A brand is much more than a promise; it’s the sum of all the actions and interactions of a company – inside and outside. The relationship created by every engagement a company has with a customer and its employees is what defines a brand. Ultimately, that relationship either matters to a customer or it doesn’t; for it to matter, the company has to tap into an important need or core value of the customer as a human being. This is about emotional relevance. If a company can consistently give its customers something they deeply value on an emotional level, they will intuitively be drawn to it, protect it, and advocate for it. This is what creates a much deeper relationship than a promise can, and translates into higher margins and more enduring loyalty.

A brand is usually boiled down to elements like logos and taglines. While these are external expressions of the brand, they don’t drive it. The brand strategy informs every interaction of the company – and it has little to do with what product a company sells and everything to do with why anyone should care. A strategy that embodies a clear and relevant purpose then informs a framework for implementing the brand internally and externally. Having a brand platform actually saves money because decisions are easier, problems are resolved faster, and every employee understands his/her role in making it real for customers. That, in turn, also means that a company doesn’t waste time and money in execution like building a web site because it won’t be shooting in the dark for misguided or unguided concepts.

Having a strong brand enables a company to charge premiums, drive higher margins, create customer advocacy and even earn forgiveness when it makes a mistake. Without it, a company is competing largely on product features and price. Not that those don’t matter; it’s just that they can only take a company’s margins so far. Interbrand, whose brand valuation methodology is widely accepted as the industry standard, has shown a direct correlation between brand strength and in-market consideration, purchase intent and likelihood to recommend. A brand has a specific value in M&A deals that can drive premium pricing, and is a line item on the P&L in many countries. The bottom line is, a company’s upside is far greater if it can achieve brand status.

Success or failure as a brand depends on the commitment of the entire organization, starting with the CEO. The leadership of the company has to protect and advocate for the brand, and every employee’s role in delivering the brand must be specified and reinforced through performance and rewards systems. Consistency and clarity come with discipline applied to every interaction inside and outside the company. Engaging every employee in owning the brand is not only inspiring and empowering, but it also will deliver the result of earning brand status – and therefore business results.

Not to create a brand is more expensive; it’s harder to create more space between your company and its competitors if you aren’t a brand. A basic brand platform doesn’t have to cost a lot, and investment in execution can grow in line with the business needs/demands.

The four basic elements of a brand platform are:
1. the strategy (the core idea)
2. the brand character (the voice and attitude)
3. the brand behaviors (4-5 principles for operationalizing the brand)
4. the brand toolkit (key tools everyone in the company can use)

Insights on a customer’s target audiences as human beings – not just as customers – are essential to getting the strategy right. If a company doesn’t understand its customers’ values, attitudes, concerns and passions as people, it won’t have a sticky strategy. If a company doesn’t have this information, Gutc Brands knows some cost effective ways of getting to it.