Brand Strategy

Brand strategy defines how an organization presents itself to the world — its purpose, positioning, personality, and promise.

Brand Identity Framework

The Core Questions

1. Why — purpose; why does the brand exist beyond profit?
2. How — values and principles; how does it behave?
3. What — the products or services it offers

(Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle)

Brand Positioning

Positioning defines where a brand sits in the minds of its audience relative to competitors.

• Target audience — who specifically is this for?
• Frame of reference — what category does it compete in?
• Point of difference — what makes it distinctly valuable?
• Proof — what evidence supports the claim?

Brand Personality

Personality gives a brand a human dimension. Common archetypes (Jung):

Voice & Tone

• Voice — the consistent personality of how the brand speaks (always the same)
• Tone — how that voice adapts to context (more formal in legal, warmer in support)

References

• Sinek, S. Start With Why. Penguin, 2009.
• Wheeler, A. Designing Brand Identity. 5th ed., Wiley, 2017.
• Mark, M. & Pearson, C. The Hero and the Outlaw. McGraw-Hill, 2001.