MBAS 836

Brand Development
Session 6

David Kincaid
Brand Development Stage

3 5
Nurturing
2
Positioning
1
Positioning
Value Statement
Proposition
Brand DNA
4
Delivery

3
Development

2
Definition
1
Distillation

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 Outputs of Brand Distillation and Brand Definition stages inform
Brand Strategy and help to answer three key questions

WHAT WHY HOW

is at the heart of the brand? would consumers buy it? do I deliver on that
consistently?

Brand DNA is the most Consumer Value Brand Positioning and

succinct definition of the Proposition defines the Unique Selling
brand; a single thought to functional, emotional and Proposition are internal
capture its promise self-expressive benefits that tools used to clarify and
provide value and ultimately communicate the brand’s
drive purchase decisions point of difference to the
target audience

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1. BRAND DNA
 What is a Brand DNA?

What is a Brand DNA? Why is it important?

• What the organization wants the brand to • The portrait of the company as it stands today
stand for • A tagline
• A set of associations to create, maintain • An advertising campaign
and amplify
• The Brand DNA should be grounded in
reality but also be inspirational
• To be effective, the Brand DNA must resonate
with its constituents, differentiate from the
competition and represent what the
organization can and will do over time
• The Brand DNA helps establish a
relationship between the brand and the
constituents
• The Brand DNA is enduring, soulful and
strategic

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Benefits of a Brand DNA

• Roots the brand and organization in customer needs

• The Brand DNA provides focus. Without a Brand DNA, the
brand image could drift aimlessly and appear to stand for
nothing and result in:
– Inefficient implementation
– Inconsistent messages
– Confusion in the audience’s mind as to what the
organization does and stands for
• Provide a platform for formulating communications strategies
and tactics
• Inform, and often convey, the corporate strategy

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Core Purpose is a Company’s Reason for Being

To solve unsolved problems innovatively

To strengthen the social fabric by continually

democratizing home ownership

To improve the standard of living around the world

To make technical contributions for the advancement

and welfare of humanity

To provide a place for people to flourish and to

enhance community

To give unlimited opportunity to women

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Core Purpose is a Company’s Reason for Being

To help leading corporations and governments be more

successful

To preserve and improve human life

To experience the emotion of competition, winning

and crushing competitors

To experience the joy of advancing and applying

technology for the benefit of the public

To give ordinary folk the chance to buy the same things

as rich people

To make people happy

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Brand DNA framework

Personality Organization
Attributes that express the Attributes that project the
brand’s style, tone and organization’s unique values
attitude and culture

Core DNA
The most succinct definition
of the brand, its mission, and
why consumers should care

Products Relationships
Attributes that describe Attributes that define the role
the product and service the brand plays in the life of
offering a consumer

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Brand DNA

Definitions Implications
Personality How you behave with
• Human characteristics of the stakeholders and what you
brand; express the brand’s look for in employees
style, tone and attitude

Organization • The kind of organization you

Personality Organization • Project the unique want to build in terms of
organizational culture, values structure, culture and values
and philosophy

Core DNA
Products How you define your products
Attributes that describe and the associations
products that are embedded stakeholders make with
in the brand them
Relationships Products

Relationships • How you interact with

• Attributes that define the customers, consumers and
role that brand plays with its partners
stakeholders

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War for performance…

26 March 2006 | Member Edition

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2. VALUE PROPOSITION
 Consumer value proposition framework

A value proposition is a clear statement of the tangible results a consumer gets from
using your products or services. It is a statement of the functional, emotional, and
self expressive benefits delivered by the brand that provides value to the consumer,
and drive purchase decisions.

Self- Expressive Benefits: The identity Who I Am…

customers/consumers develop for
themselves through association with
the brand
How I Feel…
Emotional Benefits: Emotional
response created and reinforced
by interacting with the brand

What I Get…
Functional Benefits:
Benefits based on product/service
attributes that provide functional
utility

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Example: Volvo car value proposition

Who I Am…
Self-Expressive Benefits: The identity
consumers develop for themselves A loving parent
through association with the brand

How I Feel…
Emotional Benefits: Emotional
response created and reinforced Safe, secure, smart
by interacting with the brand

Functional Benefits: What I Get…

Benefits based on product
attributes that provide Breakthrough safety innovation; Quality and reliability;
functional utility Safe driving experience

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Example: Google employee value proposition

Who I Am…
Self-Expressive Benefits: The identity An innovative thinker that cares equally
consumers develop for themselves about developing great work and enriching
through association with the brand the creative team-culture

How I Feel…
Emotional Benefits: Emotional Valued; Energetic; Smart; Passionate; Appreciated;
response created and reinforced Globally connected;
by interacting with the brand A sense of belonging

What I get…
Functional Benefits: Opportunity to excel; Exiting challenges; Creative and fun environment;
Benefits based on product attributes Good compensation; Excellent benefits - onsite doctors, sport facilities,
that provide car-washes, gourmet meals; Freedom; Community membership -
functional utility ‘Googlers’

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 Life at Google

Sources: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/fortune/0701/gallery.Googleplex_campus/jump.html
http://nymag.com/daily/food/2006/11/new_google_cafeteria_crushes_c.html

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3. POSITIONING
 Brand positioning platform

Transcends day to day operations to raise a

challenge – the challenge of moving from what you
TO BE Vision are to what you want to become. No matter how
conceived, the end result your shared purpose.

Summarizes what the brand or service is, that is

TO FEEL Brand DNA the soul of the brand/service. It should describe
main and distinctive characteristics and tap into
deeply rooted needs.

Describes the way a brand or service is defined for a

specific consumer target. It should stay away from product
descriptions, but should describe the lure or unique
TO SAY Positioning selling proposition that will make people want to come to
this place. It focuses on important attributes, benefits,
occasions of use or competitive advantages.

Brand Character
- Address “who” your brand is
- It is the personage or personality of our specific brand
* Complexion
* Temperament
* Attitude & behaviour
- To articulate a brand character use personality characteristics
- Identify the celebrity/car, etc. that best characterizes your brand

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 Brand positioning

A positioning is… A positioning is NOT…

• A unifying, overarching idea that drives creative • A vision or mission statement

execution targeted towards key audiences • A business strategy
• A defined and differentiated perceptual space
• An advertising slogan or tag line
relative to the space occupied by other
competitors • A description of a product or service
• A description of the strategic intent, style, offering
personality and competencies of the
organization
• Can be a composite of both rational and
emotional attributes

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 Brand positioning spectrum options rationale

INFRASTRUCTURE PROCESS PURPOSE

(What you have) (How you do it) (Why you do it)

Functional Emotional

PRODUCT/SERVICE PERSONALITY EXPERIENCE

(What you sell) (Who you are) (What’s the experience)
Infrastructure Product/Service Process Personality Purpose Experience
• Focus on assets’ • Focus on the • Focus on the • Focus on a real or • Focus on values, • Focus on delivering
scope and scale product/service product/service fictitious identity, morals, beliefs, a multi-sensory
• Leverages functional o Quality delivery process person, or story higher order benefits experience and
category/ customer o Origin o Channel • Reflect the value o Committed to a environment
attributes (antes) o Features/benefits o Value-added and beliefs of the community or a • Hardest to replicate
• Can be more products person, culture, or cause • Hardest to deliver
o Capabilities
vulnerable to o Technologies organization o Socially/
• Can be more
competitors with o Discovery • Easier to environmentally
vulnerable to
similar offerings or o Education differentiate due to responsible
competitors with
technologies higher order benefit o Enhancing mind,
similar offerings or • Can be more
that creates body, spirit
technologies vulnerable to emotional resonance • Easier to
competitors with with target audience
similar offerings or differentiate due to
technologies higher order benefit
that creates
emotional resonance
with target audience

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 Brand Positioning Spectrum

INFRASTRUCTURE PROCESS PURPOSE

(What you have) (How you do it) (Why you do it)

Functional Emotional

PRODUCT/SERVICE PERSONALITY EXPERIENCE

(What you sell) (Who you are) (What’s the experience)

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 Each brand value proposition can be expressed through a variety of
positioning directions that tie back to brand operating models

Infra- Products/ Purpose/

Process Personality Experience
structure Services Benefit

Customer
Intimacy

Product
Leadership

Operational
Excellence

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 Positioning statement framework

Structure Definition

To ____________, X Brand is the The primary and/or secondary

[target audience(s)] group(s) to whom X Brand wants to
reach

__________________________ that The primary way in which X Brand

[frame of reference/category]
identifies its market or offerings in
relation to its comparators

_____________________ so that A benefit with strong appeal that is

(benefit)
delivered by the organization to its
target audience

Provides reasons to believe the

. organization delivers the benefit to
(payoff/reason to believe)
the target

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Example: Coca-Cola

Target Audience: Frame of Reference / Category:

Representing the broadest The most important thing with this

possible core audience. Everybody reference point is the emphasis on
loves Coca-Cola, regardless of the preposition “the” instead of “a”.
age, gender, income, This implies that Coca-Cola is only
geographical or other differences. self referential and does not need
any other framework

To consumers around the world Coca-Cola is the beverage that provides deep down
refreshment for the body, mind and spirit better than any other alternative because only
Coca-Cola combines real Cola taste with a feeling of rejuvenation and enjoyment

Benefit:
Payoff / Reason to Believe:
The three elements “body, mind and
spirit” give the central benefit The focus on the generic taste of
“refreshment” a clear focus. Coca- Coca-Cola emphasizes the strong
Cola makes you feel awakened and self-referential character of this
uplifted - it brings happiness and positioning statement again.
pleasure

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Purpose positioning “watch-outs”

Critical Success Factor Brand Role

• Generate Resources (e.g.

100% of Newman’s Own to 4
social needs)

• Provide Choices (e.g. Brita vs.

Tying Purpose to Growth
plastic bottled water)

• Influence Mindsets (E.g. Nike’s

girls in sports campaign)

• Improve Conditions (e.g Plan’s

“Because I’m a Girl” education
funding)

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 The Brand Social Benefit Roadmap

Business Adjacencies Consumer Associations

• Creates new product/service for current • Social need perceived as personally
customers? relevant to target consumers?
• Opens a new market or channel to attract • Consumers can easily associate brand with
new customers? social cause?
• Reduces costs or increases profitability of • Induces positive (or negative) associations
the business? about the brand?

Stakeholder Acceptance Brand Attributes

• Can create a demonstrable impact on the • Social need perceived as personally
social need? relevant to target consumers?
• Front lines of the social issue likely to • Consumers can easily associate brand with
support brand actions? social cause?
• Can avoid inconsistent messaging, • Induces positive (or negative) associations
perception of opportunism and about the brand?
politicization?

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 Competing on Social Purpose

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Obstacles to Brand’s Competing on Purpose

1. It’s hard to change course

2. It’s tough to gauge market potential

3. It’s easy to get distracted

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Time for discussion

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Brand DNA template

Personality Organization

Core DNA

Products Relationships

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 Consumer Value Proposition template

Self- Expressive Benefits: The identity Who I Am…

customers/consumers develop for
themselves through association with
the brand
How I Feel…
Emotional Benefits: Emotional
response created and reinforced
by interacting with the brand

What I Get…
Functional Benefits:
Benefits based on product/service
attributes that provide functional
utility

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 Brand Positioning template

Target Audience: Frame of Reference / Category:

To Brand X is the that

(target Audience(s)) (frame of reference/category)
so that
(benefit)

(payoff/reason to believe)

Benefit: Payoff / Reason to Believe:

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