Clarifying Strategy

Today I took a look at the second phase of the brand identity process, clarifying strategy. This phase builds upon our previously conducted research and culminates into both the brand brief and the creative brief.

At the conclusion of the research phase, there is a wealth of data available. Developing a strategy takes this research and puts the data into action. Strategy should narrow the focus but also look at the big picture. In many ways, strategy is an exercise of rational thinking and creativity.

On a practical level, the flow of the process should:

1. Provide an understanding of the vision, values, mission, value proposition, culture, target markets, segments, shareholder perceptions, services, products, infrastructure, marketing strategy, competition, trends, pricing, distribution, research, environment, economic, sociopolitical and SWOT.

2. Take the understanding and clarify core values, brand attributes, competitive advantages and brand strategy.

3. Determine the positioning based upon differentiation, the value proposition and business category.

4. Determine the brand essence. What is the central idea? The unifying concept? Key messages? Voice and tone?

5. Develop the big idea - a statement that conveys the essence of a brand.

6. Lead to the creation of a brand brief and a creative brief. The brand brief takes the information and ideas from the above process and puts them into written form so that senior management can sign off on a unified vision of the brand essence and its attributes. The creative brief provides an overview for the creative team, conveys the brand essence and provides goals and deliverables.

Lastly and for a little fun, what are some well known big ideas?

GE - Imagination at work.
Apple - Think Different.
Target - Expect more. Pay less.