How do you define brand?
You'll need a common language to successfully brand your organization.
There is generally a common vocabulary when it comes to brand definition. However, there are also seemingly infinite ways in which brand and branding are defined. Often either “brand” or “branding” is chosen as the umbrella term while the elements of brand definition appear as a seemingly unrelated list of considerations.
I was reminded of this recently as I prepared for a brand mentoring session with a start-up accelerator cohort. The participants were in an intensive program examining all aspects of how to scale their offering. Any conversation with this group had to be concise and any conversation about brand definition had to start with a common language.
The primer that I developed for the session focuses on the key elements of brand definition and how they pair together. The difference between brand and branding is followed by the fundamentals of purpose, mission and vision, establishing tone and setting your brand apart.
Brand vs. Branding
Repeat after me, “Brand and branding are different.” There is a natural inclination to use these terms interchangeably. Doing so makes it difficult to separate the foundational elements like purpose, mission and vision from the executional elements like logo, tagline and website.
Put simply:
Brand – Who you are.
Branding – How you present yourself.
Fundamentals
Purpose, mission and vision form the foundation of brand definition. They translate to the what, how and why of your offering.
Purpose – Why does your organization exist?
Mission – How do you deliver against that purpose?
Vision – What will your impact be on the world in one year? In two years?
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” That's the mantra of Simon Sinek in his book, Start With Why and it serves well in brand definition. Purpose-led brands have an easier time evolving their mission and vision.
In the brand workshops that I run, we work up from vision, to mission and ultimately to purpose as organizations have often already spent far more time on the what and how rather than the deeper why.
Establishing Tone
Your desired brand attributes and an understanding of your audience are key to setting the right tone.
Attributes – What human characteristics should be reflected in all of your work?
Audience – How will your audience interpret those characteristics?
While defining purpose, mission and vision are all about you, establishing tone is a balancing act between how you want to be perceived and how your audience expects you to behave.
Setting Yourself Apart
Setting yourself apart takes an understanding of your competition and where you differ.
Competition – Who does your audience think is in your space?
Differentiation – How do you distinguish yourself from your competition?
Regardless of industry, organizations tend to think they standalone within their space. However, your unique twist isn't always appreciated by outside audiences and ultimately, your competitors are defined by your audience.
A well-crafted differentiation statement will position how you see yourself as distinct. Fill in the blanks below and be explicit. You care more than your audience.
We are the only ___________ that ______________?
Getting Started
Understanding the distinction between “brand” and “branding” is an easy first step in making sense of brand definition. Regardless of how you define the elements, it’s critical that all stakeholders in a brand definition process have a shared understanding of the terms and their meanings. A new brand should be something that the full team gets behind and this alignment will enable participants to articulate any concerns in a framework that’s clear to the full team.
Reach out if you'd like to chat about your brand challenges.