Understanding Brand Statements and Why They Are Important

Note to Mentors

Please help edit this wiki page with any content that feels right to you. Contribute your knowledge to this wiki by adding things that you feel students should learn in order to attain an understanding of this unit. Add examples, case studies or exercise ideas where appropriate. Don’t worry too much about formatting of this wiki page. Our curators will tidy this page every 24 hours.

Unit Purpose and Aims

The purpose of this unit is;

This unit will teach the learner the importance of brand statements and will teach them how to create a brand statement. A brand statement is a touchstone for both employees and consumers to communicate the intrinsic value of the brand as well as provide direction for where the brand is going in the market.

Learning Outcomes

Learners will;

1. Be able to evaluate and understand brand statements

Learners can;

1.1 Evaluate how a range of brand statements have changed over time.

1.2 Critically compare and contrast existing brand statements.

The Brand Gap

2. Be able to create a brand statement

2.1 Create a personal brand statement for “brand me”

2.2 Create a brand statement for a given company

Learning Tools, Resources & Links

Things that will help the learner develop understanding of this unit;

Mentors  please add your ideas, examples, case studies, links to articles, videos, etc. here.

A brand statement is a touchstone for both employees and consumers to communicate the intrinsic value of the brand as well as provide direction for where the brand is going in the market. A brand statement can motivate employees and define the company’s brand promise and message quickly and succinctly.  In other words, a brand statement cuts through the clutter and shouts out loud what the brand stands for in no uncertain terms.

A brand statement is more than a tagline.  It’s an expression of where the company is and a tool to guide the company in the future. The brand statement is also the touchstone that every business decision should circle back to in order to ensure efforts don’t run counter to it.  For example, if a new product is under consideration, run it up against the brand statement to ensure it’s complementary.  In short, your brand statement can act as a consistency test to ensure your business efforts promote your brand rather than confusing consumers and hurting it.

The Brand Gap

id=28886&doc=the-brand-gap-14630

The Brand Bubble

See here what it is about in a 2 min video or download a 50 sheet ppt here. It’s worth watching it and reading through Gerzema’s theories.

Branding Examples:
The Power of Branding

A brand is the visual, emotional, rational, and cultural image that you associate with a company or a product. Here are some well-known branding examples.

When you think Volvo, you might think safety. When you think Nike, you might think of Tiger Woods or “Just Do It.” When you think IBM, you might think “Big Blue.” The fact that you remember the brand name and have positive associations with that brand makes your product selection easier and enhances the value and satisfaction you get from the product or service.

This article gives very interesting examples and suggestions on how to use branding and brand statements to enhance the saleabilty of your brand.