Brands, like humans, are made of many layers that Marketers refer to as brand DNA.
You may also hear terms such as ‘brand onion’, ‘brand key’, ‘brand pyramid’ to sum up the different components of a brand.
Companies have their preferred terminology and visual illustration when it comes to brand DNA, but essentially, they cover the same core elements.
So, let’s dive in and look at the different layers of a brand and the role of each element.
1 – Brand purpose
This is a brief description of why the brand exists.
It articulates the desired role of the brand in consumers’ life.
Typically, this brand component is internal facing (shared in Marketing presentations) rather than external facing (included in consumer communication).
Brand purpose tends to be expressed in a few words. This can sometimes be a challenge but keeping it short helps to crystallise and summarise what the brand is really about.
2 – Brand values
One way to bring a brand to life is to attribute a set of values to it.
Those help to articulate what a brand stands for and inform how it behaves in market.
Brand values typically reflect human values – for example: Honesty, Respect, Authenticity etc…
Marketers should aim to select 3-4 core values for their brands instead of having a long shopping list.
When choosing values for your brand, think how they relate to the overall brand purpose.
For example, Nike’s purpose is about ‘uniting the world through sport’ and the brand values are Community, Diversity, Sustainability, Social responsibly.
3 – Brand personality
When doing consumer qualitative research, you often hear moderators asking the research participants ‘if brand X was a person, how would you describe their personality?’.
This is a way to humanise a brand and help consumers articulate their perceptions of it (either positive, negative or neutral).
For example, a brand could be perceived as being outgoing & fun or confident & courageous or arrogant & untrustworthy etc…
Brand personality typically comes across in brand communication and activation to reach and engage consumers in the physical and digital world.
4 – Brand tone of voice
The tone of voice helps to bring to life the brand personality.
For example, you could have a direct and authoritative tone of voice for a ‘confident’ brand and a light-hearted and joyful tone of voice for a ‘fun’ brand.
The brand tone of voice should be consistent across all forms of brand communication, from packaging, ads, social media posts to influencers selected to work on the brand.
As it takes years to build brand perceptions in consumers’ minds, it is important for Marketers to maintain a consistent tone of voice for their brands over time.
5 – Brand assets
This include key elements such as:
• brand name
• logo
• pack design (i.e. the Coca-Cola bottle)
• colour palette
• signature sound (i.e. Intel 5 notes jingle)
The combination of visual elements forms the Brand Visual Identity (BVI).
Other brand assets can include non-design elements, closely associated with the brand such as:
• a specific person (Richard Branson for Virgin)
• a mascot (the pink bunny for Duracell)
• a slogan / tagline (“I’m lovin’ it.” for McDonald’s)
Most brands evolve and modernise their BVI over time, but key brand assets need to be carefully managed, as they drive brand recognition and build memory structures in consumers’ mind.
In a world of increased competition, brands should also aim for building and maintaining distinctive brand assets.
6 – Brand benefits
There are 2 types of benefits brands can deliver for consumers.
• Functional benefits: What the consumer get when using a specific product or service (i.e. ease of use, speed, convenience, performance)
• Emotional benefits: Those come in two categories.
o Intrinsic: How the product / service makes the consumer feel on the inside (i.e. in control, safe, adventurous, confident)
o Extrinsic: How the product makes the consumer look in the eyes of others (i.e. knowledgeable, trendy, successful, individual)
Typically, brands aim to deliver against all 3 benefits with their product / service (Get, Feel, Look).
Note that brand benefits should relate to the brand purpose, so it is important to check that those are aligned.
7 – Reasons To Believe (RTB)
Those are aspects of the brand that support its promised benefits and give consumers confidence and reassurance that a specific product or service can meet their needs.
RTB’s can be:
• Product features
• Company expertise
• Brand success stories
• Endorsement from industry experts
• Product test results with customer target
• Customer ratings
As per brand values, less is more.
The brand benefits should be supported by a few compelling and believable RTB’s.
Conclusion
The combination of all those brand elements helps to articulate why the brand exists, what it has to offer to its customer target and how the brand comes to life in market.
As Marketing teams and agencies regularly change over the years, it is critical that any newcomer to a brand familiarises themselves with all elements of its DNA to ensure that the brand is built in a consistent and cohesive way over time.