Discover your brand

Knowing what to say before you open your mouth.

It's not all that uncommon for a company, even one in business for many years, to have difficulty clearly and simply describing their strengths, the benefits those strengths provide and how those factors make them uniquely different from their competitors.

That's why we have developed a guided process to help managers identify and articulate their company's core brand message. Soliciting input from key personnel. Gathering the necessary information to evaluate and consider. Processing and presenting that information in a structured, disciplined format that facilitates collaboration and consensus.

Developed and refined over several years, this process includes a half-day offsite work session to gather initial input, a compiled outline of session notes, a one-page brand character summary and a distilled positioning strategy.

The half-day work session involves key employees with leadership responsibilities who influence the way the company is perceived by customers and prospects. It is used to gather their perspectives on issues of strengths, weaknesses, competitors, etc., and to prioritize those characteristics in relationship to each other.

The Brand Character Summary is a single-page document that outlines the most significant attributes of the company, product or service and relates them to the customer benefits they deliver. Once developed and adopted, it becomes an exceptionally valuable document to guide the content and emphasis of both internal and external communications of all types.

The Distilled Positioning Strategy condenses a company's brand character even further. Into one simple brand promise. Broad enough to include all company attributes as proof of capability. Focused enough to create unique memorability. Often expressed as a positioning phrase or tagline, it is the ultimate paraphrase of your company's core brand message.

So what's the value of this process? It gives you:

• A unifying direction for plans, actions and attitudes within your company
• A beginning and ending focus for every communication tool you develop
• A clear, prioritized outline of your brand's strengths, values and capabilities
• A simple, memorable way to identify the unique value of your company

To find our more about this brand discovery process, contact J. Spell at 903-534-5220 or click here.

©2010 Cornerstone Brand Communications