Brand Strategy and Architecture

February 09
2009 Blueprint Advisory Pty Ltd

Brand Strategy

What is brand strategy?

Central unifying idea which aligns behaviours, actions, communications Works across services Builds on a vision and is aligned to business strategy Illustrates who you are and what you do Defines positioning, differentiation, competitive advantage Needs to resonate with all stakeholders internal and external Guides marketing Makes it easier for the salesforce to sell more Provides clarity and inspiration to employees

Who are you?

Who will you be?

What do you need to do?

Be true and committed to your strategy sound, dont waiver Invest in developing your identity this will cost - management time, $$ Be consistently consistent needs addressing Have a brand strategy drives marketing, sales, inspires employees Have Board support starts at the top; it is a top down process Walk the talk need to be clear on what is walked and talked

Types of brand architecture

Monolithic

Monolithic

Single master brand which everything is unified One name one visual system Features/benefits of product or service are less important than brand promise Client trusts the brand Brand extensions built by descriptors

BMW

British Airways

Commonwealth Bank

Endorsed

Endorsed

Marketing synergy between product and service name and the parent Product and service has a clear market presence; benefits from parent association Parent endorses the product/service

Endorsed logos: Product, Corporate, Service and Event

Branded

Branded

Found in FMCG companies Separate corporate identity from brands Unilever, Kelloggs Brands have names, lifecycles, personalities of their own Often compete with each other

Proctor & Gamble

Hybrids

Hybrid

Combination of all three monolithic, branded and endorsed Occur through M&As Preserve the goodwill associated with the acquisition

Telstra

Which architecture matches your desired attributes?

Consider

Reflects business strategy Simple structure Designed around client needs Flexible Consistent with values Reflects brand value synergies

The process to develop your brand strategy and architecture

Developing the brand

What are we? What are our competitive strengths? What are our deep capabilities that are sustainable? What founding characteristics need to endure? What are we proud of and proud to be? What do we do? What are our key services? What future services will we offer? How do we do it? What skills, approach do we have? How do we work these to our competitive advantage?

Developing the brand

Who are we? Whats our personality, our values? What has made us who we are today? What do we do or need to do to deliver? Why do we do it? Whats our cause, purpose, mission? What do you like about coming to this place?

Stages

Brand Audit and Discovery

Brand Strategy and Service Brand Strategies

Group Brand Design and Service Brand Design

Enthusiastic and Committed Leadership

Create a Project, elevate as Mission critical. Brand audit of key collateral. Review and assess values, brand essence, and competitive strengths.

Develop brand essence. Stakeholder consensus on brand architecture, values, brand essence. Brand brief.

Brand architecture and Market offerings Development of visual expression, across core applications and communications Test/feedback Guidelines and standards

Implementation of new identity internal and external Systems and processes for maintaining standards

Making this happen

Making this happen - focus

Determine project name Communicate. Establish communication channel for awareness, involvement and accountability Undertake brand audit gather and assess collateral

Develop brand essence workshop and get consensus

Consider architecture direction leadership to determine in light of strategy Engage a designer experienced, capacity and quick understanding Determine collateral business critical; a unique & defining application