5.2 Branding: Creating Connection and Value
A brand is more than a name, logo, or catchy slogan. It’s a promise that lives in the customer’s mind—a promise about what to expect from your product, how it will make them feel, and why it’s the right choice.
Your product delivers features. Your brand gives those features meaning.
Why Branding Matters
Branding helps your product or service do the following:
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Stand out in a crowded market
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Create emotional connections that go beyond features
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Build loyalty by aligning with customer values
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Charge a premium when customers trust your brand
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Attract talent and partners who believe in your mission
When customers love a brand, they forgive small flaws, stick around longer, and often become vocal advocates.
Three Types of Brands
Successful brands emphasize one or more of the qualities in Table 5.2.
| Brand Type | What It Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Functional | Focuses on performance, reliability, or solving problems. | Toyota, Fitbit |
| Image | Focuses on status, style, or personal identity. | Apple, Lululemon |
| Experiential | Focuses on delivering emotions, memories, and unique experiences. | Disney, GoPro |
The strongest brands often combine elements of all three.
Naming and Catchphrases
When it comes to building a brand, the right name and catchphrase can work like magic. A strong name is hard to forget and instantly signals what your product is all about. It is usually, but not always, easy to say. Pair that with a great catchphrase—or tagline—and you’ve got a one-two punch that grabs attention and sticks in your audience’s mind. Your goal? Say something simple that says something big. Whether it’s highlighting your competitive edge or sparking an emotional response, the best names and taglines do more than describe—they connect.
| Brand Name Attributes | Catchphrase (Tagline) Attributes | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Easy to say and remember | Highlight your competitive angle or unique benefit | Little Caesars: “Pizza! Pizza!” (Highlighted their competitive angle: two-for-one pricing) |
| Relevant to the product and audience | Stick in customers’ minds | Nike: “Just Do It.” (Evoked empowerment and action) |
| Distinct from competitors | Evoke positive emotions or outcomes | L'Occitane, Hermes, Givenchy (With fashion brands, neging able to cirrectly pronounce a tricky brand shows you are part of the club!) |
Aligning Branding with the Competitive Angle
Your branding choices should reinforce the following:
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The functional benefits customers expect
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The emotional benefits and personal values revealed by your HVM
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Your unique competitive angle from Section 5.1
This alignment makes your product both memorable and meaningful.
What This Means for Your Creative Brief
When you write your creative brief later in this chapter (promotion), your brand identity and positioning will guide the voice and tone of your messaging, the visuals and style of your campaigns, and the unique messages you want to communicate.
Your brand is the thread that ties together product design, pricing, promotion, and even how your team talks about the product in meetings.
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