Brand Positioning frameworks used to be carefully guarded secrets.
The big agencies had their processes packaged and branded: the principle of 360-degree brand stewardship and “The big ideaL” from Ogilvy, Thompson Total Branding from JWT, Leo Burnett’s “Brand Essence and HumanKind” approach, the Y&R Brand Asset Valuator, and so on.
Of course, with hindsight and allegiances behind me, they’re all much of a muchness…each a twist on the same basic theme of defining your brand in a clear, compelling, relevant, and differentiating way.
Now, with AI, you can uncover every strategic framework there is if you know how to write a good prompt (and yes, there are a thousand ‘How to write a good AI prompt’ guides out there too!)
You can view the potted history of brand strategy frameworks in a few minutes.
Brand-building began in the late 18th Century with basic branding like Bass Brewery’s red triangle, best exemplified by one of my old brands, Coca-Cola, which has had a consistent presence since 1886 and whose famous dynamic curve has been a design constant for decades.
In the 1920’s the true concept of marketing emerged: customer-orientation. It’s not about selling what you produce, but rather producing what consumers need and want. (It’s still a concept for many marketers today!)
Brand Strategy Frameworks
Brand strategy frameworks began to take shape in the 1970s with classics such as Al Reis and Jack Trout’s Brand Positioning Framework and, later, David Aaker’s Brand Equity model.
In the former, Reis and Trout describe positioning as carving out a unique, memorable space in the consumer’s mind (I’ve always described a brand as a desired territory in the mind). They describe a mental ladder where brands in a category are ranked and move up or down rungs.
They introduced concepts like being there first, “get there firstest with the mostest,” repositioning competitors, and simplicity – have a clear and simple message – owning a word. Consistency was key, too.
Identifying a gap in the market, finding an underserved need, and fulfilling it (e.g., “everyday affordable luxuries” for Target) is a key part of the philosophy.
These are still valid, but becoming increasingly challenging as categories expand exponentially and overcrowding makes it difficult to find meaningful gaps and differentiate.
Aaker’s Brand Equity model, developed in the 1990s, is based on the value a brand adds beyond its physical product. The perception of the added value is the most important thing. High perceived value impacts price premiums, usage, loyalty, and advocacy.
Key components:
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Brand Awareness: How well people recognize your brand (e.g., McDonald’s golden arches).
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Brand Loyalty: Repeat purchases and referrals (e.g., loyal Apple users who buy across product categories like iPhones, iPads, and iWatches
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Perceived Quality: Belief that your product is superior (e.g., Mercedes).
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Brand Associations: Feelings or ideas linked to your brand (Coca-Cola = happiness).
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Proprietary Assets: Unique advantages like patents, trademarks, or partnerships (e.g., Nike’s patented Air technology).
Brands are built through building awareness, recognition, and valued associations. These are reinforced by consistent delivery of customer experiences (for me, delivering the PROMISE of your Brand DNA). Aaker highlights the need for an emotional connection with the brand, as seen in Apple’s ‘Think Differently’ campaign.
These two frameworks have arguably done more to shape brand strategic frameworks in the last 50 years than any others. Both emphasize clarity and consistency. Whilst one emphasizes standing out, differentiating, and owning a distinctive mental position, the other focuses more on building long-term value through recognition, loyalty, and emotional affinity.
Other strategic frameworks, like our own Brand DNA, have built on these foundation stones.
So, with all this readily available, do you need an experienced human strategist to help you?
Well, half the business population out there didn’t really value it in the first place. A bit harsh? Not really. They’re still the same thinking-types who largely dismiss marketing and the whole emotional area of brand-building in favour of results, numbers, tangible measures, and ‘doing the doing’.
I recently wrote an article on the need to find a healthy balance between rational, data-driven analytics and long-term, emotionally based brand-building through real-world human associations.
Any framework or model is only as good as its execution. By that, I mean the calibre of the thinking, understanding, and insight behind it – and the experience and skill of the strategist.
Whilst I’ve encountered some outstanding young talent out there, it’s been pointed out that it’s easy for inexperienced but highly self-confident strategists with skill in social media self-promotion to hurdle the low barrier to entry in the digital arena. The perception of proof of quality is relatively easy to create, even if the substance isn’t there. For every great talent, there are many more mediocre practitioners – and many downright dangerous ones!
I use this example with my Lighthouse students in the Lighthouse Brand Strategy Academy.
You can go to YouTube now and watch an instructional video on how to conduct an appendectomy. It will guide you through the procedure step by step, from start to finish. You can hire an operating theatre and assistants, get the scrubs and equipment, and hey, you’re ready…”First patient, please!”
Me? I’d rather go with the real surgeon who has conducted 1,000 or more appendectomies with a high success rate.
Or perhaps a better analogy is employing a Ghillie to fish for salmon or trout in one of my native Scotland’s famous rivers.
You may already know some of the basics of fly-fishing or even be quite an accomplished fly-fisher, but it helps to have a guide who has lived on the river all his life, who knows the water like the back of his hand, who knows every pool, nook and cranny the fish lie in, who knows the right fly to use in for the time of year and weather conditions. Someone who can teach you to cast a two-handed Spey rod if you’ve not done it before.
There’s still no guarantee you’ll catch a fish, but your odds of doing so are dramatically improved – and you’ll carry forward learning for next time.
Similarly, if you’ve ever done a safari, you’ll know the value of being guided by an experienced park ranger. They know where to find the animals and have the equipment to get you there safely.
Or you could go it alone and try a self-guided tour. I was lucky enough to have been given a 2-day guided tour in Kirkman camp, Londolosi in South Africa. I told my stories to my South African friend back in Cape Town about tracking a leopard hunting for his breakfast, seeing two lionesses scare another leopard away from its kill wedged high in a tree, walking with the dangerous water buffalo on the bushveld, being charged by a tusker in musk and seeing giraffe hidden by the bush only feet away. He told me that in 11 years of going to the same park, guiding himself, he’d never seen a leopard.
Why use Brand Strategy Frameworks?
They give you a formula and a starting point to define positioning and meaningful value propositions.
They can help you build customer loyalty and advocacy by targeting and building desired emotional associations. And they can help you deliver consistency across customer touchpoints.
But there are some drawbacks you need to be mindful of, too.
Over-reliance on frameworks can result in rigid, sterile solutions that stifle creativity and diminish the chances of original solutions. Remember, frameworks are only as good as the practitioners using them and the quality of the input material they use.
There’s also a tendency to look for short-term fixes. Over-emphasis on performance marketing metrics can undermine long-term brand-building.
If not properly aligned to the brand’s core values, nuance, and dynamic environment, improper use of frameworks can lead to inconsistent messaging and confusion.
Brand strategy frameworks can be powerful tools when used in a bigger-picture context and when guided by an experienced, human hand.
When you’re in the ‘jungle’ out there, it helps to have an experienced guide to help you find your quarry.
