How to Create a Brand Development Strategy: the Ultimate Guide
When you hear the word "brand," what images come to mind? Perhaps you envision the iconic red "Coca-Cola" sign, and craving a refreshing drink. Or maybe you think of a bitten apple, prompting you to reach for your smartphone. Alternatively, you might picture a three-pointed star enclosed in a circle, evoking thoughts of luxurious comfort.
In each of these examples, you associate a visual image with specific sensations and experiences. It goes beyond just a product—a drink, a smartphone, or a car—and encompasses the emotions derived from using them. This is the essence of a brand—it's how the company is perceived. Whether the customers view your brand with trust or skepticism, respect or annoyance, enthusiasm or indifference, ultimately depends on your brand development strategy.
Understanding brand development and brand development strategy
Brand development and brand development strategy focus on creating a unique and recognizable identity.
Brand development refers to the overall process of creating and shaping a brand.
Brand development strategy creates a plan to achieve the goals of brand development.
Both brand development and brand development strategy require a deep understanding of the brand's purpose, values, and voice. This foundation forms the basis for all brand-related activities and communications.
There are five crucial aspects of brand development that cannot be overlooked:
Targeting. You need to identify your ideal customers, their preferences, pain points, and motivations. This knowledge will help you tailor the brand's messaging and offerings to effectively resonate with the target audience.
Consistency. This involves maintaining a unified brand experience across all touchpoints, including visuals and tone of voice. Consistency is crucial in brand development as it reinforces brand recognition and fosters long-term customer loyalty.
Emotional connections. Successful brands understand that customers are not just purchasing products or services; they seek experiences and associations. Evoking emotions is what you should focus on in your band development strategy. This will help you forge deeper connections with your audience.
Trend fit. Monitoring and adapting to market trends is another crucial aspect of brand development. You need to stay aware of industry shifts, customer preferences, and emerging technologies. By staying relevant and responsive, your brand will remain competitive and able to take advantage of new opportunities.
Differentiation. It is essential to differentiate your brand from competitors. You should highlight unique selling points, value propositions, and distinct features. Setting your brand apart helps it stand out in a crowded market and attract the attention of your target audience.
Brand development strategy: key steps
Brand development is a creative process, which, however, does not tolerate unreasonable actions. To build a strong brand, you need a deep understanding of marketing, design, sociology, and psychology. You should also rely on great aesthetic taste, the ability to feel customers, and a willingness to think outside the box. By combining fundamental industry knowledge and non-standard business solutions, you can come up with a fresh idea that promotes loyalty around your brand.
Here are the steps that will guide you through an effective brand development strategy:
Step 1. Decide what you'll offer the world
A product can be quickly outdated, but a successful brand is timeless
Stephen King, best-selling author
To create a memorable brand, you need to start with a clear understanding of who you are and what you stand for.
Unlike other stages of brand development, here you can proceed without an expert or any external assistance. The key is to have a clear understanding of why you're creating a brand and what mission you're embarking on.
While it may sound grandiose, having a precise grasp of your goals and anticipated outcomes will aid in forming an influential brand strategy. And by understanding the mission standing behind your brand, you can take actionable steps to reach clients' minds and hearts.
So, where do you start understanding your brand and its place in the competitive world?
Define your brand's mission
Start your brand development strategy by formulating a statement that defines the purpose of your brand. This statement will serve as a guiding principle for the brand's actions, decisions, and communication strategies. The brand's mission should go beyond selling products or services. Instead, it must focus on the value the brand aims to create for its target audience and society as a whole.
Here are a few examples of brand missions that you can get inspiration from:
Nike: "To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world."
Google: "To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
Tesla: "To accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy."
Patagonia: "Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis."
Airbnb: "To help create a world where anyone can belong anywhere."
Coca-Cola: "To refresh the world in mind, body, and spirit."
Apple: "To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind."
Starbucks: "To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time."
List core values
Efficient brand development strategy puts brand values first. The brand values represent the company's ethical standards and priorities. They serve as the foundation for the brand's culture and shape the relationships with customers, employees, and stakeholders.
While the brand mission defines the overall purpose of the brand's existence, values serve as a guiding framework to fulfill that mission.
For example, Nike's core values show its ability to effectively achieve its mission and make a significant impact in the world:
Innovation. Continuous innovation in product design, technology, and sustainability pushes the boundaries of athletic performance and inspires creativity.
Inspiration. Nike aims to motivate athletes of all levels to reach their full potential, emphasizing the power of sport.
Inclusion. Diversity celebrated by Nike creates a more inclusive world by supporting people of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities.
Sustainability. Eco-friendly practices and responsible sourcing reduce environmental impact and protect the planet.
Empowerment. Sport empowers individuals and communities, fostering self-confidence, resilience, and personal growth.
Integrity. Nike upholds high ethical standards, transparency, and honesty in all its operations and business practices.
Step 2. Analyze users
Your brand is not what you say it is, it's what your customers say it is.
Marty Neumeier, Director of Transformation at Liquid Agency
To create a brand that truly resonates with your audience, you should conduct thorough user research.
By understanding customers' pain points and motivations, you can tailor your brand message to effectively connect with them.
Identifying your target audience during the brand development process involves
running primary and secondary market research
using quantitative and qualitative research methods
In addition, you will need to create an ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) and buyer persona. The first would showcase the ideal customer you are targeting from the point of view of demographics, industry relations, and specific needs. The second would provide fictional representations of individuals within the specified ICP.
Example of understanding target audience during brand development
A prime example of a brand that successfully understood its audience is Airbnb. They shook up travel by tapping into the trend for one-of-a-kind experiences. Through comprehensive market research, Airbnb identified that adventurous travelers were seeking more than just a place to stay; they wanted to connect with locals and dive into the culture.
Armed with this knowledge, Airbnb crafted a brand that meets the aspirations of its target audience. Their platform enables users to list and book accommodations, building a tight-knit community vibe.
A keen understanding of customers' needs helped Airbnb build a massive network of hosts and guests. Without exaggeration, they shook up the hotel scene. And that's some serious brand development strategy in action!
Step 3. Analyze competitors
No competition, no progress.
Béla Károlyi, the gymnastics coach
A successful brand development strategy is a unique brand development strategy. And, to offer something unique to your users, you need to be sure they won't be able to get the same product or service from your competitors.
Although a competitor analysis is a complex topic we cannot cover in this article, we can provide you with a brief overview of the essential points you should include in such an analysis.
So, here is what you should do:
create a list of competitors (primary, secondary, tertiary)
create functional decomposition of competitors' products
understand their audience and pricing
define distribution channels
analyze SEO and social presence
list weak and strong points
see where you can compete :)
An example of an efficient brand development strategy based on competitors' analysis
Spotify's brand development strategy is a great example of how competitor analysis can lead to success. After analyzing competitors, Spotify recognized the need to focus on personalized user experiences and curated playlists. This resulted in the creation of features like Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and Daily Mix. Moreover, Spotify invested in podcast acquisitions and artist collaborations to make its platform stand out. By betting on customers' pain points, Spotify successfully established its unique identity in the music streaming market.
Step 4. Craft your brand story
Everybody wants to be taken somewhere. If we don’t tell people where we’re taking them, they’ll engage another brand.
Donald Miller, CEO of StoryBrand
A brand story is a narrative that encapsulates the essence, values, and purpose of a brand. A good brand story appeals to the audience's feelings and evokes the customers' emotional response.
A brand story in brand development is similar to a movie in filmmaking. To get positive feedback from the audience, you must
catch their interest with non-trivial conflict
appeal to their values with effective problem resolution
demonstrate your uniqueness with a fresh point of view
Your brand story should communicate the why behind the brand's existence and tap into consumers' beliefs. It should go in hand with what customers think is right and what they think is wrong.
The main task of brand storytelling is not to leave the users indifferent. Whatever emotion you appeal to - joy, pleasure, passion, courage, or pride - you must achieve its most vivid manifestation and create a strong emotional connection.
Fresh suggestion: Incorporate user-generated content and testimonials into your brand narrative. This adds authenticity and builds trust by showcasing real customer experiences.
Example of great brand story in brand development
A great example of a compelling brand story is that of The Body Shop. The founder, Anita Roddick, started The Body Shop with a vision to create a business that would not only provide high-quality beauty products but also make a positive impact on the world.
The Body Shop's brand story highlights its dedication to social and environmental causes. It promotes self-esteem and body positivity, supports environmental sustainability, and fights against animal testing. The story also inspires people to make conscious choices, accept their natural beauty, and contribute to a more sustainable world.
The Body Shop's story is used throughout the brand touchpoints with customers and contributes to the strong brand development strategy.
Step 5. Create compelling visuals
Logos and branding are so important. In a big part of the world, people cannot read French or English–but are great in remembering signs.
Karl Lagerfeld, a fashion designer
Visual identity is a crucial part of brand development strategy. It conveys the values of your brand through visual images and shows who you are and what you stand for in a non-verbal way.
A properly designed visual identity quickly catches customers' attention and establishes the right emotional connection with them. It conveys the attitude and mood of the brand, advocates its mission, and reinforces its positioning in the market.
Unique visual identity shapes customer perception of the brand, enhances brand recognition, and builds trust. Ultimately, a well-crafted visual identity helps differentiate the brand from competitors, leaving a lasting impression on customers and fostering a sense of connection.
There are six key steps to developing a brand's visual identity. Here is what you will need to do:
1. Define your brand's personality. Imagine that your brand is a person. How would you describe it? Is it funny and unpredictable or conservative and consistent? Properly defined characteristics will help you choose an appropriate visual style for your brand and make the right impression on users.
2. Research your target audience. What do your customers expect to get from using your product or service? Do they want to express their individuality or acquire a sense of security? Do they want to get away from everyday worries or train particular skills? The knowledge obtained will help you design visuals that enhance your brand development strategy.
3. Develop a brand style guide. This guide will outline your brand's colors, typography, logo usage, imagery style, and other design guidelines. It will serve as a reference for maintaining consistency across all brand touchpoints, such as your website, ads, social media, street billboard, etc.
4. Design a memorable logo. Your logo is the visual symbol that represents your brand. It should be unique, catchy, and aligned with your brand's values. Consider hiring a professional designer to create a logo that reflects your brand's identity.
5. Choose appropriate colors and typography. Select colors that evoke the desired emotions and align with your brand's personality. Additionally, choose typography that complements your brand's tone and conveys the right message.
6. Create visual assets. Develop additional visual assets such as illustrations, icons, and graphics that support your brand's visual identity. These assets should be consistent with your brand's style guide and fit your overall brand development strategy.
Step 6: Build consistent branding across channels
Long-term consistency beats short-term intensity.
Bruce Lee, martial artist and actor
It is essential that all your brand collateral adheres to the established identity. This means that your logo, colors, typography, tone of voice, and messaging are all presented in a unified style and organically complement each other. You should also ensure that your brand is consistent across the touchpoints. This means the brand has the same visual identity and messaging on your website, social media profiles, marketing materials, street billboards, packaging, etc.
Consistency plays a crucial role in creating a memorable image and invoking the right association when interacting with your brand. Whenever, wherever the customer sees your logo, reads the slogan, or notices your brand colors, they should recall your product and the emotion it produces.
Consistency also helps to reinforce your brand's positioning and differentiate it from competitors. For example, a buyer who hesitates between two smartphones with the same technical characteristics is more likely to give preference to a gadget from a reputable manufacturer. This is because they associate the brand with superior quality and reliability.
Example of consistency in brand development
A notable example of consistency in brand development is Coca-Cola. The company has successfully maintained a consistent brand image and messaging throughout its long history.
No matter where you encounter Coca-Cola - in a TV advertisement, a billboard, or a social media post - you have the same feelings and brand associations. The distinct red color, curvy font, and joyful imagery are highly recognizable. They consistently evoke positive emotions and revolve around themes of happiness, togetherness, and refreshment.
Although the visual images of Coca-Cola have changed over the years, they have always delivered a message of enjoyment and shared experience to their customers. This is a great example of how you can stay consistent in your brand development strategy but still be flexible enough to maintain customers’ interest.
Step 7: Measure the effectiveness of your brand development strategy
Although a brand is intangible, it can be evaluatable. By collecting and analyzing brand metrics, you can improve your brand development strategy and gain more loyal customers. So here's what you can analyze:
Brand awareness. Measure how well your target audience recognizes and recalls your brand. Use surveys, website traffic, social media mentions, and search engine visibility.
Brand perception. Evaluate how your audience perceives your brand in terms of trust and credibility. Use surveys, focus groups, and sentiment analysis of online mentions.
Customer engagement. Monitor how actively your audience interacts with your brand across different touchpoints. Analyze likes, shares, comments, clicks, open rates, etc.
Brand loyalty. Assess the strength of customer loyalty and repeat business. Use metrics like customer retention rates, repeat purchase frequency, customer lifetime value (CLV), and Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Market share. Analyze your brand's market share compared to competitors and track changes over time. Market research data, sales figures, and competitive benchmarking can help in understanding your brand's position in the market.
Return on Investment (ROI). Evaluate the financial impact of your brand-building efforts. Calculate ROI by comparing the costs of brand activities (marketing campaigns, sponsorships, etc.) to the resulting revenue or profit generated.
Dive into brand development: are you ready to make a splash?
Your brand is the single most important investment you can make in your business.
Steve Forbes, publishing executive and politician
Each of us has found ourselves in a new team at some point, whether it's at school, university, or work. When entering a new environment, earning a good reputation becomes crucial. To achieve this, new students actively engage in homework and participate in class discussions, while new employees diligently learn work processes and strive to deliver optimal results. With time, these newcomers transition into established members, earning a solid reputation. Their colleagues recognize that they can expect quality outcomes from them, and even if minor mistakes occur, they are easily forgiven.
The same principle applies to brands. As new and inexperienced brands emerge, they must work hard to earn the trust of their customers. However, once they prove their reliability, their reputation begins to work in their favor.
Strong brands possess the trust of their customers and the freedom to experiment. They fearlessly pursue new heights and champion bold ideas, benefiting from the loyalty and support of their audience.
As such, a powerful brand represents an exceptional investment for businesses seeking sustainable long-term success. And with the assistance of brand development experts, companies can rest assured that their efforts will yield fruitful results.
If you aspire to make the most profitable investment for your business and elevate your brand, don't hesitate to contact us. We'll collaborate with you to develop a 100% successful brand development strategy that will make your company thrive.
