Branding Tasks

Audit – Situational

“An evaluation of the company goals and expectations; marketing objectives; and a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis; perceptions of the market infrastructure (editors, analysis, investors); and a discussion of the products, markets, target audiences, competition, pricing and distribution channels.” – C.Pettis, TechnoBrands^? p. 87.

Goal: Document the current state branding for the organization, products, and founder and the brand position of potential competitors currently in the intended market space. Sub-projects include Recall and Competitive Analysis

Process: Internal audit and “soft soundings” (informal interviews) with key market influencers (pundits, analysts, press, WAC, etc.)

Situational Analysis - Recall (unaided, aided)

Unaided Recall checks to see how the current brand(s) are entrenched in potential customer’s minds. Ask the question, “When you think of (product category like shared calendars, PIMs, etc.) what brands come to mind?” Note, since our products are still not used by the general public, this exercise may be premature for ranking our brand, but will identify top-of-the-mind competitive brands.

Aided Recall lists the brands in a product category and asks which brands the respondent recognizes. This helps explore perceptions of competitors that may not be top-of-the-mind, or what competitive brands may have been considered in the past.

Situational Analysis - competitive analysis

Goal: Compile a current list of competitive products (brands), brand positions, and brand associations.

Audit – Marcomm

Goal: Review and compile list of current and past positioning and association messages made to the public either by us or by the press, e.g. “Outlook Killer” to see what has to be reinforced or overcome.

Review for consistency/inconsistency.

Process: Node maps, Brand ladders

Audit - Founder

Goal: Compile brand position(s) and associations for “Mitch Kapor” as a brand. These can be inherited or overcome on a selective basis in building the new brand(s).

Process: Node maps, Brand ladders

Position - [research]

Goal: Compile list of current position statements for product(s) and organization.

Process: Node maps, Brand ladders

Brand Associations - [research]

Goal: Compile list of current brand associations for product(s) and organization.

Process: Node maps, Brand ladders, Brand Identity Profile (Pettis, Ibid. p. 120)

Position [determine]

Goal: Decide on a single position statement for the brand. (see also: Pettis, Ibid. , p106-135.

Position [test]

Goal: Check to determine if anything is confusing, misleading, or negative, and to unearth people’s level of understanding and their psychological “hot buttons.”

Process: Focus group.

Position [adjust]

Adjust position statement, if necessary, based on testing.

Brand Assoc. [determine]

Goal: Compile list of potential brand position statements for product(s), and organization.

Brand Assoc [test]

Goal: Check to determine if anything is confusing, misleading, or negative, and to unearth people’s level of understanding and their psychological “hot buttons.”

Process: Focus group.

Brand Assoc [adjust]

Adjust position statement, if necessary, based on testing.

Identity [determine]

“Communicating brand position and identity are essential to gaining placement of a brand in a buyer’s typically small consideration set. … Some types of brand image … May be important to identify and quantify:

• Product and company image: …
• User image: …
• Channel image: …
• Occasion image: …
• Brand personality: …
• Salience: …”

Pettis, TechnoBrands^?, p 94-95

Create a Brand Identity Profile (Pettis, Ibid. p. 120)

Identity [test]

Goal: Check to determine if anything is confusing, misleading, or negative, and to unearth people’s level of understanding and their psychological “hot buttons.”

Process: Focus group.

Identity [adjust]

Adjust position statement, if necessary, based on testing.

Brand Objectives [determine]

Marketing plan - TBD

Brand Strategies [determine]

Marketing plan - TBD

Creative - Name(s)

Name for the product/brand

Creative - Logo(s)

Logo for the product/brand

Creative - Look & Feel

Look & Feel for the product/brand

Creative [test]

Goal: Check to determine if anything is confusing, misleading, or negative, and to unearth people’s level of understanding and their psychological “hot buttons.”

Process: Focus group.

Creative [adjust]

Adjust creatives, if necessary, based on testing.

Build brand awareness

Marketing plan - TBD

Build awareness - position

Marketing plan - TBD

Build awareness - associations

Marketing plan - TBD

Introduce Creatives

Marketing plan - TBD

Pre-launch (0.7) research - benchmark brand recall

Benchmark brand recall before launch marketing, then after the launch to see how effective marketing activities were.

Launch Events

Marketing plan - TBD