What’s Your Brand Promise?

Recently Pizza Hut placed an advertisement to interview candidates for the position of social media manager.  The catch was that the candidate had to sell themselves in an interview that lasted 140 seconds.  That may not seem like a long time, but in the digital age of social media, short, concise and meaningful messages are important.  So Pizza Hut took a page from the Twitter playbook, who allows messages up to 140 characters, and came up with the idea that the social media manager should be able to sell themselves in less than 140 seconds.  Brilliant!

Somehow this reminded me of a TV show I used to watch when I was a kid, Name that Tune.  With a subtle hint, the game show host would ask two contestants to state in how few notes they needed to Name that Tune.  The dialogue went something like this:

Contestant one would say, “I can name that tune in eleven notes.”

Contestant two would say, “I could name that tune in ten notes.”

This would go on until one of the contestants challenged the other to, “Name that tune!”

So, what’s the point?  Somewhere between Name that Tune and the Pizza Hut search for a social media manager is a lesson.  Short, concise and recognition are words that come to mind.

Twitter gives us just 140 characters or less to communicate a message, forcing us to be direct and to the point.  Can you create a vision or mission statement shorter than 140 characters?  What about your brand promise or customer service commitment?

Even better, is your company so good at what they do – so recognizable – that in just a few words, that don’t use more than 140 characters (including spaces) the typical customer would be able to name your company?

For example, can you name that company that is:

A chain of department stores that is known for its amazing customer service? (76 characters)

An airline that has reasonable flights, fun flight attendants and lots of peanuts? (88 characters)

In one sentence that happens to be just over half of the 140 characters, these descriptions are clear enough for the average person to identify the business.  Why?  It’s what the business promises and obviously what the business delivers – and what they are known for.

So what’s your brand promise?  Do you deliver it?  Are you known for it?  Can you state it in 140 characters or less?  Can it be so concise, yet descriptive, that without mentioning your company’s name, the customer would know it was your company?

Here’s the goal:  Create your 140 brand promise (or vision, mission, etc.)  Make it short, concise, easy to memorize and be reflective of what your company is about, so that if someone heard it they might say, “I can name that company!”

Source: shep Hyken

Building Brands — Six Principles Behind the BI Model

The brand identity (BI) model, sometimes called the Aaker model, was introduced in my book Building Strong Brands back in 1996 and was refined and elaborated four years later in my book Brand Leadership. Although there are many dozen competitive models, the BI model has a worthwhile market share - as reflected by the fact that some 170,000 copies of the two books have been sold.

But why? What are the differentiating beliefs or principles that the model is based on? Let me identify six.

1. A brand is more than a three word phrase.

In fact, a motivation for developing the BI model was the prevalence of advertising agency brand models that needed a single thought to guide an advertising campaign. The BI model usually has six to twelve of them that are termed identity elements, values, pillars or principles. These elements are created by listing the aspirational associations, clustering these associations into coherent groupings and finally generating a phrase to describe each cluster. Some of these associations can be points of parity in that they are critical to being relevant but do not differentiate.

2. The “one-size-fits-all”/“fill-in-the-box” models are too confining.

The BI model does not pre-specify dimensions that all brands in all contexts must contain. It also doesn’t elevate those dimensions to equal weight, even those dimensions that are minor or make no sense. Nor does the model discourage people from introducing dimensions for which there is no box. Users are encouraged to draw on organizational associations and values, symbols, emotional benefits, social benefits, self expressive benefits, personality, user imagery (values and lifestyle), functional benefits and bases of authority. The freedom to use (and exclude) any dimension when establishing the BI can be powerful.

3. Extended identity elements play a useful role.

The identity elements are prioritized. A core set of two to five that will drive programs are identified, but there is also an extended identity set (usually three to five elements.) The extended identity can provide texture to the brand vision and allow strategists to make judgments as to whether a program is on brand. It can also provide a home for a brand characteristic that is important but will not be a program driver and for a brand personality that often doesn’t make the cut as a driving differentiator, especially in B2B contexts. Finally, an extended identity element sometimes evolves into a core element – staying visible keeps it alive.

4. The brand essence should be optional.

The brand essence can represent much of the brand identity. However, there are times in which the core identity is compelling, and the insistence of an essence will only divert energy and cloud the strategy going forward. If the essence is not compelling, it will become a focus and the whole brand identity will suffer. One firm had leadership, partnership and trust as its core identity. An essence in that case would only get in the way, and a compulsion to create one would have distracted.

5. The elaboration of the core identity leads to the identification and prioritization of programs.

The ultimate goal is to create effective brand building programs that bring the brand identity to life. To create the bridge and discover brand building ideas, each core identity element should be elaborated. The elaboration could include defining strategic imperatives (programs that need to be developed if the brand is to deliver on the aspirational promise), proof points (assets and skills now in place that support an identity element), external role models (other brands that have achieved an aspirational association) and internal role models (people, products or programs that best illustrate an identity element.)

6. The brand should be able to be adapted to different products, markets or countries.

Wherever possible, the same brand identity should be applied especially so that effective programs can be scaled and efficiencies will result. However, the goal should be strong brands everywhere, not the same brand everywhere – adaptation is often necessary. The BI model is well suited to adaptation because an identity element can be added, de-emphasized or redefined. The result is an effective strong brand in each context that is never inconsistent with the overall BI. Chevron, for example, has this type of adaptation available to its business units.

The BI model’s six principles serve to make it a less confining, more flexible model than many of its competitors. But any framework is better than none, especially if it is not rigid in its execution. A business that manages its brand in an ad hoc manner without a guiding framework is unlikely to create a brand that will support the business strategy.

Source: David Aaker

Brand identity style guides from around the world

I’m always interested in how style guides are presented, so I compiled a reference list.

I thought you might be interested, too.

(Last updated: 11 June 2013)

1. Adobe corporate brand guidelines (PDF)
2. Alberta corporate identity manual
3. Apple identity guidelines (PDF)
4. Barbican identity guidelines (PDF)
5. BASF summary of corporate design policy (PDF)
6. Bath Spa University brand guidelines (PDF)
7. Berkeley identity
8. Best Buy brand identity
9. Bitdefender brand guidelines
10. Boston University brand identity standards
11. Boy Scouts of America brand identity guide (PDF)
12. British Council brand guidelines
13. British Rail corporate identity manual
14. Carnegie Mellon brand guidelines
15. Channel 4 identity style guides
16. Christopher Doyle identity guidelines
17. Cisco logo usage and guidelines
18. Columbia College Chicago brand identity manual
19. Cornell University brand book
20. Duke University style guide
21. easyGroup brand manual (PDF)
22. Edinburgh City brand identity guidelines (PDF)
23. Esso Imperial Oil quick reference guide (PDF)
24. Good Technology brand identity guide
25. Google visual assets guidelines
26. Haas School of Business identity standards style guide (PDF)
27. Heineken company visual identity
28. IEEE brand identity guidelines
29. Kew Royal Botanic Gardens brand guidelines (PDF)
30. Liberty University brand identity policy
31. Lloyd’s brand
32. Macmillan identity guide
33. MasterCard brand center
34. Microsoft corporate logo guidelines
35. Mozilla Firefox branding
36. NAMI identity guidelines
37. National University of Singapore identity
38. New York University identity and style guide
39. NHS brand guidelines
40. NYU-Poly identity style guide
41. Ohio University brand standards
42. Oregon State University brand identity guidelines
43. Pacific University brand standards (PDF)
44. Pearson logos and style guides
45. Penguin logo guidelines
46. Princeton University graphic identity (PDF)
47. PRSA guidelines & logos
48. Redfern brand identity guidelines (PDF)
49. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College style guide
50. San Francisco International Airport identity program
51. The Beano Comic brand guidelines (PDF)
52. Skype brand book
53. The Scout Association brand guidelines (PDF)
54. The University of Texas brand guidelines
55. University of Arkansas graphic identity style guide
56. University of California brand guidelines
57. University of Cambridge identity guidelines
58. University of East Anglia brand identity guidelines (PDF)
59. University of Louisville brand graphics policy (PDF)
60. University of Northern Colorado identity style guide (PDF)
61. University of Wisconsin-Madison brand identity guidelines
62. Vanderbilt University graphic standards
63. Virginia Tech identity standards
64. Walmart brand guidelines (PDF)
65. Yale University identity guidelines

Source: Logodesignlove.com

How to make your brand desirable

Apple and its sub brand iPhone are the two most desirable brands in the UK.

The top echelons of the 2013 Brand Desire listing, from agency Clear, are a varied mix of products, services and categories. Within it, Ferrari revs it up for avid fans at position three; Tiffany sparkles with affordable luxury at number four; full of British heritage, Marmite is loved at number five and new entrant Calpol climbs comfortably into position 13 with a caring touch.

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that brands are valuable assets but what makes them desirable? Clear’s study suggests it is a unique balance of energy, substance and connection, qualities that have a profound effect on how the brand makes the consumer think, feel and act.

“Desirable brands make us think, feel and act differently to ‘non-desirable’ or ‘neutral’ brands,” comments Peter Askew, director of strategy at Clear. “We see a world now where CMOs are under increasing pressure to improve the commerciality of marketing to deliver returns and with these measures we are showing how you can use that desirability to create commercial return.”

Through talking to 60,000 consumers across multiple categories and brands, the Brand Desire Index compiles Brand Desire Scores for each brand in the study. A score of 100 means a brand has average desirability, over 100 and a brand is doing well and under 100 doing badly.

At the heart of this desire and success are energy, substance and connection, what Clear terms the ‘Triangle of Impact’. Validated by three years worth of Brand Desire data, this formula shows three primary determinants or characteristics of a brand’s ability for not just greatest desire but greatest commercial impact. This is where brands like iPad, Apple, iTunes, Amazon, Fairtrade and Marmite – which have all been listed in the study’s top 20 for the second year running - continue to tick the right boxes.

Energy is a measure of how the brand is energising the organisation towards success, having an ambition that is genuine and viable in the sense that it is rooted in the reality of the business they are in. The tangible proof of that energy, ‘substance’, isn’t just about producing a great product or service but continuously re-evaluating and innovating to ensure the brand has a real role in people’s lives. The other factor central to a brand’s desirability is what Clear calls ‘connection’ - the personality that makes people want to connect with a brand in the same way they befriend others.

Calpol, listed as the 13th most desirable brand in the UK, is an example of the importance of energy. The over the counter medicines category is not known for brand with big energetic purpose, however, Calpol has carved out an appeal around helping consumers to ‘care for your little one’. “It is not just a pain relief analgesic for under eight year olds, which is typically how the category would talk,” comments Askew. “It has gone for a much more emotive energy that really connects with the target consumer and is a real proof of the triangle principle.”

Function is the new emotion 

In the UK we see brands delivering more on functional attributes than those in last year’s index did. Austerity could be a strong factor in making UK consumers reassess their priorities and brands are soaring to the top of the table because of the way they deliver on rational drivers for purchase. “One of the big things we noticed across the board is how substance comes under particular scrutiny across categories in 2012 as people look to get more benefit and value from the things they are spending their diminishing disposable income on,” notes Askew. “That isn’t to the exclusion of emotion but the functional delivery seems to have won out.” In 2013 things must work better – not just look better – in order to justify a price premium.

Transparency is crucial for brands now and this is evidenced in this year’s study by the meteoric rise of brands like holiday review site TripAdvisor

Value

While governments and economists are grappling with financial figures that make them nervous, UK consumers want products and services that help them to continue a good life in current circumstances. Although the UK has had its national pride elevated by factors such as the Olympics, these are still austere times. Many brands that empower consumers and help them to find the best value for money have received very high rankings in this year’s Brand Desire study.

Amazon has maintained its position as one of the most desirable brands and this year is positioned at number seven. Meanwhile new entrant TripAdvisor is ranked number 11. The wider brand study reveals value retailers experiencing some of the biggest jumps in desire compared to other categories this year. These retail brands include Ikea, positioned as the 35th most desirable and showing a 53% rise in desire; Lidl at 174th with an 80% rise and Morrisons at 141th with a 61% rise in desire.

Doing good and well

Interestingly three of this year’s top 20 most desirable brands are charities. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is the 16th most desirable; Fairtrade is the 19th most desirable and Unicef the 15th. However, this doesn’t mean the connection between doing good in the world to doing well in the desirability stakes is exclusive to charity brands. In the wider study Body Shop, Ecotricity and Innocent – all categorized as ‘on a mission to improve society – scored 132, 154 and 166 on brand desire points respectively. This has made them the 93rd, 39th and 21st most desirable brands in the country. “A mission to do well is all very well,” notes Askew. “But if you want to have commercial impact you have to link that back to meaningful products and services that make people’s lives better.”

Getting real again 

Transparency is crucial for brands now and this is evidenced in this year’s study by the meteoric rise of brands like holiday review site TripAdvisor. A new entrant to the ranking and in at number 11, TripAdvisor’s success underlines the importance consumers place on brands, which are seen to be real and authentic. A community of 200 million visitors use the site every month to help others plan the perfect holiday.

“People are looking for authenticity and reassurance in brands and this is a reflection of more cynicism towards marketing and marketing messaging,” comments Askew. “The theme goes hand in hand with function being the new emotion and for marketers this relates to brand personality and what you might deliver in your messaging.”

Personality counts 

Clear builds upon the established knowledge that consumers look for certain values in the brands they buy. Clear categorises both brands and consumers into six different typologies. The brands people connect with are one of six types: ‘cool’, ‘sociable’, ‘status’, ‘care’, ‘respect’ and ‘reassure’. Whilst consumers are seen as either ‘social butterflies’; ‘cool hunters’; ‘badgewearers’; ‘responsibles’; ‘play it safes’ or ‘respect commanders’.

In the knowledge of these findings, brands wanting high levels of brand desire should be either matching their typology to a consumer typology or breaking out of it in order to connect.

“Across all categories we see brands missing out on opportunities to connect with people,” says Askew. “For example, if a consumer normally buys into aspirational brands, but doesn’t find these in a particular category, they are forced to connect with a brand typology they wouldn’t normally choose.”

Clear’s study underlines that not only can desirability deliver commercial success but that the opportunity is there for anyone to build a desirable brand. “Any brand can be successful if they think about the world in terms of the three principles of energy, substance and connection,” says Askew. “Brand Desire is about having an offer that continuously makes a difference to people’s lives.”

Brand reaction

Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer of TripAdvisor

We look to deliver on each of these drivers of ‘Think’, ‘Feel’ and ‘Act’ for our TripAdvisor community.  As for Think (achieving recognition), we encourage our travellers to submit content on TripAdvisor by recognising them with badges to highlight their contribution level, and we often hear from travellers how much they love this feature. 

Feel (provoking emotion) is a significant part of the travel planning experience—holiday time is precious and it’s essential to make informed decisions on the right places for you to eat, play and stay—TripAdvisor gives travellers confidence with the valuable candid user reviews to help them plan their perfect holiday.  We also inspire our travellers with our Travellers’ Choice awards highlighting travellers’ favourite hotels, destinations, restaurants and more around the world—which is part motivating action and part provoking emotion. 

Our connection is all about our community—we have an enormous community of 200 million monthly visitors that shares opinions on all things travel and even connect with their friends and friends of friends via Facebook on TripAdvisor.

Anna Hill, chief marketing officer, The Walt Disney Company UK

The Disney brand stands for high quality entertainment driven by a deep passion for creativity and storytelling that families can share together. What separates us from other entertainment companies is that while others may have good stories and characters, no one has a brand that means something to their consumers like Disney does.

We’re delighted to be recognised as one of the top 20 most desired brands in the UK. The metrics used in this study are all very relevant in terms of the way we run our business and manage our brand, and it’s great to see that we are well balanced in terms of brand substance, energy and connection, and how we make our audience think, feel and act. 

From a brand energy perspective, the mission to have a positive impact on society is one that comes right from the top and permeates the whole company.

Case study: GHD

As modern grooming takes on even more gloss and associated maintenance, innovative brands rush in to assist. Having a ‘good hair day’ is made easy by British brand GHD, which has catapulted into the top 20 of the Brand Desire listing through its savvy ability to bring personality and substance into a very functional category.

In a relatively short 12-year lifespan GHD has built a strong following of brand advocates. It leverages its more than one million Facebook fans to listen carefully, gain insight and amplify its existing branding work. By creating an ongoing dialogue with the people who love and buy the product, GHD can respond directly to its audience and deliver products they want. 

GHD’s latest launch, ghd eclipse exemplifies why it scores a high 174 on brand desire and is currently ranked 12th in the UK. The brand typically marries together energy, substance and connection with its innovative launches. The new styler energises the category with new tri-zone technology.

“When GHD was launched back in 2001 it revolutionised the way hair was styled - from the way in which hairdressers could work, to giving women the power to easily achieve a professional-looking style at home,” explains Paul Stoneham, Chief Executive Officer at GHD. “Our ongoing quest is to launch products with ground-breaking technology of professional stylist salon quality that make life easier for our clients.”

Driven by the insight that having that ‘good hair feeling’ is confidence boosting for any woman, GHD very much understands the emotional connection between a woman and her hair. It couples this with having fun, bringing out trend-led limited editions that feature the most popular products in coveted colours and designs, accompanied by collectable accessories.

The brand purpose is encapsulated in the name: having a ‘good hair day’ everyday. “GHD delivers something innovative that makes a meaningful difference but also aligns to its purpose,” comments Peter Askew, director of strategy at Clear. “GHD is not saving the world but it is inspiring for consumers and gives them extra confidence.”