptoyou.Youcan’twritethefavor-

ablerestaurantreview,butyoucanservegreatfoodto

earnthatreview.

Criteria for crafting a core brand message:

•Willitbeeasilyunderstood?

•Doesitdifferentiateyouvs.competition?

•Isitbelievable?

•Isitrelevanttothemarketplace?

•Isitconsistentwiththebrand’sarchitecture?

•Isthemessageunique?


Tocompetemoreeffectively,consultingfirmsstressin

theirproposalshow long theyhavebeen inbusiness

andtheirexperiencewithbigbrand-namecompanies.

They also showcase client testimonials on theirWeb

sites.

Accounting and law firms prominently display the

academic credentials of their employees on their of-

fice walls. Advertising agencies showcase howmany

creative awards they havewon. Banks highlight how

manyassetstheyhaveundermanagement.

Every brand has the capacity to earn credentials.

impressionmessageneedstobeimplementedconsis-

tentlyacrossallofyourcommunicationsandmarket-

ing programs, so that your customers don’t get con-

fusedaboutwhatyourbrandstandsfor.

Your core message gets delivered in many different

ways,buteveryoneneedstobesingingfromthesame

pageinthesongbook.

Whenyouare#1inthecategoryit’seasy,butthereare

alsoopportunitiesoutthereforeveryonewho’snoton

top.Whenabrand’scredentialsareproperlymarketed,

theyaddvalue toyourbrand’sequitybybuildingup

thebrand’sperceivedquality.p.23

Forexample,nomatterwhattypeofmarketingpiece

you see fromBMW,youknow theyare talkingabout

“Theultimatedrivingmachine.”ForBMW,theirtagline

isalsotheircorebrandmessage.p.24

BRAND MESSAGE

The last elemental building block in the process of

creating your brand’s architecture is crafting a core

brandmessageordominantsellingidea.

Thismessageneedstoreflectwhatyourbrandstands

for. Itneedstobesimple,soitcanbedistilleddown

toonesentenceorasingle-net-impression.Forexam-

ple,The New York Times’coremessageis,“Allthenews

that’sfittoprint.”

Once youhavedeveloped your corebrandmessage,

youneedtocommunicateittoeveryoneinyourcom-

panywhomakesbrandingdecisions.Yoursingle-net-

This is the conclusion of describing the elements of

brand architecture. The Appendices Section that fol-

lowscontainsworksheets thatwillhelpyouputyour

brandtogether.

After youhavefinisheddeveloping yourbrandarchi-

tecture (p. 17) it’s time toput yourbrand intoaction.

Consult “Branding: The 6 Easy Steps” for additional

information.

W

W


XXI. APPENDICES SECTION

• CompetitiveBrandAnalysis&InsightsWorksheet...............16

•BrandArchitectureWorksheet....................................17

•BrandDifferentiationWorksheet.................................18

•BrandPositioningWorksheet.....................................19

•TargetAudienceWorksheet......................................20

•BrandTraitsWorksheet...........................................21

•PerceivedQualityWorksheet.....................................22

•BrandCredentialsWorksheet....................................23

•BrandMessageWorksheet.......................................24

•GlossaryofTerms................................................25

•ReferenceSection...............................................29

•AbouttheAuthor................................................31

•ContactPage.....................................................32

16

Referencep.2

COM

PETI

TIVE

BRA

ND

AN

ALYS

IS &

INSI

GH

TS W

ORK

SHEE

T

17 BRAND ARCHITECTURE WORKSHEET Referencep.2-14

BrandElements Strategies,Descriptions,Comments

BrandProduct/Service

BrandDifferentiation

BrandVision

BrandPositioning

BrandTarget

BrandName

BrandIdentity

BrandPromise

BrandCharacter

BrandPersonality

BrandEmotion

BrandExperience

BrandQuality

BrandPricing(valueproposition)

BrandPackaging

BrandDistribution

BrandAssociation

BrandCredentials

BrandMessage

18 BRAND DIFFERENTIATION WORKSHEET

Strategies, Descriptions, Comments

BrandProductorService

Targetmarket(s)

KeyCompetitors’Differentiation

CurrentDifferentiation

NewDifferentiation

Uniqueness

Whybetter

Support

Believable

Relevance

Understandable

Easytocommunicate

Timing

“DifferentiationisnotDiscretionary” — Ted Levitt

Competitor#5

BrandsinCategory

Competitor#4

Competitor#3

Competitor#2

Competitor#1

YourBrand

19

Whatbusinessareyouin?

BRAN

D PO

SITI

ON

ING

WO

RKSH

EET

Referencep.4

(specificproductorservicecategory)

KeyCustomerBenefits

BrandPositioningStatement

SizeofMarket

TARG

ET A

UDI

ENCE

WO

RKSH

EET

(behavior)

Psychographics

(age/gender)

Demographics

MediaReach-what

peopleread,watch,etc.

DistributionPoints-

wherepeoplecanbuy

20

Primary

Target

Target

Target

Tertiary

Secondary

Referencep.4

21 BRAND TRAITS WORKSHEET Referencep.7

BrandCharacter:

BrandPersonality:

BelievableOptions 3MostStrategic

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

BelievableOptions 3MostStrategic

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

22 PERCEIVED QUALITY WORKSHEET Referencep.10

Actual WaystoIncreasePerceivedQuality

23 BRAND CREDENTIALS WORKSHEET Referencep.13

Historicalandcurrentfactsthatgiveabrand’simageaddeddimension.Examplesinclude:timeinbusiness,sizeofcompany,etc.

Marketleader

Awards,medals,records,etc.

Certifications,licenses,accreditations

Articlesorquotespublishedinnews-papersandmagazinesthatimproveabrand’simage,andthatcanbeusedinmarketingmaterials

Testimonials,clientreferences

Achievements—includingbeingfirsttodosomething

Productorserviceratings/rankings

Prestigeofuserorclientlist

Credentialsofyouremployeesand/ormanagement

Prestigeofstrategicalliancepartners

Intellectualproperty(patents,etc.)

Brandreputation

24

Product/Service(Differentiation):

TargetAudience:

Whatdoestargetaudiencethinkorfeelnow?

Whatdoyouwantthecommunicationstoaccomplish?

CoreBrandMessage(ASingleNetImpression(SNI)orDominantSellingIdea):

SupportforSNI:

Otherrequirements:

BRAND MESSAGE WORKSHEET Referencep.14


W

BRAND GLOSSARY Thisglossaryisincludedtohelpyoubetterunderstandthelanguageofbrandarchitectureasusedinthisbook

andinotherbooksonthesubject.Itfocusesonwhattheauthorhasjudgedtobethemostusefultermsinvolved

withdevelopingabrand’sarchitecture.

Oneofthechallengesofsuccessfulbrandingisgettingeveryonewhoisinvolvedwithmakingbrandingdeci-

sionstousethesamevocabulary.

Thedefinitionsprovidedinthisglossaryaretheauthor’sbestjudgment,basedon30yearsofhands-onexperi-

enceandextensivereadingonthesubject.

Brand

Abrandisanidentifyingnameorsymbolrepresent-

ing the sumof all the information, perceptions and

feelingsaboutaproduct,serviceorcorporation.

Brand Architecture

The combination of branding elements that helps

determine the outcomeof the brandingprocess. It’s

theunifyingandcoherentformthatdecisionmakers

throughoutanorganizationcanfollowinregards to

thebrand.

Asecondarymeaningistheorganizationofmultiple

brandsinacorporatebrandportfolio.

brand,thatiscalledbrandassociationorendorsement.

Whentwobrandsmarkettogether,itishopedthatthe

combined goodwill of both brands will benefit both.

Whenabrandsponsorsacharityevent,theassociation

generatesgoodwillforthesponsoringcompany.Brands

associatetoincreasesales,buildperceivedquality,and

toburnishtheirreputation.(Referencep.12)

A secondarymeaning of brand association iswhen a

customer,inhismind,identifiesabrandwithapartic-

ularsetofattributes.

Brand Awareness

Ifpeoplerememberorrecognizeabrand,that’sbrand

awareness. Advertising is one of the primary tools to

buildbrandawareness.Ifapersonisawareofabrand,

theyaremorelikelytobuyitversusabrandtheydonot

recognize.

p.17(Referencep.2)

Brand Association

Brand association happens in many different ways.

Whena famouspersonactsasa spokesperson fora


Brand Character Brand Experience

Brandexperienceistheknowledgeacustomergains

asaresultofusingorobservingthebrand.When

someonevisitsyourWebsitethatisalsoconsidereda

brandexperience.(Referencep.10)

Brand Identity

A brand’s identity is the visual expression of how a

brand is recognized. It can be comprised of a name,

symbol,color—orinsomesituations,justthebrand’s

initials.Abrand’sidentitycanalsoprojectitscharacter

andpersonality.Sometimesitiscalledthebrandlogo.

(Referencep.6)

Brand Message

Aconciseexpression (oneor two sentences)ofwhat

yourbrandstands forandwhysomeoneshouldbuy

yourproductorservice.(Referencep.14)

Brand Name

Abrandnameishowacustomerorprospect identi-

fiesandremembersyou.Thenamerepresentsallthat

your brand stands for. The brand name acts as the

trustee forall theequity thatyourbrandbuildsand

accumulatesovertime.(Referencep.5)

Brand Packaging

Brandpackagingisanythingthatcomeswiththeprod-

uctthatisnotcentraltothebrand’sperformance.

(Referencep.11)

Adistinctivesetofmoraltraitsthatdescribesabrandin

humanterms.Abrand’scharactertraitsareattributes

thatacustomerfindsbothattractiveandreassuring.A

brand’scharacterisoftenreferredtoasitscorevalues.

p.21(Referencep.7)

Brand Credentials

Abrand’s credentialsareanything that increases the

perceivedqualityortrustworthinessofabrand.Exam-

ples include: awards, product reviews, certifications,

testimonialsandachievements.

p.38(Referencep.13)

Brand Differentiation

Something that sets your product or service apart

fromcompetition.Itisimportantbecauseinmostcat-

egories, there are toomany choices. Sometimes it is

referredtoas“theuniquesellingpropositionordomi-

nantsellingidea.”(Referencep.18)

Brand Distribution

Branddistributioniswhereorhowapersonisableto

purchasetheproductorservice.(Referencep.12)

Brand Emotion

Brandemotionishowapersonfeelsaboutyourprod-

uctorservice.Forsomeproductsandservices,itisan

importantdeterminant in thepurchasedecision.For

example,intheprofessionalservicescategory,aman-

agermayselectandpaymoreforabig-nameconsult-

ant—justtofeelsafe.(Referencep.9)

W

W

W


W

Brand Perception

Brandperceptionisacustomer’smentalimage,orgut

feeling,ofwhatabrandstandsfor.

Brand Personality

Adistinctivesetofsocialandpersonal traits thatde-

scribesabrandinhumanterms.Abrand’spersonality

helpsdifferentiateitfromcompetitioninabehav-

Brand Product/Service

Abrand’sproductorserviceiswhatisdeliveredtothe

customer in return for payment or other consider-

ation.

Brand Promise

Abrandpromiseisadeclarationthatsomethingspecif-

icwillgetdoneorhappen.Whenabrandoffacecream

promises to remove all yourwrinkles after 7 days of

usage,thatisabrandpromise.Ifthecompanyselling

that brand promises a full-satisfaction, money-back

guarantee,thatisacompanypromise—notabrand

promise.Abrandpromise (orperceivedpromise)sets

thecon-sumer’sexpectationofwhathewillgetafter

hebuystheproductorservice.(Referencep.7)

Brand Quality

ioraloremotionalway. p.21(Referencep.8)

Brand Positioning

Brandpositioningishowyouwantpeopletoperceive

your product or service versus competition in the

marketplace. It helps peg in the customer’s mind

whereyoufitinaparticularcategory.Forfurtherdefi-

nitiononpositioning,refertoAlRies’andJackTrout’s

Positioning:TheBattleForYourMind.

(Referencep.4)

Brand Pricing

Brand quality is a combination of real (tangible) and

perceived (intangible) quality from the consumer’s

perspective.Realqualityisbasedonproductorservice

specifications.Perceivedqualityistheextravalueacus-

tomerassumes is therebecauseof thestrengthof the

brand.Abrand’sperceivedquality, ifhigher thancom-

petition’s, generally allows for premiumpricing and a

higherR.O.I.

Brandpricinghas twokey components:what thepro-

ducerof thegoodsandservices receives,and the total

pricethecustomerpays, includinganytax.Sometimes

theretailpricecanbeveryvisible(asinawell-merchan-

disedsale),andatothertimesvirtuallyinvisible.Thelat-

tercanhappenwhenasupermarketshopperjustputs

itemsintheshoppingcartwithoutcheckingtheprice.In

thiscase,it’sthepowerofthebrand,nottheprice,that

influencesthepurchaseselection.

(Referencep.11)

Brand Target

Abrand’stargetaudienceiscomprisedofone(primary)

ormore(secondary,tertiary)groupsofprospectsorcus-

tomerstowardswhomthebrand’smarketingeffortswill

bedirected.Targetingisabasicbrandstrategyusedto

helpmaximizetheeffectivenessofacompany’sbrand-

ingprogram.

W p.19

W p.18(Referencep.2)




Brand Traits

Brand traits are distinguishing qualities that a cus-

tomerperceivesabrandtohaveasitrelatestoperson-

alityorcharacter.

Brand Vision

Atheoreticalprojectionofwhereyourbrandwillstand

in thedistant future (e.g., 10-25years). It ispartofa

brand’s architecture and acts as a compass for the

brand’slong-termdirection.(Referencep.3)

Branding

Brandingencompassesall theactions taken tobuild

abrandand the resultingbrandequity. It isadisci-

plinedprocessinvolvingallthecomponents,elements

andsub-elementslistedontheBrandingTablefound

inthebook,Branding:The6EasySteps,byDaveDunn.



REFERENCE SECTION Oneoftheobjectivesofthisbrandingbookistoprovidethereaderwithjustenoughinformationtounderstand

thecompleteprocessofdefiningbrandarchitecture.Whenyoustarttobrandyourowncompany,though,you

mightwanttoconsultsomeofthebookslistedbelowtogainadditionalinsightintooneormorefacetsofthe

process.

The11ImmutableLawsofInternetBranding—Ries&Ries,HarperBusiness,2000

The22ImmutableLawsofBranding—AlRies&LauraRies,HarperCollinsPublishers,1998

TheBrandGap—MartyNeumeier,NewRidersPublishing,2003

BrandHarmony—SteveYastrow,SelectBooks,2003

BrandLeadership—Aaker&Joachimsthaler,FreePress,2000

Branded?ProductsandTheirPersonalities—Williams,V&APublications,2000

BrandSimple—AllenAdamson,PalGraveMacMillan,2006

CreatingPowerfulBrands—deChernatony&McDonald,Butterworth,1998

DifferentiateorDie—JackTroutwithSteveRivkin,JohnWiley&Sons,2000

EmotionalBranding—MarcGobel,AllworthPress,2001

EmotionalBranding—DarylTravis,PrimaPublishing,2000


TheEndofAdvertisingAsWeKnowIt—Zyman&Brott,JohnWiley&Sons,2002

Focus—AlRies,HarperCollinsPublishers,1996

TheFutureofAdvertising—JoeCappo,CrainCommunications,2003

Lovemarks—KevinRoberts,PowerHouseBooks,2004

ANewBrandWorld—ScottBedburywithStephenFenichell,PenguinGroup,2002

NoLogo—NaomiKlein,St.MartinPress,2002

TheOriginofBrands—Al&LauraRies,HarperCollins,2004

Positioning:TheBattleForYourMind—AlRies&JackTrout,McGraw-Hill,1981

ThePowerofLogos—WilliamHaig&LaurelHarper,InternationalThompson,1997

PurpleCow—SethGodin,PenguinGroup,2003

RisingTide—Dyer,Dalzell&Olegario,HarvardBusinessSchoolPress,2004

TheSubstanceofStyle—VirginiaPostrel,HarperCollinsPublishers,2003

UnitedWeBrand—MikeMoser,HarvardBusinessSchoolPress,2003

About the Author:

Dave Dunn is the managing principal of Branding Communications

and BrandEquity Consulting, located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

He has spent more than 30 years as a branding professional work-

ing for start-ups, Fortune 500 firms and non-profit

organizations.

He is recognized as an expert brand strategist and has gained hands-on experience with more

than two dozen brands of some of the nation’s largest firms. His experience includes new product

introductions, brand building and brand restaging for:

•General Foods •Georgia-Pacific

•Warner Lambert •Kentucky Fried Chicken

•Seagram’s •Foster Farms

•AT&T •Tenet Healthcare

In 2002, Dave was honored as the “Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber

of Commerce. Dave is a graduate of Stanford University and has an MBA from the Wharton School

of Finance and Commerce. He is active in the community and was chairman of the Oakland

Convention & Visitors Bureau from 2005 - 2007.

Dave, a sought-after speaker, has authored numerous newspaper and magazine articles, a series of

white papers, and written six e-books on branding:

g Branding: The 6 Easy Steps

g Inventing Big Ideas

g Brand Architecture: Your Blueprint for Success

g Web Site Audit Handbook

g The Social Media Planning Guide

g A Primer on Content Marketing


Contact Information

Twitter: www.twitter.com/BrandingComm

Blog: www.brandingcommunications.typepad.com/branding_20/

Web: www.BrandingCommunications.com

Phone: Dave Dunn 510.452.8870

E-mail: [email protected]

Fax: 510.763.5378

Mail: 725 Washington Street, Oakland, CA 94607

Copyright© 2010 by David C. Dunn All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the author. Printed in the United States of America.


Documents

Brand Architecture Workbook