Brand decisions, like any other action taken by a business, should
be inspired by instinct and experience, but informed by data and
facts. At BrandLogic, we link strategy and research with intuition
and innovative thinking because we have found this yields the best
possible results for our clients.
On brands and brand strategy
At BrandLogic we know that for brands to achieve staying power,
attain extendibility, and drive growth they must appeal to both the
heart and the mind. Further, brands must evolve in an intelligent
manner to remain relevant over time as customer values and market
conditions change.
To their owners, brands are economic assets that require careful
measurement, investment, and upgrading over time to maintain or
increase their economic value. However, brands are a unique asset
class, because when properly managed they can be a motivating force
for organizations, clientele, and investors alike. They act as a
point of coalescence for needs, aspirations, ambitions, and
self-realization; they can have an emotional effect like no other
asset in an institution’s portfolio.
Every successful brand, or brand portfolio, must have a
compelling idea and related value propositions that offer
functional and emotional benefits to its key constituencies. When
these value propositions are properly targeted, conveyed, and
delivered by a company, they reinforce a brand’s promise, build
targeted brand equities, and increase economic value over time.
To fully realize a brand’s potential requires an effective
combination of analytical rigor, creativity, and organizational
discipline. This is where brand strategy takes center stage.
If your intent is to create a brand platform for the long haul,
it demands careful examination and consideration of your markets –
including customers’ values, needs, and purchase/loyalty criteria,
trends shaping demand and supply, competitors’ strategies and
practices, and channels of distribution. All of these factors must
be weighed and considered against the nature of your company –
including business strategies, objectives, aspirations, culture,
competencies, structure, capacity for change – and the current
status of the brand. Creativity informed by this fact base
increases the likelihood that strategies developed will be
inspiring, yet practical, and closely linked to business
strategies.
At BrandLogic we are highly experienced in
helping our clients through a thoughtful yet creative approach to
brand strategy development.
There are many different reasons a company may opt for a
strategic reassessment of branding. These may include:
- A new CEO, CMO, division head or brand manager appointment
- A CEO’s sense that the company is not being fairly valued by
investors
- An acquisition, a divestiture/spin-off, an IPO or start-up
business opportunity
- A business strategy that calls for success in new
customer/geographic markets against a new set of competitors
- A review of marketing spend effectiveness across a portfolio,
or an advertising account review
- Growing channel conflict between brands in a portfolio
- Erosion of market share or margins
- A major competitor’s branding initiative, or partnering deals
involving co-branding