What is the Brand Strategy?

‍In short, Brand Strategy is the core of your company's communication. It encompasses a sum of ideas, values, and approaches that define a brand's identity and shapes a long-term positioning plan that spans all communication channels, from the logo to customer interactions. Having a clear brand strategy allows for a clear positioning of the company's image and services to consumers, ensuring consistency in communication.

Why is it important?

‍Brand strategy serves as a compass, helping a company clearly chart its course and positioning towards its chosen goal. Think of it as a map that outlines all the traits of a brand: image, character, values, mission, tone. With such a map in place, building any type of communication, whether it's a website or a tone-of-voice, becomes straightforward.

QUOTE: Without a clear Brand Strategy map, communication will inevitably be inconsistent and ineffective, significantly reducing the company's recognition in the market and, as a result, decreasing sales.

Exercise 1. Golden Circle

The Golden Circle is a concept that became established in branding in the late 2000s and is a powerful tool for developing brand strategy and successful communication with a target audience. It consists of three circles: "What," "How," and "Why," and each of these circles plays a role in shaping a brand."What": This circle describes the specific products, services, or actions that a company provides. These are the core attributes and characteristics of the brand. For example, when looking at Apple, "What" describes their products, such as the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook.

"How": This circle determines how the company carries out its actions and provides products and services. It includes aspects of production, design, technological innovations, and methods of interacting with customers. Continuing with the example of Apple, "How" describes their focus on design, innovation, and user-friendliness.

"Why": This circle represents the deepest and most critical part of the concept. It defines the values, beliefs, and purpose of the company. "Why" explains why the company does what it does and the values that underlie its ideology. In the case of Apple, "Why" reflects their belief in striving to change the world through innovation and providing products that improve people's lives.

Why is the Golden Circle important?

‍Deeper Brand Understanding: The Golden Circle helps companies better understand themselves and their identity. It helps identify what makes the brand unique and sets it apart from competitors.Emotional Connection: Understanding the "Why" of a brand's existence helps create an emotional connection with the target audience. This allows for deeper interactions with customers and fosters loyalty.Conviction and Inspiration: When a brand clearly defines its "Why," it can inspire and convince both internal employees and external customers. This contributes to better alignment of actions and more effective communication.

In the end, the Golden Circle helps a brand go beyond simple product advertising and creates a deeper and more meaningful interaction with the audience, which can positively impact business metrics such as sales and customer loyalty.

Example: In the case of Saffron Agency, our "What" is the sum of our services that help brands and companies achieve their communication goals. Our "How" is the concept of "Principled Digital," describing our focus on building the right processes in business and communication. Finally, our "Why" is the aspiration for a society where these processes are taken for granted, for the benefit of global communication.

How to conduct the exercise? Describe your "What," "How," and "Why." Make sure that everyone in your company shares this vision. Discuss it if necessary. In the future, the results of the Golden Circle exercise will help you easily and concisely communicate your company's tasks and goals anywhere and to anyone.

Exercise 2. Core Values

‍The Core Brand Values concept implies that at the core of a brand are its fundamental principles and beliefs, influencing its character, culture, behavior, and communication with customers.

Why is this important?

‍Creating a Unified Vision: The core brand values serve as a guidepost for all internal and external stakeholders, including employees, partners, and customers. They help create a shared vision and direction that everyone strives toward.

Value Orientation for Employees: Core Brand Values help brand employees better understand what is expected of them and the standards and values they should adhere to in their work. This can serve as the foundation for shaping corporate culture and behavior within the company.

Establishing an Emotional Connection with Customers: A brand that clearly expresses its values can create a deeper and more emotional connection with customers. When customers see that a brand shares their values and beliefs, it enhances loyalty and trust.

In essence, Core Brand Values are not just words on paper but key principles that shape the character and behavior of the brand. They play a significant role in shaping brand strategy, creating a unique identity, and engaging with the audience.

How to conduct the exercise? List the values of your brand (up to 20), discuss them, and formulate a list of the most important and key values. Analyze how they impact your current communication. Do your customers understand the values your company adheres to? Do these values help distinguish your company from competitors?

Exercise 3. Brand Archetype Matrix

‍The Brand Archetype concept suggests that any brand, based on its values, can be classified into one of 12 archetypes - a kind of collective image with a unique philosophy and communication style. Belonging to a specific archetype implies certain patterns that can simplify brand positioning.

Why is this important?

‍Unique Perception: An archetype helps create a unique perception of the brand in the market. When a brand associates itself with a specific archetype, it becomes more memorable and understandable to consumers.Development of Marketing Strategies: Knowing its archetype, a company can develop marketing strategies that align with this persona. For example, a brand with a "Magician" archetype may create mysterious and innovative campaigns, emphasizing its magic.Attracting the Target Audience: Different archetypes attract different types of consumers. By using an archetype in its strategy, a company can better meet the expectations and interests of its target audience.

Creating a Consistent Brand Strategy: An archetype helps establish consistency in all aspects of the brand, including design, marketing, communications, and even the company's culture. This ensures a unified vision and message for the brand.

In the end, the Brand Archetype Matrix helps a company better understand its own identity and associate it with a recognizable archetype, which contributes to the development of a strong and recognizable brand strategy.

Example: At Shafran Agency, in our communication, we adhere to the "Sage" archetype. This means that we focus on implementing pragmatic and well-thought-out solutions. As "Sages," we strive to provide our clients with expert opinions and in-depth knowledge in the field of branding and communications. We value wisdom, experience, and a commitment to continuous learning, allowing us not only to address current tasks but also to envision long-term prospects. Our team aims to be a reliable and continuous source of knowledge and solutions for our clients, helping them achieve sustainable results in the world of branding.

How to conduct the exercise: Take the key values of your brand (from exercise 2) - following the Brand Archetype Matrix, try to understand which archetype your brand gravitates towards. This will allow you to define a more precise branding strategy that aligns with your unique identity and attracts your target audience more effectively.

Summary

The ultimate goal of these exercises is to improve awareness in your company's communication with customers and, in general, with the world around you. When done correctly, these exercises enable a clear understanding of what your brand represents and how its voice should sound.