Corporate Brand Platform Development

Brand Platforms are a part of our DNA . . .

At the foundation of Brand Tool Box’s global reputation is its 20+ years of developing robust corporate brand platforms for its clients. Our work gains its credibility from a well-defined process that is inclusive by nature and produces brand platforms that are true to the organization and have an edge that is clearly differentiated in the marketplace.

Role of Brand Platform

A well-defined corporate brand platform is a fundamental element of any organization's strategic infrastructure. A corporate brand platform defines, in practical terms, how the organization applies the combination of its values and competencies to consistently create distinctive value for its customers. In a nutshell, the strategic intent of a brand platform is to focus the organization on building value-added customer relationships.

A brand platform supports building value-added customer relationships by –

• Aligning senior management on key strategies to deliver differentiated value to customers.
• Creating a clear, compelling marketing message that results in more efficient brand communications.
• Providing a focus on connecting every employee's behaviors to consistently deliver differentiated value to customers.

Defining a Corporate Brand Platform

Creating a corporate brand platform that has strategic value to an organization requires a process that is inclusive, producing credible outcomes that are inspiring throughout the organization. A snappy tagline or re-positioning statement is not sufficient to meet the criteria stated above. A corporate brand platform must be more comprehensive, yet pragmatic enough to be embraced throughout an organization.

A corporate brand platform is a framework of practical definitions that provides an organizational development framework to define important brand behaviors and support clear, targeted marketing and sales communications. A brand platform is designed to provide uniformity in the way the organization interfaces, in every way, with the targeted marketplace and also as a practical, usable tool to guide all members of the organization on how to support the brand through words and actions.

Credibility is the most important criteria of a corporate brand platform, period. Without credibility a corporate brand platform is reduced to another corporate slogan that will eventually, sooner, rather than later, become irrelevant. In its best form a corporate brand platform is an articulation of an organization's distinctiveness, contribution, and possibilities for making a difference that matters to its customers. Credibility in any relationships starts with the identification and belief in an ethos. In the context of a corporate brand platform the brand ethos is that single enduring value that has proven itself as the differentiating factor for the organization. The brand ethos is the foundation of a corporate brand platform. Discerning a credible brand ethos is the first and fundamental step in developing a corporate brand platform.

As a strategic tool, a corporate brand platform has a wide range of applications, therefore it must be articulated in different forums that span time horizons and levels of brevity to appeal to broad constituency within an organization. A brand platform is composed of the following:

• Brand Vision – A forward-looking statement that describes the brand in terms of its relationship with its targeted customers.
• Core Values – Core values are an expression of an organization’s principles and culture and provide the foundation for living the brand.
• Brand Position – The brand position pragmatically defines the brand’s desired position among competitors in the category.
• Brand Dimensions – The impressions of what the organization does, the distinctive qualities it delivers in every relationship, and the consistent qualities that every client can expect in every interaction.
• Brand Promise – The crucial link to the day-to-day brand impressions that are delivered by an organization’s employees.
• Brand Character – A personification of the brand that creates the imagery forming the bases of consistent external marketing communication.

To build sustainable customer loyalty and differentiation, every organization must define and embrace a corporate brand platform. Brands on the outside gain their strength from the brand on the inside of the organization. Building a strong brand on the inside starts with a brand platform.