r nding™ … · the blueprint for successful brand ing™ hanloncreative.com 6 understanding your...

THE BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESSFUL BRANDING™

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TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction .................................................................................................... 4

01: Set Goals for the Brand ........................................................................ 6

02: Perform a Situational Analysis (SWOT) ......................................... 7

Strengths ..................................................................................................................... 8

Weaknesses .............................................................................................................. 9

Opportunities ............................................................................................................ 10

Threats .......................................................................................................................... 11

03: Define the Target Audience ............................................................... 12

External Audience ................................................................................................. 12

Internal Audience ................................................................................................... 12

Target Audience Template .............................................................. 13

04: Identify the Brand Drivers .................................................................. 15

Category Drivers .................................................................................................... 15

Functional Drivers/Benefits ............................................................................ 16

Emotional Drivers/Benefits ............................................................................. 17

05: Complete a Brand and Competitive Analysis ............................... 18

06: Define the Organization ...................................................................... 19

Core Values and Distinguishing Characteristics ............................... 19

Mission Statement ................................................................................................ 20

Vision Statement .................................................................................................... 20

07: Define the Offering ................................................................................ 21

Product or Service Offerings .......................................................................... 21

Key Benefits of Your Offerings ...................................................................... 22

Reasons to Believe ................................................................................................ 22

08: Determine the Brand Positioning ..................................................... 23

Value Proposition ................................................................................................... 23

Brand Promise ......................................................................................................... 24

Key Messaging Points ........................................................................................ 24

Positioning Line ...................................................................................................... 24

09: Set the Tone for Communications .................................................... 25

Brand Archetypes and Personality ............................................................ 25

Craving Something Spiritual ........................................................................... 26

Inspired to Make an Impression ................................................................... 27

Seeks Connection to Others .......................................................................... 28

Wants to Provide Structure ............................................................................. 29

Brand Voice and Vocabulary .......................................................................... 30

10: Create Guidelines for the Visual Elements of the Brand............ 31

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INTRODUCTIONMonetary brand value is built from a solid positioning platform. Clarity in all messaging and consistency in all visual elements drives attraction, influence and confidence.

Brand Value is the sum of these relationship types:

• Customers - Greater influence gains greater profits through margins, volume, and referrals.

• Employees - Greater attraction gains greater talent through efficiency, productivity, and service delivery.

• Vendor - Greater leverage gains greater offerings through pricing, variety, and payment terms.

Employees Vendors

BrandValue

Customers





Consistency and clarity are the hallmarks of every strong brand. Customer and employee confidence in your brand starts with consistency in all visual elements, and clarity in all messaging components. Additionally, all experiential aspects of your brand have to be consistent in all of your branding, marketing, and advertising efforts. To have consistency and clarity, you must start with a well-organized, and clearly defined brand platform and style guide. This foundational base of your brand is the guiding document for all branding, marketing, and advertising decisions. It is the starting point for all messaging and visual elements, and it is essential to marketing and communications success for your internal and external audience.

The core of your brand platform and style guide will be based around messaging elements like values, mission, vision, positioning and personality. Additionally, it will demonstrate the core visual elements that make your brand immediately recognizable.

Authenticity is the most important aspect of your brand platform and style guide. You cannot be credible if you are not authentic in your promise and positioning. Therefore, your brand platform must be based on proven cultural beliefs and aspirations. It will contain practical guidelines for how employees will focus their behaviors, and shape their customer and vendor interactions, in support of the brand.

Your brand platform will help you build strong, lasting customer relationships by aligning management and employees on the key strategies that will consistently deliver differentiated value to your customers.

This brand platform and style guide will shape your yearly marketing plan. You will use the information gathered here to complete a marketing plan that supports the goals and positioning strategy outlined. The appearance and messaging of the brand will stem from this platform and style guide and connect with your audience through the marketing plan.

The Blueprint for Successful Branding™ is a guide to completing your brand platform and style guide.





Before you execute on any ideas or implement any plan for brand promotion, you need to be clear about what you want to accomplish. The goals you outline below will set the tone for your ongoing brand promotional efforts and specify how you want to grow and what you intend to accomplish. They will reinforce corporate values among employees and set expectations for all of your interactions with your audience.

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01: SET GOALS FOR THE BRAND





Understanding your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is essential to developing a brand positioning strategy that aligns with who you are as an organization and what you are capable of accomplishing. This assessment will impact how you message to your target audience and what you will do to differentiate from your competition, in a meaningful way that will matter to your target audience.

02: PERFORM A SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS (SWOT)Internal capabilities

that may help a company reach its objectivies

Internal limitations that may interfere with a company’s ability to

achieve its objectives

External factors that the company may be able to exploit to its

advantage

Current and emerging external factors that may challenge the

company’s performance

S T R E N G T H S W E A K N E S S E S

PO S I T I V E N E G AT I V E

O P P O R T U N I T I E S T H R E AT S

EXTERNAL

SWOT

INTERNAL





STRENGTHSInternal capabilities that may help a company reach its objectives

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WEAKNESSESInternal limitations that may interfere with a company’s ability to achieve its objectives

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OPPORTUNITIESExternal factors that the company may be able to exploit to its advantage

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THREATSCurrent and emerging external factors that may challenge the company’s performance

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Define your target audience members and create personas that you will use for messaging through all promotional campaigns and messaging executions. Your target audiences for the brand platform should be separated into internal and external audiences. In addition to the basic demographic fundamentals of age, gender, income, education, and occupation, you should outline challenges and problems your target audience will need to resolve and motivations that will offer you insight into how to position your brand to meet their needs. This will allow you to develop messaging campaigns and service offerings that align with their needs and offer discernible value and benefit to them.

EXTERNAL AUDIENCEThe external audience should be based on market and consumer research to ensure that you are targeting the right people who are likely to be interested in your product or service. If you need to segment your audience and speak to them individually, list out the different personas to whom you will create personalized messaging.

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INTERNAL AUDIENCEThe internal audience should be based on insights and information you have gained from current and previous employees. If you need to segment your audience and speak to them individually, list out the different personas to whom you will create personalized messaging.

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03: DEFINE THE TARGET AUDIENCE





• Gender:

• Age Range:

• Education:

• Income:

• Occupation:

• Marital Status:

• Household Members:

• Location:

TARGET AUDIENCE TEMPLATEUse this template format to create persona profiles for all of your target audience members. Depending on your audience, industry, and product or service offering, you may not need to answer all of the questions provided here. The most important outcome is to create a thorough overview of your target audience persona so that you begin to shape the ways that you will reach them and motivate them to identify with your brand.

Background Narrative

Motivations & Drivers

What are they hoping to achieve?

What do they want from you?

What influences their decision-making?

Validations

What is going to make them feel satisfied – like they’ve made the right choice?

PERSONA NAMEAudience Type: External or Internal

Demographics





Business & Industry

Travel & Leisure

Entertainment

Family & Relationships

Fitness & Wellness

Food & Drink

Hobbies & Activities

Shopping & Fashion

Sports & Outdoors

Technology

Lifestyle/Behaviors

Do they buy top line or search for bargains?

How frequently would they visit your venue?

How much would they generally spend?

Interests

Information and Attention

Where do they typically get information?

What are they typically listening to or watching?

Where do they go for entertainment?

What are their prevalent media sources & devices?

Pain Points

What barriers may keep them from choosing you?

What may be frustrating to them?

Primary Message

What is the most important thing for them to know?

Messaging Channels

How will you reach them?





Brand Drivers determine what brand a prospect selects within a given category of product or service. The goal here is to give the customer everything they need to choose your brand above all others. These are the core components that drive a customer through the engagement process from brand awareness, through consideration, preference, loyalty and advocacy.

CATEGORY DRIVERSThese are the needs that prompt a customer to seek help. What may be happening in the market place or within their organization that would prompt them to need a solution.

External Factors

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Internal Factors

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04: IDENTIFY THE BRAND DRIVERS





FUNCTIONAL DRIVERS/BENEFITSThese are more utilitarian and basic benefits that your brand can offer. These drivers ensure that when a prospective customer has a need for your brand, they know what it is, where to get it, and how much it costs. Which of these functional drivers are essential to your brand and what are you going to do to enhance or emphasize these drives?

• Services

• Convenience & Accessibility

• Price

• Brand Name





EMOTIONAL DRIVERS/BENEFITSThese benefits offer the “feel good factor” and provide the opportunity to drive a richer and deeper relationship with your audience by making them feel like they’re making a difference by supporting your brand or gaining a greater self-benefit by using your product or services.

Self-Expressive Drivers/Benefits

These are the benefits that give your audience a feeling that your brand enhances or complements their personality or self-image. For example, “When I buy this brand I am…adventurous, successful, frugal.”

Social Drivers/Benefits

These are the benefits that create a feeling of unity and belonging. For example, “When I buy or use this brand, the type of people I relate to are… professionals, top level performers, or industry leaders.”

Your Actions to Support These Drivers

These are the things you will do to engage and motivate the target audience to choose your brand. Think about things you can do appeal to your target audience as they look to select a brand.

• Brand Identity

• Brand Promotion

• Service Experience

• Customer Satisfaction

• Environment and Atmosphere

• Customization & Personalization

• Other





To carve out a differentiating position so that customers choose your brand over another, you need to assess how you are the same and different from your competition. You will examine their product or service offerings, corporate culture, size, reputation, messaging, brand persona, etc… You can add or delete in this worksheet to serve your particular needs.

05: COMPLETE A BRAND AND COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Competitive AnalysisFactor Company Competitor 1 Competitor 2 Competitor 3 Competitor 4 Competitor 5

Products

Price

Selection

Location

Quality

Service

Reliability

Expertise

Stability

Appearance

Company Reputation

Employees

Company Culture

Branding

Advertising

Marketing

Reason for Being

Value Proposition

Differentiation

Persona

Associations

Range of Authority

Audience

Relationship

*Identify what factors are the same or different





To develop an effective brand platform and style guide, it is essential to outline some core values that will allow your target audience to develop a personal connection with your brand. To this end, you will list out your distinguishing characteristics and articulate your mission and vision statement.

CORE VALUES AND DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICSCreate a list and description of 5–8 key attributes of the brand. These distinguishing characteristics should be the core values of your organization and they may be based on a founder’s vision, a cultural commitment to innovation, exceptional customer service, or a comprehensive approach to quality assurance. These attributes will drive the brand identity and personality. They should influence every decision made to guide the business and the brand forward. They need to resonate with the target audience, employees, and business partners to create a cohesive culture that establishes trust and loyalty.

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06: DEFINE THE ORGANIZATION





MISSION STATEMENTBeyond making a profit, define what your organization exists to accomplish. Keep the mission statement simple and focused. Identify an unfulfilled need in the market and your purpose for meeting that need. The mission statement should define your target client, the product or service you intend to provide, and the unique distinctions that will make them choose you over your competition. You will want to answer the following questions:

• Why do you do it?

• What do you do?

• How do you do it?

• Whom do you do it for?

• What value are you bringing that is different?

• Combine the elements above to write your statement.

VISION STATEMENTA vision statement is aspirational—it communicates what you hope to become as an organization. A vision statement focuses on longer term and loftier goals. Simply put, a mission statement is what you are today, and a vision statement is what you aspire to be. Both of these statements exist to remind employees and business partners of the priorities that serve the collective good of the customer, organization, and brand.

• What do you hope to become as an organization?

• What impact do you hope to have on the market you serve?

• How would you like to change the industry?

• How would you like to change the mindset of consumers, competitors, prospective employees or investors?






Clearly defining the product or service offering your brand serves to your target audience is an obvious and essential component of building a solid brand platform and style guide. Even more important than clearly stating the offering, you must identify and articulate the key benefits of your brand and list the reasons the audience should believe in your ability to deliver on their expectations.

PRODUCT OR SERVICE OFFERINGSThe core products or services you offer to your clients.

07: DEFINE THE OFFERING

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KEY BENEFITS OF YOUR OFFERINGSThese are the key benefits of your product or service offerings.

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REASONS TO BELIEVEYour existing and prospective customers will be able to see evidence of your key benefits in the following ways:

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All brands need to have a position in the mind of the consumer. That position must define who you are and who you are not. It can be based on price, quality, innovation, luxury, convenience, etc. This is where you carve out your spot in the competitive landscape. This is where you define a unique value proposition for your brand, a brand promise, and a positioning line.

VALUE PROPOSITIONA value proposition should be written to address these main points:

• Market: Who are your target customers?

• Value: What does your brand offer that these customers value and how do you know?

• Offering: What products or services are you offering?

• Alternatives: Where else can they get the products or services you’re offering?

• Differentiation: What are you delivering that is unique and different from the competition?

• Proof: What evidence do you have to substantiate your value proposition?

A good value proposition statement is built on the below fundamental framework:

• For ______________________________ (target customer)

• Who ______________________________ (needs, demands, wants, must-haves)

• We provide ____________________________________________ (solution name/brand description)

• That________________________________________________________ (specifies benefits and values to clients)


08: DETERMINE THE BRAND POSITIONING





BRAND PROMISEThe brand promise is a short statement of your value proposition. It needs to be a legitimate commitment of what your brand can deliver to your target audience. It must summarize how you meet a customer’s needs and expectations to drive confidence and build trust for a long term, mutually beneficial relationship. You should focus on one or two key benefits.

KEY MESSAGING POINTSThese are the important messaging points that you will use to guide your marketing copy for internal and external communications.

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POSITIONING LINE





With the foundational elements of the brand’s core values, strategic positioning, target audience, and competitive advantages identified and defined, you will create the emotional elements that will give your brand life and personality. This includes the tone, personality, and vocabulary for all communications and visual representations.

BRAND ARCHETYPES AND PERSONALITYCarl Jung defined 12 primary archetypes that represent basic human motivations. From the need to belong to the need to dominate, they cover the range of human wants and desires. These 12 archetypes are helpful in identifying customer motivations that drive brand engagement throughout the entire buyer journey, from the first stage of awareness all the way through to loyalty and advocacy. You should choose the brand archetype that most closely aligns with your target audience and differentiates you from other brand archetypes in your competitive market space. Obviously, this is a pivotal point of emotional connection with your audience so; you have to be genuine and real. Authenticity is essential to a meaningful relationship. Deception is not sustainable.

These are the 12 archetypes as defined under the 4 primary categories of human needs. Review and determine which type best fits your brand. The easiest way to work through this process is to cross out the archetypes you know you are not and then zone in on the types you may be.

09: SET THE TONE FOR COMMUNICATIONS

Innovation

Wants toprovide

structure

Seeksconnectionwith others

Cravingsomethingspiritual

Inspired tomake animpression

Safety

Intimacy Mastery

Control Understanding

Enjoyment Power

Belonging Liberation

Service FreedomCar

egiv

er

R

uler

Creator Innocent Sage Explorer Everym

an Jester Lover Hero

Magician

O

utla

w





CRAVING SOMETHING SPIRITUALThe Innocent/The Purist

• Goals: Safety, happiness, and moral virtue

• Distinguishing Characteristics: Wholesome, pure, moral, optimistic, simple, romantic, loyal, aspires to be good, soft-spoken, positive, kind, encouraging, happy

• Disadvantages: Sometimes boring, simple, may seem naive

• Brand Positioning: Companies with strong values, seen as trustworthy, reliable and honest, associated with morality, good virtues, simplicity, can be nostalgic. Offer a simple solution to an identifiable problem. Low or moderately priced and can be positioned strongly against competitors with poor reputations.

• Brand Examples:

The Sage/The Source

• Goals: Wisdom, empathy, and insight

• Distinguishing Characteristics: Knowledgeable, wisdom and intelligence, thoughtful, analytical, mentor, guru, advisor, wants to be a trusted source of information, matter of fact, educated, contemplative, not argumentative or boisterous

• Disadvantages: Sometimes thinks too much, too opinionated, and may seem aloof

• Brand Positioning: Help people to better understand the world, provide practical information and analysis. Supported by research and facts. Moderately priced. Positioned well against competitors who lack credibility.

• Brand Examples:

The Explorer/The Pioneer

• Goals: Freedom, adventure, and new experiences

• Distinguishing Characteristics: Restless, ambitious, individualistic, independent, pioneering, desires thrills and excitement

• Disadvantages: Might seem risky, reckless, and dangerous

• Brand Positioning: Exciting, risk-taking, no frills, no nonsense, rugged, and high energy. Low to moderate pricing. Accessible and positioned well against Everyman brand, competitors that lack individuality and excitement, or Ruler brands that espouse status and order.

• Brand Examples:





INSPIRED TO MAKE AN IMPRESSIONThe Outlaw/The Rebel

• Goals: Independence, liberation, and rebellion

• Distinguishing Characteristics: Rebellious, iconoclastic, wild, paving the way for change

• Disadvantages: Reckless, brash, and might cross the line

• Brand Positioning: Agent of change, advocate for the disenfranchised, allow people to vent or break with conventions. Breaks with industry conventions. Low to moderately priced. Positioned well against Ruler brands, Hero brands, and Everyman brands.

• Brand Example:

The Magician/The Wizard

• Goals: Inspiration, transformation, and power

• Distinguishing Characteristics: Visionary, charismatic, imaginative, idealistic, dreams of creating something special

• Disadvantages: May take too many risks and be seen as difficult to endure

• Brand Positioning: Organizations that change the world, inspire new ways of thinking, and create a deeply passionate following. Strong positioning for transformative and/or conscious expanding brands. Medium to high price.

• Brand Examples:

The Hero/The Conqueror

• Goals: Mastery, strength, and dominance

• Distinguishing Characteristics: Courageous, bold, honorable, strong, confident, inspirational, works to always be achieving more

• Disadvantages: Could be arrogant, aloof, or larger than life and therefore not relatable

• Brand Positioning: Companies that set the standard for excellence, work harder, do the right things, and set the example for others. Good positioning for brands that are fearless in pursuit of their goals, want to target customers who need a driving cause and like to be champions.

• Brand Examples:





SEEKS CONNECTION TO OTHERSThe Lover/The Seducer

• Goals: Intimacy, romance, and love

• Distinguishing Characteristics: Passionate, sensual, intimate, romantic, warm, lives for the pleasure of human contacts

• Disadvantages: Too whimsical, touchy feely, or short-lived

• Brand Positioning: Brands that make people feel special, elated, or allow them to escape. Low to moderately priced. Differentiates from self-important, over confident or pretentious brands.

• Brand Example:

The Jester/The Entertainer

• Goals: Amusement, pleasure, and entertainment

• Distinguishing Characteristics: Fun, sense of humor, light-hearted, mischievous, irreverent

• Disadvantages: Could be perceived as silly, rude, or lacking respect

• Brand Positioning: Companies that want people to enjoy life, experience good times, and worry less. This positioning is good for brands that want to carve out a more fun niche against competitors who take a more serious position. Differentiates from self-important, overconfident or pretentious brands.

• Brand Examples:

The Everyman/The Straight Shooter

• Goals: Belonging, credibility, and authenticity

• Distinguishing Characteristics: Grounded, faithful, reliable, genuine, honest, approachable, and easy to like

• Disadvantages: Might be a wallflower, hard to notice and easy to forget

• Brand Positioning: Brands that are accessible to everyone, lacking pretension, serving a basic purpose but with a feeling of community. Positions well against Ruler brands that claim exclusivity or status. The Everyman brand is about inclusion and accessibility for everyone and differentiates in a positive way against elitist brands.

• Brand Examples:





WANTS TO PROVIDE STRUCTUREThe Caregiver/The Protector

• Goals: Service, caring, and protecting

• Distinguishing Characteristics: Altruistic, compassionate, nurturing, generous, parental, exists to serve others

• Disadvantages: Might be seen as weak, easily exploited or manipulated

• Brand Positioning: Brands that serve a greater good through education, health or health care, and emergency aid or relief.

• Brand Example:

The Ruler/The Leader

• Goals: Control, authority, and status

• Distinguishing Characteristics: Organized, disciplined, setting the rules, leading the way, and enjoying a sense of exclusivity and status

• Disadvantages: Not right for widespread connection, too authoritative and controlling for many people

• Brand Positioning: Brands that bring order, stability and security to the world and create an impression of strength, status, and leadership. Moderately to high priced. Differentiates from populist brands and takes a position of being a clear leader in their industry or field of practice.

• Brand Examples:

The Creator/The Dreamer

• Goals: Creativity, innovation and imagination

• Distinguishing Characteristics: Inventive, entrepreneurial, imaginative, disruptive, artistic, and avoiding the rules

• Disadvantages: Could be seen as a dreamer, unreliable, and may not be taken seriously. Could be perfectionistic or impractical

• Brand Positioning: Companies that want to empower their audience to be visionary and express themselves through creativity and imagination. Good for marketing, PR, arts organizations, or technology companies that drive innovation. Good for do-it-yourself brands and creative company cultures.

• Brand Examples:





BRAND VOICE AND VOCABULARYSimilar to Brand Personality, Brand Voice defines the attitude, tone, and even the vocabulary of communication for the brand. It is easiest to define Brand Voice using is/is never. This will help create a list of words that will become the vocabulary for your messaging.

• Your brand is

• Your brand is never





10: CREATE GUIDELINES FOR THE VISUAL ELEMENTS OF THE BRANDPrepare a style guide for the visual elements of the brand. This will include as much detail as possible to guide everyone on the proper use of all visual representations of your brand.

• Primary Logo

• Brand Architecture

• Identity Package

• Presentations

• Color Palettes

• Typography

• Photography

• Newsletters

• Digital Branding

• Header

• Footer

• Colors

• Web Fonts

• Emails

• Email Signatures

• Social Media Platforms


CALCULATED CREATIVITYThrough the power of collective innovation, we share ideas and shape solutions with our clients. We merge customer insights and data to shape the strongest brand positioning, guide our creative strategy, and deliver marketing and advertising campaigns that connect and inspire. We leverage technology and innovation to shape brand programs that go well beyond the traditional concept of an agency partner.

r nding™ … · the blueprint for successful brand ing™ hanloncreative.com 6 understanding your...

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