Branding Glossary
Branding
Brand Attributes
The touchstones that define the qualities and personality of the brand in a customer’s mind. Brand attributes help establish the spirit and tone that inform all communications and effectively guide internal culture. They are the qualities that make a brand unique, personal and recognizable.
Branding
Brand Audit
A thorough, under-the-hood examination of a brand to uncover performance, position and customer insights. A brand requires these inspections in order to identify strengths, weakness and opportunities for refinement or new initiatives. The results of a brand audit will align teams and set the stage to prioritize and manage any course corrections needed.
Branding
Brand Awareness
The ability of a brand’s customers to identify the brand in a crowded market, and their level of familiarity with the brand’s unique buying proposition. Greater brand awareness is often a primary goal of marketing a product or service and is critical when launching a new brand. Brand awareness coupled with brand preference creates an […]
Branding
Brand Discovery
The process of objectively examining a brand to better understand its role within the competitive landscape and gain insights into its consumers and what motivates category purchase. Brand discovery will reveal strengths, weaknesses and what customers value most among the brand’s offerings and why.
Branding
Brand Equity
The value of a brand’s financial and non-financial assets measured by its quality of public awareness and influence. Brand equity represents the sum of all distinguishing qualities of a brand, drawn from all relevant stakeholders, that result in personal commitment to and demand for the brand; these differentiating thoughts and feelings make the brand valued […]
Branding
Brand Experience
The means by which a brand is created in the mind of a stakeholder through all experiences and interactions with or involving the brand. Some experiences are controlled, such as retail environments, advertising, products/services, websites, etc. Some are uncontrolled, like journalistic comment and word of mouth. Strong brands arise from consistent experiences that combine to […]
Branding
Brand Extension
Leveraging the values of the brand to take the brand into new markets/sectors. A brand must first establish brand equity in order to successfully and intentionally extend into new categories and offerings.
Branding
Brand Gap
The gap between an organization’s business and creative strategies. Bridging the gap creates a cohesive brand identity that unites strategy and creative teams, and drives better customer connections.
Branding
Brand Guidelines
A comprehensive document or rulebook affirming the principles of a brand and providing guidance for understanding its legacy, vision, mission, personality and attributes. Brand standards inform staff, external agencies and vendors of the code under which the brand operates. It serves to establish appropriate usage, variants and application of each of the brand assets, and […]
Branding
Brand Harmonization
Ensuring that all products in a particular brand range have a consistent name, visual identity and, ideally, positioning across a number of geographic or product/service markets. This consistency allows for a clear articulation of offerings that set boundaries and facilitate harmony between a brand’s promise and the public’s expectations.
Branding
Brand Hierarchy
The order of importance of individual brands within the architecture of a company’s larger entity or parent brand. A system or order that differentiates the individual sub-brands of a larger brand and can be based on size, performance, public recognition and financial value. Example: Hershey’s has a hierarchy of sub-brands including Reese, Almond Joy, Jolly […]
Branding
Brand Identity
The outward expression of a brand as it is seen and heard in the market—specifically the distinguishing verbal and visual elements and messages that appeal to the customer. These include the brand name, logo, tagline, tone and typography. Brand identity reinforces the brand’s position relative to the competition and articulates the intended brand message.
Branding
Brand Image
The customer’s net “out-take” from the brand. For users this is based on practical experience of the product or service concerned (informed impressions) and how well this meets expectations; for non-users it is based almost entirely upon uninformed impressions, attitudes and beliefs.
Branding
Brand Management
A continued analysis and execution of all techniques utilized to maximize the value of the brand over time. The management of all tangible and intangible elements representing or supporting the brand experience with the goal of increasing brand awareness and enhancing brand loyalty.
Branding
Brand Map
A visual manifestation of a brand that provides a top-level view of all its inner workings, including employee roles, brand purpose, offerings and pricing. The brand map can be a useful tool to guide employee onboarding and training as well as larger organizational initiatives such as mergers and acquisitions.
Branding
Brand Personality
The attribution of human personality traits (seriousness, warmth, imagination, etc.) to drive differentiation and customer connection. These traits inform brand behavior and are manifested to customers through employee actions and through prepared communication, packaging and advertising.
Branding
Brand Positioning
The distinctive space that a brand occupies in its competitive environment to ensure that individuals can recognize and elect the brand over others. Brand positioning involves the careful manipulation of all marketing elements in order to claim the brand’s desired market position and clearly establish its unique impression in the customer’s mind.
Branding
Brand Preference
A gauge of customer choice in a particular category, or the act of a customer choosing one product over another.
Branding
Brand Salience
The strength or weakness of a brand in a particular purchasing decision, influenced by its brand positioning.
Branding
Brand Strategy
The long-term strategy that guides a business in the development of a brand and its implementation in every aspect of marketing and operations. It serves as a guidepost for internal stakeholders and partners and clarifies a company’s value to its customers.
Branding
Brand Valuation
The estimated financial value that all of a brand’s tangible and intangible assets bring to a company. It is frequently used to guide brand strategy and make the case for branding investments, and it showcases the impact that a brand has on business performance now and in the future.