Branding. More. Effective

Branding. More. Effective. | M.M.E. pagina 1 van 11

BRANDING. MORE. EFFECTIVE.
Marc Cloosterman & Jim Krokké

Introduction
Strong brands possess credible, relevant and distinctive brand promises. Even more
importantly, they fulfil these every day. Developments in social media changed the world
of brands. It has become a zillion-channel place where anyone can express their opinion
about your brand and where that opinion will be heard. So, how can you deal with this?
The answer is simple: with trust. The execution, however, is far more complex.

People need to be able to trust your brand. This requires a shift in marketing. The days
when marketers screamed “Proof first, Promise later” are over. We have learned it is
important to “Promise and Prove” at the same time. Trust is the lever here. Your market
has to trust your brand. Who would you trust more than your own family and friends who
have just told you how amazing an experience was that they had at Starbucks, for
instance? Within the zillion-channel world in which we live, an “objectively” positive
message is easily spread. And a negative message probably spreads even more easily.
So, keep in mind what your brand promise is and whether your brand delivers the proof
for this promise…

Taking this as our starting point, we will set out our definition of a brand promise and
present the Brand Performance Model, which you can use to determine the extent to
which you exploit your brand promise at different brand touchpoints, online and offline.
After that, we will focus on the lifecycle of a brand and how you can keep your brand
consistent and manageable over time.

Brand promise
The brand promise clarifies what the brand stands for and is also the most important

http://www.marketing-more-effective.com/2012/07/06/branding-more-effective/ 3-12-2012


reason for stakeholders to choose a particular brand. Often this promise is communicated
explicitly through a slogan or pay-off, but it can also be conveyed implicitly via
communication with and behaviour towards stakeholders.

Brand success is a relevant brand promise that is proven throughout the organisation.
Every single day it is visible as the DNA of the organisation. This was spelt out back in
1997 by Steve Jobs: “To me, marketing is about values. This is a very complicated world,
it’s a very noisy world. And we’re not going to get the chance to get people to remember
much about us. No company is. So we have to be really clear on what we want them to
know about us.” So, what it boils down to is that for every moment your brand is in contact
with stakeholders you want to give them the correct look and feel of your brand. This
means that you have to be consistent.

Brand proof points
The least a customer should expect from a brand is that the experience with the brand
lives up to the promise made. The brand proof should at least be equal to the brand
promise to avoid disappointing the customer (Smith, 2011). To prove the brand promise
everything has to be in place. Customers have to experience the brand promise through
all the different channels: via the telephone, in all the stores/locations, on the website and
in face-to-face contact, etc. Social and technological developments make it necessary
nowadays to prove what you promise in your (marketing) communication. Consumers are
becoming more assertive and, with the launch of Twitter and Facebook, they are able to
forward their opinions to many followers and friends. If a brand promise is not in harmony
with the brand proof, this can be communicated in an instant to large groups of people
located all over the world, with the result that the credibility of the brand is eroded. For
many years, a brand was supposed to have an attractive exterior. These days, the brand
promise is regarded as key to communication and behaviour as a whole. The external
focus of the brand – supported by attractive television commercials and eye-catching ad
campaigns – has given way to seeing the brand as the ‘guiding principle’ for the entire
organisation. A brand touchpoint is every moment a brand interacts with customers,
employees, partners and other stakeholders. When brand touchpoints demonstrate the
brand promise, we refer to them as brand proof points.

One example: Starbucks
A good example of a brand with a consistent brand promise and brand proof is Starbucks.
They are coffee lovers who enjoy spending time with quality products. Employees are
friendly and quick, and the atmosphere is inviting with modern furniture, relaxed music



and pleasant aromas. Furthermore, their range is the same all over the world. In addition,
they are likely to behave responsibly towards people and the environment. And, most
notably, they communicate their brand promise everywhere in exactly the same manner –
not just in the stores, but also on Twitter, Facebook, the corporate website, everywhere.
They are welcoming, provide a fast service and are passionate about coffee.

Brand Performance Model
The Brand Performance Model (Figure 1) enables you to determine the extent to which
brand proof points are exploited. This model consists of four dimensions, which together
determine the performance of the brand. The top half represents the exterior part of the
organisation that is visible to stakeholders. The bottom half constitutes the internal
organisation.

‘Presence’ is the presentation of the brand in all expressions. This refers not only to
where the brand is visually active, but also to the extent to which communication,
resources and products are consistent with the brand promise. When the presence fits
with the brand, this helps prove the brand promise.

‘People’ are the people who represent the brand, usually the employees with whom
customers communicate. Employees are the key when it comes to proving the promise of
the brand to customers. The extent to which the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of
employees fits with the brand determines how the brand is experienced by customers.

‘Processes’ are the procedures within the organisation that contribute to the applied
consistency of the brand. These include approval processes for (communication)



resources, but also complaints processes and other processes that contribute to
customer satisfaction.

‘Programmes & Tools’ are all the resources that are used to provide employees with the
opportunity to apply the brand consistently through their knowledge as well as their
attitude and behaviour towards customers. The brand is activated with the aid of training
and internal branding programmes. These provide employees with the chance to pass on
the values of the brand. Tools, like office automation software, help employees to apply
the brand correctly, both visually and textually. This results in a brand experience for all
stakeholders that is just as intended.

The four dimensions of the Brand Performance Model interrelate. This means that when
organisations have problems with their internal organisation, these will be noticed and
experienced by people outside the organisation. Even if you are visually excellent, if your
employees do not communicate your brand promise this will have a big impact on the
extent to which the consumer perceives that the organisation has proven its promise. So,
you need to score highly on all four dimensions.

As mentioned earlier, to communicate the correct brand promise (implicitly and explicitly)
at all times you have to be consistent. It is not just the brand promise that has to be
consistent, the visual identity of your brand has to be, too. The way your brand looks also
implicitly promises something. A Fiat car makes an implicit promise with its visual identity
that is different to, for instance, a Ferrari. Therefore, we will now present to you the Brand
Life Cycle, which will help you develop a brand that is consistent and manageable. This
will eventually improve your brand promise and also your business.

Brand Life Cycle
With the brand as an incentive for the entire organisation, the importance of getting the
brand into shape and keeping it that way has increased. This requires constant attention.
The Brand Life Cycle (Figure 2) sets out the steps for developing and managing a brand.
Five phases can be distinguished: 1) evaluation and analysis, 2) strategy, 3) development
and creation, 4) implementation and activation and 5) management.



Figure 2: Brand Life Cycle

Evaluation and analysis
Part of managing a brand is monitoring how the brand performs, both internally and
externally. Reputation research, stakeholder analysis, brand proof point evaluations, net
promoter scores, client and employee satisfaction analyses and online brand monitors will
help the brand manager to evaluate and monitor the brand constantly, enabling timely
adjustments when needed.

However, the evaluation of a brand also focuses on the extent to which the brand promise
is proven each day – in the presentation of the brand in all forms and in the behaviour of
employees. The analysis should therefore be supplemented with an internal evaluation to
determine the extent to which processes, tools and programmes contribute to proving the
brand promise.

Back to the example: Starbucks
Starbucks has been around for forty years now, but it is still a modern brand. It has
changed with the times but has kept its brand consistent all over the world. The Siren has



been retained as its logo through all these years. In 2011, they announced a new
rebranding because, as Howard Schultz stated, “…the world has changed and Starbucks
has changed. The new interpretation of Starbucks at its core is the exact same essence
of the Starbucks experience. That is the love we have for our coffee, the relationship we
have with our partners and the connection we built with our customers.” So, Starbucks
keeps on adjusting to the world and the market to stay ahead of the competition and
keeps on working on its brand promise and proof. That is why it has now removed the
brand name from the logo and set the mermaid free.

Figure 3: Starbucks

Strategy
The results of the aforementioned analysis will generally result in minor adjustments to
specific areas, and will not, therefore, require major strategic adjustments. However,
some evaluations might also lead to significant changes within the brand, resulting in a
change to the corporate visual identity and/or brand name. This is called a rebranding. In
these circumstances, the brand evaluation acts as a platform for the development of a
new or adjusted organisational strategy, positioning of the brand or brand promise.



In the strategy phase for a brand, the organisational strategy is translated into a brand
strategy: here, the mission, vision and core values are transformed into a clear and
relevant positioning of the brand. This brand positioning can be seen as the place the
brand occupies among all other brands. The focus is on what distinguishes a brand from
its competitors, and attention is drawn to its most important characteristics.

The brand promise is the actual effect of this positioning on the stakeholders. It indicates
what the brand does for the customer and thereby communicates the relationship
between the product’s characteristics and the benefits promised by the brand. This turns
the brand promise into a tool for making the organisational strategy a reality, both
internally and externally. The brand promise can be used to attract consumer attention
and also to instil enthusiasm. It is vital that an organisation only chooses brand promises
that it can actually keep. A beautiful brand promise is worthless if it is not fulfilled.

Development and creation
In order to make the brand visible for all stakeholders, the brand must be reflected in all
aspects of the organisation. During the development and creation phase, the brand
promise is translated for the brand proof points. Programmes must be developed to
involve both employees and external stakeholders in the creation of a new brand strategy.
All forms of communication (including the tone of voice) should be tailored to the new
promise, and the visual identity must be adjusted or developed.

Furthermore, the products and services provided by the organisation must be adapted to
the new brand promise. This means that those that no longer fit the new promise should
be abandoned.

During the development and creation phase, different departments and agencies have to
work together (Communication, HR, Facility Management, etc.). This increases the risk of
the brand promise becoming diffuse and of creating an ambiguous brand image. Forming
a brand team can prevent this problem. The team monitors the brand promise and makes
sure that it is correctly translated for all the brand proof points. The brand team also
selects and guides all the institutions involved in translating the brand promise. Using a
brand briefing created by the brand team, the same starting point can be established for
all the departments and institutions involved. In this capacity, the brand team is
responsible for the overall development of the brand and can act as a producer, sounding
board and checkpoint for all brand expressions.



Implementation and activation
During this phase, the design and programmes developed are implemented at each of the
brand proof points. This means that the new corporate visual identity is applied to all
brand carriers and, in addition, the internal change programmes and external campaigns
are launched. This might also mean that a new way of working is initiated.

The introduction of a new or adjusted brand often brings a lot of tension and uncertainty
to an organisation. Employees are not always enthusiastic when a new brand is
introduced. Internal acceptance of the new brand is, therefore, one of the biggest
challenges during a rebranding (Figure 4). The greater the change, the larger the impact
will be on internal resistance (Krokké, Bolhuis & Van Vuuren, 2011). Since this can have
negative consequences for the way in which employees pass on the new brand it is
important to pay attention to this part. Adequate communication before, during and after
the rebranding is crucial to the success of the brand. The moment that a forthcoming
change is presented, it is imperative that not just the background to the new brand is
explained but also the reasons behind the change. This ought to be done by top
management. The commitment of top management is one of the most important pre-
conditions. Clearly visible support for the rebranding by top management highlights the
necessity for the change, and employees will be more inclined to cooperate. After this
step has been taken, it is important to get the most important stakeholder enthusiastic
about the new brand. A pre-established communication plan is essential here (Bolhuis,
Van den Bosch, De Jonge & Heuvelman, 2007).

Internal acceptance 30%

Implementation 21%

Budget 19%

Time 15%

Early completion 7%



Relationship with design agency 7%

Figure 4: Biggest challenges during rebranding operations (Paulmann, 2010)

Management
Proving the brand promise every day demands organisational skills and coordination
between the front (presence and people) and the back (processes and programmes) of
an organisation. The management phase is therefore a continuous one in which the
brand is carefully managed at all the brand proof points. This requires that the processes
in an organisation connect perfectly with the brand promise.

Even programmes for training new employees contribute to the performance of the brand.
If the importance of the brand is accentuated from the start, the employee will be able to
act accordingly. Organisations can take this one step further by only hiring new
employees who are a good fit for the brand.

In addition, tools can be used to apply the brand consistently. Starbucks has an online
shop portal with an advanced tool that enables facility managers at Starbucks to create
different types of Starbucks Stores (interior and exterior) in just a few clicks. The order is
sent to the different suppliers and delivered to the address specified on the date
indicated. This means that the brand promise within stores will always be consistent all
over the world but, at the same time, can also be created quickly.

Furthermore, a brand support office can be established (either within the organisation
itself or outsourced) where all questions regarding the brand can be answered and brand
carriers can be developed quickly. Facilitating employees and institutions is crucial to
maintaining and improving brand consistency (Van den Bosch, 2005). A helpdesk that
acts quickly and adequately will be more attractive to use. It will also enable employees to
learn so they can make the right branding decisions sooner without having to consult the
brand support office.

Conclusion

The Brand Life Cycle is a proven model for a modern brand management approach,
across all channels. The Brand Performance Model is the perfect model for checking



annually whether you are still on or off track with your brand management. The success
of a brand does not rest solely with the credibility, relevance and distinctiveness of the
brand promise, but also, and even more so, with the way in which this promise is
embedded in the entire organisation. If this is done from top management to the shop
floor, from products to their advertisements and throughout each and every department,
this will lead to consistency at all brand proof points – in turn proving the brand promise
and enabling the brand to realise what it promises!

The authors

Marc Cloosterman
Marc Cloosterman is CEO of VIM Group, an independent global
network of companies specialising in brand implementation and
management. He is passionate about the impact achieved by
consistently implemented and managed brands that thus
contribute to sound reputation management. He is a regular
speaker for both practitioners and academics, and has written a
number of articles on brand implementation & management.

Jim Krokké
Jim Krokké graduated in Communication Studies with his
research into the readiness of internal stakeholders to accept
rebrandings. He combines his work as a researcher examining
consistency in corporate visual identities at the University of
Twente with his work as a consultant at VIM Group, and is an
advisor on brands and visual identities for various organisations.

Literature

■ Bolhuis, W., Van den Bosch, A., De Jong, M. & Heuvelman, A. (2007). Changing
looks. Internal and external effects of a corporate visual identity change.
Afstudeeronderzoek, University of Twente, The Netherlands.
■ Jobs, S. (1997). Retrieved from Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?
feature=player_embedded&v=dRZT8mhfJ4



■ Krokké, J., Bolhuis, W. & Van Vuuren, M. (2011). Visual Identity Change? Yes we
can! Graduation thesis, University of Twente, The Netherlands.
■ Paulmann, R. (2010). Corporate Identity: Status Quo 2010. Corporate Identity
Institute, Mainz, Germany.
■ Schultz, H. (2011) Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4FLDWj1rs8
■ Smith, J.R. (2011). Proving the promise, de bewijskracht van het merk. Amsterdam:
NykampNyboer.
■ Van den Bosch, A.L.M. (2005). Corporate visual identity management. Doctoral
dissertation, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.

12:33
06. Jul 2012


Branding. More. Effective

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