10 steps to build a brand from scratch (Part 1)

Recently, new consumer product companies that have been developing for about 2-3 years have often consulted about the bottlenecks they have encountered in their development. These problems involve channels, supply chains, operations and other aspects, but it is not difficult to find that the construction and development of "brand" is a common problem. These new consumer products have more or less their own unique advantages, whether in terms of product strength or channel innovation, and have become "explosive products" in their quadrants in a short period of time. However, as they continue to develop, they are found to be highly substitutable. When more competitors enter a quadrant, the original first-mover advantage may disappear in an instant. This is why we often see large fluctuations in the sales of many new consumer products.

On the surface, the reason for this phenomenon may be that someone has invested more resources than you, the products are homogeneous, etc. Some people even feel that current consumers have no loyalty.

But in fact, what we need to think about is whether you have given consumers reasons to be loyal to you? In addition to the basic operation of product strength, brand is the reason to keep the first batch of users sticking to you for product repurchase. Therefore, a considerable number of new consumer products are still just "new consumer products" but have not yet become "new consumer brands." Although there is a difference in one word, the sustainable advantages and brand life may lie in this one word.

This situation may be caused by the fact that at the beginning of the establishment, because of the capital, R&D technology, or strong supply chain channel resources, the product can be successfully launched, and the priority of brand building is postponed, while the brand should be built from scratch.

This article can only share with you "how to do it" and "what to do" to build a brand from scratch. The specific "how to do it" needs to be adapted to local conditions according to different companies and brands, and it is impossible to copy and use it in an article. In fact, what is more important is the accumulation and creation techniques of brand operators.

A solid brand-building framework

#1 Brand Purpose

#2 Brand Vision

#3 Brand Mission

#4Brand Values

#5 Brand Positioning

#6 Brand Personality

#7 Brand language and tone of voice

#8 Brand Message

#9 Brand Identity

#10Brand Expression

In this series, I’ll share 10 essential branding building blocks you need to know when building your brand. By using these modules in the process of building your brand, you can establish a strong brand framework to support your business growth. This issue will share the first three modules, which are also words that market novices often see and easily confuse with concepts.

Summary of this issue:

Brand Purpose: Why do you exist?

Brand Vision: What kind of future do you want to create?

Brand Mission: How do you create the future you want?

#1 | Brand Purpose

From some mature and successful descriptions we can also see that brand purpose refers to the meaning and purpose of the brand's existence. For example, Tesla’s brand mission is: “Accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy.” Brand purpose goes beyond traditional business purposes (such as profit, etc.) and takes more human factors into consideration, and is built on a higher level of meaning.

In order to achieve brand purpose, you first need to look at who the brand serves or provides products for. Understand your audience, as you’ll see in step five, brand positioning – don’t get stuck on the demographics of your target audience, try to gain insight into their psychographics and behavioral patterns. When you know what they think, their likes and dislikes, their shared concerns, you can determine how they see the world and themselves, and what they want to do to make that better.

People generally want to create a better and more meaningful life and work hard to achieve this goal. In this process, a sense of purpose has a huge impact on our motivation and creativity, and brands are a projection of this behavior.

When your audience can resonate with what your brand stands for, they are more likely to see themselves in it, and as they develop a relationship with you, they can project greater values ​​of themselves through your brand.

The steady growth of a brand requires a solid foundation, and sharing a common goal with the audience is a perfect starting point. When the brand purpose is to create a better world (such as Tesla’s brand purpose), this higher-level resonance will become a solid emotional bond between consumers and brands.

TOM’s is an online shoe company, and what sets them apart from other shoe companies is their brand purpose. They exist to improve lives (both those of consumers and those in need). For every pair of shoes a customer buys, TOM's helps someone in need. Not only does this make consumers feel good about their money, but everyone who works for TOM's feels like the work they do changes the world.

#1 | A guide to brand purpose in action — the dos and don’ts

What needs to be noted when setting a brand purpose is that it should not be a far-fetched ideology or an unrealistic wish.

- want-

1. Consider whether the products and services provided by the company can solve the unmet needs of the brand’s target audience (as the saying goes, don’t take on a job that’s too complicated if you don’t have the right tools);

2. Identify the problem your brand solves and thereby evokes an emotional connection from your audience’s perspective;

3. Identify how the brand can contribute, even in a small way, to reducing a problem in the world;

4. Can the problems that the brand solves have an impact on the lives of the audience, and how?

5. What positive impact will you have on the world in delivering your solution to as many users as possible?

6. Express this positive impact (through text, products, services, marketing methods, etc., and maintain consistency).

-don't want-

1. Set a purpose that your product or service cannot solve;

2. Seek to copy other brands’ positions;

3. Strongly link purpose and financial goals.

Let me introduce you to a tool for defining brand purpose: the butterfly diagram.

It was created by Robert Jones. For specific usage instructions, you can enter the keyword "brand purpose" in the background dialog box of the official account to request a video tutorial.

#2 | Brand Vision

Brand vision is what kind of future you want to create. It projects the brand into the future and paints a picture of that future. So, where do you want your business to be in 10 years, and what will your brand look like? How many employees and customers will there be? How do your customers perceive your brand and how does it impact their lives?

The benefit of having a brand vision is that it creates a stronger sense of direction and influences the brand's actions. The brand vision should challenge the possibilities of the business while inspiring employees and leaders to work towards future brand development. The vision should be big enough to stimulate inspiration and enthusiasm, but not so big that it is out of reach for employees. There is no point in building a vision that no one thinks is achievable.

Microsoft's vision is to put a computer on every desktop in every home. The vision was big enough to inspire a transformation, but not so big that the team thought it was unattainable.

#2 | A guide to brand vision in action — the dos and don’ts

- want-

1. The brand vision should be based on the brand purpose and visualize the future of the business (5, 10, 20 years);

2. What does the vision look like? (How many employees? How many customers? How do customers view the brand? Record as many details as possible);

3. Articulate this vision into a text statement.

- don't want -

1. Don’t create a vision that is so far-fetched that it is unbelievable.

2. Don’t stifle your possibilities, set a challenging vision;

3. Don’t copy other brands’ vision.

#3 | Brand Mission

A brand mission is a statement of your brand’s purpose and vision. It’s a promise to impact the lives of the people you serve and deliver on your promises as you move forward. If brand purpose is the “why” of your business and vision is the “where” you’re going, then brand mission is the “how”. How do we realize the future of brands? This forces us to ask the question “What do we need to commit to?” If the purpose of your brand is to make a group of people feel a certain way, what do you need to promise in order for them to feel that way? In other words, what are you committed to doing? A brand mission statement is about action. It is this courage to commit that inspires the brand to get closer to its vision every day.

Starbucks’ mission statement provides a commitment to action through its brand purpose, which guides the way Starbucks does business every day: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit, every person, every cup, every community.”

#3 | An Action Guide to Defining Your Brand’s Mission — Dos and Don’ts

- want -

1. List short-term and long-term commitments. For example, humanized services, product quality, transition to green energy, etc.;

2. Make an irreversible commitment that satisfies the customer. For example, "always complete on time", "always guarantee price advantage", etc.

3. It is best to include a better and more advanced meaning in your commitment, such as "creating advanced thinking tools for mankind and contributing to the world";

4. Clearly express your intentions and outline your commitment to your customers.

- don't want -

1. Don’t create a long list of irresponsible ideal outcomes;

2. Don’t list anything that might lead to breaking your promise;

3. Don’t make your mission statement so vague that it cannot be understood or acted upon.

Author: Li Yin - Lens Hood

Source: Li Yin-Lens Hood