What are the best brand strategy models and approaches?

Your brand's mission and vision are important to your brand and organization but don't necessarily get you to a brand identity or brand strategy. They are important to garner support from your employees, customers and stakeholders as well as ensure they are all marching to the same drummer.

My philosophy on brand building is based on two pillars: Thought-leadership and Collaboration. Simply stated if you own ALL the content on the internet about your space, that means your brand is the only one who can provides answers to questions customers have. Likewise, if you had all the players in your space on your side acting as collaborators and partners, no one can compete against you. The game is won by building and owning as much valuable content as possible on your niche and then building a collaborative community of stakeholders across your niche anchored around your brand.

Mission and vision are generally more internal elements, related to the business. The brand should have a relationship more focused on human connection, in terms of understanding how to create a bond with the consumer. For this, it can build a worldview, called the brand's beliefs, and it must identify and resolve tensions, besides, of course, the brand can have a purpose as a guiding principle.

While vision and mission statements encapsulate high-level aspirations and objectives, they often lack the specificity and detail required to develop and execute a robust brand strategy. Building a successful brand involves a multitude of factors beyond vision and mission, including market research, competitive analysis, target audience segmentation, positioning, and differentiation. Also, it is essential to ensure that vision and mission statements are grounded in a realistic understanding of the brand's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

The framework that we use to craft Vision & Mission statements is as follows: The vision is high-level, aspirational and purpose driven. Even for businesses that solve specific problems, it is possible to distil and create the overarching purpose or change the brand wants to be in the world. In this way, the vision is a blue sky statement that inspires. The mission statement - we like to make it more specific - almost like an impact statement. Derived from the vision, the mission spells out the exact ways in which the change will be effected. The mission statement is meant to inform the people in the business the direction in which they're all meant to pull.

Take a lot of time defining your SWOT. Don't think you can just sit down and write one in 5 minutes - well, TBH, you can do that, but it will be wrong! You must do the hard yards with breaking down your business and brands so that you fully understand your current position in the market. This requires data and research. Take your time. Assess your situation. Build up a map of your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Be honest and brutal here! Then and only then do you start to populate your SWOT. And you need to get it down to about 4 per section - think about how you write each sentence for max impact. And, hey presto, you will have a brilliant analysis from which you can plan your next moves. From SITUATION to ACTION!

There's a risk that organizations may selectively focus on information that confirms pre-existing beliefs or biases during SWOT analysis, overlooking contradictory evidence or alternative perspectives. To mitigate confirmation bias, organizations should encourage open dialogue and critical thinking during the SWOT process, challenging assumptions and seeking diverse viewpoints.

The SWOT is a timeless framework. When the participants are encouraged to share honest and insightful points for the exercise, it can help uncover opportunities and pave the way for crucial strategy work to combat threats or consolidate on strengths.

Hi Nic, love this. One thing to add…. always do the SWOT from a customer / client perspective not yours. What is it clients / customers would say about you / your company..????

A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis is a critical framework for understanding a brand's internal capabilities and external environment. It helps brands to leverage their strengths, address weaknesses, capitalize on opportunities, and mitigate threats. This analysis is pivotal for strategic planning and positioning.

To position your brand is to find that sweet spot - an overlap between the benefits, customer expectations and the solution of customer problem. This the first step to get your messaging right!

Brand Positioning is the art of differentiating your brand in the minds of consumers. It's about creating a unique space that your brand occupies in the market, distinguishing it from competitors. Successful positioning aligns your brand with specific attributes, values, and emotions, shaping how people perceive and connect with it. Models like the Brand Pyramid or Brand Essence Wheel can guide this process, helping you define and communicate your brand's identity cohesively. It's a strategic journey to reach the hearts and minds of your audience, Bringing up loyalty and preference.

It is useful to make variations of the statement calling out specific parts: What - what does the brand do What - what does it solve for the customer Who - who is it for How - how does it achieve the above The complete articulation, further refined will become the brand positioning statement. It is usually best used as an internal document. From this, the next key step is value proposition work, which spells out the positioning and what it does for specific buyer groups. From this combined exercise will spring the necessary strategy roadmap for the brand.

Positioning reflects how a brand aims to be remembered and the emotions it wants connected with in consumers' minds, creating a mental shortcut for an advantage over others. Various approaches exist for positioning, starting with understanding competitors to differentiate; identifying the target audience's tensions, desires, and needs for relevant connection; observing global behavioral and cultural shifts (where trends come in); and clarifying the brand's business vision and objectives. By integrating these elements, one should find a central opportunity and a conceptual way to express the brand's unique global presence (positioning).

Brand positioning statements often reflect aspirational goals and desired perceptions rather than the current reality of the brand's market position. It's important to ensure that the positioning is grounded in a realistic assessment of strengths, weaknesses, market opportunities, and competitive landscape. Overly ambitious positioning statements that do not align with the brand's capabilities or market realities may undermine credibility and trust among customers. While the provided example of a positioning statement for Spotify is concise and compelling, it may oversimplify the diversity of customer needs, preferences, and motivations within the target market.

Brand identity should help express the brand's positioning. It should be a way to convey that positioning and assist in identifying what the brand offers to the consumer. In consumer goods, it's common for the brand identity to connect with the category's codes, or at least understand them (even if the strategy is to break away from these codes). A brand's identity consists of visual and verbal elements, and it's important to remember that everything communicates. Therefore, all brand touchpoints should be mapped to understand which identity elements need to be developed. In some cases, there's even the development of music identity, for example, like the music that can be played in the stores of some brands.

Brand identity is essential for creating a cohesive and memorable brand experience that resonates with target audiences and builds brand recognition and loyalty. Effective brand identity development involves aligning these elements with the brand's values, positioning, and desired perception in the marketplace. Through a strong and consistent brand identity, organizations can establish a clear brand image and connect with customers on a deeper level, driving brand differentiation and affinity.

When we talk about brand identity, it's important to mention brand traits as well. Brand traits are the characteristics that define the public image and personality of a brand. These traits are reflected in the brand’s communication, behavior, and overall treatment of its customers. They shape how a brand is perceived in the market and help to differentiate it from competitors. Brand traits can range from being innovative, trustworthy, user-friendly, to being sustainable or socially responsible, among others.

Brand identity is the collection of elements a brand creates to portray the right image to its consumers. This includes visual elements (logo, colour scheme, typography), tone of voice, and the brand's overall personality. A strong brand identity is consistent across all touchpoints and resonates with the target audience, reinforcing the brand's positioning and values.

Brands are not what people buy, brands are what people believe. Brands win when they become belief systems bringing people together. Like Airbnb's story of connecting people through travel and authentic experiences which lives up with their campaign of "Live there, don't just go there" and McDonald's story around bringing people together for a happier food experience which lives through their iconic product of "Happy meals" and more recently meals curated based on preferences are some of the best examples

A compelling brand story serves as the beating heart of your brand and connects with your audience. It dives into the 'why' of your brand, revealing its purpose, values, and unique journey. Take, for example, Nike's iconic brand story. It goes beyond selling athletic gear to inspire individuals to overcome challenges and embrace their potential, creating an emotional bond. Strategic storytelling models, such as the Hero's Journey or Three-Act Structure, offer effective frameworks to weave a narrative that resonates. Consider Apple's brand story—a journey marked by innovation, simplicity, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Their narrative communicates not just the features of their products but the desire to challenge the status quo.

While brand storytelling is indeed a powerful tool for connecting with audiences emotionally, developing an authentic and resonant brand story requires more than just articulating who you are and what you do; it involves understanding your audience's needs, aspirations, and values and creating a narrative that genuinely resonates with them. With countless brands vying for consumers' attention, it's essential for brand stories to be unique, memorable, and differentiated to cut through the noise and capture audience interest. Audiences today are savvy and can quickly detect when a brand's storytelling is disingenuous or manipulative, which can erode trust and credibility.

A brand story resonates by making the *customer* the hero of the story, not the company. The brand serves as a guide or mentor, helping the customer achieve their goals with company's products or services. Your brand story should clarify why you do what you do, providing the audience with a compelling reason to believe in your brand, and inspiring them to actively participate in your brand's story.

Once you've cracked yoru SWOT you will have set up a plan of strategic actions that will bring you to where you want to be. In order to activate this you will need the right story. So spend a lot of time discussing this. It may help to use your agencies, staff or others. They will help with things you have overlooked. We all get too close sometimes and will mean you are off path, which can be catastrophic. For accuracy I suggest a brand pyramid type exercise and a team of people in a room for a few hours - or more. You will get to your essence as a brand and your rational and emotional benefits. This will give you a foundation from which you won't deviate when creating the stories you plan to tell across your media channels. Good luck!

When we talk about brands, we're not just talking about a logo, catchy tagline, or the design system used. We're talking about a living, breathing system that needs to evolve alongside the business and its audience. From my experience, a thorough brand audit should be done at least yearly to examine every nook and cranny of your brand's presence, from its visual identity to its messaging, market positioning, customer perceptions, and internal/team perception (for how important it is, this gets overlooked too often). So don't just set it and forget it. Keep evolving, innovating, and most importantly, listening to your consumers. That's the key to building a brand that stands the test of time.

The only model you really need is 'diagnosis-strategy-tactics'. The diagnosis allows you to see the market for what it is and what is going on. The strategy allows you to target and position, create goals and measures of success. The tactics are how you deliver to your audience. The 4Ps: product, price, place, promotion. That's it. This is as simple as you can make it.

I still love the Brand Pyramid brand strategy model that includes a Brand Essence - that distilled expression capturing the heart of 'why' the brand matters. They go by lots of names with my F500 clients call them Brand Pyramids, Brand Keys, Brand Blueprints, as well - all structured frameworks providing layers of thought including (functional and emotional) all leading to clarity and consistency in both internal and external communication.

There's no single "best" model, as it depends on your specific needs! However, here are some popular and versatile options: For Core Identity: Simon Sinek's Golden Circle: Start with "why" to build a purpose-driven brand. Kapferer Brand Identity Prism: Explore your brand's essence, personality, and values. Unilever Brand Key: Define your positioning relative to competitors and target audience. For Strategy & Planning: Bate's Brand Wheel: Map your brand's core, personality, and benefits in a step-by-step process. Brand Planning Cycle: A cyclical approach for continuous research, refinement, and implementation. PESTLE Analysis: Understand external factors like political, economic, and social trends affecting your brand.

I like Binance's example, because they have strategically invested in share-of-voice, emphasizing traits of innovation and knowledge to secure a dominant market position (and 'leadership' trait). This move showcases Binance's commitment to spearheading the crypto industry's evolution, leveraging education to offer unique value to its users. Through this investment, Binance reinforces its status as a forward-thinking platform, aiming not only to expand its offerings but also to shape the future of digital finance.

The proprietary elements of a brand are called "distinctive brand assets," and they should help build a brand's positioning. Building a brand is a journey that must ensure consistency so that consumers can recognize and relate to it, thereby building a repertoire and emotional bond with the brand. This emotional bond is something that is planned in advance, with attributes studied and defined by the strategy and then put into practice through actions, images, the way of speaking, products, and the attitudes that the brand exhibits towards the consumer.