As we approach America’s 250th birthday, our celebrations reflect on the greatness of our country. Inherent in our celebrations is the belief that America is a great land. America is a great brand. As Americans, we are owners of brand America.
As a brand owner, you might have ideas about what a great brand is. What does being a great brand mean to us? Putting politics aside, please, let’s look at the components of a great brand.
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Marketers deal with the idea of being a great brand. Is McDonald’s a great brand? Is General Motors a great brand? Is The New York Times a great brand? Apple? Google? Tesla? Coca-Cola?
Most market research firms use equations and algorithms to rank and rate brand power. Brand power is usually calibrated by measuring a) familiarity (familiarity is a scale, unlike awareness, which is a light switch. Awareness is yes or no. Familiarity has gradations.), b) authority (quality, leadership, and trustworthiness; some firms call this “esteem”), and c) specialness (relevance, differentiation). But, powerful brands may not always be great brands.
The distinction between brand power and brand greatness is not mere semantics. Powerful brands embody force, strength, control, authority, and dominance relative to competition. But the principled, ethical element is missing. Great brands manifest repute, eminence, excellence, virtue, rectitude, as well as familiarity, authority, and specialness.
Type in “Great Brands” online and you will find lists of the most valuable brands, the most iconic brands, and the most loved brands. These brands may satisfy some of the “great brand” criteria, but do these brands live up to all the “great brand” criteria? Some of the brands on these lists are probably great. Some may not be great brands.
Many brand owners ask: What is entailed in making a great brand? What is entailed in making a great brand greater? What is entailed in making the world’s greatest brand?
Here are the highlights of a study we conducted for a client on what makes a brand great and a great brand greater and greatest:
There are five elements necessary for growing a great brand:
- Exceedingly well-known
- Of Outstanding relevance
- Markedly superior in character
- Remarkably skilled
- Undeniable leadership
1. Exceedingly Well-Known
Exceedingly well-known means being top-of-mind; being a recognized symbol; having extraordinary familiarity; having exemplary standards, culture, and values. But unlike mere familiarity, a great brand must stand for something great. Addressing a universal need or problem, and optimizing messy, contradictory needs.
This is why it is imperative to have a strong, compelling, powerful brand vision and brand promise that define the expected experience to be delivered consistently over time and across geography. Strength, however, must be used properly.
True brand greatness lies in the right use of strength and power, not just in being strong and powerful. To be a great brand, the goal must be to use the strength of scale and scope in ways that are not designed to just grow extraordinary familiarity but to grow extraordinary respect.
Be well-known for something exceptional.
2. Of Outstanding Relevance
Great brands are consistent at the core. Great brands keep their core promise relevant to changing needs. In today’s 24/7 changing world, brands have a big challenge. Values are changing, demographics are changing, lifestyles are changing, technology is changing, and changing us. How do brands stay relevant to more selective, more informed, more demanding, more discerning constituencies? How do brands find footing in a world of flux? Great brands are both grounded and groundbreaking.
A brand does not need to change its core promise. The challenge is to express the core promise in a relevant manner. The challenge is to deliver that core promise in a way that is relevant, timely, and contemporary. The challenge is to deliver meaningfulness, not just messaging. Great brands do this well. A great brand understands how to manage old and new.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the president of family-owned Dr. Bronner’s said Dr. Bronner’s believes that how relevantly the brand behaves today and the values it holds dear “… will build the brand and our stature in the marketplace.”
3. Markedly Superior In Integrity
A great brand has a high standard of integrity. A great brand is truly committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity. A great brand commits to social responsibility: a responsibility ethic that makes it an effective global citizen.
A great brand is the consistent identity of a trusted source. A great brand has a trusted reputation underpinning all relationships. A great brand provides a single, unified voice that speaks to the brand’s vision, values, and strategy around the world. A great brand has a history of legitimate authority. Due to its legitimate authority, a great brand is held in high esteem.
Keep in mind that a brand is a trustmark, not a mere trademark. A trusted brand is a hedge against uncertainty. A great brand is more than an identity. A great brand is a touchstone of trust.
A brand is a seal of permission to believe. A great brand provides permission to believe based on its heritage of consistency, credibility, honorableness, fairness, trustworthiness, and responsibility.
The etymology of integrity is wholeness, completeness, and soundness. The dictionary defines integrity as uprightness of character and adherence to strong moral principles. As Peggy Noonan writes, having “a moral seriousness.”
4. Remarkably Skilled
Be professional, accomplished, capable, and good. Have operational excellence in every action, across all functions. Be first class without the braggadocio. Remarkably skilled refers to effectively and efficiently delivering a superior, quality brand experience. Importantly, being remarkably skilled means consistently operating in a trustworthy manner, every time, everywhere, under all circumstances.
Remarkably skilled reflects attitudes and behavior that say “good” is not good enough. Good is the enemy of great. A great brand aims high. Remarkably skilled is not an action that is defined as an example of power. Remarkably skilled is an action that is defined and perceived as the power of the great brand’s example. Or as one guest on CNN stated, “it is not about the example’s power; it is the power of the example.”
5. Undeniable Leadership
Leadership is not about how big the brand is. Leadership is about how big the brand acts. Leadership is not the size of the brand’s scale. Leadership is the size of the brand’s ideas. Leaders must lead.
To be a leader, act like a leader. The eyes of millions of people are watching. How does the brand look? Does the brand look like a leader? Is the brand an innovator, or is it seen as slow and reluctant?
As a marketer, your job is to compete. Compete differently with The Blake Project.
Follower brands ask, “How can I defend the status quo?” Leader brands ask, “How can I unquo the status quo?” Followers ask, “How can I survive in a changing world?” Leaders ask, “How can I change the world?” Followers ask, “How can I predict the future?” Leaders ask, “How can we create the future? Followers focus on incremental renovation. While leaders focus on genuine innovation. Leaders must both play by the rules and write their own rules. Leaders must create the world in which the brand will win.
Leadership has five necessary behaviors:
- Inspiration: Define a motivating vision and goals. Why should we care?
- Education: Clarify why your new vision is important. What do I need to do differently? What is in it for me?
- Influence: Be impactful through guidance, experience, expertise; not command and control.
- Support: Provide necessary training and tools.
- Evaluation: Provide regular progress reports based on relevant metrics. If you support me, do not tell me what to do. Tell me what to stop doing.
Great brands have great aspirations. Great brands have an inspiring image of the future they wish to create. This aspiration is a vision of perfection. A possible dream. Great brands know they may never get to that aspirational future, but they will not aim for anything less.
Why?
Because the aspiration and aim are the guiding forces that provide the direction for all thought and action on behalf of the brand, for all great brands, regardless of industry, geography, or category, stasis is not the goal. The goal is not to stay great. The goal must be to make the great brand even greater.
Greatness, like trustworthiness, takes time to achieve. Greatness, like trustworthiness, can be lost in minutes. Greatness is not an announcement or a pronouncement. Greatness is an ongoing, everlasting process.
Contributed to Branding Strategy Insider by Joan Kiddon, Partner, The Blake Project, Author of The Paradox Planet: Creating Brand Experiences For The Age Of I
At The Blake Project, we help clients create meaningful differences that increase value and underpin competitive advantage. Please email us to learn how we can help you compete differently.
Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Growth, and Brand Education
