What Is Brand Strategy, and Is It Important?
Brand strategy identifies the essence of your brand (what people feel) before its visual identity (what people see) is designed.
But before we can jump into answering the question, “What is brand strategy?” we need to tackle the definition of a “brand,” so we're on the same page.
A brand is not a logo
“Brand” is defined in many ways by lots of really smart people and epic designers, but I find that this way of explaining it really hits home:
A brand is how other people perceive your business. (It's about what they feel, not just what they see.)
Marty Neumeier puts it this way: "A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company."
Jeff Bezos has a similar quote: "Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room."
When you think of your favorite brand (think: clothes, shoes, homeware, accessories, etc.), what words come to mind?
As an example, I’ve recently discovered Frank And Oak, and I LOVE their clothes, brand, and core value of sustainability. The words that come to mind when I think of their brand are:
cool
responsible
sustainable
minimal
kind
Those might not be the *exact* words in Frank And Oak’s brand book, but it's how I perceive them, therefore, that's who they are to me as their target audience. I can recognize their logo and minimal color scheme, but it’s not anything fancy. What I know best is their products and how I feel when I wear their clothes.
When you think of your brand, what words come to mind? Better yet, what do your clients say about your brand? How does it make them feel?
You can’t determine how exactly someone perceives your brand, but you can certainly influence their perception of it. And that’s where brand strategy comes in.
What is brand strategy?
A professional brand strategy provides clarity around your mission, vision, values, audience, competitors, message, personality, and position in the marketplace.
I hear this question from designers, clients, and everyone in-between:
What’s brand strategy?
What is a brand strategist?
Is brand strategy important?
Do I need a brand strategy? Etc.
Brand strategy is the FOUNDATION of every strong brand identity.
So, the answer to “Is brand strategy important"?” is an emphatic YES.
Brand strategy is CRUCIAL to the long-term success of your brand. It’s a necessary roadmap that lays out the next 5-10 years of your business and helps designers craft a brand design that lasts.
→ Check out a previous blog to learn the Difference Between Brand Identity vs. Brand Strategy. ←
What does a brand strategist do?
A professional brand strategist (like myself) asks targeted questions about your business to identify where your business goals intersect with your ideal clients’ needs. By working through a strategic document, we identify your key differentiators to ensure your brand stands out from the crowd and serves your audience with helpful solutions.
Here's a crash course on the questions that brand strategy answers, and the topics it includes:
MISSION: What do you do (and how do you do it)?
VISION: What is your long-term brand goal?
VALUES: What do you value (and how do those values influence every touchpoint of your brand)?
AUDIENCE: Who do you exist to serve?
COMPETITORS: Who is your competition?
MESSAGE: What do you want to communicate?
PERSONALITY: How does your brand show up in the world?
POSITION: What makes you different?
WHY: Why does it matter?
Strategy guides design—not the other way around.
I added your brand Why to the list because as Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it.” It’s not enough to know what you do. In order to compel your audience to engage with your brand, you have to know why it matters.
Remember, this is just a snippet of the rich information collected in a 2-hour brand strategy session. Now you know the answer to, “What does a brand strategist do?” Are you interested in partnering with a creative brand strategist to realign your business, starting at its core? Let's chat!
