six degrees

a sensory branding agency

Online Branding

www.six-degrees.com

Frank R. Schab

The knowledge, perceptions and feelings associated with something that has been given an identity (e.g., a name, look & feel)

So, a brand can be a… Product Company Currency

Service Group Activity

Person Character Location

Country Building etc.

Differentiate from competitors

Create preference for your offering

Convey quality/trust

Escape pressure to compete on price

Identify ownership

Prove authenticity

Build economic value

Price of branded product versus price of unbranded equivalent

Future cash flows attributable to brand

Achievable premium in M&A

Branding in the online environment follows the same fundamentals as in the offline world

However, there are a few additional considerations for implementing branding online. . .

1. Opportunity assessment

2. Strategy development

3. Identity & messaging creation

4. Implementation tools

5. Measurement

Interview brand owners to assess brand perceptions, aspirations, strengths, weaknesses, barriers, etc and determine internal alignment

Review existing/commission new customer insight research to determine needs/wants, brand perceptions, purchase behaviors, etc

Understand market drivers & dynamics, examine trends that may impact brand

Audit communications

and performance of competitors

Develop the brand platform

E X T E R N A L

I N T E R N A L

Determine the perceptions to create around the brand that support the brand promise

Make sure strategy meets at least these three criteria

Name development

Identity creation

Tagline/messaging development– consider message testing with target

audience to ensure it is “on strategy”

Naming is hard!

Consider hiring a branding firm

Use repeated brainstorming sessions with people from different backgrounds

Liberally consult resources (thesaurus, mythology books, history books, etc)

Consider brand platform and brand perceptions

Consider types of names:descriptive coined/abstract

metaphorical acronym

Evaluate candidates on key criteria:pronounceability implied meaning

associations uniquenesspositive claritymemorability protectableendurance internationality/cultural appropriateness

Name more critical for online than offline

Categories of brand marks:– Literal to symbolic/abstract

– Name driven to image driven– Conceptually simple to conceptually complex

No hard and fast rules exist

Basic criteria: – Meaningful to target audiences

– Different from competition– Credible for the brand

Types of tag lines:Descriptive (“On your side”)

Command/imperative (“Invent”)Provocative (“Got milk?”)Superlative (“The ultimate driving machine”)

Key criteria: clear & concise reflects brand strategy

different/unique no negative associations

credible for brand memorable

protectable

In our experience, it’s valuable to have those who worked on the brand strategy develop a messaging architecture to ensure that final messaging is on strategy

Components of messaging architecture:– Primary & secondary conceptual (unrefined) messages

to each key audience

– Ideal format and tonality for each conceptual message along with supporting information/data

Interactivity (hyperlinks, mix of words & video, short games/animations, podcasts, etc.)

Mini-funnel sites that allow a brand to “own” certain messages (questions, issues, phrases, etc.) by purchasing the message as a url and linking it to brand

Social media/marketing which enables a brand to facilitate a debate of interest to the brand and build networks of influencers

The internet provides some new methods for brand building:

Use of Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI) analysis to enhance the brand’s prominence

Web sites that are emotionally responsive through enhanced personalization/customization made possible by digital technology

online tools allow for ease of measurement

determine key metrics:– financial targets– new customers– retention– awareness – brand strength– changes in brand over time– etc.

The fundamentals of online branding are the same as for offline branding

Online branding differs from offline branding in the following ways:– Communications online are faster and continuous (i.e., 24/7)– You cede control of the brand message more quickly online,

where customers will talk about your brand how they see fit– Accordingly, online brands are more interactive than offline

brands and demand a different level of responsiveness online

Online and offline branding should be considered in an integrated, strategic manner

six degrees

8040 e gelding dr

scottsdale, az 85260

480.627.9850

www.six-degrees.com

thank you