Pauline E. Ranger Successful brands have been able to effectively communicate their core values and beliefs – what the company stands for – to their target customers.
Brands help you clearly communicate your values, such as “cheapest provider,” “most innovative,” “best total solution,” “preferred selection,” etc.
It would be best if you decided what your brand represents and then communicated this value proposition clearly and consistently. You can’t just be a good business. You have to tell everyone what makes you different.
Brand Architecture
A brand architecture is a detailed breakdown of all the elements that make up the brand. It also reveals the specific messages to be delivered and the main takeaways from the audience (customers or consumers). Brand architecture may include product attributes, emotional benefits, functional and physical benefits, occasion appropriateness, user images, and other intangibles.
The architecture is the foundation of the brand. It shows how it’s built, how it functions, and how its components work together to provide meaningful benefits for the consumer.
The science and art of marketing are integrated into a process called brand architecture. It is based on the science behind why people buy and use products and gives direction as to which elements will create the strongest connection with the customer. The marketer can use their judgment and intuition in order to take action on consumer and customer insights. It also produces a visible strategic framework for the whole organization.
The key drivers that influence the decision of customers to buy or use a particular product can be used to determine the brand architecture.
- Cost-of-entry drivers are the benefits any brand must provide to be considered as a viable option. You’d better have the ability to deliver your customers’ burgers and french fries quickly if you are a fast food provider. These benefits are the minimum requirements to compete in the competitive framework. You need to know why consumers choose any brand within the competitive frame and how your brand compares to these benefits in order to determine the cost-of-entry benefits.
- Differentiation Drivers are benefits that start to separate you and the competition positively. You may have capabilities or assets that your competitors do not. These benefits are not necessarily motivating or appealing to everyone in your target audience. If these benefits aren’t important, you may lose customers. For example, it doesn’t really matter how comfortable your van is if someone has decided not to purchase a minivan. Your distinct benefits might not be the first thing on your customers’ minds, so they will need some education and communication to encourage them to buy.
- Preference Drivers are benefits that propel a brand into category leadership. Customers will consider these benefits when comparing your brand to other brands in your competition. Customers can leverage these benefits to gain a sustainable advantage. They may be as simple as “buy American,” or they could come from extensive research and experience working with different competitors. The preference drivers are your trump cards, the brand attributes that keep customers coming back to you.
Brand Equity Drivers
After you have a basic brand architecture in place, you need to determine what makes you unique and different from others. These are the attributes that make you stand out. These brand equity drivers are the benefits that your brand offers over other brands in your field. It’s an opportunity for everyone if no brand has a sustained advantage. No one can pull consumers in one direction or the other. It would be best if you aimed to take the high ground that has not been taken.
The following factors drive brand equity:
- You can use key equity drivers to gain an edge over your competitors. Your business is performing better than the competition, so you can take advantage of this to build new equity in previously untapped areas.
- Minor Advantage Drivers are benefits that your brand scores statistically higher than the competition, but your business performance actually is lower. In this case, perception is reality. If your target customers believe you’re stronger than your competitors, you will be.
- Parity equity is a factor that comes into play when you are statistically equal to your competitors but have a higher performance. It’s in your best interest to emphasize your strengths and your competitors’ weaknesses.
- Vulnerability drivers are benefits that your brand is statistically tied with your competition, but you perform worse than them. It’s dangerous territory.
How To Develop A Brand Architecture
It is important to look inward when developing brand architecture, but that’s just half the battle. To create a brand architecture, it is also necessary to have a thorough understanding of the customer’s needs and wants. These understandings should be based on quantitative data, i.e., surveys of a wide range of customers, rather than qualitative data gathered from focus groups.
Analyzing a brand’s key competitors and their potential customers across a range of consumers can help determine the brand’s drivers, equity, and opportunities. Qualitative data alone is usually not enough to create a thorough brand architecture.
As with most things in life, it’s the details that make the difference.
You need to know the differences between brands in order to create a brand architecture that will provide you with the necessary insights. The specificity of the benefit statements and rating of competitors will directly affect your ability to act and gain understanding.
This is a much more complex process than asking people what they want. Direct questions along the lines of stated importance or stated reasons elicit purely rational responses, not emotional ones. They tend to favor existing and intrinsic benefits. You will gain a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of your customers by comparing their behavior with their attitudes.
