Brand Basics
Brand Strategy
Connecting business objectives to brand positioning and customer experience
Key Insight
Brand strategy defines where a brand will play and how it will win - its positioning, architecture, naming conventions, and the "big idea" that unifies all expression. Strategy precedes design. Without a clear strategy, even technically excellent identity work can fail to differentiate or resonate with the intended audience.
Key Points
- •Strategy answers: who are we, who do we serve, how are we different, and what do we promise?
- •Brand architecture defines the relationship between parent brand and sub-brands
- •The "big idea" is the unifying concept that drives all brand expression
- •Positioning defines the space a brand occupies in a customer's mind relative to competitors
- •Naming is a strategic decision - not just a creative one
Guidelines
- ✓Do the strategic work before any visual design begins
- ✓Define the primary audience before positioning - you cannot be everything to everyone
- ✓Brand architecture should reflect business structure and customer mental model
- ✓Test positioning statements with real customers before designing to them
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