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