20 STEPS FOR CREATING A BRAND Developed by Bloom Consulting Bloom ConsultingWHAT AIRE THESE 20 STEPS FOR? A BRAND CAN ACHIEVE THE BUSINESS OBJECTIVES Our world is becoming more and more competitive everyday. In order to meet their growth objectives, businesses are being forced to find new ways to stand out and ‘compete. This document has been designed for those companies whose goal is to grow, innovate, and compete on both a national and international level. These 20 STEPS were created for those who have ambition ‘The methodology is designed to enable any kind of company to create a new tool to guide and strengthen all of the areas of their business. Additionally, this document serves as a guide to creating a brand, either for a company or for a specific product or service. It takes us STEP by STEP, from the initial stages, to identifying the needs of your target audience, to creating a strong brand relevant to reaching your business goals. (© Bloom Consulting S.L Bloom. ConsultingCOMPANY'S BRAND IS NOT TS LOGO! BRAND = VISION First of all itis important to define what we mean by a company's brand. A brand represents a vision, some values, and a way of being and of doing things. A successfully implemented brand becomes an essential tool for achieving a ‘company's business objectives. The brand, in its own right, represents the global vision of a company and serves {as a conducting thread or epicenter of the company's different areas (table 1). ‘Awell applied brand can maximize the efficiency of any company, minimizing the necessary investments and strengthening any action. AGOOD BRAND CAN ALLOW YOU TO: - Earn a larger share of the market - Serve as a base for internationalization - Distinguish your company from the competition - Charge more for your product - Develop new product lines - Generate more customer loyalty - Create a strong internal culture ~ Attract the necessary human resources - Generate an increased global worth for the company Bloom. © Bloom Conauiting SL. ConsultingBRAND = VISION Corporate Strategy New Praduct | Applicaton | Innovation { RsD Intemat | Hing | Career Human Development | Culture Path | Resources Consumer ‘Segmentation Marketing/Sales Bloom. © Bloom Conauiting SL. ConsultingSTEP BY STEP MARKET ANALYSIS Identify the target audience Obtain/absorb information Extract Market trends Study innovative sectors Greate a competitive brandscape (GENERATION OF ATTRIBUTES Write Attributes Filter Attributes Join the Attributes: Identify Unique Attributes See the Attributes on the brandscape. (CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT Identity the common thread ‘Adapt the concept Create the "Moodboard" Create the positioning Check its alignment with the company's objectives. GENESIS OF THE BRAND: Establish the tone of voice Give ita name Establish a visual style. Create a slogan Establish the visual style (© Bloom Consulting S.L STEP 01 STEP 02 STEP 03 STEP 04 STEP 05 STEP 06 STEP 07 STEP 08 STEP 09 STEP 10 STEP 11 STEP 12 STEP 13 STEP 14 STEP 15 STEP 16 STEP 17 STEP 18 STEP 19 STEP 20 Bloom. ConsultingMARKET ANALYSIS Bloom ConsultingINTRODUCTION For an SME, developing a brand is not an easy task and it requires dedication, but it is one that is essential to positioning in an extremely competitive market. The brand is an absolute necessity for ‘SMEs that want to avoid the competitive price spiral in which medium sized companies are at a disadvantage with regards to large or multinational corporations. PRACTICAL EXAMPLE (© Bloom Consulting S.L In general, creating and implementing a brand requires: 4. Looking outwards. Analyzing trends, values, tastes, and the needs of the target public. 2. Looking inwards. Analyzing in depth who we are as a company, and what defines us, 2. Linking the needs of the target public with the characteristics that define us as a company in order to create a different and relevant positioning, As with any business strategy, we must identity a prior, our business objectives. What its it we wish to achieve, so that the brand can help us attain it This space will be dedicated to developing a concrete example of brand building, limiting ourselves to the development of a branding concept for a new product. As an illustrative example, we will focus on the case study of a winery whose objective is to compete in the international market. To do so, it needs to develop a branding strategy for its star product. In this case, the business objective is to introduce the brand to new international markets. To export the wine to the United States. Bloom. ConsultingMARKET ANALYSIS IDENTIFY THE TARGET AUDIENCE Who are we trying to reach? As previously mentioned, in order to begin to develop a brand concept, it is necessary to first look outwards. We must analyze and study the potential consumers to see who they are Answer: based on the ancl wehat they need product/service that we offer, we try to identify our potential The more we know about how our target public behaves, the better we can mold our offer to meet their demands. EXAMPLE — sceneosbteseinccnctrzran eters the act of purchasing) of wine. Bloom. © Bloom Conauiting SL. ConsultingMARKET ANALYSIS OBTAIN/ABSORB INFORMATION What can | do to get to know my target audienc better? ‘Answer: Look around you. Observe and understand the world around us and how it influences us, and ‘more importantly our target public. GLOBALIZATION We live in a society that is becoming more and more diverse every day, where we have more things available tous, and we therefore demand greater originality and authenticity. INFORMATION OVERDOSE We receive so much information on a daily basis, through the television, radio, mail, internet...that itis ‘sometimes too much. (© Bloom Consulting S.L tts important to have an in-depth understanding of our target audience, What motivates them and how they behave. Therefore, in this step we are going to study the consumer. What are their likes and dislikes, what are their surroundings, what worries them, and what kind of general lifestyle do they have? ‘This initial stage is centered on trying to understand what they need in order to be happy. This information is not difficult to come by. It is enough to read the newspaper, flip through some magazines, watch television, and visit places where people socialize: bars, performances...etc. Even a small survey carried out within your own company can provide relevant information. ‘A.quick way to do this is by getting together with a group of people within the company to look at a series of different types of magazines: current events, news, women's, men’s, sports, travel, etc. You should then analyze and mark all advertisements or articles that tell us something about what things are important in the current market The important thing, apart from opening our eyes and ears, is to metabolize this information in an analytical manner. Bloom. ConsultingMARKET ANALYSIS OBTAIN/ABSORB INFORMATION INSECURITY Given the political and economic circumstances surrounding us today, there is a general sense of insecurity and uncertainty PARADIGMS OF SUCCESS Due to the economic fluctuations of the recent past and changes in the work sector, there are new classifications for professional (© Bloom Consulting S.L Based on the segment that we identified as the target public for our brand (men between the ages of 21-40), we begin to observe the world around us, determining a series of observations - we have focused on four, but there could be many more - relating to the consumer's surroundings and how these surroundings affect his behavior: In this first level of more general analysis, we should ask the following questions ~ What things “worry” consumers? - Where are people willing to invest their time and energy? ~ How do people prioritize their consumption, based on their needs? This first glance should be very broad, as there will be opportunities later to narrow it down. It is not about trying to draw conclusions, nor trends, yet. Bloom. ConsultingMARKET ANALYSIS EXTRACT MARKET TRENDS Once we absorb all of this information, how do we interpret itin order to draw relevant conclusions? Answer: Based on the observations that you have made about your surroundings, try to identify the needs generated by your target audience, with the goal of recognizing which trends are the dominant ones. EXAMPLE OBSERVATION Globalization Overdose of information Insecurity Paradigms of success (© Bloom Consulting S.L In the previous Step we emphasized the fact that it was important to simply observe the world around us. Now it is time to begin to draw conclusions. In order to come to these conclusions it is first necessary to understand what our target audience needs or is looking for, with regards to what is happening in the world around him. {tis all about understanding his needs. OBSERVATION NECESSITY —_ Continuing with our case example, we should now identify four general observations that in turn lead to four of our target audience's necessities. NECESSITIES Satisty our curiosity of the world Greater access to everything Originality and authenticity. What really causes an impact. ‘Support from our peers Disconnect Symbols of success Looking for identity Bloom. ConsultingMARKET ANALYSIS EXTRACT MARKET TRENDS OBSERVATION = EXAMPLE NECESSITIES Satisfy our curiosity of the world ‘around us. Greater access to everything Originality and authenticity; What creates impact ‘The support of our peers Disconnect Symbols of success Search for identity (© Bloom Consulting S.L Once we have identified these necessities, they must be analyzed with the objective of discovering which are the dominant trends that will become apparent in consumer behavior. Given that there is an immense variety of trends, it is necessary to sense which will become the dominant ones for our target audience. These same trends willidentity a fashion designer, an architect and a journalist. NECESSITY , TREND. We have already observed our surraundings. We have identified four general necessities from which we have extracted what we sense will become the dominant trends for our target audience. TRENDS, ye Kets Discovery/ Adventure The authentic vs. the superficial eS utisansory” experiences Social surroundings VV—_—C— TP iontasy (escape trom reality) > Accessible luxury Bloom. ConsultingMARKET ANALYSIS EXTRACT MARKET TRENDS EXAMPLE (© Bloom Consulting S.L Of the four trends that we have identified, the conclusion leads us to the discovery of a common thread, an element that they share: fantasy. ur need for discovery drives us to move far away from aur immediate reality. We want to disconnect from our day to day lives, and everyday we have access to more means to carry out our fantasies. Fantasy is present in everything around us, and therefore the next Step is to study other sectors for which the element of fantasy is important. In addition, fantasy is completely complementary to the other trends. TRENDS CONCLUSION Knowledge / Discovery / Adventure: The profound vs. the superficial “Multisensory” experiences UC Social surroundings Fantasy (escape from reality) Accessible luxury Bloom ConsultingMARKET ANALYSIS STUDY INNOVATIVE SECTORS What other tools can help us In order to help us identify the dominant market trends, it is necessary identify market trends? to analyze what is occurring in other sectors close to ours, and especially in those sectors that adapt the most rapidly to changes in consumer tastes, Answer: The analysis of what is occurring in the Leisure, Fashion, and Mass Consumption sectors. They are a good reflection of market trends. What products are being launched successfully and how are they communicating? In other words, what necessities are they trying to fulfill? The most rapid and avant-garde sectors in meeting these needs, tend to be: Leisure (Cinema, etc.), Products for Mass Consumption (FMCG), Technology (Electronics) and Fashion. ‘Another advantage to analyzing other sectors is that you can extrapolate positioning and communications elements and apply them to yours. In this way, you can begin to develop original ideas for your specific sector. In this case, we can confirm that the most innovative sectors are full of EX AM P LE references to Fantasy. From blockbuster movies like The Lord Of the Rings, to Evian water, which plays on the figure of a mermaid. All of these things allude to our need to disconnect from reality and embark on our own journey through fantasy. Bloom. © Bloom Conauiting SL. ConsultingMARKET ANALYSIS CREATE A COMPETITIVE BRANDSCAPE What are the key factors of my sector? EXAMPLE We must now apply the conclusion that we reached through the analysis of trends in our company’s sector (in our example, the wine sector). The point isto try to understand if this concept provides a good basis for the Positioning of our product. Based on the necessity and market trends, we can begin to create axes of positioning in order to analyze how we are positioned in the market with regards to our competitors. At the end of this process, we should choose the most relevant axes and those that best represent the market and reflect our company with regards to the competition. ‘A good trick is to think of the polar opposites of the trends that we extracted from the market. This will provide the two aspects of a This is not an easy Step. We will most likely have to draw several before we feel comfortable with any of them. We should be careful because these are the parameters on which the brand is going to be based, and we should therefore feel confident in the axes that we have developed. Upon creating axes for our trends, we will begin to grasp the range of positioning possibilities that exist for our brand and we will naturally begin to situate ourselves with respect to our competition. This will also help Us to see the market in a different way and with greater clarity as far as new opportunities are concerned. REALTY eT — FANTASY SUPERICAL ——_——— —§ OEPTH INDVIDIAL ————p_— SOCIAL EXCLUSIVITY —————— I — |VIASS PRODUCTION (© Bloom Consulting S.L Bloom. ConsultingMARKET ANALYSIS CREATE A COMPETITIVE BRANDSCAPE Having developed the axes, we should now choose the ones that are most relevant to our case. We should then cross the axes, providing them with yet another dimension of our concept. This is the competitive brandscape. We should revise and question it unt the point that we are comfortable that it adequately represents our market Creating the map allows us to create subcategories within the range of each axis. This helps to define different niches of market possibilities. EXAMPLE e DREAMLIKE GLAMOUR INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL SOPHISTICATION TRADITION (DAILY) t REALITY Bloom © Bloom Conauiting SL. ConsultingMARKET ANALYSIS CREATE A COMPETITIVE BRANDSCAPE Answer: Creating a competitive brandseape allows us to visualize if there is a chance for your company against the competition, based on the conclusion that we have reached. EXAMPLE INDIVIDUAL (© Bloom Consulting S.L It is now necessary to conduct an in-depth analysis of the competition and in function of the established axes, begin to situate the names of the competition in their corresponding places. The objective of this exercise is to (1) understand the current state of our sector and (2) find gapsopportunities for our brand in the market. This visualization allows our company to take advantage of the gap that has been identified and position us where there is less competition. In the case of our Example, the majority of wines are positioned in a very traditional manner. However, it we study the distilled beverages sector, the second type of competitor (indirect), there are interesting results. Fantasy is a large trend. In the case of our wine, it might be possible to apply this type of positioning in order to set us apart from the competitors. From this point on, we can investigate where there might be opportunities to make our mark FANTASY t @ / BACARDI, Capain Morgan DREAM LIKE Tr few GLAMOUR SOCIAL SOPHISTICATION ae TRADITION (DAILY) REALITY Bloom. ConsultingGENERATION OF ATTRIBUTES Itis now necessary to look inwards at our company in order to analyze who we are and what we are capable of offering. We must begin by thinking of words that truly describe who we are as a company: our Attributes. Attributes are the foundations of any brand, they represent the company's identity and the values that it embodies, or rather, that which defines us, ‘The Attributes that define us as a brand are extremely important because they represent the commitment that we have to consumers and what they demand of us. Therefore, every newly developed product or service must fulfil these Attributes. ‘Once we have decided which Attributes define us as a company, it will be necessary to find a link between these Attributes and the necessities of the target audience. Before beginning, its important to point out that there are three levels of Attributes: ESSENTIAL Attributes ‘These are the basic Attributes, necessary for existing in the market. They tend to be those Attributes that are indispensable in order to compete. This usually refers to the Attributes that describe the benefits on the product level. This is a good place to mention the quality of the product or service. VALUED Attributes ‘The objective of these Attributes is to establish an emotional association between the product/company and the consumer. In this way, the valued Attributes begin to differentiate one brand from another, although they are still not entirely unique. UNIQUE Attributes ‘These are the Attributes that differentiate a certain company/product from the rest. The personality of the brand and everything that it represents is based on these Attributes. There tend to be between 2 and 4 unique Attributes. Bloom. Consulting (© Bloom Consulting S.LGENERATION OF ATTRIBUTES WRITE ATTRIBUTES How do lidentty the Attributes that For this exercise, we should organize a small internal group of people define my company and by the from different areas within our company in order to obtain a global same token intuitively decide where perspective. the market trend is moving? Each person should make two lists of words that describe: (1) the Attributes that define our company or product and (2) the Attributes that ‘Answer: Write down all the we associate with the dominant trend (in the ilustrated example “fantasy”) Attributes that you can think of. These lists should be the result of brainstorming, writing down any type of attribute that comes to mind without any type of filter. In our example of a winery, these are some of the Attributes that serve EX AM P LE to describe our product: wine. Each word describes a certain attribute of the wine, from the most objective characteristic, such as the color, to the most subjective and emotional one, such as “romantic”, ATRIBUTTES EXAMPLE OF WINES Full of flavor For dinner White Appealing color Known D.0. Tempting Ageless classic Quality/Price Traditional production Magical Table wine Captivating Sophisticated Elegant Family Balanced Natural Hypnotizing No inhibitions Daily Aged Fresh The palate Essence of Sociable Dynamic Tasting Love Sensuality Surprising A reward Sexuality Mysterious Subtle Gift France Romantic Groups of friends Religious Aphrodisiac Strong Bonding In-vino veritas Bloom. © Bloom Conauiting SL. ConsultingGENERATION OF ATTRIBUTES WRITE ATTRIBUTES EXAMPLE ATTRIBUTES EXAMPLE OF FANTASY Mysterious Sensual Desire Dream ‘Away from real Make believe Disney Fables Stories Morals Peter Pan (© Bloom Consulting S.L We repeat the same exercise for the theme of "fantasy", brainstorming words that describe “fantasy” and the images that come to mind when we think of “fantasy Cinderella Princesses Euphoria Mutti-cultural Personal Nostalgic Apprentice Mermaids Aged Enchanted forests Magi Hans C. Andersen Powerful Stars From mouth to mouth Witches Bedtime stories From generation to generation Sociable Bloom ConsultingGENERATION OF ATTRIBUTES FILTER ATTRIBUTES Now, what do I do with all these words? Answer: Filter them according to which words better adapt to the values of our company and the market trends. EXAMPLE LSTA 1 / WINE Sociable In vino veritas Sensuality Groups of friends Mysterious Aphrodisiac Romantic Areward Tempting No inhibitions Captivating Magical Elegant ‘Surprising Subtle Girt Bonding (© Bloom Consulting S.L After this onslaught of ideas, we should continue to work in teams for the next Step. Ithas to do with establishing fiters, taking into account a series of criteria Attributes Company/Product 1. They should not contradict the values and principles of the company 2. They should adequately represent the company 3. They should be able to be maintained by the company Market Attributes 1. They should be in line with the conclusions that we reached about the identified trends 2. They should meet the needs of the consumers We should always question each attribute and whether itis relevant to the consumer. This process can never be completely objective. Some of the words will be better than others and will seem more adequate, but we should not rule anything out. This subjective companent is important to developing a brand. There are no rules here, and there are words that can appear in both categories LIST 2 / FANTASY Mysterious Sensual Desire Dream Fables Stories Nostalgia Morals Magic Powerful From mouth to mouth Multicuttural Bloom. ConsultingGENERATION OF ATTRIBUTES JOIN THE ATTRIBUTES Mf one list represents my company and the other the market, what do Ido with them? ‘Answer: Uniting these two lists will allow you to see what elements they have in common and to extract the principal Attributes that will define the brand concept that we wish to create. EXAMPLE LSTA 1 / WINE Sociable In vino veritas Sensuality Groups of friends Mysterious Aphrodisiac Romantic Areward Tempting No inhi Elegant ‘Surprising Subtle Gift Bonding (© Bloom Consulting S.L In this Step, the creation of the new brand begins to take shape. Itis necessary to bring together the Attributes that define us as a company/product and the Attributes that describe the necessities of the market. From this union, we will begin to see which Attributes should serve as the basis for the new brand. This is the beginning of the brand concept that we wish to create. LIST 2 / FANTASY Mysterious Sensual Desire Dream Fables Stories Nostalgia Morals Magic Powerful From mouth to mouth Multicuttural Bloom ConsultingGENERATION OF ATTRIBUTES IDENTIFY UNIQUE ATTRIBUTES Despite having filtered the lists, For this Step, the best thing to do is to chose the three Attributes that they still contain many words. How best meet the necessities of the market and that can be achieved by our do / extract the ones that are really company. These Attributes should also reflect not only the current going to define my brand? situation ofthe eompany/product, but also what it hopes to bein the future. ‘Answer: Apply the three levels of Chose three (but we should not limit ourselves, nor exceed by too much ‘Ateriurtes to the “finalist” worda 2 or will also work). These Attributes are the basis for our brand. They will materialize in the product, the packaging, the communication and all other actions that we undertake. (Once we have brought together the Attributes that describe our product - a wine — and the Attributes that describe the market trend, “fantasy”, the result is the generation of a new lst of Attributes. This new list should then be organized according to the three levels of Attributes that we have established UNIQUE — Mysterious — Captivating Bonding VALUED. — Sociable Surprising — Roman Subtle Elegant Powerful Nostalgic NECESSARY — No inhibitions Made of grapes Spanish — Flavorful Traditional product. Known D.0. Pure Aged in oak Natural Bloom. © Bloom Conauiting SL. ConsultingGENERACION DE ATRIBUTOS SEE THE ATTRIBUTES ON THE BRANDSCAPE How do | know that the Attributes Ihave chosen are truly unique? Answer: The Attributes should fit in well with the chosen market opportunity and should be unique to your company, with regards to the direct competition. To check if the Attributes that we have defined as unique will serve to guide us towards a business opportunity, we should apply these three Attributes to the visual brandscape that we developed, It is important to remember that the Attributes, once united, must take on ajoint definition. In other words, eaci attribute should interrelate with the other two and therefore draw its significance in function of the two remaining Attributes. From this group of Attributes, you can extract a brand concept that encompasses them, EXAMPLE a In our example of the winery, we see that the Attributes “mysterious” F mipesatin “bonding”, and “captivating” are ideal DREAMLIKE fC atin for positioning the brand because t : they truly respond to the identified Gees market opportunity and do nat apply to any other Spanish winery. GLAMOUR, INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL (© Bloom Consulting S.L SOPHISTICATION |ADITION (DAILY) REALITY Bloom ConsultingCONCEPT DEVELOP- MENT Now that we have established the foundations for the brand, we can develop the ‘concept that will define our strategy. Working with the brand's established Attributes, a concrete concept will begin to materialize Normally, the visual brandscape (Step 10) will allow us to identify the most opportune area for the concept. The UNIQUE Attributes that we identified for our company should be applied and compared in relation to the positioning of the competition. In this case, we should decide which of the Attributes will take the lead in the brand concept and see if we can use it as the central concept. Itis important to understand that the developed concept is to serve as the common thread for the entire market strategy. Going back to the original definition of the brand this includes, the tone of voice, logo, visual style, and internal and external ‘communication. Even the development of new products or services will be based on this concept (© Bloom Consulting S.L Bloom. ConsultingCONCEPT DEVELOPMENT IDENTIFY THE COMMON THREAD Given its importance, how dot identify the central concept on which my brand will be based? Answer: Examine your UNIQUE Attributes and determine which one best fits the needs of your EXAMPLE FANTASY (© Bloom Consulting S.L Of the three Attributes, one will serve to define the brand's common thread. There is a clear need for this, due to the fact that the Attributes can be interpreted in different ways. Hence, giving protagonism to one of the Attributes will establish the brand concept in every sense of the word. In order to identify the central attribute, we should go back to the initial steps (Step 3) and identify the principal needs of our target public. We should look to see which of the three UNIQUE Attributes that we have defined for our brand is best suited to meet these needs in the most direct manner. In Step 10, we identified our three UNIQUE Attributes as: Mysterious, Captivating and Bonding. Given that we have identified “tantasy” as the main trend, the attribute that comes closest to representing “fantasy” is Mystery. We can establish a connection between the words that derive from the definition of "fantasy" towards a concept that is both tangible and easily applicable to the product in the example that we have been following, wine, Therefore, the concept on which we are going to base our new brand of wine is Mystery, and this will serve as the common thread for everything having to do with the new brand, from the logo to the packaging and advertising MYSTERY Bloom. ConsultingCONCEPT DEVELOPMENT ADAPT THE CONCEPT And now, what do I do with this brand concept? ‘Answer: Make it yours and only yours! EXAMPLE (© Bloom Consulting S.L The central concept of our brand can be anything, especially in a competitive market where there is a large number of companies. In order to “dominate” a concept, we should personalize it, adapting it to the personality of our company and taking into account the target public that we wish to reach. In a few words, this means that our central concept must be able to reflect both our company and our target audience. Returning to the original Attributes found in Step 6, find the Attributes that share the concepts of Mystery and Fantasy (this is why itis important to save them)) The word "Mystery" can be interpreted in diferent ways. Taking into ‘account those Attributes that we draw from the concept “fantasy” (Step 6) we should look for connections between them. In our example, we have chosen an interpretation that steers us closer to the area of legends, stories, and the unknown. We believe this to be a novel concept for a wine because it can have additional promotional advantages. A legend is passed on orally from one person to another, something that could lead to large savings in money invested in advertising. Nostalgia Legends Moral MYSTERY Tales Fables Unknown For export New to the taste ‘Mouth to mouth Bloom. ConsultingCONCEPT DEVELOPMENT CREATE THE “MOODBOARD" |s there any specific way to visualize The moodboard is a tool to help situate the brand concept on a visual my brand concept? level and guide its development, keeping us from deviating from the chosen central concept once we begin to implement the brand. The moodboard (which basically consists of a collage of images that are ‘Answer: Making a collage of images relevant to the chosen concept}, can also serve to create new ideas. can make you feel closer to your brand concept. In the end, a picture The simplest way to create a moodboard is by using magazine clippings which have photos that in some way represent an aspect of the brand. Upon seeing the completed moodboard, we can frequently come up with new ideas or modifications to the brand that we would not have discovered had the brand concept only been defined in writing. is worth a thousand words. We are looking for images that help us visually represent the chosen brand concept, in our case “Mystery”, and how they can serve to formulate a more complete concept for our new brand of wine. Bloom. © Bloom Conauiting SL. ConsultingCONCEPT DEVELOPMENT CREATE THE POSITIONING Once | have established my brand concept, how do I formulate my positioning? trying to be. Answer: Tell a coherent, rational, and emotional story about your brand. Include the chosen Attributes in the telling of the story. EXAMPLE For: (Our target public) ‘The description of our target public together with a brief description of its needs, identified in our prior research Itis: (Definition of our company/product) A concise definition of our company/product. What it offers: (Rational benefits) ‘The most important point of rational differentiation of our offer, Why: (Reasoning/Justification) Attributes of the brand that support our point of rational differentiation and that tailor it to our brand, What it gives us: (Emotional benefits) ‘The emotional experience of our brand and how our target public reacts emotionally to our brand, (© Bloom Consulting S.L Based on the UNIQUE Attributes and using the moodboard as a source of inspiration, itis now time to formulate the brand's positioning. The positioning represents both what the brand signifies and what itis Any positioning should refer equally to the emotional values and the rational benefits of the brand. Elaborating the positioning is no easy task. It means defining, in three Paragraphs, what our brand means, together with the Attributes that support it For: New wine consumers who want to discover different wines ‘and demonstrate their knowledge to others, but who have little time to seek them out. His: Anew red wine offer ‘An exotic and different flavor Why: itis made up of a combination of little known grape varieties, selected from different parts of the world What it gives us: The opportunity to discover something new and learn about the world of wines, in order to demonstrate to your group of friends that you are a connoisseur of wines, and without having a lot of time on your hands. Bloom. ConsultingCONCEPT DEVELOPMENT CHECK ITS ALIGNMENT WITH THE COMPANY’S OBJECTIVES A positioning must be ambitious and point out a vision, however, above allt should be realistic. As creators of the brand, we should question this positioning in relation to our company and decide if (1) it adequately represents the company's values (2) is in step with the business objectives @)the positioning can be met by the company. EXAMPLE _— sarthscutraraarissmarsras 2 - Original objective: Create a brand that is relevant to the consumer in the market where we wish to export the wine: EU... Since the concept is based on the needs of the consumers, this corresponds with the business objective because it bears in mind the local audience. 3 - Our company can carry out the brand because it is based on who we are as well as a product that reflects the brand concept: Mystery. Bloom © Bloom Conauiting SL. ConsultingGENESIS OF THE BRAND We are now ready to give our brand "body". We refer to genesis of the brand when we already possess the elements necessary for its birth This is the point at which we give expression to the concept of the brand and extend itto its physical representation through the five senses. The brand can be reflected with a symbol, a smell, a sound, a texture or a favor. There are many multisensory brands and the more senses that are affected by a brand, the stronger it will eventually becorne, In this generation process, itis always important to prioritize those senses that relate more directly to the type of product or service that we are going to offer. Bloom. © Bloom Conauiting SL. ConsultingGENESIS OF THE BRAND. ESTABLISH THE TONE OF VOICE How do | communicate with my target audience? Answer: Look to your pesitioning in order to settle on your tone of voice. EXAMPLE (© Bloom Consulting S.L The tone of voice that we give the brand should take into account: (1) the target audience that we wish to address and (2) the concept that we have developed for the brand. The way that a brand should communicate with the target audience will depend upon the seriousness of the brand's objective and the positioning that we have given it, ~ Address them formally or informally ~ Be direct or indirect - Ironic, funny, serious, happy, mysterious. The brand’s creator should decide how to communicate with the target, audience. This is not dificult as the positioning provides us with all the necessary keys, In the case example of the brand of wines, there is quite a bit of flexibility with regards to the type of tone that we wish to employ, due to the nature of the product and the target audience that we are trying to reach. On the other hand, in the case of a pharmaceutical company for example, the tone of voice would be limited to fewer possibilities. It would have to be both serious and direct in order to gain the confidence of the For the brand of wines, it makes sense for the tone to be “mysterious” in order forit to be consistent with our positioning ~ alvays communicating as if teling a fable, captivating the interest of the spectator and increasing their expectations. It we decide that our target audience is made up of relatively young people and professionals, enthusiastic about introducing their friends to the new wine that they have “discovered, the tone of voice should accompany and strengthen this necessity, for example, communicating as if through whispers. This can be expressed both in the general communication and the form in which a product can be described. A mystery in EVERY sense. In this case we are communicating through a narrator, and therefore a casual approach is the most appropriate one. Bloom. ConsultingGENESIS OF THE BRAND. GIVE IT A NAME How do I reflect my positioning in the name? Answer: Chose a name that reflects your positioning, that sets you apart and that creates an emotional connection with your target audience. EXAMPLE (© Bloom Consulting S.L Finding a name for a product or service can be an arduous task. In fact, there are companies that are exclusively dedicated to naming products, brands, sub-brands, etc... This Step may take 3 seconds or it may take 3 months, the important thing is to think about the Attributes and the Positioning of our company. Descriptive: A name that immediately defines the purpose or nature of our offer. It is not abstract and it simply communicates the rational value of the offer, Example: Telefénica de Espanta Evocative: A name that indirectly communicates the offer: It is not necessarily made up of a word or words found in the dictionary, but it should transmit the type of product or service that is offered, Example: Movistar Emotional: An abstract name that in itself does not define nor communicate the offer and that is based on its most emotional elements, Example: Terra Earth) In our case, the name is not difficult. For starters, finding a name that stands out as being different is not very complicated given that the wine sector tends to be characterized by extremely traditional nomenclature. In this case in particular, focusing on the development of our brand up until now, we know that it has the following characteristics: = itis breaking the barriers of the traditional brands of wines - it uses branding elements from the distilled beverage sector ~ our target public is one that is open to new concepts - we are trying to sellin a highly competitive market. Our brand should stand out and clearly represent our concept. Therefore, the name of this brand of wines will be: Mystic This name represents the positioning and it is multicultural in the sense that it can be understood in all western languages. In addition, it sets itself apart from the competition in that it has a suggestive name that is, neither the name of the winery nor the name of a person, both so frequently used in the wine sector. Bloom. ConsultingGENESIS OF THE BRAND. ESTABLISH A VISUAL STYLE zHow do | express all of this in a The visual style chosen to represent this new brand should be formulated visual style? with regards to its positioning and tone of voice. If we need a logo, what are the brand's colors going to be (always in agreement with the tone of voice}? For this step, we recommend speaking to a graphic designer ‘Answer: We have given you all the who, for an assumed cost, can professionally and graphically express ‘elements that you need to make an What we wish to communicate. excellent briefing to a graphic designer! Thisis the only step in which we recommend that you involve a professional The graphic style is.important because it should project the brand thraugh the use of images, colors, symbols, and lay-outs, among other things. Itis very simple, you just need to present a designer with the positioning, name and the “moodboard!" (step 13), and this will serve as a “briefing” so that he/she can express all of these elements in the graphic design. In this case, we see that there is a strong influence of the sea, as we EX AM P LE are refering to a product that comes from a traditionally seafaring country whose fables center on this theme. Therefore, we could present the designer with the following briefing Name: Mystic Positioning: see step 14 Tone: mysterious, jovial, sensual, captivating Concepts: We want the visual style to include images that support this positioning, for example reflecting the sea, mystery, including the blue tones, and reflecting stories. Bloom. © Bloom Conauiting SL. ConsultingGENESIS OF THE BRAND. CREATE A SLOGAN What does a slogan convey? ‘Answer: The slogan should provide an added value as far as communication is concerned. Therefore, it should summarize the positioning in a coherent and striking manner. EXAMPLE (© Bloom Consulting S.L The slogan is the only optional step in this process. Some brands have a “tagline” (slogan) while others function without it. A slogan is really just an additional way to communicate the principal message of our brand. In some cases, the slogan might be as important as the brand itself. A clear example of this is Nike's “Just do it”. This slogan conveys everything that the brand Nike represents: attitude, rebellion and the self- esteem necessary to achieve your goals. In the majority of cases however, a slogan is a tool that supports the brand but it does not become the main protagonist In the case of the wines, our slogan is what the consumers are inspired to do after reading the fables about our different wines: share. The slogan encourages the public not to keep secret about the wine (aithough it might be so good that they do not want to share it). They should "Share the Mystery”. The results of one inquest indicated that the average wine consumer likes to discover a wine on his/her own and then later introduce it to friends. This actually coincides with one of the trends that we saw in Step 2: "Sophistication and Knowledge” Since we are talking about a concept based on fables and mystery, and fables ate passed along orally, we are encouraging people to share the mystery, to pass along the fables and seduce their friends with this, exquisite wine. Mystic (Brand of wine) Share the Mystery (slogan) Bloom. ConsultingGENESIS OF THE BRAND. ESTABLISH THE VISUAL STYLE Once the brand has been created, it is up to you to do with it what you want. Remember, this brand did not come out of thin air it represents your company and is designed to make your company or product stand out in the market. As we stated in the introduction, itis a tool to guide the strategic decisions of your company. From the product that you launch, to the research, advertising and packaging: everything can be approached from the point of view of your brand. In this way, everything you do will be coherent and achieve the greatest possible impact! EXAMPLE Bloom. © Bloom Conauiting SL. ConsultingABOUT BLOOM CONSULTING (© Bloom Consulting S.L ‘About Bloom Consulting Bloom Consulting is a multinational firm specialized in brand strategies. The firm uses brands as a key business tool in developing innovative business strategies forits clients. Some of the most prestigious international firms have solicited Bloom Consulting's services, as well as governments of an array of countries and Spanish and Foreign SMEs. In relation to SMEs, Bloom Consulting has developed a series of brand projects including: Brand Creation, New Product Development, Positioning in a Sector and Internationalization. The founders of Bloom Consulting consolidate 22 years of experience collectively in branding. Bloom Consulting has been named one of the top 100 most innovative companies of Spain by “Emprendedores” (Entrepreneur) Magazine, the most read magazine of the Spanish business community and has been cited in the Economist in reference to its country branding know-how. Bloom Consulting's headquarters are in Madrid and has offices throughout Europe, US and Latin America as well as an extensive network throughout the world www. bloom-consulting.com Bloom. Consulting20 STEPS FOR CREATING A BRAND Bloom Consulting