Aaker on Branding. David Aaker

      Chapter 3

      CREATE A BRAND VISION

      Customers must recognize that you stand for something. —Howard Schultz, Starbucks

      Yogi Berra, the fabled Yankee baseball player and manager, was said to have pointed out, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up somewhere else.” That is so true about brands; you need to know where they are to end up.

      Your brand needs to have a brand vision: an articulated description of the aspirational image for the brand; what you want the brand to stand for in the eyes of customers and other relevant groups like employees and partners. Brand vision (sometimes labeled brand identity or brand values or brand pillars) ultimately drives the brand-building component of the marketing program and greatly influences the rest. It should be one of the centerpieces of the strategic planning process. In prior books, I labeled it brand identity, but brand vision captures the strategic, aspirational nature of the concept and avoids confusion that is introduced because, for some, identity refers to the graphic design surrounding the brand.

      When the brand vision clicks—is spot on—it will reflect and support the business strategy, differentiate from competitors, resonate with customers, energize and inspire the employees and partners, and precipitate a gush of ideas for marketing programs. When absent or superficial, the brand will drift aimlessly and marketing programs are likely to be inconsistent and ineffective.

      The brand vision model is one structural framework for the development of a brand vision with a point of view that distinguishes it from others in several ways.¹

      First, a brand is more than a three-word phrase; it may be based on six to twelve vision elements. Most brands cannot be defined by a single thought or phrase, and the quest to find this magic brand concept can be fruitless or, worse, can leave the brand with an incomplete vision missing some relevant brand vision elements. The vision elements are prioritized into the two to five that are the most compelling and differentiating, termed the “core vision elements,” while the others are labeled “extended vision elements.” The core elements will reflect the value propositions going forward and drive the brand-building programs and initiatives.

      Second, the extended vision elements provide a useful role. They add texture to the brand vision, allowing most strategists to make better judgments as to whether a program is “on brand.” The extended vision affords a home for important aspects of the brand, such as a brand personality, that may not merit being a core vision element, and for elements, such as high quality, that are crucial for success but may not be a basis for differentiation. Such elements can and should influence branding programs. Too often during the process of creating a brand vision, a person’s nominee for an aspiration brand association is dismissed because it could not be a centerpiece of the brand. When such an idea can be placed in the extended vision, the discussion can go forward. An extended vision element sometimes evolves into a core element, and without staying visible throughout the process that would not happen.

      Third, the brand vision model is not a “one size fits all, fill in the box” model with pre-specified dimensions, where all brands in all contexts need to fill in each box even if the box does not apply to them. Nor are brands excluded from using a dimension that lacks a “box.” Rather, the dimensions are selected that are relevant for the context at hand. And contexts vary. Organizational values and programs are likely to be important for service and BtoB firms but not for consumer package goods. Innovation is likely to be important for high-tech brands but less so for some packaged goods brands. Personality is often more important for durables and less so for corporate brands. The dimensions that are employed will be a function of the marketplace, the strategy, the competition, the customers, the organization, and the brand.

      Fourth, the brand vision is aspirational and can differ from the current image. It is the associations the brand needs to have going forward, given its current and future business strategy. Too often a brand executive feels constrained and uncomfortable going beyond what the brand currently has permission to do. Yet most brands need to improve on some dimensions to compete, and add new dimensions in order to create new growth platforms. A brand that has plans to extend to a new category, for example, will probably need to go beyond the current image.

      Fifth, the brand essence represents a central theme of the brand vision and is optional. When the right brand essence is found, it can be magic in terms of internal communication, inspiration to employees and partners, and guiding programs. Consider “Transforming Futures,” the brand essence of the London School of Business, “Ideas for Life” for Panasonic, or “Family Magic” for Disneyland. In each case, the essence provides an umbrella over what the brand aspires to do. The essence should always be sought. However, there are times in which it actually gets in the way and is better omitted. One BtoB brand, Mobil (now ExxonMobil), had leadership, partnership, and trust as the core brand elements. Forcing an essence on this brand would likely be awkward. If the essence does not fit or is not compelling, it will soak up all the energy in the room. In these cases, the core vision elements are better brand drivers.

      Sixth, the brand position is a short-term communication guide that often expresses what will be communicated to what target audience with what logic. The current positioning often emphasizes the brand vision elements that will appeal and are now credible and deliverable. As organizational capabilities and programs emerge or as markets change, the positioning message might evolve or change. The centerpiece of the position is often a tagline communicated externally, that need not and usually does not correspond to the brand essence, which is an internally communicated concept.

       THE PROCESS

      The brand vision development process starts with context and strategy. An in-depth analysis of customer segments, competitors, market trends, environmental forces, the current brand strengths and weaknesses, and the business strategy going forward is required background. The business strategy, which includes the product-market investment plan, the value propositions, the assets and skills that will support, and the functional plan, is necessary because the brand strategy is both driven by and an enabler of the business strategy. If the business strategy is vague or nonexistent, it often will have to be developed or articulated as part of the brand vision development.

      The second step is to identify all aspirational associations. These items, which are often from fifty to a hundred in quantity, are then grouped, and each group is given a label. This grouping and labeling aspect is crucial and difficult. It can take weeks to get the right grouping and find just the right set of labels.

      Associations can take many forms including attributes, functional benefits, applications, user imagery, brand personality, organizational programs and values, and self-expressive, emotional, or social benefits. They should each resonate with customers, really matter to them, and reflect and support the business strategy going forward.

      Associations should also provide a point of differentiation that supports the value proposition or represent a point of parity. Although gaining differentiation, hopefully with some “must haves,” is important, achieving parity on a key dimension for which a competitor has a meaningful advantage can be decisive in gaining relevance and market success. The parity goal is to be perceived as “good enough” so that customers do not exclude your brand from consideration. In Chapter 15, gaining parity is shown to be one way to counter a relevance threat posed by being inadequate on a dimension.

      A vision should be inspiring to the firm’s employees and partners. It should make them