The slides of Marie Catherine Mars and Nicolas Minvielle's presentation at DMI' research conference. Based on 40 interviews with international design managers

1. Design and brand
… managing the relationship
Marie catherine Mars
Nicolas Minvielle

2. 2. Research question and study objectives
3. Literature review
4. Research methodology
5. Analysis and results
6. Conclusion
1. Interest of the research

3. 1. Interest of the research
• The consumption experience
• Major field of research in the consumer behaviour (Carù et Cova,
2006)
• The design as a key variable of the company’s product experience
 Innovation and competitive advantage (Berlowitz, 1987;
Gemser et Leenders, 2001; Olson et al., 1998; Ulrich et
Eppinger, 2004)
 Source of differenciation (Bora de Mozota, 2007)
 Emotionnaly and aesthetically more attractrive supply
 More structured and coherent supply ( Montaña et al. 2007)
• Two important things happening in brand design management
• Internationally: increased collaborations with designers and brand
managers
• In France : limited integration of designers in the brand development
• Marketing :
 Understand what can design bring to a
coherent brand management
• Organisation:
 Determine the variables facilitating a
successful collaboration between designers
and brand managers
Managerial implications
Theoretical and operational interest

4. 1. Interest of the research
3. Literature review
4. Research methodology
5. Analysis and results
6. Conclusion
2. Research question and objectives

5. 2. Research objectives
RESEARCH PROBLEMATIC
Evaluate the potential cohesive role of design in the development of a differentiated brand
experience
OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH
• Explore the design manager’s discourse
• Understand their perception of their mission and the role of the design function
• Update the organizational conditions enhancing the designers-brand managers collaboration
• Analyse the contribution of design to the brand management

6. 1. Interest of the research
2. Research question and objectives
4. Research methodology
5. Analysis and results
6. Conclusion
3. Literature review

7. 3.Theoretical framework: from branding management to the
development of a brand experience
• Brand personnality, brand community, trust,
attachment, love for a brand
• Aaker, 1997; Carroll et Ahuvia, 2006; Delgado –
Ballester et al. 2003; McAlexander et al., 2002;
Thomson et al., 2005
• Subjective reactions, internal and behavioural
Influenced by all the brand’s attributes
• Linked to brand design and touch points
• (Ponsoby-McCabe et Boyle, 2006; Brakus et al.,
2009)
• Creation of adequate stimulus
• Organisation of the brand’s experience
conditions
• Collaboration with designers
• (Carù et Cova, 2006)
• Brand Manager as a central coordinator of all
marketing activities related to the brand ( Hehman,
1984)
• Establishing a strong identity via the brand’s narrative
discourse and social links ( Lewi & Lacoeuilhe, 2007)
Brand-consumer relationship studies
Brand management
•Brandasanintangibleandcrucialassetfor
companies
•Attheheartofcompanies’valuepropositions
(Aaker,1996,KelleretLehman,2006,Keller2008)
Understanding of the brand’s experience
Experiential perspective

8. 3.Theoretical framework: a brand design management perspective
Brand
managem
ent
Decision
level
Brand Design Design’s objective Design tools
Creation Strategic Expression
Positionning
Expression
Intention
Narration
Brand’s philosophy
Mission
Vision : Idea, History, Experience etc.
Competition’s audit
Design benchmarking
Scenarios
Identity Tactical Brand concept
Values
Architecture
supply/demand
Concept Aesthetical universe and permanent
principles
Visualized architecture
Concept boards
Graphical chart
Design brief
Image Operational Formalisation Creation Foral specifications through the
definition of : emotion, cognition,
relation
Application rules on
all touch points
Brand’s
capital
Strategic Repositioning Intention Mission audit and aesthetical codes
evolution
Continued
adjustment of the
brand’s characteristics
BrandDesign(BorjadeMozota,2007):
•Strategic:Brandcreation&Constructionbrandcapital
•Tactical:brand’sidentitydesign
•Operational:longtermmanagementofthebrand

9. 3.Theoretical framework: adequate organizational conditions for
brand design management
• Top managers’ implication
• Efficiency of the design process
• Link between design and strategy
Internal culture and design orientation
• Minor role
• Implication in the innovation process
• Design leadership in the process
Design strategy
• Important role and commitment of design managers
• Critical role of the designers in the translation of ideas
into concepts for their communication
Process for generation of innovative
concepts
• External Vs Internal design, mixed teams
• Creation, usage and protection of internal knowledge
• Management of innovation process
Design resources management
• Execution and finalisation of the design process
• Measurement of the degree of innovation of the design process
• Evaluation of design and its results
Setting up of the design process

10. 1. Interest of the research
2. Research question and objectives
3. Literature review
5. Analysis and results
6. Conclusion
4. Research methodology

11. 4. Methodology
 Members of the Internal Design Association then friends and
recommendations
 45 Design Managers interviewed, 37 companies and 6 design firms
 Perception of the design function in the firm, the orientation and
design strategies in place
 Innovation process
 Management of design resources, design in the organisation,
collaboration marketing-design
 Design management process and execution, evaluations of design
and its contribution to the brand
 Codification
 Thematic approach
 Horizontal and vertical analysis
Sample studied
Semi-directive interviews:
• In the companies
• Recorded
• 90 min in average
• Dec 2010 – August 2011
Content analysis
Objectives
 Replicate Montanà and al (2007) in a French context
 Take a deeper look on design management, brand identity and
design tools

12. Conclusion: do not trust designers when they ask you what you think
of “this” ?
1. Interest of the research
2. Research question and objectives
3. Literature review
4 Research methodology
6. Conclusion
5. Analysis and results

13. 5. Results : the role of design in organizations
Design independence
Line reporting
Internal culture and design orientation Legitimacy
• Commitment from leaders :
 “Design has direct access to CEO”, “There is a
design hub placed between CEO and the
brands department”
• Important
• Strategic vision from top management
(Montanà et al 2007)
 “Its is highly dependent upon the
CEO’s vision and commitment”
• Marketing department (kallish, 2007)
 Strategic (Tessarola, 2007), “the only expert”,
“enhance consensus”, “project manager”
 Design thinking ( Goffin et Micheli, 2010),
“concept doing”, “idea laboratory”
 Functional specialist in NPD (Perks et al,
2005)
• R&D department
 Focus on technological innovation
 Emotional aspect, differenciation
• Source of tension for designers
(Kallish, 2007)
 “Hard to make them understand
that our practice is something
that can be invoiced”, “we have
to push internally to have them
understand our work”
• Discussed
• Common technical grounds
 “We have a common language
and techniques”, “we have
worked on product lifecycle”

14. 5. Results : the place of design in organizations (design
strategies)
• Keeper of the brand’s identity
 “not a minor role”, “identity and brand DNA are defined
with the marketing, design team is then in charge of
translating them into aesthetical codes for the conservation
and development of the brand terrotory”
Mainly a role of functional specialist
• Manages all stakeholders of the design process and defines
directions
 “Each innovation manager is in charge of a technique or a
market with a vision that has to be as large of possible in
terms of potential applications. He has to sculpt the field on
which he is working, while keeping in mind his current
portfolio”
Central role for innovation
• Continued justification of theworks being done and their business and financial potential (Kallish, 2007)
 “potential risk of having our work non funded”
Smaller implication as a leader of the
innovation process

15. 5. Results : the role of design in organizations (design resources
management)
• Keep and value inside the company the brand’s creation and its identity
• Design team with few freedom
 Limited autonomy: “few creative freedom”, “limited creative
expression”, “marketing has decision”
 Looking for an increased collaboration: “brief not clear and inputs
are too vague”, “no clear understanding of the target”, “having to
reuse existing products”
• Rejection of signature designers (Starck etc.)
 “few inputs on our brand identity”, “risks of lacking coherency on
the long term”, “not pertinent, not adapted”, “too expensive”
Increased internalization
• Decreasing costs and managing heavy workloads (Quinn, 1999)
 “When workload is too important”, “for non crucial tasks”
• Acquisition of expertise and internal knowledge (Bengtsonn et al,
2009)
 Packaging”, “style”, “communication”
• Enhance creativity with mixed teams (Dell ‘Era et Verganti, 2009)
 Fresh and new look », « exchange with an external designer on
the inside team’s roughs »
• Stable relationship with the agency (expertise, size etc.)
• Variability of the selection criteria
• “word of mouth”, “personal relationship”, “selection by a jury on
different criteria”
Externalization being traditional

16. 5. Results :
From an innovative product development role...
• Consumer focus
• Innovation initiated and managed by marketing
 Classical marketing approach : “brief comes from market analysis,
consumer needs”
 Design functionally under marketing : “product development within
the constraints defined by marketing”, “cost, technology and licensing
possibilities”, “commercial focus”
• Design team with few freedom
 Limited autonomy: “few creative freedom”, “limited creative
expression”, “marketing has decision”
 Looking for an increased collaboration: “brief not clear and inputs
are too vague”, “no clear understanding of the target”, “having to
reuse existing products”
Market oriented companies
• Design management focus
• Innovation initiated and managed by design
 “brief comes from our perception, the understanding that we have
of the market”, “project if fully managed by the design team”
• Iterative process, with many stakeholders taken into
account
• “exploratory studies, benchmark and usage analysis”
• “brainstorming”
• “prototyping and development with test and fail approach, done
with production, R&D and buyers”
• Test done with lead users, in collaboration with marketing”
• “Validation by top management”
Design oriented companies
Design seen as a functional expert Central and cohesive role of the design function

17. 5. Results
… to a design oriented brand management?
Decision
level
Strategic brand management Tactical and operational brand management
Design role
Tools
Design’s
contribution
• Facilitates the appropriation and internal
understanding of the brand
• Develops identity platform
• Formalizes the brand design attributes
• Major role of sensorial and experiential aspects of
product design
• Structured set of tools:
 Benchmarking, internal design guides, brand
books etc.
• Managed by marketing and/or outsourced
• Creation
 Pushing forward the brand’s differentiation and
positioning
• Brand’s asset management
 Refreshing and managing the positioning
• Image:
 Lack of coherency, discontinued
formalization
• Holistic experience:
 Not looked upon, difficult to set up

18. 1. Interest of the research
2. Research question and objectives
3. Literature review
4 Research methodology
5. Analysis and results
6. Conclusion

19. Conclusion
• Enrichment of works on design
 Enhanced integration for strategic brand management
 Confirming the preceding works made in a French context
 Highlighting the most favourable organizational conditions
 A brand design approach that is still incomplete
• What would be more experiential brand design
management
 Independence of the design function
 Increased legitimacy
 Mixed teams (internal/external according the functions
needed)
Contributions
• Replication on other group of companies
• Make a cross analysis by looking at the marketing’s
point of view for the same companies
• Reintegrating the consumers’ co-creation problematic
• Developing a tool for analysing the company’s
orientation in terms of brand design
Further work