What is… Brand Audience?

Your Brand Position is based on a foundation and that foundation is your Target Audience.

The target audience should be clearly defined but broad enough to encompass a strong working definition of the company’s customer base.

This part of the brand positioning process will most likely take the longest to complete. However, understanding your audience is vital to communicating with them effectively and successfully.

It’s not uncommon for a business to reanalyze and refocus the definition of their target audience later in company growth. Often, the initial definition of the target audience is overly broad or segmented. Narrowing the definition often helps the marketplace or audience recognize that messaging is being specifically directed at recipients.

This greatly enhances messaging.

Overwhelmed yet? Don’t be. It’s much easier than you think, once the market research is completed.

Here are some samples of target demographic statements:

• Adults 25-54 living in the southeast United States with annual household incomes ranging from $25,000 to $65,000.
• Single custodial parents with one or more children under the age of 12 in the Midwest.
• Single, urban women 18 -24 who participate in online multiplayer gaming activities three or more times per week.
• Small business owners operating service companies with 10 or fewer employees in the United States.
• Chief Financial Officers at Fortune 500 companies with an income of over $100,000 who travel frequently for work.

The previous statements could lead to Target Audience statements like this:

Old Spice Body Wash: “For the active young man who wants to smell fresh and clean after a strenuous workout.”

Flirty Girl Fitness: “The aspirational activity and clothing for fit, fabulous and youthful women who want to add sex appeal to their workout.”

Remember this guiding principle:

Knowing your target audience is imperative. Understanding them leads to success and growth.

Continue exploring our Branding Dictionary here: http://www.momentacreative.com/news/branding-dictionary

For more reading on Brand Audience, we recommend:

What is Target Audience? (article)
https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-a-target-audience-2295567

10 Ways to Learn About Your Target Audience (video)
https://youtu.be/YSSEZw3Kepw

Identifying Target Audience for Social Media Campaigns (video)
https://youtu.be/Mt1Z3M2NPBk

Jamie Rose is partner & COO of Momenta Creative. We nicknamed Jamie the “Fun Machine” at the office because of her infectious laugh and unending energy. Don’t let the sparkling personality fool you. Her sharp, plugged-in approach to communications is what landed her previous positions with companies like The New York Times and The Global Fund, and what makes her indispensable to our clients today.

What is… Brand Personality?

Brand Personality is set of human characteristics which act as the voice behind the brand’s values, attributes and competitive positioning.

One established, popular brand personality scale, designed to span products and companies, contains 15 traits organized into 5 factors:

• Excitement: carefree, spirited, youthful
• Sincerity: genuine, kind, family-oriented, thoughtful
• Ruggedness: rough, tough, outdoors, athletic
• Competence: successful, accomplished, influential, a leader
• Sophistication: elegant, prestigious, pretentious

The establishment of brand personality allows the brand to be humanized and differentiated among competitors.

It gives your brand charisma.

Your brand personality should not be contrived.

Your brand personality should absolutely be authentic.

Let’s look at some famous brand personality samples:

• Charles Schwab: Demystifying Investing… Demonstrating Great Knowledge and Expertise.
• ESPN: An Authoritative Passion for Sports, Knowledgeable with a bit of Irreverence, Approach Sports Coverage from All Angles.
• Harley Davidson: Rugged and Macho with Spirit of Adventure and Freedom.
• Target Stores: Stylish & Trendy, Younger, Competitively Priced.

Start with these questions to help you get to the heart of your brand’s personality:

What personality have you established for your brand thus far?

How will your brand personality advance the strategic goals of the brand development?

Will your brand personality today be compatible with tomorrow’s goals & objectives for the brand?

Continue exploring our Branding Dictionary here: http://www.momentacreative.com/news/branding-dictionary

For further definitions of Brand Personality, we recommend:

Investopedia: Brand Personality
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brand-personality.asp

What is Brand Personality?
http://www.managementstudyguide.com/brand-personality.htm

Definition of Brand Personality
http://kwhs.wharton.upenn.edu/term/brand-personality/

Jamie Rose is partner & COO of Momenta Creative. We nicknamed Jamie the “Fun Machine” at the office because of her infectious laugh and unending energy. Don’t let the sparkling personality fool you. Her sharp, plugged-in approach to communications is what landed her previous positions with companies like The New York Times and The Global Fund, and what makes her indispensable to our clients today.

What is… Brand Promise?

A brand promise is the commitment to deliver made between that brand and its audience. Brand promises are specific to the audience sector they speak to; persuasive, but appropriate to the audience.

The obvious use of a brand promise is to encourage the audience to buy the product or participate with your brand.

The efficacy of the promise depends entirely on whether it is believed and delivered upon. Just like the Brand Essence, you must take particular care to develop a promise that inspires, yet is supportable year after year. The promise should indicate what people can expect to receive from your organization in exchange for their money, partnership, or time.

While the brand promise must be crafted, and approved at the most senior level of the organization, it must resonate, and be understood by the most junior employee or removed stakeholder. Promises are made to be kept. Therefore, the brand promise should be carefully aligned with the company’s mission, future vision, and long-term strategic plan.

Finally, by it’s very nature, a carefully crafted brand promise should be should be believable.

To get you thinking about your brand promise, here are some examples from prominent brands:

• The NFL: “To be the premier sports and entertainment brand that brings people together, connecting them socially and emotionally like no other”
• Virgin: “To be genuine, fun, contemporary, and different in everything we do at a reasonable price”
• Gillette Fusion ProGlid: “Against The Grain Closeness, Comfortably”
• Geico: “15 Minutes Or Less Can Save You 15% Or More On Car Insurance”
• Coca-Cola: “To inspire moments of optimism and uplift”
• Google Chrome: “The Web Is What You Make Of It”
• Mazda: “Zoom Zoom”

Just remember, a brand promise must be: Concise. Believable. Effective.

Continue exploring our Branding Dictionary here:
http://www.momentacreative.com/news/branding-dictionary

For further investigation of Brand Promise, we recommend:

The Best Brand Promise Examples We’ve Seen
https://stellaservice.com/the-best-brand-promise-examples-weve-seen-2/

The Brand Promise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_WLerIIhzE

Why Brands Need a Clear Promise
https://hbr.org/video/2919363906001/why-brands-need-a-clear-promise

Old Mutual’s Our Brand Promise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5QbI1DthRQ

Jamie Rose is partner & COO of Momenta Creative. We nicknamed Jamie the “Fun Machine” at the office because of her infectious laugh and unending energy. Don’t let the sparkling personality fool you. Her sharp, plugged-in approach to communications is what landed her previous positions with companies like The New York Times and The Global Fund, and what makes her indispensable to our clients today.

What is… Brand Essence?

Brand essence is the core characteristic which defines a brand. It is an intangible attribute that separates your brand from your competition’s brand by your audience.

It is emotional and based on feelings.

A brand essence is intangible for your audience, unique to your brand and, most importantly, reliable.

It is not a commodity, nor is it product related. It is the essential feeling evoked in your audience when they hear your brand name. It combines the attributes and benefits of your brand succinctly. Therefore, your brand essence should be boiled down to one or maybe two words.

Let’s look at some well known brand essence examples:

• Visa = Everywhere
• FedEx = Safe
• Disney = Magical
• REI = Adventurous

A brand essence is meant to be authentic. Likewise, it must be scalable to your overall brand’s growth.

For example, a brand may want to choose the word “personal” because your customer service is direct and individualized. However, examine the essence in relationship to the growth of your brand.

• Will you be able to keep that feeling consistent if you were to increase your client load tenfold?
• Do you want your audience to feel like they are dealing with someone on personal level for all their needs indefinitely?
• Does “personal” relate to your products, both current and future?
• Is this a reliable and sustainable claim?
• Will your brand personality match “personal” as your brand essence?

Make sure your brand management team helps you pick an essence that doesn’t just feel right in the moment but also asks long-term strategic questions to help you define your brand essence for the goals of your company, small business, or nonprofit.

Continue exploring our Branding Dictionary here: http://www.momentacreative.com/news/branding-dictionary

For further investigation of Brand Essence, we recommend:

Brand Essence (article)
https://strategicthinker.wordpress.com/brand-awareness-differentiation-framework/

Discovering your Brand Essence (article)
https://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2012/04/discovering-your-brand-essence

LinkedIn: Brand Essence (gallery of articles)
https://www.linkedin.com/topic/brand-essence

Jamie Rose is partner & COO of Momenta Creative. We nicknamed Jamie the “Fun Machine” at the office because of her infectious laugh and unending energy. Don’t let the sparkling personality fool you. Her sharp, plugged-in approach to communications is what landed her previous positions with companies like The New York Times and The Global Fund, and what makes her indispensable to our clients today.

What is… a Brand?

The word “brand” is thrown about today without much thought given to the direct definition of what it means or how it should be perceived by your organization. As part of our continuing series on branding definitions, we’ll start with the fundamentals of a brand itself.

The easiest definition comes from Wikipedia, “Brand is the name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s product distinct from those of other sellers.”

However, that definition is not deep enough. A brand is more than a logo or a product. A brand is more than a graphic design package or catch phrase.

To say a brand is just a slogan is like saying a family is just a group of people who live together.

The great David Olgivy, aka “The Father of Advertising”, said, “A brand is the intangible sum of a product’s attributes: its name, packaging, and price, its history, its reputation, and the way it’s advertised.”

A brand is nuanced and multifaceted. It is a perception of distinctive products and services that define your company.

A great way to look at a brand comes from Conrad Phillips Vutech, “Branding is defining, promising and delivering a unique brand experience consistently. Branding distinguishes the brand from its competitions and builds preference.”

The brand is what your client thinks of upon hearing your name. It creates perception among your audience. It sets you apart and defines how you present your company, your product, your performance, and your mission. Your brand is the promise of an experience.

Continue exploring our Branding Dictionary here:
http://www.momentacreative.com/news/branding-dictionary/

For further investigation of Brands, we recommend:

What is a Brand, anyway? (article)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jerrymclaughlin/2011/12/21/what-is-a-brand-anyway/

Branding: Identity Design w/ Yo Santosa via The Futur (video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnSgHLBpOpw

Designing Brand Identity (book)
https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Brand-Identity-Essential-Branding/dp/1118099206

Jamie Rose is partner & COO of Momenta Creative. We nicknamed Jamie the “Fun Machine” at the office because of her infectious laugh and unending energy. Don’t let the sparkling personality fool you. Her sharp, plugged-in approach to communications is what landed her previous positions with companies like The New York Times and The Global Fund, and what makes her indispensable to our clients today.