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Elements by Model
All 429 elements of 51 models, each with its originator's own grouping and the full definition from the Atlas profile
Brand Identity Model Atlas
By Model
51 Models, Each With Its Own Grouping
The elements exactly as each originator names and groups them, with the full definition from the Atlas profile and the entry of the Element List they belong to. Tier A models have full profiles, Tier B models short profiles; the model name opens the profile with its sources and page references.
Tier A
4-D Branding
Thomas Gad · Brandflight (Stockholm)
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Functional Dimension What the product behind the brand offers. This dimension covers the product's visible advantage and the advantage the consumer experiences. Anything linked to the product's physical characteristics belongs here: "quality, design, style, name of the product, etc." Of the four dimensions, it is the easiest to grasp (Djordjevic, 2008, p. 80). Brandflight's current website describes it as "what the brand actually does" (Brandflight, 2026, "Four Dimensions, One Brand"). | Brand Mind Space – Dimensions 1 and 2 | Product Attributes |
| 02 | Social Dimension The relationship between consumers and the group of people they want to belong to. The point is social identity, the need to be accepted by a group. People choose the brands they feel best suit this identity. Seen this way, a brand becomes "a social symbol of an individual's lifestyle", and its trademark or logo carries the symbol, as with Nike (Djordjevic, 2008, p. 80). When people see someone wearing a T-shirt of their own brand, or getting out of the same car as theirs, they feel "a certain connection" (Djordjevic, 2008, p. 80). | Brand Mind Space – Dimensions 1 and 2 | Brand Community |
| 03 | Mental Dimension Brandflight sums it up as "the individual" (Brandflight, 2019, "Brand Strategy"). This dimension reaches deep into the consumer's personality and, as Djordjevic puts it, "touches their soul". It is closely tied to their self-image, the way they see themselves, which takes in things such as personal education and experience. Its focus is on change, and also on learning more about the consumer. Each person should have role models to guide how they shape their life. Traditional society is gradually becoming what is known as a "brand society", and in it the mental dimension of a brand offers such role models. Where self-esteem is low, people need to rebuild it. Djordjevic notes that "a majority of authors on branding" see this as an opportunity for brand creators, or "brand builders" in Gad's term (Djordjevic, 2008, p. 80). Brandflight's current website describes it as what the brand "does inside a person" (Brandflight, 2026, "Four Dimensions, One Brand"). | Brand Mind Space – Dimensions 3 and 4 | Brand-Related Self |
| 04 | Spiritual Dimension Brandflight sums it up as "the purpose & meaning" of the brand (Brandflight, 2019, "Brand Strategy"). Djordjevic also calls it the ethical or idealistic dimension. It links the brand, product or company with the society around them. It covers everything they give to that society and to the consumers who are part of it. It most often shows in highly standardised products, and it benefits the whole society. One example is high ecological standards, as when makers of artificial leather build their brands on animal protection (Djordjevic, 2008, p. 81). Brandflight's current website notes that the market now uses the words "purpose, ethics, and sustainability" for what Gad's book named the spiritual dimension (Brandflight, 2026, "Four Dimensions, One Brand"). | Brand Mind Space – Dimensions 3 and 4 | Brand Purpose |
| 05 | Brand Code The second model of Gad's brand strategy. Brandflight writes that it "has six inputs" but lists only four: product (or a service, place or benefit), positioning, style and values (Brandflight, 2019, "Brand Strategy"). A figure in Djordjevic, which gives its source as "redone by T.Gad, 2005, p. 137", draws the code as a "spider model". Its six legs stand around one short phrase. They are product (labelled "Product / Convenience"), positioning, style, mission, vision and values (Djordjevic, 2008, p. 82, Figure 9). Neither source defines the inputs one by one. In use, the code is set in the centre of the Brand Mind Space. From there, the team plans activities in each dimension and codes every touchpoint. Coding means deciding what matters most at that touchpoint in each of the four dimensions (Brandflight, 2019, "Internal Brand Activation"; "Customer Brand Experience Touch-Points"). | At the Centre | Brand Essence |
Tier A
Anatomy of Brand Identity
Alberto Wilensky · Buenos Aires
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Essence (Esencia) The essence is the most important part of a brand's identity. Wilensky calls it "the soul or the heart of the brand", made up of "a central value that consumers know, understand and appreciate" (Wilensky, 2003, p. 117, as cited in Pawlusiak, 2009, p. 51, translated). It is the trait that only this brand has, which separates it from all the others and is worth something to the consumer. It is "eternal" and stays the same even when the brand's symbols, personality and positioning adapt to new times (Reche, 2010, p. 13, translated). Pawlusiak compares it with a person who may change the way they dress, speak and act but remains the same person throughout life (Pawlusiak, 2009, pp. 51–52). Because the essence consists of human values, it gives the brand an added emotional value. This added value is directly linked to the strategic aim of winning consumer loyalty (Reche, 2010, p. 13). | Core | Brand Essence |
| 02 | Appeal (Atractivo) Every brand must help consumers to meet their needs (Pawlusiak, 2009, p. 52). Its appeal, that is, what draws people to it, rests on benefits that help to meet a set of needs and desires in the market. Some benefits are functional and come from the product itself. Others are subjective and come from the consumer. They fall into three kinds: functional, emotional and economic benefits (Reche, 2010, p. 13; Pawlusiak, 2009, p. 52). | Appeal and Distinctive Features | Value Proposition |
| 03 | Distinctive Features (Distintivos) Distinctive features are the elements by which people tell the brand apart on the spot, so that it is never mistaken for another (Reche, 2010, p. 14), "even from a distance" (Pawlusiak, 2009, p. 53, translated). They need enough strength and reach both to make the brand recognisable and to build it up further (Wilensky, 2005, p. 122, as cited in Reche, 2010, p. 14). They must be coherent and must reinforce the appeal and the essence. They work on two levels, an outer level that people can see and an inner level of values (Reche, 2010, p. 14; Pawlusiak, 2009, p. 53). | Appeal and Distinctive Features | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 04 | Functional Benefits (Beneficios Funcionales) Functional benefits come from a company's ability to meet specific needs efficiently through what the product does (Pawlusiak, 2009, p. 52). When a brand manages to own a functional benefit that is vital for meeting a need or a desire, this benefit tends to become a powerful competitive advantage (Reche, 2010, p. 13). | Three Kinds of Benefit | Functional Benefits |
| 05 | Emotional Benefits (Beneficios Emocionales) Emotional benefits relate to the consumer's feelings, desires and pleasant experiences. Many brands use them to add value to their identity (Reche, 2010, p. 13; Pawlusiak, 2009, pp. 52–53). The sum of rational and emotional benefits is what makes a brand "truly powerful" (Reche, 2010, p. 13, translated). | Three Kinds of Benefit | Emotional Benefit |
| 06 | Economic Benefits (Beneficios Económicos) The price of a brand is necessarily tied to the benefits it gives. A high price can signal quality and exclusivity. It can help the brand to be seen as superior in quality and to hold a prestige position. A low price can suggest poor quality and harm the brand, but a low price that people judge as fair adds value. What counts is perceived value, that is, the quality people see in relation to the price. So economic benefits are relative (Reche, 2010, p. 14). If a brand falls short of expectations, people will probably not buy it again, because its price is too high for what it offers (Pawlusiak, 2009, p. 53). | Three Kinds of Benefit | Price and Quality Tier |
| 07 | Outer Level (Plano Exterior) The outer level is what people can see. Here distinctive features make the brand recognisable by an image or a certain colour in its logo (Reche, 2010, p. 14). Pawlusiak names logos, corporate colours and other visual elements (Pawlusiak, 2009, p. 53). | Two Levels of Distinctive Features | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 08 | Inner Level (Plano Interior) On the inner level, distinctive features consist of the values linked with the brand (Reche, 2010, p. 14). Pawlusiak describes this level as less tangible, tied to the emotional values that the brand conveys (Pawlusiak, 2009, p. 53). | Two Levels of Distinctive Features | Brand Values |
Tier A
Anatomy of the Brand
Joan Costa · MasterBrand Internacional, Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Concept and Management of the Brand Concepto y Gestión de la Marca is the black centre. On his institute's website, Costa calls it "the concept, the idea, the reason for being of the brand" (translated), with its financial studies, business plan, objectives and positioning. Strategy and management are designed from this base, once the brand's mission is defined (Joan Costa Institute, n.d.). His article adds that the brand must live up to its mission if it wants to mean something unique in its market and to last. It is possible, he says, to combine authentic values with emotions, and ethics with fair profit. This is "the central core of the concept and management of the brand" (translated) (Costa, 2012, p. 22). Following Kapferer, Costa asks six self-critical questions. What vision inspires the brand's mission? What is its intense need? What does it really want to change in the market, and what benefits does it want to bring to consumers and users? What courage and strength does it have to turn this dream into reality? Beyond the functions and attributes of its products or services, what values does it offer to share with its customers? What social commitment? (Costa, 2012, pp. 21–22; questions translated) | Core | Brand Purpose |
| 02 | Institutional Identity Identidad Institucional is the company's own identity. Costa calls it "the spirit of the company" (translated) and says it will be carried into the whole brand project (Costa, 2012, p. 22). On the website, he adds that it fills the brand with the company's principles and becomes real through the organisational culture (Joan Costa Institute, n.d.). | Inner Ring | Brand Culture |
| 03 | Organisational Culture Cultura Organizacional is how the company's identity shows. The company's vision, mission and values guide its decisions and conduct, and the culture is the way of being and acting shown through them (Costa, 2012, p. 22). Culture does not stay inside. A service attitude starts within the company. That is why culture "passes through the pores of the company" (translated) into what customers experience, above all through the ongoing training and motivation of staff (Costa, 2012, p. 23). | Inner Ring | Brand Culture |
| 10 | Verbal and Visual Brand Marca Verbal y Visual covers the brand's name and its visual signs. The verbal brand is the name that comes out of the creative strategy, sometimes linked to a parent brand or backed by it. Costa calls the name "the fundamental sign of identity" (translated). The visual brand is the system of logos, symbols, colours and typefaces. It makes the brand visible everywhere and easier to remember. These signs stay the same in all media and are set down in the brand identity manual (Costa, 2012, p. 23). | Star: Signs, Products, Places | Distinctive Brand Assets; Brand Name |
| 11 | Product and Service Design Diseño de Productos y Servicios gives form to what the brand offers. A design concept that sets a product or product line apart is essential, because it "defines the style and the tangible personality of the brand" (translated). This holds for household appliances as much as for fashion, cosmetics or food. In services, the service itself is the main driver of value and calls for innovation and creativity. Products and services are where customers experience the brand in person. They follow their own design rules (Costa, 2012, p. 23). | Star: Signs, Products, Places | Product and Service Design |
| 12 | Environmental Design Diseño Ambiental is the design of the spaces where people meet the brand, such as shops and exhibitions. The point of sale is a place for display, demonstration, information and merchandising. It becomes crucial for the public's emotional experience. The surroundings create the atmosphere, the personality of the brand and the encounter with it. For Costa, the space is "the place of its identity" (translated). Environmental design has its own manual for management, operation and sales (Costa, 2012, p. 23). | Star: Signs, Products, Places | Branded Spaces and Events |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 | Corporate Strategy Estrategia Corporativa is the overall business strategy. The brand's own strategy becomes part of it (Costa, 2012, p. 22) and must fit with it (Joan Costa Institute, n.d.). | Inner Ring | Corporate Strategy as Frame Corporate strategy is the frame around the brand, not content of its identity. |
| 05 | Branding Project Proyecto de Branding develops the brand's philosophy and strategy. It sets out the brand's key ideas, its objectives and the reasoning behind management decisions. It also plans the process, the use of money, people, technical means and time, and who does which task. In short, it designs the creative strategy and the Strategic Action Plan (Costa, 2012, p. 22). | Outer Ring: Planning and Protection | Brand Strategy and Action Plan Planning the actions comes after the identity is set, so it is steering and not identity content. |
| 06 | Research Investigaciones is an open tool that can be used whenever needed. It serves for studies before the project, for one-off research and polls, and for following up, checking and measuring results (Costa, 2012, p. 22). On the website, work in the outer ring starts with research into the brand's audiences, which helps to design the communication strategy (Joan Costa Institute, n.d.). | Outer Ring: Planning and Protection | Brand Research and Controlling Research and controlling measure and steer, so they are activities around the identity and not its content. |
| 07 | Brand Protection Protección de la Marca is the strategy for registering the brand as the company's legal property, at home and abroad, so that the company fully controls it. Costa sees this as a precondition. Without it, "everything else is lost time" (translated), because someone else could register the brand and all rights would be lost (Costa, 2012, p. 22). | Outer Ring: Planning and Protection | Legal Brand Protection Registering the brand is a legal task, not a content field of the identity. |
| 08 | Management and Application Manuals Manuales de Gestión y Aplicaciones are the brand's rulebooks. They collect the criteria, guidelines and rules from the earlier steps that apply to the star, where the brand is expressed. They include rules for the brand name, the brand identity manual, design rules for products and services, and the environmental design manual for shops, exhibitions and other spaces. There are also plans for internal communication and for advertising, promotion and information. Others cover relations with stakeholders and the management of the brand's website and the web 2.0 with its social networks (Costa, 2012, pp. 22–23). | Outer Ring: Rules and Market | Brand Guidelines and Manuals Rulebooks apply the identity consistently, which comes after the identity is set. |
| 09 | Marketing Marketing covers how the brand and its products are brought to market, including marketing communication and sales (Costa, 2012, p. 23). On the website, the marketing plan is designed in the outer ring, together with legal protection and the branding project (Joan Costa Institute, n.d.). | Outer Ring: Rules and Market | Brand Strategy and Action Plan Planning the actions comes after the identity is set, so it is steering and not identity content. |
| 13 | Internal Communication Comunicación Interna is a necessary and valuable channel for informing all staff and motivating them to share in the brand's success. Through the intranet, other media and working meetings with teams and middle managers, the brand project must become part of the organisational culture. Since a service attitude starts within the company, internal communication shapes not only the brand image but also customer loyalty (Costa, 2012, p. 23). | Star: Communication | Internal Branding Anchoring the brand inside the organisation is carrying out the identity after it is defined. |
| 14 | External Communication and Relations Comunicación y Relaciones Externas is a large block. It covers advertising, promotions and information in the mass media. It also covers personalised communication outside the mass media, through small media and below-the-line activities. Then there are personal relations, face to face and at a distance, relations with stakeholders, the media and opinion leaders, and the social responsibility work of the company or brand. Unintended messages that may harm the image and reputation of the company or brand should be avoided as far as possible (Costa, 2012, p. 24). | Star: Communication | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
| 15 | Web and 2.0 Management Web y Gestión 2.0 covers the corporate website and the web 2.0, which includes managing social networks (Costa, 2012, p. 22). Online, too, everything must fit the brand strategy and the corporate strategy, because the whole digital area is strategic. The corporate website and the web 2.0 fall under the DirCom, the director of communication. Marketing helps with the web 2.0, because the digital world is a good platform for selling. A community manager leads the brand's digital positioning, following the DirCom's guidelines (Costa, 2012, p. 24). | Star: Communication | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
Tier A
B*Canvas 2.0
Carsten Baumgarth · Berlin School of Economics and Law (HWR Berlin)
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Corporate Culture The culture that is actually lived in the company. In Baumgarth's audit model, the brand foundation has two parts. One is this culture, in the form of brand orientation (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 26). Brand orientation means that the brand serves as a guiding idea for the whole company (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 23). The other part is the active management of the brand (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 26). In the audit model for cultural institutions, the first dimension was called brand orientation and covered organisational culture and leadership (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 30). | Brand Foundation | Brand Culture |
| 07 | Branding The signs of the brand, such as brand name, logo and slogan (Baumgarth & Schmidt, 2024, p. 41). In Baumgarth's audit model, the touchpoints fall into two parts. One is branding, which works across all marketing instruments. The other is how the brand is put into practice in the instruments of the marketing mix, such as communication or the product (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 26). An audit may find that a company's branding is hard to remember or does not set it apart. This can lead to the branding being revised (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 25). | Brand Touchpoints | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 08 | Core & Complementary Products/Services What the brand offers, both its core products or services and the additional ones around them. The product is one of the instruments of the marketing mix through which the brand reaches customers (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 26). The audit model for cultural institutions already had a dimension for core and additional services (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 30). | Brand Touchpoints | Product Scope |
| 10 | PoS The point of sale. Baumgarth and Schmidt list it among the touchpoints, next to branding and communication (Baumgarth & Schmidt, 2024, p. 41). Methods that have proved useful in Baumgarth's brand audits include the audit team's own observations and photos, for example of shop design, and mystery shopping (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 28). | Brand Touchpoints (Continued) | Branded Spaces and Events |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Positioning How the brand should be anchored in customers' minds and set apart from competitors (Baumgarth & Schmidt, 2024, pp. 41–42). In Baumgarth's audit model, setting the positioning is part of the active management of the brand (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 26). Market trends may require the positioning to be adjusted flexibly, so that the brand meets changing customer expectations and stays relevant (Baumgarth & Schmidt, 2024, p. 40). In the B*lab's fictional beer brand, the positioning consists of brand core, brand attributes, brand benefit and tone of voice (Baumgarth et al., 2023, p. 7). | Brand Foundation | Brand Positioning Positioning is derived from the identity and set against competitors, so it is the next step after the identity and not part of it. |
| 03 | Brand Strategy The strategy for the brand. It has a field of its own in the foundation (Baumgarth, 2021). In Baumgarth's audit model, brand strategy is part of the active management of the brand, together with positioning and internal brand management (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 27). | Brand Foundation | Brand Strategy and Action Plan Planning the actions comes after the identity is set, so it is steering and not identity content. |
| 04 | Brand Organization How the work on the brand is organised in the company. For Baumgarth, one of the main challenges of brand management is getting people to work together across departments and across the whole organisation (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 26). In the audit model for cultural institutions, the organisation of the brand was one of five dimensions of active brand management (Baumgarth, 2016, pp. 29–30). | Brand Foundation (Continued) | Brand Governance Organising responsibility is steering after the identity exists, not identity content. |
| 05 | Internal Brand Management Anchoring the brand among the employees. In Baumgarth's audit model, this is part of the active management of the brand and works through suitable measures (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 26). | Brand Foundation (Continued) | Internal Branding Anchoring the brand inside the organisation is carrying out the identity after it is defined. |
| 06 | Brand Tools The tools for managing the brand. In the audit model for cultural institutions, the brand tools dimension covered brand controlling and corporate design guidelines (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 30). Brand controlling supplies the facts and figures on which professional brand management is based. Baumgarth welcomes metrics from websites and social media. But they usually serve single campaigns, look at the short term and cover only single marketing instruments. Tasks that concern the brand as a whole, such as managing an umbrella brand, can hardly be steered with them. So he wants them combined with approaches that look at the whole brand (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 23). | Brand Foundation (Continued) | Brand Research and Controlling Research and controlling measure and steer, so they are activities around the identity and not its content. |
| 09 | Communication How the brand reaches people and talks with them. The canvas splits the field into push, pull and co-creation (Baumgarth, 2021). In the audit model for cultural institutions, communication covered external media communication, personal communication and location-based communication. A separate dimension covered opportunities to take part (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 30). In 2016, Baumgarth found it interesting to open his audit approach to brand co-creation. The view of a wider range of stakeholders would then carry much more weight, and the brand model might have to be extended (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 32). | Brand Touchpoints | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
| 11 | Brand Leverage A touchpoint field with a plus sign as its icon (Baumgarth, 2021). Its German name, Markenanreicherung, means brand enrichment (Baumgarth & Schmidt, 2024, p. 41). The audit model for cultural institutions already had a dimension of this name among its touchpoints (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 30). | Brand Touchpoints (Continued) | Co-Branding and Partnerships Choosing partners is a business decision about growth, not part of the identity. |
| 12 | Brand Equity (General Public) The strength of the brand among the general public. The German version of the canvas calls this field and the next one Markenstärke, brand strength (Baumgarth & Schmidt, 2024, p. 41). In Baumgarth's audit model, brand performance first shows as brand strength in people's perception and behaviour, before any economic result (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 26). Baumgarth and Schmidt stress that brand management builds the brand in the minds of several stakeholder groups, such as consumers or current and potential employees (Baumgarth & Schmidt, 2024, p. 40). | Brand Performance | Brand Strength and Equity Strength is measured in what audiences think and do, so it is an outcome of brand work and not its content. |
| 13 | Brand Equity (Customer) The strength of the brand among its customers. Baumgarth and Schmidt report a study that used online data to measure the customer side of brand value. It measured reach, for example by views of social media posts, and affinity, for example by the number of followers. It also measured sentiment, meaning how people feel about the brand (Baumgarth & Schmidt, 2024, p. 41). | Brand Performance | Brand Strength and Equity Strength is measured in what audiences think and do, so it is an outcome of brand work and not its content. |
| 14 | Final Performance The final economic result of the brand. In Baumgarth's audit model, brand performance splits into brand strength and this final economic result (Baumgarth, 2016, p. 26). Baumgarth and Schmidt describe brand performance as how successful the brand is in the market. It can be measured through brand strength and market power, which together make up the value of the brand (Baumgarth & Schmidt, 2024, p. 41). | Brand Performance | Brand Performance A financial result is measured after the fact and is not content that the owner defines. |
Tier A
Brand Asset Management Model
Scott M. Davis · Prophet Brand Strategy, Chicago
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Brand Vision Davis calls the brand vision "the starting-point" for Brand Asset Management. It states what senior management expects from the brand and how the brand will help the company grow over the next three to five years. It shows how the company will use its brand to reach its corporate vision, uphold its corporate values and achieve its mission. The vision covers the business strategy ahead and an assessment of the "financial growth gap". It also sets out the role the brand must play in reaching the business goals. This role includes the overall goal of the brand, its target market, the financial goals the brand will be accountable for and the products and markets it covers. Working on the vision often raises basic questions for the first time, such as what a brand is, what the company's own brand is and how it will help the company grow (Davis, 2002b, p. 504). | Phase One: Brand Vision | Corporate Strategy as Frame Corporate strategy is the frame around the brand, not content of its identity. |
| 02 | Brand Image The BrandPicture is a snapshot of the brand as it is now, seen through the customers' eyes and compared with the competition (Davis, 2002b, p. 505). Its first part, the image analysis, collects everything customers associate with the brand. This covers the products, their features and uses, the brand's personality, the typical user, the company behind the brand and its symbols. It also covers the benefits the brand offers, from functional to emotional and self-expressive. These benefits can often be best explained with the brand value pyramid shown above. Brand personality means the human traits that consumers link with the brand (Davis, 2002b, pp. 505–506). Which animal fits this brand best, for example a quick, agile jaguar or a slow turtle? (Davis, 2002b, p. 506) | Phase Two: BrandPicture | Brand Image The image arises in the audience's minds and cannot be decided by the owner; it is a result of identity work. |
| 03 | Brand-Based Customer Model The customer model looks at the brand "from the outside in". It identifies the customer groups, or segments, that respond differently from others and are valuable for the brand. It finds out why and how customers decide to buy in the category. And it follows their purchase process, including the touchpoints that do most to drive a purchase (Davis, 2002b, p. 506). Behind this lies Davis's view that the brand belongs to the customer (Davis, 2000, p. 5). The model covers past, present and potential customers (p. 5) and should be updated every 12 to 18 months (p. 9). Why do customers pick one brand rather than another when they buy? (Davis, 2000, p. 5) | Phase Two: BrandPicture | Customer Analysis This is knowledge gathered about customers as they are, so it is an input to the identity and not part of it. |
| 04 | External Environment This step looks at competitors, the market and the wider environment. Together, these analyses show how the brand can grow and what may keep it out of certain customer groups. For each competitor, a short check shows how customers see that brand, how it is positioned and where its strengths and weaknesses lie. The market analysis covers trends in sales, volume and profit. The environmental analysis looks at cultural, demographic and technological trends, government action and economic factors (Davis, 2002b, pp. 506–507). Customers may define the competition quite differently from the company, and the company should see it their way (Davis, 2000, p. 7). | Phase Two: BrandPicture | Situation Analysis A stock-take describes the starting situation, so it is analysis before the identity and not content the owner chooses. |
| 05 | Brand Positioning Positioning moves the brand toward the identity it aspires to. It is the basis for everything the brand says to the outside world. It sets whom the brand should reach, with what offerings, what benefits it provides, and how these benefits are better than, or at least different from, those of competitors (Davis, 2002b, p. 507). Positioning comes first, and the advertising ideas follow. As Davis puts it, strong positioning leads to strong creative work, not the reverse (Davis, 2002b, p. 507). Does the brand position hold up against how the market sees the brand, and can it be sustained over time? (Davis, 2002b, p. 507) | Phase Three: Position and Communicate | Brand Positioning Positioning is derived from the identity and set against competitors, so it is the next step after the identity and not part of it. |
| 06 | Brand-Based Communication Communication must link back to the brand vision, the BrandPicture and the positioning. Davis uses the AUTHOR model, whose name is formed from the first letters of six stages through which communication should lead customers. Customers first become aware of the brand (awareness), then understand what it stands for (understanding), try it (trial) and are happy with it (happiness). In the end, they think only of this brand in its category ("only one") and recommend it to others (referral). A mix of short-term and long-term media should carry one consistent message that makes the brand promise clear (Davis, 2002b, pp. 507–508). | Phase Three: Position and Communicate | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
| 07 | Brand Extension This step tests the boundaries of the brand and how far they can be stretched. Before the brand moves into a new product or market, four questions need an answer. Does the extension fit the brand vision? Does it uphold and strengthen the BrandPicture? Does it fit the positioning? And if it fails, will the setback be major or minor? How far a brand can grow depends directly on its identity (Davis, 2002b, p. 508). | Phase Three: Extend, Distribute, Price | Brand Extension Extension is a business decision about the product range; how far the brand can stretch depends on the identity but is not part of it. |
| 08 | Channel Influence Products reach customers through a channel of wholesalers and retailers. Davis describes channel management as a constant "pull and push" between them and the manufacturers, each seeking more power. A strong brand gives the company more influence over how the channel performs. Davis's guiding question is how to get products and services to the target customers most effectively, and what role the brand will play in this. He names five "hot buttons", the things that matter most to channel members. They want a high-quality product or service, education and training, a brand that is a "drawing card", strong enough that they want to be linked to it, a reasonable pricing strategy and funding to help promote the brand (Davis, 2002b, p. 509). | Phase Three: Extend, Distribute, Price | Distribution Channels Getting products to customers is carrying out the identity, not content of it. |
| 09 | Premium Pricing The BrandPicture shows whether the brand is strong enough to support a premium price. Brand loyalty is what lets a brand charge more. But the price gap to competitors must be watched and managed with care. If it grows too large, customers may try the cheaper brand, and if that brand performs well enough, they may switch for good (Davis, 2002b, p. 509). | Phase Three: Extend, Distribute, Price | Premium Pricing This is a pricing decision for the business; the identity only has to be strong enough to earn it. |
| 10 | Return on Brand Investment This step asks how well the brand helps to meet the business goals. Brand metrics, the measures a company uses to judge this, fall into two groups. Brand image metrics track awareness, how important and meaningful the brand is, whether it delivers what stakeholders value and whether it makes customers more inclined to buy. Brand impact metrics show the brand's role in the overall health of the business. Good metrics are "SMART". They fit the strategy, see the brand through the market's eyes, show what to do next, are simple to repeat and cover every touchpoint (Davis, 2002b, pp. 510–511). Together they should reach from loyalty driven by the brand to its financial value, instead of leaning only on the valuation formula (Davis, 2002a, pp. 355–356). | Phase Four: Asset Management Culture | Brand Research and Controlling Research and controlling measure and steer, so they are activities around the identity and not its content. |
| 11 | Brand-Based Culture Even world-class promotions cannot convince customers that a brand cares about service if its delivery staff are rude and late. Many departments touch the customer, so responsibility for the brand must reach beyond the marketing department, up to top management. Each employee should make decisions with the brand in mind. Some companies appoint a chief branding officer, others a steering committee with members from several departments. Internal communication and training, changes in pay and department targets, and longer careers with the same brand help to keep the focus on the brand's long-term value (Davis, 2002b, p. 511). | Phase Four: Asset Management Culture | Internal Branding Anchoring the brand inside the organisation is carrying out the identity after it is defined. |
Tier A
Brand Identity Planning Model
David A. Aaker · University of California, Berkeley (Haas School of Business)
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Core Identity The central, lasting part of the identity, its essence (Aaker, 1996, p. 85, as cited in Urde, 2013, p. 746). It usually holds the two to five elements that matter most for making the brand relevant and setting it apart (Meyerson, 2019a, "Core and Extended Vision Elements" section; Aaker, 2012, principle 3). Core elements stay the same over time and across markets and products. They sit at the heart of what the brand means and matter for its success (Meyerson, 2019b, "Putting the Brand Vision Model All Together" section). Tőkés, citing a 2002 edition of the book, adds that the core points to the soul of the brand and to its core values and beliefs. It also points to the mission of the people who created the brand and to the competences that make it credible (Aaker, 2002, p. 87, as cited in Tőkés, 2020, p. 27). | Identity Structure | Brand Essence |
| 03 | Product Scope The products the brand is linked with. The scope can be broad, such as automobiles, or narrow, such as sports cars. Niche brands may have a very narrow scope. A scope that is too narrow can hold a brand back. Meyerson's example is Nike, which would be limited if it were still only a shoe brand. Growing brands often push the scope wider. Sometimes they do this through brand extension, which puts the brand on new kinds of products, or through licensing, which lets other firms use the brand name (Meyerson, 2019b, "Product Scope" section). Which products is the brand linked with? | Brand as Product: The Offer | Product Scope |
| 04 | Product Attributes The features of the brand's products and the benefits they bring. These benefits can be functional or emotional. Perhaps the product does something better than its rivals, or something other products do not do at all (Meyerson, 2019b, "Product Attributes" section). What do the brand's products offer, in features or benefits? | Brand as Product: The Offer | Product Attributes |
| 05 | Quality/Value Whether the products are known as premium or as affordable. Aaker believes that quality shapes competition in many industries. In some "competitive arenas", the product with the highest quality wins. In others, a brand only needs a basic quality level to compete at all. Some brands, such as Walmart, build their identity on low prices and value for money (Meyerson, 2019b, "Quality/Value" section). Is the brand known for premium quality, for value, or for something in between? | Brand as Product: The Offer | Price and Quality Tier |
| 06 | Uses The use or occasion the brand is linked with. "Owning" a specific use, so that people think of the brand for it, can work very well for positioning, even if it is not the only use. But a brand tied too tightly to one occasion may struggle to win customers for any other (Meyerson, 2019b, "Uses" section). What is the brand used for, and in which situations? | Brand as Product: Use, Users and Origin | Frame of Reference |
| 07 | Users The type of people the brand is linked with. They can be described by facts such as age or income (demographics), by attitudes and lifestyle (psychographics), or both (Meyerson, 2019b, "Users" section). In a later blog post, Aaker speaks of user imagery, the picture of the typical user, including what that person values and how he or she lives (Aaker, 2012, principle 2). In his book Aaker on Branding (2014), he notes that tying a brand to a user type can also hint at a value proposition and a personality (as cited in Meyerson, 2019b, "Users" section). Who is the brand for, and what kind of people go with it? | Brand as Product: Use, Users and Origin | Prototypical User |
| 08 | Country of Origin The brand's link to a country or region. Some places stand for luxury, precision or innovation. A brand from one of them can borrow that image by saying where it comes from (Meyerson, 2019b, "Country of Origin" section). Where does the brand come from? | Brand as Product: Use, Users and Origin | Brand Origin |
| 09 | Organization Attributes Here the brand is seen as an organisation: the people, culture, values and programs behind it, not its product features. These traits last longer than product features, and rivals find them harder to copy (Meyerson, 2019b, "Organization Attributes" section). The figure names innovation, concern for consumers and trustworthiness as examples (Meyerson, 2019b, figure). Aaker points out that a product is much easier to copy than an organisation with its own values, people and programs (Kell, 1996, para. 7). | Brand as Organization | Brand Culture |
| 11 | Personality A brand can show a personality through its look, its voice, its advertising and more. Consumers who feel that this personality fits them may use the brand to express who they are or what they value, for example by buying its products (Meyerson, 2019b, "Personality" section). For Aaker, a personality adds interest and helps people remember a brand, and "a brand without a personality, not unlike a person, lacks friends and may be easily overlooked" (Kell, 1996, paras. 8–9). The figure's examples are genuine, energetic and rugged, that is, tough (Meyerson, 2019b, figure). Which human traits does the brand have? | Brand as Person | Brand Persona |
| 12 | Brand–Customer Relationships This category is closely related to personality. A brand can take on the role of a person in a real-life relationship, such as a close friend, a family member or a business associate (Meyerson, 2019b, "Customer/Brand Relationships" section). The figure names friend and adviser as examples. Below this category, a line runs from the identity box straight down to the brand–customer relationship (Meyerson, 2019b, figure). What kind of relationship between two people does the brand want to copy? | Brand as Person | Brand Relationship |
| 13 | Visual Imagery and Metaphors A symbol is more than a logo. It covers anything that shows the brand visually, such as a character, a recognisable package, a building or a product design. People linked to the brand count too. They range from famous founders to celebrity endorsers, stars who recommend the brand in public (Meyerson, 2019b, "Visual Image and Metaphors" section). For Aaker, a strong symbol can hold an identity together, give it structure and make it easier to recognise and recall (Kell, 1996, para. 10). Aaker adds that a symbol gains meaning when it works as a metaphor, so that the symbol or one of its traits stands for a functional, emotional or self-expressive benefit (Aaker, 1996, as cited in Meyerson, 2019b, "Visual Image and Metaphors" section). | Brand as Symbol | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 14 | Brand Heritage Heritage is the brand's history. Part of what a brand means can lie there. Meyerson calls heritage "a sometimes-powerful blend of backstory and nostalgia". A respected university or an American classic such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's or Disney can make its history one element of its identity (Meyerson, 2019b, "Brand Heritage" section). Brand heritage also appears in the self-analysis at the start of the plan (Meyerson, 2019b, figure). What story does the brand's past tell? | Brand as Symbol | Brand Heritage |
| 15 | Value Proposition In the figure, the identity leads to a value proposition made up of functional, emotional and self-expressive benefits (Meyerson, 2019b, figure). The sources available on the 1996 model name this box but do not define it. Da Silveira and colleagues read self-expressive benefits as the way consumers express their own identity (da Silveira et al., 2013, p. 29). Aaker defines two of the benefit types in a later blog post. An emotional benefit makes the buyer or user feel something while buying or using. A self-expressive benefit gives a person a way to express who he or she is (Aaker, 2014b, "Emotional Benefits" and "Self-Expressive Benefits" sections). He advises moving beyond functional benefits. Customers may not believe in a functional advantage, and a point of difference that rests on function can be copied quickly by competitors. He suggests self-expressive, social and emotional benefits as the basis of the value proposition (Aaker, 2014b, paras. 3–4). Social benefits are not part of the 1996 figure. | What the Identity Offers | Value Proposition |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Extended Identity All other elements of the identity. In Aaker's words, the extended identity "fills in the picture" with details that help show what the brand should stand for (Kell, 1996, para. 11). Its elements give the identity texture and make it complete (Aaker, 1996, as cited in Meyerson, 2019b, "Putting the Brand Vision Model All Together" section). They may be less important than the core or do less to set the brand apart. Over time, an extended element may become core, and the other way round (Meyerson, 2019a, "Core and Extended Vision Elements" section). | Identity Structure | Extended Identity This is a rule for weighting elements and not a content field with its own meaning; the fixed core itself stays inside, as the core identity in L013. |
| 10 | Local vs. Global Aaker describes this as a basic choice of identity: be a global brand, or connect with the local market (Aaker, 1996, as cited in Meyerson, 2019b, "Local vs. Global" section). A global brand, or one seen as global, brings size and prestige. But it may struggle to feel relevant to local customers. A local brand can cast itself as the local favourite, yet it lacks the credibility of a brand known and praised worldwide (Meyerson, 2019b, "Local vs. Global" section). | Brand as Organization | Geographic Scope Geographic reach is a business decision about scope, not content of the identity. |
| 16 | Credibility The figure places credibility next to the value proposition, with a note about supporting other brands. Like the value proposition, it leads to the brand–customer relationship (Meyerson, 2019b, figure). The available sources do not define this box, and they read credibility in different ways. The note in the figure points to the role a brand can play for other brands. In 1996, Aaker stressed that brands do not exist alone but relate to other brands in a system (Kell, 1996, para. 12). Konecnik and Go, who work with a later version of the model, describe an identity that gives credibility by endorsing the brand, that is, by vouching for it (Konecnik & Go, 2008, p. 179). Tőkés, who works with a 2002 edition of the book and the later version, links credibility to the brand's competences (Tőkés, 2020, pp. 27, 30). | What the Identity Offers | Brand Architecture Ordering the brand family is a business decision outside the identity of a single brand. |
Tier A
Brand Identity Prism
Jean-Noël Kapferer · HEC Paris
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Physique The brand's physical traits and qualities. These are either objective features that people name right away when asked about the brand, or newer features that are still emerging. "Physique is both the brand's backbone and its tangible added value." Kapferer's own image: "If the brand is a flower, its physique is the stem." Without the stem, the flower dies. Physique also includes the brand's flagship product (Kapferer, 2008, pp. 182–183). | Picture of Sender | Product Attributes |
| 02 | Personality By communicating, a brand slowly builds up a character. The way it talks about its products shows "what kind of person it would be if it were human". This is the personality of the brand as sender. It should not be confused with the reflected customer, which is a picture of the ideal buyer (Kapferer, 2008, pp. 183–184). | Picture of Sender | Brand Persona |
| 03 | Relationship Brands often sit at the heart of exchanges between people. This facet "defines the mode of conduct that most identifies the brand": how the brand acts, serves and treats its customers. This facet is especially important for services, banks and retailers (Kapferer, 2008, pp. 185–186). | Bridge Between Sender and Recipient | Brand Relationship |
| 04 | Culture The values that inspire the brand. Culture is "the source of the brand's aspirational power" and sets the basic principles behind its products and communication. Kapferer places it at the core of the brand. A brand's country of origin is often a rich source of such values (Kapferer, 2008, pp. 184–185). | Bridge Between Sender and Recipient | Brand Values |
| 05 | Reflection The type of customer the brand seems to be talking to. This is not the same as the target group. The brand shows customers "as he/she wishes to be seen as a result of using a brand", as a model to identify with (Kapferer, 2008, p. 186). | Picture of Recipient | Prototypical User |
| 06 | Self-Image Reflection is the outer mirror: how customers are seen by others. Self-image is the inner mirror: how customers see themselves when they use the brand (Kapferer, 2008, p. 186). | Picture of Recipient | Brand-Related Self |
| 07 | Brand Essence The one central value the brand stands for, written in the middle of the prism (Kapferer, 2008, pp. 180, 198). It is useful for managers because it tries to sum up the richness of an identity, which makes it easier to pass on. But words mean different things in different cultures, so to really understand a brand "one really needs the full identity prism" (Kapferer, 2008, p. 198). | Centre | Brand Essence |
Tier A
Brand Key
Unilever · Consumer Goods Company
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Root Strengths Historische kracht . The first step looks back at what the brand has achieved so far. It records the product the brand started with, called the parent product, and the product it is mainly known for today, called the flagship product. A new Brand Key should keep in view how the brand grew to its present size. A brand that builds on the strengths behind its past success stays familiar to its consumers. It must still keep pace with the times, but changes are best made in small steps. The step is thus about balancing what stays the same against what changes (EURIB, 2010, "Stap 1: Historische kracht"). Branding by Garden calls this field the brand's heritage, what the brand has always done best (Branding by Garden, 2026, "1. Root strength"). What was the brand's original product, and which product is it mainly known for now? | Starting Points | Brand Heritage |
| 03 | Target Doelgroep . This step maps the desired target group. It covers demographic features as well as attitudes and values (EURIB, 2010, "Stap 3: Doelgroep"). Montalvo-Arroyave and colleagues speak of a full profile of the rational and emotional features of the target markets (Montalvo-Arroyave et al., 2022, p. 171). Branding by Garden stresses that the target goes "far beyond simple demographics like age and location" and asks, "Who, truly, is the brand for?" (Branding by Garden, 2026, "3. Target audience"). Why is the brand the best choice for the consumer? | Consumer | Target Customers |
| 05 | Benefits Voordelen . From this step on, the model zooms in on the internal side of the brand. The task is to name the brand's benefits. They can be functional or psychosocial (EURIB, 2010, "Stap 5: Voordelen"). Branding by Garden makes a similar split. Functional benefits are the tangible, rational advantages, the "what". Emotional benefits are how the brand makes customers feel, the "how" (Branding by Garden, 2026, "5. Benefits"). Montalvo-Arroyave and colleagues describe benefits simply as what the brand provides to meet the customer's needs (Montalvo-Arroyave et al., 2022, p. 171). | Proposition | Value Proposition |
| 06 | Values & Personality Waarden & persoonlijkheid . This step asks which values the brand should appeal to. Brands that do so are thought to click better with consumers. This leads to better recognition and to more appreciation. Two things matter. First, values are best not stated outright. They should come through in the advertising message instead. Second, values often do not make a brand distinctive. The difference lies rather in how a brand puts its values into practice. Values can also be given "hands and feet" (translated) through personification, which describes the brand in terms of personality traits or character. EURIB names two known value systems, Mitchell's VALS typology and Rokeach's RVS typology (EURIB, 2010, "Stap 6: Waarden & persoonlijkheid"). What does the brand stand for, and what does it "believe" in? | Proposition | Brand Values; Brand Persona |
| 07 | Reasons to Believe Geloofwaardigheid . This step lists the reasons why the target group can believe that the brand is the best choice. These reasons can be used in the brand's communication. Concrete moments of customer contact can also be arranged so that they show consumers proof of the brand's claims (EURIB, 2010, "Stap 7: Geloofwaardigheid"). Branding by Garden lists possible proof, such as unique features, patents, particular ingredients, customer testimonials, awards or long experience. As the consultancy puts it, promises mean nothing without proof (Branding by Garden, 2026, "7. Reasons to believe"). I buy brand X because … | Proof and Difference | Reasons to Believe |
| 08 | Discriminator Onderscheidende kracht . This step makes clear what the real difference is compared with other brands (EURIB, 2010, "Stap 8: Onderscheidende kracht"; Montalvo-Arroyave et al., 2022, p. 171). For Branding by Garden, the discriminator is "the single most compelling and unique reason" to choose the brand over all others. Once the earlier fields are done, it should become clear (Branding by Garden, 2026, "8. Discriminator"). Kudryashov and colleagues add that it does not have to match the reasons to believe (Kudryashov et al., 2023, p. 76). Only brand X has … | Proof and Difference | Key Differentiator |
| 09 | Essence Merkessentie . The last step sums up steps 5 to 8, from the benefits to the discriminator. It names the essence of the brand in one or two words (EURIB, 2010, "Stap 9: De merkessentie"). Asked what the essence is for, the EURIB team called it a short phrase that gives direction, a "brand mantra" meant to guide the team that works on the brand. A positioning statement, by contrast, explains the essence, often to people who are not directly involved, such as the management (EURIB, 2010, reply of September 1, 2017). Liddell describes the essence as "shorthand" for everything else in the key (Liddell, n.d., introduction). Branding by Garden calls it "the ultimate distillation of the entire framework" (Branding by Garden, 2026, "9. Brand essence"). | Core | Brand Essence |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Competitive Environment Concurrentieomgeving . This step maps the competition, meaning the brands and products a customer considers when deciding what to buy. They can be direct competitors, but also less obvious ones. The task is to list which brands can compete with the brand. It also asks how they position themselves in the market and what customers and consumers associate with them. EURIB names Porter's five forces model as a handy aid for listing competitors (EURIB, 2010, "Stap 2: Concurrentieomgeving"). Montalvo-Arroyave and colleagues add that the competition is defined by what the consumer sees as the brand's competitors (Montalvo-Arroyave et al., 2022, p. 171). | Starting Points | Competitors This describes other brands as they are, so it is analysis before the identity work and not content the owner decides. |
| 04 | Insight Inzicht . To succeed in the market, a brand must respond to a relevant consumer insight. EURIB defines it as a latent, or hidden, buying motive of the intended target group towards the product. An insight does not simply answer why consumers buy a branded product. It points to the hidden needs behind the purchase. The description of insights can partly overlap with the description of the target group, especially where values and attitudes are concerned (EURIB, 2010, "Stap 4: Inzicht"). Branding by Garden calls the insight "perhaps the most critical component" (Branding by Garden, 2026, "4. Insight"). Why do consumers buy the product, and why do they not buy it? | Consumer | Consumer Insight The insight is discovered in customers' minds and not decided by the owner; it feeds the benefit promise but is not the promise itself. |
Tier A
Brand Steering Wheel
Franz-Rudolf Esch · ESCH. The Brand Consultants (Saarlouis)
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Brand Competence Markenkompetenz is the heart of the wheel. ESCH. also calls it the brand core ( Markenkern ). It sums up what is essential about the brand, can hold emotional as well as factual content, and forms the lasting core of the brand identity (ESCH. The Brand Consultants, 2025, "Markensteuerrad"). It captures the brand's central traits. They relate to the brand's history and how long it has been on the market, its origin, its role in the market and its central brand assets. Such assets include special production methods, manufacturing techniques, know-how in research and development, a lead in knowledge and access to customers. The four quadrants around it make the competence concrete. ESCH.'s guiding question for it is "Who am I?" (translated) (ESCH. The Brand Consultants, 2025, "Markenkompetenz"). | Core | Brand Competences |
| 02 | Brand Attributes Markenattribute are the properties a brand has. They can belong to the offer or to the company (ESCH. The Brand Consultants, 2025, "Markenattribute"). They refer to "factual and measurable properties of the brand" (translated), such as product features, and they form the basis on which a brand can deliver relevant benefits to customers (ESCH. The Brand Consultants, 2025, "Markensteuerrad"). Marketers also call attributes the "reason why" or "reason to believe": they are the grounds that make a claimed benefit credible. This matters because benefits and attributes are processed in System 2, the pilot. There, people test brand claims logically, step by step, analytically and with close attention (ESCH. The Brand Consultants, 2025, "Markenattribute"). What properties does the brand have? | Hard Facts – What's in It for Me? | Product Attributes |
| 03 | Brand Benefits Markennutzen are the customer needs a brand can meet. In simple terms, a benefit is either functional, such as strong cleaning power, or psychosocial, such as a cream that makes its user attractive and desirable (ESCH. The Brand Consultants, 2025, "Markensteuerrad"). Psychosocial benefits often weigh more for customers. One reason is that most brands already meet many of the functional ones, so customers see the difference mainly in the psychosocial ones. These are often hard to find out, though, because customers first answer in rational terms. Customers buy a benefit, not attributes, yet the benefit needs matching attributes to back it. ESCH. quotes the saying "In the factory we make cosmetics, but in the store we sell hope" (ESCH. The Brand Consultants, 2025, "Markennutzen"). What do I offer? | Hard Facts – What's in It for Me? | Value Proposition |
| 04 | Brand Tonality Markentonalität is the emotional side of the brand. It covers the emotions and feelings the brand should trigger. The brand image lets people experience the tonality. ESCH. offers three ways to capture it. The first is the brand's personality. Like people, brands can be given personality traits, and describing a typical person who stands for the brand helps to find them. The second is the relationships between the brand and its customers. They work both ways and can be spelled out. The third is the experiences people link with the brand, which come from communication or from personal experience. The three ways overlap. They complement each other and look at the brand from different angles (ESCH. The Brand Consultants, 2025, "Markentonalität"). What am I like? | Soft Facts – How Do I Feel About It? | Brand Persona |
| 05 | Brand Image Markenbild means the brand's appearance, not the picture of the brand in people's minds. It covers all non-verbal impressions of the brand that the company builds on purpose and that customers should ideally perceive. These impressions help people recognise and remember the brand, or they shape the picture of the brand in people's minds. They arise in personal and mass communication, in the real world and online. Visual impressions, for example, come from buildings and shops, packaging and products, sales staff, users and fans of the brand, websites and social media. All senses count, from seeing and hearing to touching, smelling and tasting. If all these impressions fit together and complement each other, the result is a clear brand image (ESCH. The Brand Consultants, 2025, "Markenbild"). How do I appear? | Soft Facts – How Do I Feel About It? | Distinctive Brand Assets |
Tier A
Brand Vision Model
David A. Aaker · Prophet
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Vision Elements The building blocks of the vision. They are the associations that should come to mind when people see or hear of the brand (Aaker, 2011a, point 3). A brand may be based on six to twelve of them (Aaker, 2014a, p. 20). They are created in three steps. First, the associations the brand aims for are listed. Then they are sorted into groups that belong together. Finally, each group is summed up in a phrase. Some associations can be points of parity. The brand needs them to be relevant, but they do not set it apart (Aaker, 2012, principle 1). | Starting Point | Brand Essence |
| 02 | Core Vision Elements The two to five vision elements that are "the most compelling and differentiating". They reflect the brand's future value propositions, that is, what it will promise customers. They drive the brand-building programs and initiatives (Aaker, 2014a, p. 20). Each core element is elaborated so that programs can be found and ranked (Aaker, 2012, principle 5). In an earlier blog post, Aaker spoke of two to four core elements (Aaker, 2011a, point 3). | Priorities | Brand Essence |
| 04 | Brand Essence An optional central theme of the vision. It works as one umbrella idea that covers everything the brand aims to do. The right essence can be "magic" for internal communication, for inspiring employees and partners and for guiding programs. It should always be sought, but sometimes it gets in the way. If it does not fit or is not convincing, it will absorb the energy of everyone involved. Then the core elements are the better drivers of the brand (Aaker, 2014a, p. 21). | Theme and Communication | Brand Essence |
| 06 | Proof Points Evidence that the organisation can keep its promise. Proof points are skills and programs the organisation already has. They enable it to deliver what each vision element and its value proposition promise (Aaker, 2014c, "Is Your Vision Really Feasible" section). In 2012, Aaker described them as the assets and skills already in place behind an identity element (Aaker, 2012, principle 5). Proof points can be visible to customers or work behind the scenes. The brand should make the most of them (Aaker, 2014c, "Proof Points Can Be Visible" section). | Elaboration | Reasons to Believe |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | Extended Vision Elements All other vision elements, usually three to five (Aaker, 2012, principle 3). They "add texture" to the vision and help strategists judge whether a program is "on brand". They give a home to aspects that may not deserve a core place, such as a brand personality. They also hold elements that matter greatly for success but may not set the brand apart, such as high quality. These elements can and should still shape branding programs. An extended element sometimes grows into a core element (Aaker, 2014a, p. 20). In Aaker's view, keeping an element visible keeps it alive (Aaker, 2012, principle 3). | Priorities | Extended Identity This is a rule for weighting elements and not a content field with its own meaning; the fixed core itself stays inside, as the core identity in L013. |
| 05 | Brand Position A short-term guide for communication. It often states what will be said to which target audience, and with what reasoning. The current position often stresses the vision elements that will appeal and that the brand can already deliver credibly. It might change as new capabilities and programs emerge or markets shift. Its centrepiece is often a tagline, a short slogan for the outside world. The tagline does not have to match the essence, and usually does not. The essence is meant for use inside the organisation (Aaker, 2014a, p. 21). | Theme and Communication | Brand Positioning Positioning is derived from the identity and set against competitors, so it is the next step after the identity and not part of it. |
| 07 | Strategic Imperatives Where proof points are weak or missing, a strategic imperative is needed. Aaker defines it as "a strategic investment" in assets, skills, programs or people. Without it, the promise to customers cannot be delivered. But it may require a large investment or a change in culture. Imperatives act as a reality check. They make the "must-do" investments visible and so raise the question of whether the brand strategy is realistic (Aaker, 2014c, "Proof Points Can Be Visible" section). | Elaboration | Strategic Imperatives These are actions and conditions that make the identity deliverable, so this is planning after the identity and not its content. |
Tier A
Corporate Brand Identity Matrix
Mats Urde · Lund University
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Value Proposition The mix of appealing arguments aimed at customers and other stakeholders. A strong value proposition should build a good relationship between customers and the brand, lead to purchases and earn the company a good reputation. A key challenge is to write specific value propositions that still fit a broad brand core (Urde, 2013, p. 753). Which offerings matter most, and how should they appeal to customers and to other stakeholders? | External | Value Proposition |
| 02 | Relationships How the company builds relationships with customers and other stakeholders over time. The element "defines a mode of conduct". It covers how the company serves its customers, works with them and relates to them. This should match the company's culture (Urde, 2013, p. 753). What kind of relationship should the organisation have with its key customers and other stakeholders? | External | Brand Relationship |
| 03 | Position Where management wants the corporate brand to be placed, in the market and also in the hearts and minds of key stakeholders. It is not the positioning itself but a point of reference for the positioning work that follows once the identity is defined (Urde, 2013, p. 753). Where do we want to stand with key customers and other stakeholders, in the market and in their hearts and minds? | External | Brand Ambition |
| 04 | Expression The verbal, visual and other signs by which people recognise the company, such as tone of voice, design, graphic style and logo. It also includes a flagship product that shows the brand's qualities. Visual identity is part of the corporate brand identity, "but not at its heart" (Urde, 2013, p. 752). What is special about how we communicate, so that people recognise us from afar? | External / Internal | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 05 | Core: Promise and Core Values The heart of the matrix. Urde defines the brand core as core values that support and lead up to a promise. The promise ties the core values together into a meaningful whole. It is communicated to the outside and guides the company on the inside (Urde, 2013, p. 752). Urde compares the core to a beacon that guides brand building inside and outside the company (Urde, 2013, p. 758). What do we promise, and which core values sum up what the brand stands for? | External / Internal | Brand Values; Brand Promise |
| 06 | Personality The mix of human traits that form the company's character. Following Keller and Richey, Urde points to a key difference. A product brand's personality is usually linked to the image of its consumers and users. A corporate brand's personality depends more on the personality of the employees who represent the company (Keller & Richey, 2006, cited in Urde, 2013, p. 752). Which human traits together make up our corporate character? | External / Internal | Brand Persona |
| 07 | Mission & Vision The mission explains why the company exists and what drives it beyond making money. The vision describes its direction and what inspires it. For companies that start from the inside (brand-oriented), the mission is typically a starting point for defining the corporate brand identity (Urde, 2013, p. 751). What drives us beyond making money (mission)? Where are we heading and what inspires us (vision)? | Internal | Guiding Philosophy |
| 08 | Culture The company's attitudes, values and beliefs, and the way it works and behaves. Culture can set the company apart from its competitors. Heritage and track record, country of origin and iconic leaders can be important parts of the culture that shape the corporate brand identity (Urde, 2013, pp. 751–752). What attitudes do we hold, and how do we work and behave? | Internal | Brand Culture |
| 09 | Competences The company's skills and processes, above all its core competences. They show what the company does especially well, which knowledge and ways of working set it apart, and where it beats its rivals. This element ties the brand to lasting competitive advantage. Managers in the case companies suggested this element (Urde, 2013, pp. 750, 752, 757). What are we especially good at, and what gives us an edge over competitors? | Internal | Brand Competences |
Tier A
Corporate Branding Model
Paul Capriotti · Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona)
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Corporate Philosophy Top management, such as the owner, the CEO or the board, defines the philosophy as a whole picture of the organisation that helps it reach its goals. Capriotti describes it as whatever top management finds central, lasting and distinctive about the organisation (Capriotti, 2009, p. 25). Its three parts answer three questions. The mission defines the business: what the organisation does. The vision is its final goal, where it wants to get to. The core values describe how it goes about its business (Capriotti, 2009, p. 26). A mission should name the needs of publics that the organisation meets, not the products it makes (Capriotti, 2009, p. 140). The philosophy sets the basic direction for the organisation's actions (Capriotti, 2009, p. 138). It describes what the organisation wants to become. In Capriotti's image, it is "what I want to be when I grow up" (Capriotti, 2010, p. 18, translated). What do we do? What do we want to be? How do we do it? | Corporate Identity | Guiding Philosophy |
| 02 | Corporate Culture Culture is made up of beliefs, values and ways of behaving that the members of an organisation share but do not write down. It guides them and shows in how they act (Capriotti, 2009, p. 24). Beliefs are the basic assumptions members hold about the organisation, without realising it. Values are the principles they apply in daily dealings with each other, and they are easier to see than beliefs. Ways of behaving are patterns anyone can observe, and they express the beliefs and values (Capriotti, 2009, pp. 24–25). If the philosophy is what the organisation wants to become, the culture is "what I am now" (Capriotti, 2010, p. 18, translated). For all other publics, the employees "are" the organisation, so their behaviour shapes its image (Capriotti, 2009, p. 25, translated). Philosophy and culture must fit together. The organisation should look for gaps between them and close them, because such gaps damage the image its publics hold (Capriotti, 2009, p. 138). | Corporate Identity | Brand Culture |
| 03 | Corporate Identity Profile How the organisation wants its publics to see it. The profile sets out the basic traits the organisation chooses so that publics recognise it, tell it apart from others and prefer it (Capriotti, 2009, p. 213). Defining the Corporate Identity Profile ( Perfil de Identidad Corporativa ) is a strategic decision that management must take. It sets the organisation's identity strategy and decisively shapes how the organisation acts and communicates (Capriotti, 2009, p. 214). The profile is the organisation's "communicative axis", the content of the messages its publics will receive (Capriotti, 2009, p. 217, translated). There is no set formula for it. It should not hold too many attributes, and each one must be important and valuable to the publics. A small local shop may need only a few attributes, a bank like BBVA many, and a city like Barcelona or a country like Brazil a wide network of them (Capriotti, 2009, p. 220). Intangible attributes such as quality or safety should outweigh tangible ones such as price. They rest on belief more than on analysis, so they set the organisation apart more strongly and are harder to copy (Capriotti, 2009, pp. 219–220). | From Identity to Profile | Brand Essence |
| 04 | Personality Traits The organisation seen as a "person". These attributes describe the inborn traits and the behaviour that define its character. They concern the way the organisation is and the way it expresses itself, for example young, modern, dynamic or fun (Capriotti, 2009, p. 218, translated). Of the three types, they lie closest to the core, the identity itself (Capriotti, 2010, p. 21). What are we like? | Three Types of Attributes | Brand Persona |
| 05 | Institutional Values The organisation seen as a "social institution". These are the basic values and principles it adopts towards the society, culture and economy around it, in order to earn credibility and trust. Examples are corporate ethics, commitment, care for the environment and support for culture (Capriotti, 2009, p. 218, translated). Here the organisation relates to its surroundings as if it were one more member of society. Social responsibility belongs in this group (Capriotti, 2010, pp. 20–21). What do we believe in? | Three Types of Attributes | Social Responsibility |
| 06 | Competitive Attributes The organisation seen as a "commercial entity". These attributes aim to strengthen its ability to compete, to win customers or users and to keep them loyal. They express the advantages, benefits or solutions that identify the organisation and set it apart, for example quality, variety, customer service, technology or price (Capriotti, 2009, p. 218, translated). They are the attributes people notice most easily and the ones organisations use most often (Capriotti, 2010, p. 21). How do we do our business? | Three Types of Attributes | Product Attributes |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07 | Level of Relevance How central each attribute is to the organisation. Capriotti proposes three levels. At the top are two or three central attributes. Next come two or three secondary ones of medium importance. All remaining attributes are peripheral (Capriotti, 2009, p. 221). In his talk he calls this last group "filler" and adds that planners may use as many levels as they like (Capriotti, 2010, p. 21, translated). The three levels work for any profile, but they are needed most when a profile is complex, with many different attributes (Capriotti, 2009, pp. 221–222). | Weighting the Attributes | Extended Identity This is a rule for weighting elements and not a content field with its own meaning; the fixed core itself stays inside, as the core identity in L013. |
| 08 | Desired Level of Recognition How strongly the organisation wants publics to recognise each attribute (Capriotti, 2009, p. 221). It gives each attribute a value from 1 to 5 or from 1 to 7, based on the attribute's level of relevance. Every attribute thus gets its own number, and the profile can be drawn as a graph (Capriotti, 2009, p. 222). Often an organisation stands apart not through single attributes but through their mix and weighting (Capriotti, 2009, p. 222). The graph shows where the organisation wants to go. Laid over the image profile, which shows how publics see the organisation now, it reveals the strategic gaps and where to work first (Capriotti, 2010, p. 21). Capriotti advises using the same type of graph for both profiles, so that they are easy to compare (Capriotti, 2009, p. 222). | Weighting the Attributes | Extended Identity This is a rule for weighting elements and not a content field with its own meaning; the fixed core itself stays inside, as the core identity in L013. |
Tier A
Corporate Identity System
Japanese CI Practice · Formula Summarised by Okada (1986)
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Mind Identity (MI) MI reviews the corporate philosophy and rebuilds it. It makes clear why the company exists and what it aims for. It also sets rules for running the company to match. Hiraike, summing up Okada, calls MI "the essential part of CI" (Hiraike, 2001, pp. 2–3, translated). The Chinese textbook describes MI as the set of values that reflects the company's business ideas and its individuality. It has two layers. One is the company's rules and structures, including its codes of conduct. The other is its spiritual culture, meaning the ideas and mindset of the company and its staff. MI is usually condensed into an advertising or brand slogan (He, 2010, "Basic Content" section). | Core | Guiding Philosophy |
| 02 | Visual Identity (VI) VI gives the corporate philosophy a visible form. Hiraike, summing up Okada, calls it "the most CI-like part". Typical steps are a new company name or a new symbol mark (Hiraike, 2001, p. 3, translated). Okada's table speaks of giving the philosophy a form that people can see and hear (Hiraike, 2001, p. 2, Table 1). VI works through the company name, brand names, symbol mark, logotype (the name in fixed lettering), corporate colour and even buildings. So it bears directly on how outsiders see the company (Hiraike, 2001, p. 8). The Chinese textbook splits VI into a basic part and an application part. The basic part holds the name, the mark, standard typefaces and colours, supporting graphics and rules on what is not allowed. The application part covers signs and flags, office supplies, the design of premises, uniforms and company vehicles (He, 2010, "Basic Content" section). | Two Ways to Spread It | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 03 | Behaviour Identity (BI) BI makes the corporate philosophy take root in everyday behaviour. When people say that CI improves a company's constitution or revives the organisation, this is the part they mean (Hiraike, 2001, p. 3). Inside the company, BI works through strategy, organisational structure, management systems, ceremonies and rituals, until the culture fits the philosophy (Hiraike, 2001, p. 8). The Chinese textbook calls BI the company's code of conduct. It puts the link between philosophy and behaviour in a picture. A philosophy that never shows in behaviour exists in name only, and behaviour without a philosophy is "a heap of loose sand". For the textbook, BI inside the company covers rules, training, the working environment and staff benefits. Outside, it covers market research, public relations, marketing, product development and activities for the public good and for culture (He, 2010, "Basic Content" section, translated). | Two Ways to Spread It | Corporate Behaviour |
Tier A
De Chernatony Brand Identity Model
Leslie de Chernatony · Open University Business School
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Brand Vision The vision is the starting point of the model. It is the brand's "core purpose and envisioned future". The core purpose "shows how the brand will make the world a better place, improving people's lives". It should inspire staff and give direction to their work. Managers also need a picture of the brand's surroundings in five to ten years, and of the part the brand has to play to get there (de Chernatony & Harris, 2000, p. 269). The 2001 paper calls the core purpose the brand's "reason for being". There, the vision also holds the core values, which guide how staff behave (Harris & de Chernatony, 2001, p. 443). | Centre | Brand Vision |
| 02 | Culture Corporate culture covers the company's artefacts, values and assumptions, and it guides behaviour (de Chernatony & Harris, 2000, p. 269). Artefacts are the visible part of a culture (Suomi et al., 2013, p. 205). The values and assumptions of staff steer what they do, "particularly in novel situations". If culture and brand values do not match, staff may behave inconsistently. This can harm how stakeholders see the brand. Culture can give a company an edge over competitors, but it must be "appropriate, adaptive and attentive to the needs of all stakeholders" (Harris & de Chernatony, 2001, pp. 443–444). So managers need to agree on the few core values that stay unchanged and let the less central values adapt as circumstances change (de Chernatony & Harris, 2000, p. 269; Harris & de Chernatony, 2001, p. 444). The figure calls them core and peripheral values (Harris & de Chernatony, 2001, p. 443, Figure 1). | Centre | Brand Culture |
| 04 | Personality Personality is "a metaphor for the brand's emotional values" (de Chernatony & Harris, 2000, p. 269). It describes the human character the brand would have if it were a person (Suomi et al., 2013, p. 205). It grows out of the brand's core values, among other sources, and out of its positioning. Three things shape its traits further: the image of the "typical user", endorsers who publicly recommend the brand, and customers' contacts with staff. So managers need to make sure that staff and external communications convey the same personality (Harris & de Chernatony, 2001, p. 444). | Driven by Vision and Culture | Brand Persona |
| 05 | Relationships Relationships grow out of the way stakeholders deal with the brand, and the brand's values define them. Staff are central here (de Chernatony & Harris, 2000, p. 269). The figure lists relationships from staff to staff, staff to customers and staff to other stakeholders (Harris & de Chernatony, 2001, p. 443, Figure 1). Relationships among colleagues count too. Customers watch how staff treat each other, and this shapes how they see the brand (de Chernatony & Harris, 2000, p. 269). The relationship between brand and customers works both ways and can be upset by changes on either side. Managers need to help staff understand which relationships fit the brand's core values (Harris & de Chernatony, 2001, p. 444). | Towards Stakeholders | Brand Relationship |
| 06 | Presentation The last component is the way the identity is presented to stakeholders (de Chernatony & Harris, 2000, p. 269). The task is to find presentation styles that reflect stakeholders' aspirations and self-images, in other words how they would like to be and how they see themselves (de Chernatony & Harris, 2000, pp. 269–270). People respond more favourably to brands that fit how they see themselves. They also use a brand's symbolic meaning to show others who they are. Advertising and the contacts staff have with customers both carry this meaning. So managers need to watch for gaps between the meaning they intend and what advertising and staff behaviour actually convey (Harris & de Chernatony, 2001, pp. 444–445). Consistent presentation across the company "is vital" (de Chernatony & Harris, 2000, p. 269). | Towards Stakeholders | Brand-Related Self |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | Positioning Positioning "sets out what the brand is, who it is for and what it offers" (Harris & de Chernatony, 2001, p. 444). Managers need to check whether the intended positioning fits the brand's core purpose and values (de Chernatony & Harris, 2000, p. 269). The positioning is a set of "functionally distinct capabilities", practical abilities that set the brand apart. They should grow out of the brand's core values. Artefacts also shape the positioning, because they give cues about the brand's performance characteristics. The authors compare them to the physique facet of Kapferer's prism, the brand's physical side (Harris & de Chernatony, 2001, p. 444). | Driven by Vision and Culture | Brand Positioning Positioning is derived from the identity and set against competitors, so it is the next step after the identity and not part of it. |
Tier A
Identity-Based Brand Management
Christoph Burmann · University of Bremen
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Brand Origin Origin ( Markenherkunft ) is the foundation of the brand identity. It matters greatly for brand management, because people inside and outside the company first see and interpret a brand in the light of where it comes from. It is linked to the brand's history but is narrower. History covers every past event connected with the brand. Origin picks out some of these and stresses them, so management can shape it over the long term. In the best case, origin lends all other brand activities credibility and authenticity (Burmann et al., 2003, p. 18). It has three facets. Regional and cultural origin cover all influences from the brand's home countries and regions. Institutional origin is the industry or organisation the brand comes from, shaped by industry customs, company culture and founders (Burmann et al., 2003, pp. 18–19). | Foundation and Offering | Brand Origin |
| 02 | Brand Competences The second main basis of the identity is the competences of the company that runs the brand. The figure calls them (Kern-)Kompetenzen der Marke , the brand's (core) competences. A competence is the company's ability to combine its resources so that the brand fits what the market asks for. Older approaches mainly equate a brand's competence with product quality. Burmann calls this "a heavily shortened understanding" (translated), because it overlooks the company abilities through which a brand comes about and develops. For him, a brand is the result of the right combination of company resources (Burmann et al., 2003, p. 20). Competences only count if the brand creates a customer benefit that people will pay for. They rest on a knowledge lead over competitors, so they never last for good. Keeping them takes steady investment, including in holding on to the people whose know-how they depend on (Burmann et al., 2003, p. 21). | Foundation and Offering | Brand Competences |
| 03 | Brand Offering The offering ( Art der Markenleistungen ) is the basic kind of products and services the brand provides. It builds directly on the competences and decides how customers can use the brand. Management has to set the basic form and features of these products and services. Burmann compares this with a person who decides, as part of their identity, what role and function to take on in society, for example through their job. In the same way, the identity sets which functional benefits the brand should offer its customers (Burmann et al., 2003, p. 21). | Foundation and Offering | Product Scope |
| 04 | Brand Vision The vision ( Markenvision ) sets the brand's long-term direction for five to ten years. It should motivate everyone inside the company. Vivid, emotional guidelines should show what role the brand plays in reaching the company's long-term goals. Brand goals are more concrete and cover a shorter time. The vision coordinates action across the company so that it stays in line with these goals. It should name the market segments the brand targets and the main ways the brand differs from competitors. It must express a wish that can come true in the long run, so that it motivates people inside the company and lets them identify with the brand (Burmann et al., 2003, p. 22). A later version of the approach joins vision and mission into one component. The mission sums up the role the brand takes on for its target groups and states why it exists (Burmann et al., 2017, as cited in Tőkés, 2019, p. 65). | Direction and Character | Brand Vision |
| 05 | Brand Values The values ( Markenwerte ) are the basic beliefs of management and employees, in other words, what the brand "believes in" (translated). They should express important emotional parts of the identity and what the target groups wish for in an ideal brand. They should be limited to a few statements and relate to the benefit the brand promises its customers (Burmann et al., 2003, p. 22). | Direction and Character | Brand Values |
| 06 | Brand Personality Following Azoulay and Kapferer, Burmann defines the personality ( Markenpersönlichkeit ) as "the set of human personality traits that are both applicable and relevant for brands". These traits show in the brand's verbal and non-verbal style of communication. The brand's typical representatives and its origin shape this style. After launch, typical users and buyers can shape the personality too, by plan or by chance. Personality and values are the main ways to charge the relationship between brand and customers with emotion and so make it stronger. The personality strongly affects whether the target groups like the brand (Burmann et al., 2003, p. 23). | Direction and Character | Brand Persona |
Tier A
Three-Hour Brand Sprint
Jake Knapp · GV (Google Ventures)
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20-Year Roadmap Fifteen minutes. Teams usually concentrate on their present work. But a successful company's brand will last a long time. So the team looks 20 years ahead. On a timeline marked 5, 10, 15 and 20 years ahead, everyone notes what the company might be doing at each date, and the Decider picks one item per date. Nobody will expect the company to stick to the roadmap later. The point is to get the team to think about how long the brand will live (Knapp, 2017, "20-Year Roadmap" section). What could the company be doing 5, 10, 15 and 20 years from now? (Knapp, 2017, "20-Year Roadmap" section) | Motivation | Brand Vision |
| 02 | What, How, Why Thirty minutes. The exercise is based completely on Simon Sinek's "Golden Circle". The team draws three circles inside each other: what on the outside, how in the middle, why at the centre. What is a phrase for the company's main business over the next five years. How is the "secret sauce", the technology or approach that sets the company apart. Why is the reason people get up in the morning and go to work. It should reflect the core reason the company exists and will not change much over time. The business may change course or enter new markets, but the why remains the same. Knapp agrees with Sinek that brands with a why are stronger, meaning brands whose motivation shines through. Finding the why is hard, so today's version may be a placeholder that the team comes back to later (Knapp, 2017, "What, How, Why" section). What does your company do? How do you do it? Why? (Knapp, 2017, "What, How, Why" section) | Motivation | Brand Purpose; Product Scope; Key Differentiator |
| 03 | Top Three Values Thirty minutes. Values make the why more specific. Knapp knows that "company values" can sound like "consultant baloney". For him, they are what really matters to the company or, better still, "decision-making principles". Many companies list values, but few do the hard work of reducing and ranking them. The team must cut its list down to three values and rank them, so that one value stands out as the most important. Knowing that value makes decisions easier, clarifies the message and sets the company apart from its competitors (Knapp, 2017, "Top Three Values" section). | Detail | Brand Values |
| 04 | Top Three Audiences Thirty minutes. Values are not the whole picture, because a brand must know whom it is talking to. The team lists all possible audiences and then decides which matter most. Customers count, but Knapp suggests thinking more broadly about whose opinion matters. The brand may also matter to other businesses, the press, advertisers, staff, job candidates and even government regulators. Whether to use broad categories such as "athletes" or segments such as "runners" is up to the team. Each person votes for the two most important audiences, and then the Decider writes down the top three in order (Knapp, 2017, "Top Three Audiences" section). Whose opinion do you care about? (Knapp, 2017, "Top Three Audiences" section) | Detail | Key Stakeholders |
| 05 | Personality Sliders Thirty minutes. This exercise sets the attitude and style of the brand (Knapp, 2017, "Introducing the Brand Sprint" section). The whiteboard shows four lines, each running between two extremes: Friend to Authority, Young & Innovative to Mature & Classic, Playful to Serious, and Mass Appeal to Elite. On these lines, the team places the company's "sliders", marks that show where the company sits. Everyone first marks a printout, then copies the marks onto the whiteboard and adds their initials. There are good reasons to sit on either side of any line, and some sliders may end up in the middle. But it helps to hold a strong opinion on at least one or two of the ranges. After a short discussion, the Decider plots the final positions (Knapp, 2017, "Personality Sliders" section). | Position Relative to Others | Brand Persona |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06 | Competitive Landscape Thirty minutes. The last exercise sets the brand against other companies (Knapp, 2017, "Introducing the Brand Sprint" section). It uses "a simple 2x2 matrix", two crossing axes that form four fields. Classic to Modern runs along the horizontal axis, Expressive to Reserved along the vertical one. Each person lists other companies in the same market or industry and picks the one or two most important. Their names go on sticky notes, one name per note, and the team places them on the matrix one at a time. The Decider may move any note. Finally, the team plots its own company, and the Decider makes the final call (Knapp, 2017, "Competitive Landscape" section). | Position Relative to Others | Competitive Landscape The map shows where competitors stand, so it is market analysis and not content the owner fixes for the brand. |
Tier B
Brand Essence Wheel
Ted Bates Agency (Bates Worldwide) · Advertising Agency · c. 1980
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Attributes The outer ring holds the brand attributes ( Markenattribute ). It describes the product as people can experience it with their senses (Drömann, 2020, para. 2). Urde (2013, p. 745) names the same field first in his list. | Four Rings and the Core | Product Attributes |
| 02 | Benefits The next ring holds the brand benefit ( Markennutzen ). Drömann finds that the wheel names only the practical, functional kind of benefit. A social or emotional benefit is at best unclear (Drömann, 2020, para. 2). That fits the USP idea, which treats advertising as the messenger of a benefit the product already has (para. 2). Urde reads the field more widely, as benefits that are "functional, emotional or symbolic" (Urde, 2013, p. 745). | Four Rings and the Core | Functional Benefits |
| 03 | Values The third ring from the outside holds the emotional values that users link to the brand (Drömann, 2020, para. 2). Drömann points out that this field shows how others see the brand, which makes it part of the brand image rather than the brand identity. He also notes that values and personality can overlap, depending on how they are filled in (Drömann, 2020, section Kritische Würdigung [Critical Appraisal]). | Four Rings and the Core | Emotional Benefit |
| 04 | Personality The fourth ring holds the brand personality ( Markenpersönlichkeit ): the human character that consumers give the brand and that strengthens their bond with it (Drömann, 2020, para. 2). Drömann says this ring covers the two-way side of identity, but it still reflects how outsiders see the brand (section Kritische Würdigung [Critical Appraisal]). | Four Rings and the Core | Brand Persona |
| 05 | Brand Essence The brand essence sits in the hub. It condenses the brand and its four outer rings into what the brand stands for. The model limits it to "just one concisely formulated sentence" (translated) (Drömann, 2020, para. 3). | Four Rings and the Core | Brand Essence |
Tier B
Brand Flower
Dietrich Identity · Brand and Corporate Identity Consultancy · 2018
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Brand Core The brand core ( Markenkern ) sits in the middle, where the three values overlap. The model treats it as the "most important value" (translated). Its job is to make the brand recognisable and to set it apart from competitors (Dietrich, 2021; Lenz, 2021, "DID Markenmodell"). The values need not be unique each on its own. The core can provide that uniqueness, because it expresses the brand's ultimate benefit (Lenz, 2021, "Markenwerte sinnvoll definieren"). | Brand Flower | Brand Essence |
| 02 | Brand Values Three brand values ( Markenwerte ) surround the core. They describe the attitude of the brand and mirror the culture and strengths inside the organisation (Lenz, 2021, "DID Markenmodell"). A value is useful if it is genuine (it shows in behaviour), relevant to groups inside and outside the company, and concrete enough to leave little room for interpretation (Lenz, 2021, "Markenwerte sinnvoll definieren"). Such values guide the tone of communication and the company culture, and the agency holds that three are enough (Dietrich, 2021; Lenz, 2021, "DID Markenmodell"). | Brand Flower | Brand Values |
| 03 | Brand Facets Each brand value has three brand facets ( Markenfacetten ) (Dietrich, 2021). A facet fills a value with detail. The value then stops being an abstract word and becomes something people can grasp and follow in their behaviour (Lenz, 2021, "DID Markenmodell"). | Brand Flower | Brand Values |
Tier B
Brand Frame
Helder · Brand Strategy and Design Agency, Berlin · 2023
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Competence Competence is "the value your brand delivers to its target audience" and the way the brand "differentiates itself from competitors" (Helder, n.d.-a, "The Elements of the Helder Brand Frame"). In short, it defines what the brand delivers and to whom (Helder, n.d.-a, "Frequently Asked Questions"). | Brand Frame | Value Proposition |
| 02 | Mission The mission is the brand promise, written as a simple equation: "the customer's problem plus your brand's solution equals the customer's success" (Helder, n.d.-a, "The Elements of the Helder Brand Frame"). It expresses the value the brand creates for its customers (Helder, n.d.-a, "Frequently Asked Questions"). | Brand Frame | Brand Promise |
| 03 | Ambition Helder uses an ambition instead of a vision: "a concrete objective your brand aims to achieve within a defined timeframe" (Helder, n.d.-a, "Ambition Instead of Vision"). | Brand Frame | Brand Ambition |
| 04 | Brand Values Brand values are "the principles that shape how your brand delivers on its promise, both internally and externally" (Helder, n.d.-a, "The Elements of the Helder Brand Frame"). They define how the brand behaves (Helder, n.d.-a, "Frequently Asked Questions"). | Brand Frame | Brand Values |
| 05 | Brand Core The brand core is the brand's "superpower": "the single most distinctive and defining characteristic that sets it apart" (Helder, n.d.-a, "The Elements of the Helder Brand Frame"). | Brand Frame | Key Differentiator |
Tier B
Brand Gestalt Model
Andreas Wiehrdt · BrandDoctor, Munich · 2020
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Point of View The first module asks: "What is your brand's attitude towards topics that are highly important and relevant to your target group?" (Wiehrdt, 2020a, figure). Not every brand can take a credible stand on every social issue. Brands with broad target groups look to long-term social or environmental issues; brands with clearly defined target groups may take a stance that their own customers share but most people reject. The stance has to be authentic (Wiehrdt, 2020b). | Eight Modules | Brand Point of View |
| 02 | Pedigree The second module asks: "What is the founding story behind your brand? What stories and myths are told?" (Wiehrdt, 2020a, figure). The pedigree sets out where the brand comes from. Like a person's family tree, it gives the brand a home and an authentic story, which can make the brand easier to relate to, more tangible and more interesting (Wiehrdt, 2021c). | Eight Modules | Brand Heritage |
| 03 | Product The third module asks: "What kind of products and services should be offered under the trademark?" (Wiehrdt, 2020a, figure). The German version adds which iconic product customers should link with the brand (Wiehrdt, 2020a). Such a brand icon works as a pars pro toto (a part standing for the whole): one product, or a few, that embody key traits of the brand, reduce the complexity of a wide range and charge the brand's other products with its values (Wiehrdt, 2021a). | Eight Modules | Product Scope |
| 04 | Personality The fourth module asks which personality the brand should radiate and which human characteristics it should be given (Wiehrdt, 2020a, figure). A clearly defined brand personality builds an emotional bond with customers, sets the brand apart from competitors and keeps its communication consistent (Wiehrdt, 2024a). | Eight Modules | Brand Persona |
| 05 | Principles The fifth module asks: "What is the higher meaning, the purpose of your company? Which guiding principles and which values shape your actions?" (Wiehrdt, 2020a, figure). This is also the place for the "why" or purpose: the entrepreneurs' vision, the mission and the most important values that are to guide future decisions. If a company runs several brands, its principles can differ from those of its brands (Wiehrdt, 2021b). | Eight Modules | Guiding Philosophy |
| 06 | Properties The sixth module asks: "What iconographic elements shape the perception of your brand? Which images form the brand experience?" (Wiehrdt, 2020a, figure). Such distinctive elements, also called brand assets, include symbols, logos, colours, sounds, characters and brand ambassadors. To count as a brand property, an element has to be unique, conspicuous and well known in the target group (Wiehrdt, 2024b). | Eight Modules | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 08 | Promise The eighth module asks: "What relevant value proposition does the brand want to give its customers?" (Wiehrdt, 2020a, figure). The promise is more than a list of benefits. It describes how the brand solves an important customer problem in a way the competition cannot, and so becomes its unique selling point (Wiehrdt, 2021d). | Eight Modules | Brand Promise |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07 | Positioning The seventh module asks which place the brand should occupy in the minds of customers and how it will stand out from competitors (Wiehrdt, 2020a, figure). A strong positioning also makes clear what the brand is not and whom it is not meant for (Wiehrdt, 2026). | Eight Modules | Brand Positioning Positioning is derived from the identity and set against competitors, so it is the next step after the identity and not part of it. |
Tier B
Brand Identity Canvas (Alves)
Antonio Pedro Cruz Costa Alves · ESPM, São Paulo · 2022
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Organisation The most internal dimension: the company's influence on the brand and on what it does. Mission, vision and values of the company work in the background and "should not contradict the brand essence"; employees and other stakeholders can also affect the brand (Alves, 2022, p. 142). The canvas asks about the corporate mission and values behind the brand, the organisation's influence on it and the employees' interactions with it (p. 141). Like the market and the results, it lies outside the scope of the brand managers, who can only influence it (p. 144). | Internal: Organisation | Guiding Philosophy |
| 02 | Brand Essence The core brand identity and centrepiece of the model, built from the brand's ethos and values: "what the brand stands for, why it has come into existence, and why it needs to be kept unchanged over time" (Alves, 2022, p. 143). It is strategic and rarely changes, because brand values and purpose need to stay consistent (p. 144). The canvas asks for the core brand values, why the brand exists and the brand vision (p. 141). | Internal and External: Brand Identity | Guiding Philosophy |
| 03 | Narrative Brands need to strengthen their storytelling so that the consumer is "transported" into the story. Plot, characters and causal links create the story ambience, and archetypes and myths can deepen emotional bonds (Alves, 2022, pp. 142–143). The canvas asks how the brand tells its stories and about its characters, plot, setting, point of view, themes, myths and archetypes (p. 141). | Internal and External: Brand Identity | Brand Narrative |
| 04 | Personality The anthropomorphisation of the brand: a tone of voice and human characteristics that people can easily recognise and praise. A brand can take on a personality, and it should stay consistent "to avoid being seen as fickle" (Alves, 2022, p. 143). The canvas asks which personality represents the brand and what its tone of voice is (p. 141). | Internal and External: Brand Identity | Brand Persona |
| 05 | Relationship The same human characteristics should also be explored in the brand's relationships: brands should embrace and leverage fan communities and keep a dialogue with consumers, while interactions, events and co-creation increase attachment and loyalty (Alves, 2022, p. 143). The canvas asks how the brand interacts with stakeholders and which communities it has (p. 141). | Internal and External: Brand Identity | Brand Relationship |
| 06 | Symbology The brand's symbols and how they are expressed: logotypes, fonts, colours, symbols and sometimes spokes-characters, all of which carry literal and implied meanings that brand managers should look into (Alves, 2022, p. 143). The canvas asks for the key brand symbols, their meanings and how they are represented (p. 141). | Internal and External: Brand Identity | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 10 | Photography Guides the creative direction with sample images that show how photos should look, for instance the camera angle, the lighting, the setting and what people wear; video and sound can be added here (Alves, 2022, p. 145). | Mood Board (Back Page) | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 11 | Typography Which typefaces the brand uses, with sample texts and where they appear (Alves, 2022, p. 145). | Mood Board (Back Page) | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 12 | Tone of Voice The brand language: friendly, smart or direct, relaxed and conversational or formal and sophisticated, and the words that describe it; speech can be added here (Alves, 2022, p. 145). | Mood Board (Back Page) | Brand Voice |
| 13 | Colour The brand's colour scheme: its main and supporting colours, how they are combined, how intense they are, which shade they have, and any use of black and white (Alves, 2022, p. 145). | Mood Board (Back Page) | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 14 | Symbols The logo, characters, icons, the brand name, taglines, emblems and any other graphic element "that embeds the brand values and meanings" (Alves, 2022, p. 145). | Mood Board (Back Page) | Distinctive Brand Assets |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07 | Brand Positioning Positioning is "the brand frontier and what consumers and competitors see": brands define their target consumers, where they sell and the best functional and emotional attributes (Alves, 2022, p. 143). Positioning is tactical and constantly reviewed (p. 144). The canvas asks for the main product lines, the product attributes and reason to believe (RTB) and the target consumers (p. 141). | External: Positioning and Market | Brand Positioning Positioning is derived from the identity and set against competitors, so it is the next step after the identity and not part of it. |
| 08 | Market The social, environmental and cultural conditions of a given place and time: what consumers value and prefer, who the competitors are, norms, habits and culture wherever the brand is sold. Positioning only makes sense when it is directed at a specific market (Alves, 2022, p. 143). The prototype called this component "environment" (p. 140). | External: Positioning and Market | Market and Environment Conditions These conditions exist independently of the owner's decisions, so they are analysis and not identity content. |
| 09 | Brand Results The result of the exchange between the brand and its surroundings (Alves, 2022, p. 142). It sums up all branding efforts, such as brand awareness, valuation, equity and market share: "No brand can endure without being tracked and measured." (p. 143). The results feed back into the brand strategy, and the cycle starts again (pp. 143–144). The prototype called this component "outcomes" (p. 140). | Results | Brand Strength and Equity Strength is measured in what audiences think and do, so it is an outcome of brand work and not its content. |
Tier B
Brand Identity Canvas (Whitlock)
Jeff Whitlock · SafeBoda · 2016
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Mission Why the company exists: its core purpose and values (Whitlock, 2016, figure). Whitlock describes a startup's mission as the "dent it hopes to make in the universe". Mission and vision sit at the top because they should guide every aspect of the brand (Whitlock, 2016, "At the Top"). | At the Top | Brand Purpose |
| 02 | Vision What the company aspires to become (Whitlock, 2016, figure; "At the Top"). Together with the mission, it should guide every aspect of the brand (Whitlock, 2016, "At the Top"). | At the Top | Brand Vision |
| 03 | Essence The single word that says what the brand stands for, "your company's soul in one word" (Whitlock, 2016, figure). The word is chosen and defined in this field; Whitlock also suggests listing the connotations the brand deliberately seeks (Whitlock, 2016, "From Left to Right"). | Column 1: Essence | Brand Essence |
| 04 | Characteristics The core traits and attributes of the brand, "the personification of your brand" (Whitlock, 2016, figure): the human traits of its personality. The test question is how one would describe the brand if it were a friend (Whitlock, 2016, "From Left to Right"). | Column 2: Characteristics and Antonyms | Brand Persona |
| 05 | Antonyms Traits that do not belong to the brand and that it wants to stay clear of (Whitlock, 2016, figure). Noting them explicitly helps to keep a wanted trait from coming across as an unwanted one (Whitlock, 2016, "From Left to Right"). | Column 2: Characteristics and Antonyms | Brand Persona |
| 06 | Voice A high-level description of how the brand expresses itself through words and prose style (Whitlock, 2016, figure): the type of words and the general prose style used across all copy, whether product, advertising or content (Whitlock, 2016, "From Left to Right"). | Column 3: Voice, Messaging and Stories | Brand Voice |
| 07 | Messaging The key consumer-facing messages of the brand, including its tagline (Whitlock, 2016, figure): the few messages that convey the value the products deliver to customers (Whitlock, 2016, "From Left to Right"). | Column 3: Voice, Messaging and Stories | Key Messages |
| 08 | Stories The legends about the brand that the company wants to start, its "brand lore" (Whitlock, 2016, figure), and the stories about the company that it will tell (Whitlock, 2016, "From Left to Right"). | Column 3: Voice, Messaging and Stories | Brand Heritage |
| 09 | Visual A high-level description of how the brand expresses itself through visual elements (Whitlock, 2016, figure): the company's design style at a high level (Whitlock, 2016, "From Left to Right"). | Column 4: Visual Brand Language | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 10 | Color The brand's color palette (Whitlock, 2016, figure), given as specific hex values for use across product and content. Defining it early avoids "fifty shades of your startup's blue across the internet" (Whitlock, 2016, "From Left to Right"). | Column 4: Visual Brand Language | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 11 | Typography The brand's typeface and fonts (Whitlock, 2016, figure), specified for all copy (Whitlock, 2016, "From Left to Right"). | Column 4: Visual Brand Language | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 12 | Form, Line, Texture, Space The design rules that the brand's other distinctive visual elements follow (Whitlock, 2016, figure). Whitlock advises non-designers to look into form, line, texture and space so that the guidelines keep the brand consistent (Whitlock, 2016, "From Left to Right"). | Column 4: Visual Brand Language | Distinctive Brand Assets |
Tier B
Brand Identity Formation Model
Marina B. Yanenko · Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University · 2016
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Physique Physique ( физические данные , literally "physical data") covers both the physical attributes of each item in the range and the unity of the physical data of the brand as a whole. To gain an extra competitive advantage and extend the product's life cycle, sensory branding can be used, designing the attributes as the combination of visual, auditory, tactile and taste features that is best and most relevant for the consumer. For the most precise contact, a map of customer touchpoints should be drawn up; for a B2B brand, contacts with the different members of the buying centre are listed separately, with each member's behaviour in mind (Yanenko, 2016, p. 115). | Facets | Product Attributes |
| 02 | Personality Personality ( индивидуальность , literally "individuality") describes the brand's characteristic features in terms of personal traits. The product becomes a means of self-identification: consumers project their own wishes, experiences and preferences onto it. The personality can be a celebrity who embodies the brand, the head of the company, an invented character, an advertising hero or a stable set of associations. This part of the identity reflects the brand promise, which must later be confirmed and should ideally match consumers' expectations (Yanenko, 2016, p. 115). Yanenko cites Aaker's five types of brand personality and Domnin's description by the kind of relationship that dominates: values, feelings or character (Yanenko, 2016, p. 115). | Facets | Brand Persona |
| 03 | Culture Culture ( культура ), like personality, belongs to the brand's content features. It can reflect the image of a country, the history of the company or product, traditions, corporate values (following Kapferer), national features and the like. To form this group of features, every aspect related to culture should be studied; Yanenko points to Kozeychuk's proposal to treat the product's perceived origin as a focal point of brand management (Yanenko, 2016, p. 115). | Facets | Brand Origin |
| 04 | Relationships Relationships ( взаимоотношения ) are a particular type of relationship and interaction between consumer and brand, "a type of behaviour that for the most part identifies brands" (translated). The facet defines how the brand acts, how it delivers services and what its relations with consumers are like. Archetypes of consumer behaviour in the product category can help; for B2B brands, the whole system of relationships with each member of the buying centre and each member's behaviour must be considered (Yanenko, 2016, pp. 115–116). As a separate trait, the facet includes marketing culture ( культура маркетинга ), the element Yanenko adds to Kapferer's prism, either as an extra facet or as part of relationships (Yanenko, 2016, pp. 114, 116). | Facets | Brand Relationship |
| 05 | Reflection Reflection ( отражение ) is how consumers would like to appear to others and what impression they would like to make when using the brand. Here the brand serves as a means of building relationships, fitting into a group or reaching shared goals. For B2B brands, this facet can take on a more professional, status-related tone (Yanenko, 2016, p. 116). | Facets | Prototypical User |
| 06 | Self-Image In the self-image ( самообраз ), the brand serves as a means of self-identification. For B2B brands, as with reflection, the self-image may carry a sense of professionalism, status, modernity or conservatism (Yanenko, 2016, p. 116). | Facets | Brand-Related Self |
| 07 | Brand Essence Brand essence ( суть бренда ) is "the most important thing about the brand in two or three words" (translated). This facet reflects the group of characteristic properties that express what the brand is, its main mission and idea (Yanenko, 2016, p. 116). | Centre | Brand Essence |
Tier B
Brand Leadership Model
David A. Aaker and Erich Joachimsthaler · Prophet and Vivaldi · 2000
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 | Brand Identity Brand identity ( Identidad de la marca ) belongs to the task of developing a brand strategy for the key factors. Identity is the essence of the model, because, in the authors' words, it is "the vehicle that guides and inspires the brand-building program" (Aaker & Joachimsthaler, Spanish edition, as cited in Campos Guzmán, 2012, p. 91; translated), and the positioning tunes the identity that is to be communicated (Campos Guzmán, 2012, p. 91; translated). The figure names an aspirational image and the brand positioning (p. 91, Figure 4). Vivaldi Group (2019) calls this challenge Positioning: "to originate a strategy which provides identity, differentiation, and empathy". The identity should be strong, memorable, focused and motivating; the authors' model for planning it centres on a brand identity system of four connected parts: essence and identity of the brand, its value proposition of functional, emotional and self-expressive benefits, the credibility it offers among other brands, and relationships with customers that resemble personal relationships (Campos Guzmán, 2012, p. 91; translated). | Four Tasks | Brand Essence |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Organizational Structure and Processes This field ( Estructura y procesos organizativos ) stands for the task of creating the organization that builds brands: taking responsibility for creating strategies and management processes (Campos Guzmán, 2012, p. 91; translated). The figure names its two parts, responsibility for brand strategy and management processes (p. 91, Figure 4). Vivaldi Group (2019) states the challenge as "to create a viable brand building organization". Aaker later writes that, seen strategically, the brand is usually run by people further up in the organization. Where marketing drives the business, the CEO can be the brand's top champion. Marketing also has to get the separate units, split by products, markets or countries, to talk and work together (Aaker, 2014). | Four Tasks | Brand Governance Organising responsibility is steering after the identity exists, not identity content. |
| 02 | Brand Architecture Brand architecture ( Arquitectura de la marca ) is the task of building a complete architecture. It sets the role of every brand the organization owns and decides how the current brands fit together and how new ones are added, so that customers can see clearly what is on offer and the brands create synergy (Campos Guzmán, 2012, p. 91; translated). The figure names brands, sub-brands and endorsed brands (p. 91, Figure 4). For Vivaldi Group (2019), the aim is "a comprehensive architecture providing strategic direction". Aaker later lists possible brand roles, among them strategic, cash-cow, master and endorser brands and sub-brands, and asks marketing to manage the brand family "to foster clarity, synergy, energy, relevance and leverage" (Aaker, 2014). | Four Tasks | Brand Architecture Ordering the brand family is a business decision outside the identity of a single brand. |
| 03 | Brand-Building Programs Brand-building programs ( Planes de construcción de la marca ) are to be efficient and effective: they access multiple media in order to achieve brilliance, while the results are measured (Campos Guzmán, 2012, p. 91; translated). The figure lists four points: access multiple media, achieve brilliance, integrate communication and measure results (p. 91, Figure 4). Vivaldi Group (2019) describes the challenge as "to develop effective programs and a system to track the results". | Four Tasks | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
Tier B
Brand One / Gramco Brand Model
Gramco · Branding firm, Tokyo · 2021
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Brand Purpose Purpose ( パーパス , 存在意義 ) is the reason a company exists. Gramco sums it up as the answer to "why does the world need this company?" (Gramco, n.d.-a, "Purpose"; translated). A growing number of companies, first in the West, now put it at the centre of their guiding principles instead of the mission statement. In the Brand Model it is the highest concept (AdverTimes, 2021). | Centre | Brand Purpose |
| 02 | Brand Vision The brand vision ( ブランドビジョン ) is a long-term commitment put in writing: the state the brand wants to reach, even if it cannot show it today. It reaches beyond a company's medium-term business plan (Gramco, n.d.-a, "Vision"). | Centre | Brand Vision |
| 03 | Brand Value Proposition The value proposition ( 提供価値 ) is the value that only this brand can give its customers and stakeholders. It is the core of the brand concept and has an emotional and a functional side. Benefits belong to it too. Gramco keeps it apart from "value" alone, which means the brand's values (Gramco, n.d.-a, "Value Proposition (提供価値)"; "Value Proposition"). | Centre | Value Proposition |
| 04 | Personality The brand personality ( パーソナリティ ) gives the brand a character, and that character overlaps with the culture of the whole organisation. Gramco fixes it when the brand concept is written, as a guide to how the brand should behave. Staff can take it as a standard for their own conduct, and it shapes tone and manner (Gramco, n.d.-a, "Personality"). | Lower Half of the Outer Ring | Brand Persona |
| 05 | Key Customers The key customers ( 戦略顧客 , "strategic customers") are the people the brand most wants to work with or be liked by. Other customers are still served. But a product or service is hard to develop without a customer in mind, and naming them also sharpens the brand's own behaviour and personality (Gramco, n.d.-a, "Strategic Customer"). | Lower Half of the Outer Ring | Target Customers |
| 08 | Message The brand message ( ブランドメッセージ ) is the brand put into words. It is built from the written vision, value proposition and personality. The slogan, a one-line summary of the whole brand, is part of it. A brand story can be too (Gramco, n.d.-a, "Brand Message"). | Upper Half of the Outer Ring | Key Messages |
| 09 | Design Brand design ( ブランドデザイン ) is the look that stands for the brand. It covers the symbol, logo, sub-elements, colours and brand style (Gramco, n.d.-a, "Design"). | Upper Half of the Outer Ring | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 10 | Experience Brand experience ( ブランド体験 ) lets the key customers feel the brand's world. Trying a product shows its functional value. A brand story raises interest and lets people feel the emotional value. The setting of the experience needs design too. With more buying online, Gramco expects stories and video, and later virtual reality, to carry it (Gramco, n.d.-a, "Brand Experience"). | Upper Half of the Outer Ring | Brand Experience |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06 | Positioning Positioning ( ポジショニング ) means deciding where the brand should stand among its competitors. The starting point is research on its current position. From there the brand chooses where to move, with its vision and key customers as guides (Gramco, n.d.-a, "Positioning"). | Lower Half of the Outer Ring | Brand Positioning Positioning is derived from the identity and set against competitors, so it is the next step after the identity and not part of it. |
| 07 | Brand Architecture Brand architecture ( ブランド体系 ) is the order among a company's brands. At the top sits the corporate brand. Below it come business, category, line and product brands. Because these levels often differ from one business to the next, Gramco advises listing every current brand first and then putting them into one system (Gramco, n.d.-a, "Brand Architecture"). | Lower Half of the Outer Ring | Brand Architecture Ordering the brand family is a business decision outside the identity of a single brand. |
| 11 | Management Brand management ( ブランドマネジメント ) covers the tasks of planning, building and running the brand so that the company can use it strategically. Narrowly, that is the job of a brand office or a PR unit. In practice every department that meets stakeholders takes part, from corporate planning and HR to sales and customer support (Gramco, n.d.-a, "Brand Management"). | Upper Half of the Outer Ring | Brand Governance Organising responsibility is steering after the identity exists, not identity content. |
Tier B
Brand Onion
Planning format of agency strategists and marketing teams · Originator not documented · n.d.
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Attributes The outer layer, where the work starts with what is visible: "The tangible, functional characteristics of the brand. What it does. What it offers. The rational, provable facts." In short, attributes "describe features" (FRMWRKS, n.d., section The Framework). | Five Layers | Product Attributes |
| 02 | Benefits The second layer: "What those attributes deliver to customers. The practical and emotional outcomes. Why the attributes matter." Benefits "explain value" (FRMWRKS, n.d., section The Framework). | Five Layers | Value Proposition |
| 03 | Values The third layer: "The beliefs and principles the brand stands for. What it cares about beyond profit. The moral and ethical foundation." Values "express belief" (FRMWRKS, n.d., section The Framework). | Five Layers | Brand Values |
| 04 | Personality The fourth layer asks: "If the brand were a person, how would it behave?" It covers "the tone, style, and character" and how the brand "shows up in the world"; personality "gives it character" (FRMWRKS, n.d., section The Framework). | Five Layers | Brand Persona |
| 05 | Essence The core: "The single word or short phrase that captures the brand's core identity. Everything distilled to its simplest, truest form." The essence "captures everything in a word or phrase" (FRMWRKS, n.d., section The Framework). | Five Layers | Brand Essence |
Tier B
Brand Orientation and Brand Hexagon
Mats Urde · Lund University · 1994/1999
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Vision & Mission The lower node is where the model starts. The brand mission covers why the brand exists, plus its strategy, identity, personality and core values (Gerlach & Witt, 2012, p. 18). Brand building begins with a clear picture of the internal brand identity, so the mission comes first (Mohamed, 2013, p. 47). This part of the hexagon shows what the company wants with its brand (Mohamed, 2013, p. 48). | Outer Nodes | Guiding Philosophy |
| 02 | Target Audience The upper node shows how the target customers understand the brand (Mohamed, 2013, p. 48). In a brand-oriented company the brand is "a strategic platform for interplay with the target group". It does not simply answer every demand of the moment (Urde, 1999, as cited in Mohamed, 2013, pp. 48–49). Communication links this node to the centre, and through it customers learn what the brand identity is (Gerlach & Witt, 2012, p. 18, Figure 3). | Outer Nodes | Target Customers |
| 03 | Product Category and Product The right side of the hexagon is the reference side. Customers judge product category and product with reason (Mohamed, 2013, p. 48). Urde's model keeps the two apart (Larsson et al., 2001, p. 26). Quality links the product to the centre (Gerlach & Witt, 2012, p. 18, Figure 3), and Mohamed adds that the model treats product quality as important for building a brand (Mohamed, 2013, p. 49). | Outer Nodes | Product Scope |
| 04 | Company Name and Brand Name The left side carries the emotional function. Customers judge company name and brand name by feeling. For Urde, a brand is experienced as a whole, with heart and head together (Mohamed, 2013, p. 48). Personality links the brand name to the centre (Gerlach & Witt, 2012, p. 18, Figure 3). Larsson et al. point out that the model assumes a company that makes and sells only its own brands. For the retailer Gröna Konsum they leave the names aside, though they find it interesting how names such as Änglamark and Blåvitt shape its image (Larsson et al., 2001, pp. 26–27). | Outer Nodes | Brand Name |
| 05 | Positioning: Core Values The centre is where the meaning of the brand is formed. It consists of positioning and core values (Mohamed, 2013, p. 48). Together, these two carry the brand's meaning. The tie between brand and audience then becomes a question of identity (Urde, 1999, as cited in Larsson et al., 2001, p. 29). A brand-oriented company uses positioning to get its core values across (Larsson et al., 2001, p. 29). If it later has to change its communication, it can reposition the brand and leave the identity as it is (Aaker, 1996, as cited in Larsson et al., 2001, p. 29). Communication, personality and quality tie the centre to target audience, brand name and product (Gerlach & Witt, 2012, p. 18, Figure 3). | Centre | Brand Values |
| 07 | Personality Personality is the human side of the brand, the character that people attach to it (Larsson et al., 2001, p. 29). Urde points out that any product has a substitute. A brand is different when it has its own personality and identity, because it can give customers a relationship that no other brand offers (Gerlach & Witt, 2012, p. 18). In the figure, personality links the centre with the brand name (Figure 3). | Links to the Centre | Brand Persona |
| 08 | Quality Quality is the product-related part of positioning. Pricing shows how this can work, since a price is often read as a sign of quality (Larsson et al., 2001, p. 29). Mohamed reads the model as treating product quality and brand identity as important parts of building a brand (Mohamed, 2013, p. 49). In the figure, quality links the centre with the product (Gerlach & Witt, 2012, p. 18, Figure 3). | Links to the Centre | Price and Quality Tier |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06 | Communication Positioning has three parts: quality, personality and communication (Urde, 1999, as cited in Larsson et al., 2001, p. 29). Used together, they let the brand take a clear place in customers' minds (Larsson et al., 2001, p. 29). Communication is about how the brand speaks, that is, which media it uses, what kind of communication and what it says (Larsson et al., 2001, p. 29). Urde's hexagon gives it a large role, because it is how customers are told what the brand identity is (Gerlach & Witt, 2012, p. 18). In the figure it links the centre with the target audience (Figure 3). | Links to the Centre | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
| 09 | Awareness Awareness, associations and loyalty are the inner relationships of the model (Gerlach & Witt, 2012, p. 18). They follow Aaker's three equity dimensions: awareness, association and loyalty (Mohamed, 2013, p. 49). Awareness comes first. If people have never noticed the brand, there is nothing to build on (Gerlach & Witt, 2012, p. 18). In the figure, this step runs between target audience and product (Figure 3). | Inner Triangle | Awareness and Recognition Whether people know the brand is measured among the audience and is a result of brand work. |
| 10 | Associations Associations are the second step. They set the brand apart from others and give people attitudes and feelings about it (Gerlach & Witt, 2012, p. 18). In the figure, this step runs along the base of the triangle between brand name and product (Figure 3). | Inner Triangle | Brand Image The image arises in the audience's minds and cannot be decided by the owner; it is a result of identity work. |
| 11 | Loyalty Loyalty comes last. People form a strong tie to the brand once its identity and core values have been communicated to them (Gerlach & Witt, 2012, p. 18). In the figure, this step runs between brand name and target audience (Figure 3). | Inner Triangle | Loyalty Loyalty is behaviour and attachment on the customer's side and a result of the identity, not part of it. |
Tier B
Brand Thinking Canvas
Anne Miltenburg · Brand The Change · 2014
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Brand Essence The centre of both parts of the canvas (Brand The Change, n.d., figure). Miltenburg calls a great brand essence "a catalyst" for everything a brand does: it guides the way the brand communicates, and finding the right way to bring it to life in visuals and messages takes time and practice (Miltenburg, 2016b, section "Lesson Learned"). | Part One: Brand Core | Brand Essence |
| 02 | Vision The brand core "is built on the change you want to see in the world", and it is put into words through a vision, mission and values (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). "A vision paints a picture of a future world you are working towards"; in Miltenburg's image of a climb, it is the top of the mountain (Miltenburg, 2016a, sections on the vision and on the difference). | Part One: Brand Core | Brand Vision |
| 03 | Mission A mission says how the organisation will reach its vision: if the vision is the summit, the mission is the path that leads up to it (Miltenburg, 2016a, sections on the mission and on the difference). Miltenburg cites Kevin Starr of the Mulago Foundation, who asks for a mission of eight words or less: a verb, a target population and an outcome that implies something to measure (Miltenburg, 2016a, section on the mission). | Part One: Brand Core | Brand Mission |
| 04 | Values Brand values are "the fundamental beliefs and principles that will guide and define its identity and behaviour". They shape how a brand presents itself and how it deals with its team, its audiences and other stakeholders (Miltenburg, 2023, section "What Are Brand Values?"). Values that are not embedded in the culture "will never work" for the brand (Miltenburg, 2023, introduction). | Part One: Brand Core | Brand Values |
| 05 | Brand Promises The brand promises capture "what you commit to deliver to your audiences" (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). On the canvas they form the outer ring of the brand core, around vision, mission and values (Brand The Change, n.d., figure). | Part One: Brand Core | Brand Promise |
| 06 | Visual Identity The brand identity "consists of your visual and verbal expression: what you look like, how you talk" (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). The visual identity is how the brand looks; the field text on the canvas gives examples such as the logo, the colour palette and type (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10). | Part One: Brand Identity | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 07 | Verbal Identity How the brand talks (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). The field text on the canvas names as examples "your brand name, pay-off/slogan, tone of voice, messaging or content" (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10). | Part One: Brand Identity | Verbal Identity |
| 09 | Places & Events The places where the brand wants to be seen (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). The field text asks where the brand is located and which events it can develop or be part of (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10). | Part One: Brand Interactions | Branded Spaces and Events |
| 12 | People, Talent & Behavior The people a brand hires and how they behave when they meet its customers (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). The field text asks: "Who are the faces of your brand? How do they put your purpose and values into action?" (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10). | Part One: Brand Interactions | Corporate Behaviour |
| 14 | Audience The second part of the canvas asks who needs to know about the brand (Brand The Change, n.d., figure). It helps to define "who your audience is and how you can direct what they think and feel about you" (Brand The Change, 2022, product description). Five audience circles are linked to the brand essence in the centre (Brand The Change, 2022, product images). | Part Two: Who Is Your Audience? | Key Stakeholders |
| 15 | What For each audience, what the brand wants them "to think and feel about you" (Brand The Change, n.d., figure, Part Two). | Part Two: Who Is Your Audience? | Key Stakeholders |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08 | Products & Services Brand interactions "guide all the points of contact that you build with your audiences", from the people a brand hires to the products and services it offers. The core also guides how a brand sets up its production chain or sources its materials (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). | Part One: Brand Interactions | Strategic Imperatives These are actions and conditions that make the identity deliverable, so this is planning after the identity and not its content. |
| 10 | Communication & Channels The types of channels a brand chooses to communicate (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). The field text asks how the brand will communicate and through which channels, what its topic is and what it says (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10). | Part One: Brand Interactions | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
| 11 | Partnerships & Collaborations The partnerships a brand forms with others (Brand The Change, 2023, book p. 63). | Part One: Brand Interactions | Co-Branding and Partnerships Choosing partners is a business decision about growth, not part of the identity. |
| 13 | Technology The field text asks: "What hardware or software can support interaction with your audiences?" (Brand The Change, 2022, manual p. 10). | Part One: Brand Interactions | Brand Strategy and Action Plan Planning the actions comes after the identity is set, so it is steering and not identity content. |
| 16 | How For each audience, "how you will achieve that" (Brand The Change, n.d., figure, Part Two). | Part Two: Who Is Your Audience? | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
Tier B
Branding for Builders
Gibson Biddle · Former VP of Product, Netflix · 2017
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Customer Benefit The second question asks how the product helps customers. The answer moves unchanged into the brand pyramid, where it becomes the second level (Biddle, 2017). | The Positioning Model | Functional Benefits |
| 03 | Personality The third question is about character. How should the product come across to customers? Biddle's test is a cocktail party. A guest has just met your product. What would you want that guest to say about it afterwards (Biddle, 2017)? | The Positioning Model | Brand Persona |
| 04 | Product Attributes This is the base of the pyramid. It lists the features that deliver the benefits above it, meaning what customers actually buy or use. The pyramid is read from the bottom up, and every other level builds on this one. Features come and go, so this is the level where new ideas show up. The levels above it change much less (Biddle, 2017). | The Brand Pyramid | Product Attributes |
| 05 | Product Benefits Here the team says how the product makes customers' lives better. They repeat the benefits from the positioning model, and the attributes below must make them possible (Biddle, 2017). | The Brand Pyramid | Functional Benefits |
| 06 | Emotional Benefits This level is about feelings. Suppose the product delivers its benefits and then beats expectations. How do customers feel? The answer has to be feeling words. Biddle includes emotion because it makes a brand memorable. He cites Maya Angelou, who said people "will never forget how you made them feel" (Biddle, 2017). | The Brand Pyramid | Emotional Benefit |
| 07 | Something Bigger The top level looks far ahead. If the product fully delivers on the levels below, how might it "dent the universe"? Biddle asks teams to think twenty years out. Many find this hard, so his advice is simply to think big. The goal is a purpose that can inspire the team for fifty years (Biddle, 2017). | The Brand Pyramid | Brand Purpose |
| 08 | Headline The headline is the whole pyramid in one line. If the team later builds an advertising campaign, this line is what the campaign is called (Biddle, 2017). | The Brand Pyramid | Brand Essence |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Positioning Biddle explains positioning with Volvo. Ask people for the first word that comes to mind, and most say "safety". Volvo has put one idea into people's heads, and that idea sets the brand apart from its competitors. The model's first question is how you would describe the product or company in simple terms. The answer should be short and plain. In the long run, the team should ask which single word the brand wants to own (Biddle, 2017). | The Positioning Model | Brand Positioning Positioning is derived from the identity and set against competitors, so it is the next step after the identity and not part of it. |
Tier B
CORE Discovery Framework
Jose Caballer · The Futur · 2019
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Brand Attributes For Caballer, strategy starts with an organisation knowing who it is, and this matters most: what it does and for whom, how it does it, how it feels and how it affects the world. In this exercise ( Brand Exercise ), the team writes a brand statement together, whether it is called a mission statement or a brand statement. The statement gives the key attributes that guide the design process that follows; its aim is alignment and a clear vision, and it serves "as the blueprint to create the right solution" (Caballer, 2019). | The Core of CORE | Brand Essence |
| 03 | Customer Profiles The value of a product or service starts with knowing what customers need, yet few teams are clear on those needs, agree on them and put them first. In this exercise the team describes three to four customer profiles and ranks their needs and goals, using what the people in the room know about customers and the company's own research data. The result is a shared view: three profiles, each with three top needs and solutions. Skipping it creates "chaos, mis-alignment, wasted effort" (Caballer, 2019). | The Core of CORE | Target Customers |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Team Alignment The opening exercise ( Alignment Exercise ) starts from the observation that "people love it when they are included". Following the method of the brand attributes exercise, each participant names the three outcomes they most want from the work session; common wishes are "to get clarity" and for the team to be "on the same page". In the end each person's "only one thing" is prioritised, and the facilitator makes sure it is delivered before the session ends (Caballer, 2019). | The Core of CORE | Brand Strategy and Action Plan Planning the actions comes after the identity is set, so it is steering and not identity content. |
| 04 | Goals Prioritization Teams want a clear focus and no effort spent on work that is later redone or dropped. The exercise sets the business priorities for revenue (monetisation), awareness (marketing) and efficiency (operations), simply by asking the right questions and listening. The outcome is a top three in each category and a stack-ranked list of to-dos for the whole team, set by the people who will carry them out (Caballer, 2019). | The Core of CORE | Brand Strategy and Action Plan Planning the actions comes after the identity is set, so it is steering and not identity content. |
| 05 | Attribute Clustering Because no design can serve every brand attribute, this exercise turns the attributes into tangible design in a clearer, systematic way. For each planned design direction, one main and three supporting attributes are selected. The system behind it is story structure: how a character appears in the story, the feelings it creates and its effect on people. The result is three sets of attributes that can guide whole experiences, "a living brand" (Caballer, 2019). | The Core of CORE | Brand Strategy and Action Plan Planning the actions comes after the identity is set, so it is steering and not identity content. |
| 06 | Data Matching This exercise looks for solutions to the client's business problems beyond the requested deliverable, such as a website, a video or an identity. It pairs the three top needs of the customers with the priorities of the business, which Caballer calls "The Weave", and brainstorms solutions that help both sides. Ideas found where customer needs and company goals overlap are more likely to work (Caballer, 2019). | The Core of CORE | Brand Strategy and Action Plan Planning the actions comes after the identity is set, so it is steering and not identity content. |
| 07 | Impact Narrative The brainstormed solutions are placed in the course of time as customer journeys. The journeys of three to four customers are mapped in parallel, so that the links between the solutions become visible, as well as how customers relate to one another and can add value to each other in a community. The result is a clear story of the experience that is being built, "a view from above" and a roadmap (Caballer, 2019). | The Core of CORE | Brand Strategy and Action Plan Planning the actions comes after the identity is set, so it is steering and not identity content. |
| 08 | The Brief The brief puts the strategy into instructions for the design work. It informs the two to three design directions presented to the client and is where the designer "plans the design" with a conceptual framework of five questions, starting with "What is the highest impact, lowest effort solution that I have to create to move the business goals of this company or idea?" The brief sets out the directions, built on the chosen attributes, the Data Matching ideas and the Impact Narrative. The client signs it, which opens the design phase, starting with stylescapes (Caballer, 2019). | The Core of CORE | Brand Guidelines and Manuals Rulebooks apply the identity consistently, which comes after the identity is set. |
Tier B
Cohesive Brand
Labsology · Brand consultancy (法博思品牌顧問), Taipei · 2022
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Conscious Conscious ( 清醒的組織團隊 , "a clear-minded organisational team") says that a brand starts with the organisation. A clear-minded team reads the market well and also knows its own people: what they need, think and do best (Labsology, n.d.; Chen, n.d.-b). Ongoing dialogue keeps that team aligned on shared goals and the long-term vision (Labsology, n.d.). Chen calls this the foundation of brand development (Chen, n.d.-b). | Core Elements | Internal Branding Anchoring the brand inside the organisation is carrying out the identity after it is defined. |
| 02 | Concept Concept ( 整合的策略系統 , "an integrated strategy system") is the shared plan behind the brand. When everyone in the organisation works from the same strategy, they see the brand's goals the same way, and what they create together stays consistent (Labsology, n.d.). Another Labsology text calls the element 品牌概念 , "brand concept" (Chen, n.d.-b). | Core Elements | Brand Strategy and Action Plan Planning the actions comes after the identity is set, so it is steering and not identity content. |
| 03 | Connection Connection ( 內外的持續串連 , "continuous linking of inside and outside") is the source of the brand's growth. The growth feeds on steady contact between the people inside and the consumers outside, and on understanding what those consumers need. The result is a deep tie between brand and consumers (Labsology, n.d.). Another Labsology text calls the element 消費者連結 , "consumer connection" (Chen, n.d.-b). | Core Elements | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
| 04 | Consulting and Coaching in Parallel The consulting-and-coaching mode ( 顧問輔導與教練並行模式 ) runs coaching alongside consulting. Labsology holds that the drive and means for lasting brand growth lie inside the organisation, not with the consultant, and a consultant who only solves short-term problems is not enough. Coaching helps the organisation see itself and use its own strengths. The system as a whole works on three sides: team building, the strategy system and the iteration process (Labsology, n.d.). | Brand Empowerment System | Internal Branding Anchoring the brand inside the organisation is carrying out the identity after it is defined. |
| 05 | Brand Strategy Map Integrating Inside and Outside The brand strategy map ( 內外整合的品牌策略地圖 ) closes a gap between plan and practice. A clear strategy helps little if the organisation cannot carry it out. The map ties organisation to market and strategy to execution, so the members can pursue the goals together (Labsology, n.d.). | Brand Empowerment System | Brand Strategy and Action Plan Planning the actions comes after the identity is set, so it is steering and not identity content. |
| 06 | Empowering Iterative Brand Internalisation Process The internalisation process ( 賦能式品牌內化迭代流程 ) turns a project into learning and capability for the client. It rests on three parts: deep market research, guided learning inside the organisation, and joint work on the change. Together, Labsology and the client aim to build lasting competitiveness (Labsology, n.d.). | Brand Empowerment System | Internal Branding Anchoring the brand inside the organisation is carrying out the identity after it is defined. |
Tier B
Context Branding Model
Satoshi Akutsu and Shigeru Ishida · Hitotsubashi University and Dentsu, Tokyo · 2002
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Brand Identity Brand identity ( ブランド・アイデンティティ ) is the company side of the model (Kobayashi, 2003, p. 112; Sakurai, 2018, p. 21, Fig. 2-8). It is the company's own picture of what the brand should be, and the picture it hopes customers will adopt. Since it steers all company activity around the brand, it must state the context it is to be read in, so that staff and partners share one understanding (Kobayashi, 2003, p. 113). It has four elements: philosophy, benefits, personality and attributes (Kobayashi, 2003, p. 114). It builds on the philosophy but often adds strategic elements the philosophy need not hold, such as concrete customer benefits, attributes and personality (Akutsu & Katsumura, 2016, pp. 10–11). | Three Domains | Brand Essence |
| 04 | Philosophy Philosophy ( フィロソフィー ) is one of the four elements of brand identity. It is made up of mission, values and vision (Kobayashi, 2003, p. 114). Akutsu and Katsumura call this whole the brand philosophy ( ブランド理念 ), refer to Akutsu and Ishida (2002), and observe that strong brands often build their identity on it (Akutsu & Katsumura, 2016, p. 10). | Philosophy (Brand Identity) | Guiding Philosophy |
| 05 | Mission The mission ( ミッション ) states why the brand exists ( 存在意義 ) (Kobayashi, 2003, p. 114; Akutsu & Katsumura, 2016, p. 10). | Philosophy (Brand Identity) | Brand Purpose |
| 06 | Values The values ( 価値観 ) are what the brand holds dear. They guide how people act when they do branding (Kobayashi, 2003, p. 114; Akutsu & Katsumura, 2016, p. 10). | Philosophy (Brand Identity) | Brand Values |
| 07 | Vision The vision ( ビジョン ) points to concrete steps toward the mission (Kobayashi, 2003, p. 114). Akutsu and Katsumura describe it as the state the brand should reach at some point in the future (Akutsu & Katsumura, 2016, p. 10). | Philosophy (Brand Identity) | Brand Vision |
| 08 | Personality Brand personality ( パーソナリティ ) appears in all three domains. The book treats it, like benefits and attributes, as a key building block of identity, image and communication, and it is the only one with a chapter of its own (Kobayashi, 2003, p. 114; Aiuchi et al., 2005, p. 4). Personality is a term from psychology. The book defines it as "a unified psychological and physiological pattern" behind a person's experience and behaviour (Akutsu & Ishida, 2002, p. 233, as cited in Sakurai, 2018, p. 21; translated). For a brand it matters in two ways. It makes the image easier to form, because it sets the brand apart, ties its parts together and shows how it relates to customers. And it sets the context itself: the same message is read differently under a different personality (Kobayashi, 2003, p. 114). Aiuchi et al. call this the context-defining function ( コンテクスト規定機能 ) and see personality as the core of the context (2005, p. 5). | Levels Across All Three Domains | Brand Persona |
| 09 | Benefits Benefits ( ベネフィット ) are, like personality and attributes, an element of identity, image and communication (Kobayashi, 2003, p. 114). They come in layers. A brand can give functional benefits, create pleasant feelings and let people "stage self-expression" (Akutsu & Ishida, 2002, p. 22, as cited in Sakurai, 2018, p. 10; translated). The figure splits them into functional ( 機能 ), emotional ( 情緒 ) and self-expressive ( 自己表現 ) benefits, on the identity side and on the image side (Sakurai, 2018, p. 21, Fig. 2-8). A later article counts customer benefits ( 顧客便益 ) among the concrete elements an identity adds to the philosophy (Akutsu & Katsumura, 2016, pp. 10–11). | Levels Across All Three Domains | Value Proposition |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Brand Communication Brand communication ( ブランド・コミュニケーション ) links identity and image (Kobayashi, 2003, p. 112). Its job is not just to deliver facts but to steer how customers read them, because the same product gains or loses value with the context. It can supply the way to read the facts, or shift the customer's own way of reading (Kobayashi, 2003, p. 113). In Sakurai's summary, the unspoken knowledge behind the identity, such as values, is turned into information and stimuli that reach the customer (Sakurai, 2018, p. 20). | Three Domains | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
| 03 | Brand Image Brand image ( ブランド・イメージ ) is the customer side of the model (Kobayashi, 2003, p. 112; Sakurai, 2018, p. 21, Fig. 2-8). What a customer knows about a brand sits in the mind as a web of associations. Whatever comes in from outside is read against the knowledge already stored there, from past experience to beliefs, language and culture. A web is only useful if its links give each association a clear meaning; a mere word game does not count (Kobayashi, 2003, pp. 112–113). In Sakurai's summary, customers judge the brand's information through expectations that come from their own values, and so form the image (Sakurai, 2018, pp. 20–21). | Three Domains | Brand Image The image arises in the audience's minds and cannot be decided by the owner; it is a result of identity work. |
Tier B
Corporate Brand Identity and Reputation Matrix
Mats Urde and Stephen A. Greyser · Lund University and Harvard Business School · 2016
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Value Proposition What the organisation offers and how that offer should win over customers and other stakeholders who do not buy. It is one of the three external elements, aimed at the receivers of the brand. The competences are the prerequisites that back it up (Urde & Greyser, 2016, pp. 99, 103, 106). | Identity: External Elements | Value Proposition |
| 02 | Relationships The kind of relationship the organisation wants to have with its main customers and with stakeholders who are not customers. It is an external element, and the culture of the organisation relates to it and reflects it (Urde & Greyser, 2016, pp. 99, 103, 109). | Identity: External Elements | Brand Relationship |
| 03 | Position The place the organisation wants to hold in the market and in the minds of its main customers and other stakeholders (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 103). As an identity element, the wanted position treats ambition as part of the brand's identity: it belongs to what the brand stands for and to how it wants internal and external stakeholders to see it (p. 105). | Identity: External Elements | Brand Ambition |
| 04 | Expression The distinctive way in which the organisation communicates and presents itself, so that it is recognised from afar (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 103). Expression "defines the verbal and visual manifestations of the brand" (p. 100) and usually covers every form of communication, from advertising and design to the media used (p. 108). | Identity: Internal and External Elements | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 05 | Brand Core: Promise and Core Values The centre of the identity: a brand promise together with the core values that carry it (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 100). The core works as a hub, so all identity and reputation elements are connected to it and influenced by it (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 104). Urde defines it as "an entity of core values supporting and leading to a promise" (Urde, 2013, p. 752, as cited in Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 104). | Identity: Internal and External Elements | Brand Values; Brand Promise |
| 06 | Personality The human traits and qualities that together make up the character of the corporate brand (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 103). Personality "describes the corporate brand's individual character" and, like expression and the brand core, belongs to the inside and the outside at the same time (p. 100). | Identity: Internal and External Elements | Brand Persona |
| 07 | Mission & Vision What engages the organisation beyond earning money (mission) and what gives it direction and inspiration (vision). It is one of the three internal elements, and the engagement and inspiration found here are closely linked to the promise (Urde & Greyser, 2016, pp. 99, 103, 105). | Identity: Internal Elements | Guiding Philosophy |
| 08 | Culture The attitudes inside the organisation and the way it works and behaves (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 103). Culture is an internal element. It largely shapes, and is reflected in, how responsible the organisation appears to stakeholders (pp. 99, 109). | Identity: Internal Elements | Brand Culture |
| 09 | Competences Where the organisation is strong and what puts it ahead of its competitors (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 103). The element covers its capabilities and resources and the way they are turned into processes that create value and possible competitive advantages (p. 106). | Identity: Internal Elements | Brand Competences |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Willingness to Support Urde and Greyser take the element from Greyser (2009), who used willingness-to-support as a measure of the impact of reputation, and define it with a dictionary entry that lists words such as approve, encourage, stand behind, endorse and recommend (Urde & Greyser, 2016, pp. 101–102). It is the reputation element most closely linked to mission and vision (p. 105). Guiding question: "How engaging and inspiring are their purposes and practices?" (Urde & Greyser, 2016, Table 2, p. 102). | Reputation: Strategy Diagonal | Willingness to Support Readiness to support is a judgement held by stakeholders and an effect of the identity. |
| 11 | Differentiation Urde and Greyser take the element from the Young & Rubicam model and define it with a dictionary entry that lists words such as distinction, contrast, difference and demarcation (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 102). It relates to the wanted position; the strategy diagonal runs from willingness-to-support through mission and vision, the brand core and position to differentiation (pp. 104–105). Guiding question: "How distinctive is their position in the market?" (Urde & Greyser, 2016, Table 2, p. 102). | Reputation: Strategy Diagonal | Perceived Differentiation Whether the brand is seen as distinct is judged by the audience and is a result of positioning work. |
| 12 | Relevance Urde and Greyser take the element from the Young & Rubicam model and define it with a dictionary entry meaning that something is closely connected to, or fitting for, the matter at hand (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 102). It is the perceived relevance of the value proposition (pp. 106–107). Guiding question: "How appealing and meaningful is the value they offer?" (Urde & Greyser, 2016, Table 2, p. 102). | Reputation: Competition Diagonal | Perceived Relevance and Attractiveness Appeal is felt and judged by the audience and results from the identity rather than forming part of it. |
| 13 | Performance Urde and Greyser take the element from Fombrun (1996) and define it with a dictionary entry meaning consistently good quality or performance that can be trusted (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 102). It mirrors the competences (p. 107). An earlier version used reliability, which managers in the bench tests found easily confused with credibility and trustworthiness (p. 102). Guiding question: "How solid and consistent are their quality and performance?" (Urde & Greyser, 2016, Table 2, p. 102). | Reputation: Competition Diagonal | Perceived Performance Perceived performance is a judgement held by stakeholders and an outcome of delivering the identity. |
| 14 | Recognisability Urde and Greyser take the element from the Young & Rubicam model and define it with a dictionary entry meaning that something is known again from earlier encounters or knowledge: recollection, recall, remembrance (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 102). It mirrors expression (p. 108). Guiding question: "How distinct, visible and consistent are their overall communications?" (Urde & Greyser, 2016, Table 2, p. 102). | Reputation: Communication Horizontal | Awareness and Recognition Whether people know the brand is measured among the audience and is a result of brand work. |
| 15 | Credibility Urde and Greyser take the element from Fombrun (1996) and define it with a dictionary entry meaning that someone is convincing and can be believed (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 102). It is closely linked to personality (p. 108). Guiding question: "How believable and convincing are they?" (Urde & Greyser, 2016, Table 2, p. 102). | Reputation: Communication Horizontal | Credibility Being believed is a judgement formed by the audience and a result of identity work. |
| 16 | Trustworthiness Urde and Greyser take the element from Fombrun (1996) and define it with a dictionary entry meaning a firm belief that someone is reliable, truthful and able, and a relationship built on trust and respect on both sides (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 102). It reflects "the nature" of the relationships the organisation strives to build with its stakeholders (p. 109). Guiding question: "How dependable are their words and deeds?" (Urde & Greyser, 2016, Table 2, p. 102). | Reputation: Interaction Vertical | Trustworthiness Trust is held by stakeholders and cannot be decreed by the owner; it is an outcome of consistent words and deeds. |
| 17 | Responsibility Urde and Greyser take the element from Fombrun (1996) and define it with a dictionary entry meaning a moral duty to behave correctly towards others (Urde & Greyser, 2016, p. 102). How responsible an organisation is seen to be is mainly reflected and shaped by its culture (p. 109). Guiding question: "How committed and accountable are they?" (Urde & Greyser, 2016, Table 2, p. 102). | Reputation: Interaction Vertical | Perceived Responsibility How responsible the brand is seen to be is judged by stakeholders and is a result of the culture, not a field of the identity. |
Tier B
Corporate Identity Mix
Klaus Birkigt, Marinus M. Stadler & Hans Joachim Funck · Verlag Moderne Industrie, Landsberg am Lech · 1986
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Corporate Personality Birkigt, Stadler and Funck place the corporate personality ( Unternehmens-Persönlichkeit ) at the centre of corporate identity, with the mission as the guide inside the firm (Haslinger, 2004, p. 8). A company shows this personality through symbolism, behaviour and communication (Pérez & Rodríguez del Bosque, 2014, pp. 16, 23). | Corporate Identity | Brand Essence |
| 02 | Corporate Behaviour Corporate behaviour ( Unternehmens-Verhalten ) means how the company acts; important factors are its product, sales, social and financial policy, and what follows from that (Haslinger, 2004, p. 8). Of the ways to express the corporate personality, performance is usually seen as the most effective, since stakeholders mostly judge a firm by what it does (Pérez & Rodríguez del Bosque, 2014, p. 24). | Corporate Identity | Corporate Behaviour |
| 04 | Corporate Design Corporate design ( Unternehmens-Erscheinungsbild , literally "corporate appearance") is brand, product and graphic design and architecture taken together, and it changes with time (Haslinger, 2004, p. 8). Pérez and Rodríguez del Bosque, citing Balmer (2002), call this part of Birkigt and Stadler's mix symbolism (Pérez & Rodríguez del Bosque, 2014, pp. 16, 19). | Corporate Identity | Distinctive Brand Assets |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | Corporate Communication Within the identity mix ( Identitätsmix ), corporate communication ( Unternehmens-Kommunikation ) is the quickest and most adaptable tool (Haslinger, 2004, p. 8). When people form a picture of the company, what it says adds to what it does (Pérez & Rodríguez del Bosque, 2014, p. 25). | Corporate Identity | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
| 05 | Corporate Image Corporate identity is the company's self-image; the corporate image is "the projection of identity in the social field" (Haslinger, 2004, p. 8; translated). In the figure, the image is a smaller circle with the same structure as the identity, joined to it by two lines (Haslinger, 2004, p. 7). | Corporate Image | Brand Image The image arises in the audience's minds and cannot be decided by the owner; it is a result of identity work. |
Tier B
De Chernatony Brand Pyramid
Leslie de Chernatony · University of Birmingham · 2006
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Attributes Attributes are the product's own features, and they form the base. Everything above them starts here. Quest counts them among the tangible elements that the pyramid keeps at the bottom (Quest, 2019, pp. 73, 165). For the core of a brand, de Chernatony suggests choosing up to three key attributes and building one ladder from each up to the personality traits (Rossolatos, 2012, p. 29). | Five Levels, From the Base Up | Product Attributes |
| 02 | Benefits The second level shows what the attributes do for the consumer. The benefits then lead on to the emotional rewards above them (Rossolatos, 2012, p. 29). Quest explains the link with Gutman's theory: consumers gain benefits from what using a brand leads to, as white teeth come from a whitening toothpaste (Quest, 2019, pp. 71, 73). | Five Levels, From the Base Up | Functional Benefits |
| 03 | Emotional Rewards Benefits lead to emotional rewards, and these lead on to values (Rossolatos, 2012, p. 29). Quest names emotional rewards as an example of the intangible elements higher up in the hierarchy (Quest, 2019, p. 73). In Quest's reading of one consumer, the reward is a "positive sense of well-being" that the benefits create (Quest, 2019, p. 166). | Five Levels, From the Base Up | Emotional Benefit |
| 04 | Values Emotional rewards turn into values (Rossolatos, 2012, p. 29). De Chernatony separates core values from peripheral ones. Core values stay whatever happens around the brand and are central to it. Peripheral values are secondary and can be dropped or added (de Chernatony, 2006, p. 122, as cited in Rossolatos, 2012, p. 28). The core values make up the brand's essence (Rossolatos, 2012, p. 28). Quest defines values as "desirable end-states of existence" and notes that they guide what consumers choose (Quest, 2019, p. 71). | Five Levels, From the Base Up | Brand Values |
| 05 | Personality Traits On top, the brand's values show up as personality traits that people can recognise in it (Rossolatos, 2012, p. 29). The personality is a metaphor that pulls attributes, benefits and values together (Rossolatos, 2012, p. 28). De Chernatony says the metaphor helps customers: when the brand is treated as a person, even through a celebrity in its ads, it is "much easier to appreciate the emotional values of the brand" (de Chernatony, 2006, p. 40, as cited in Rossolatos, 2012, p. 27). | Five Levels, From the Base Up | Brand Persona |
Tier B
Dentsu Honeycomb Model
Dentsu Inc. · Advertising agency, Tokyo · 2003
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Symbol The symbol ( ロゴやカラーアイコン , "logo, colour, icon") is the icon people remember with their senses, mostly the logo and the brand colour. Damema defines it as the brand's visual emblem (Damema, 2019, "Symbol"). Together with the base of authority it forms message layer 1, "This is ~". This message comes from whatever physically stands for the brand, such as the package, the logo or sometimes the head of the company (Sato, 2003, pp. 7–8). | Message Layer 1 (This Is …) | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 02 | Base of Authority The base of authority ( ブランドの信頼の証 , "proof of the brand's trustworthiness") is the evidence behind the trust. It states what the brand does to be trusted or what technology it has (Damema, 2019, "Base of Authority"). With the symbol, it is what users see first and where they notice how the brand differs from others (Damema, 2019, "Message Layer 1"). | Message Layer 1 (This Is …) | Reasons to Believe |
| 03 | Emotional Benefit The emotional benefit ( 情緒的価値 , "emotional value") is the feeling and sensory value the brand gives (Damema, 2019, "Emotional Benefit"). With the functional benefit it forms message layer 2, "You can get ~", which tells consumers what benefits the brand offers (Sato, 2003, pp. 7–8). | Message Layer 2 (You Can Get …) | Emotional Benefit |
| 04 | Functional Benefit The functional benefit ( 機能的価値 , "functional value") is the practical value of the product. Users feel it directly, and it matches what they expect from the specification, such as a mild sweetness (Damema, 2019, "Functional Benefit"). | Message Layer 2 (You Can Get …) | Functional Benefits |
| 05 | Personality The personality ( ブランドの人的性格 , "the brand's human character") asks what kind of person the brand would be. Giving a product a human trait is common practice (Damema, 2019, "Personality"). It forms message layer 3, "I am ~", in which the brand states its own character (Sato, 2003, pp. 7–8). Design shows the outward look. This layer shows character (Damema, 2019, "Message Layer 3"). | Message Layer 3 (I Am …) | Brand Persona |
| 06 | Ideal Customer Image The ideal customer image ( ターゲット , "target") defines the people the brand wants as users and fans, and the ones it moves most. Damema calls it an important part, because if it shifts, the other elements shift with it (Damema, 2019, "Ideal Customer Image"). It forms message layer 4, "You are ~", through which the brand also marks out the consumers who feel attached to it (Sato, 2003, pp. 7–8). | Message Layer 4 (You Are …) | Target Customers |
| 07 | Core Value (Brand Essence) The core value ( 象徴的なブランド経験 , "symbolic brand experience"), labelled "Brand Essence" in Dentsu's figure (Sato, 2003, p. 8, Figure 3), sits in the centre. It gathers the six surrounding elements into the position that users give the brand. The brand image is made of those six, and the core value is the message they send together (Damema, 2019, "Core Value"). | Centre | Brand Essence |
Tier B
Ebaqdesign 9-Step Brand Strategy Framework
Arek Dvornechuck · Ebaq Design, Brooklyn · 2020
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Brand Purpose Step 1 asks why the brand exists beyond making money. A purpose is never finished, unlike a goal. The team starts from Sinek's Golden Circle (what, how, why) and ends with one statement: "To [contribution], so that [impact]" (Dvornechuck, 2026, "Exercise 1: Brand Purpose"). | Brand Core | Brand Purpose |
| 02 | Brand Vision Step 2 asks where the brand is going. If purpose is the why, vision is the where. A good vision is bold enough to feel a little daunting, yet possible enough that the team believes in it. The team looks ahead in steps of five, ten and fifteen years and then writes one vision statement (Dvornechuck, 2026, "Exercise 2: Brand Vision"). | Brand Core | Brand Vision |
| 03 | Brand Values Step 3 asks how the brand behaves. Values work like a compass. The team picks three to five lasting principles and writes one line on what each one means. Values show in how the brand acts, so customers, suppliers and the public notice them whenever they deal with it. The exercise starts from experiences the team dislikes and turns them around into values (Dvornechuck, 2026, "Exercise 3: Brand Values"). | Brand Core | Brand Values |
| 04 | Target Audience Step 4 asks who the main customer is. The audience is the group the brand is built for. The team gives a typical customer a name and fills in what that person wants, what stands in the way, how it feels and what they wish for. The point is to understand the person well enough to connect on a human level. The result is a description of one or two sentences (Dvornechuck, 2026, "Exercise 4: Target Audience"). | Brand Positioning | Target Customers |
| 07 | Brand Personality Step 7 asks who the brand would be if it were a person. Dvornechuck uses Mark and Pearson's twelve archetypes. Starting from what drives the audience, the team chooses a main and a secondary archetype, and adds a brand attitude, meaning what the brand loves, what it hates and why. He links the idea of personality as human traits to Jennifer Aaker (Dvornechuck, 2026, "Exercise 7: Brand Personality"). | Brand Persona | Brand Persona |
| 08 | Brand Voice Step 8 asks how the brand should sound. Voice is the personality coming through in the words. The voice stays the same, while the tone shifts with the situation. The team places the brand on four sliders, such as funny versus serious and casual versus formal. Then it sets limits with sentences like "We are X, but we are not Y" (Dvornechuck, 2026, "Exercise 8: Brand Voice"). | Brand Persona | Brand Voice |
| 09 | Brand Tagline Step 9 asks for the brand's mantra. The tagline puts the message into a few memorable words. The positioning statement stays inside the company, but the tagline speaks to customers, so it has to fit the positioning. A tagline stays with the brand for years, while a slogan belongs to one campaign. The team brainstorms many options and ends with three candidates (Dvornechuck, 2026, "Exercise 9: Brand Tagline"). | Brand Persona | Tagline |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05 | Market Research Step 5 asks how the brand is different. Here market research means mapping what the customer can choose instead. The team places five to ten competitors on a grid with two axes that matter to customers, looks for the empty spot and writes a positioning statement. The aim is to stand apart, not to copy (Dvornechuck, 2026, "Exercise 5: Market Research"). | Brand Positioning | Competitive Landscape The map shows where competitors stand, so it is market analysis and not content the owner fixes for the brand. |
| 06 | Awareness Goals Step 6 asks how customers will find the brand. The team lists every initiative it can think of and places each one on a grid of effort against impact. The result is a ranked list with four groups: do first, do next, plan and ignore for now. It sets the scope of the branding project and is not a marketing strategy (Dvornechuck, 2026, "Exercise 6: Awareness Goals"). | Brand Positioning | Brand Strategy and Action Plan Planning the actions comes after the identity is set, so it is steering and not identity content. |
Tier B
Genetic Code of the Brand
Institut für Markentechnik Genf · Brand Consultancy Institute, Geneva · 2005
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Cause Cause ( Ursache ) means everything the company does that shapes how the brand works in the market, from products to development, staff and sales (IfM, 2005, pp. 2, 4). The institute looks at every department for this. The brand succeeds only when all of them work together (IfM, 2014, p. 4). | From Cause to Effect | Corporate Behaviour |
| 03 | Genetic Building Blocks Building blocks ( Genetische Bausteine ) are the strengths a brand's success rests on. Each comes with a description of what it does for customers in the market (IfM, 2014, p. 4). They are what the company has delivered in a similar way, again and again, over a long time. This shapes how customers and the public see the brand (IfM, 2005, p. 5). | From Cause to Effect | Proven Strengths |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Genetic Components Components ( Genetische Komponenten ) are the conditions behind a building block. They answer what the company must do for a strength to exist. The institute works them out in several steps, down to the individual prerequisites ( Voraussetzungen ) (IfM, 2005, p. 5; 2014, p. 4). Each requirement is described as precisely as needed and no further, so the brand keeps room to move (IfM, 2014, p. 3). | From Cause to Effect | Strategic Imperatives These are actions and conditions that make the identity deliverable, so this is planning after the identity and not its content. |
| 04 | Effect The effect ( Wirkung ) is the brand energy that builds up with customers (IfM, 2005, p. 4). It comes from many experiences with concrete performances and grows the longer a company stays true to its line. The result is a "positive prejudice" (translated), an advance of trust. Because of it, customers are open even to new offers, as long as these fit what the brand has always delivered (p. 3). | From Cause to Effect | Brand Strength and Equity Strength is measured in what audiences think and do, so it is an outcome of brand work and not its content. |
Tier B
MarkenWesen Model
Marc Sasserath & Christiane Wenhart · Publicis Sasserath Brand Consultancy, Frankfurt and Berlin · 2004
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Properties & Performance This dimension ( Eigenschaften & Leistungen ) covers what the brand is and can do, comparable to a person's intelligence or skills (PSBC, 2004, p. 4). The figure poses two questions, "What is the brand? What can the brand do?" (PSBC, 2004, p. 6, Figure 2; translated). | Three Descriptive Dimensions | Product Attributes |
| 02 | Values & Character This dimension ( Werte & Charakter ) covers the emotional side of the brand, its values and, in everyday terms, its character (PSBC, 2004, p. 4). The figure asks two questions, "What is the brand like? What does it stand for?" (PSBC, 2004, p. 6, Figure 2; translated). | Three Descriptive Dimensions | Brand Values; Brand Persona |
| 03 | Manifestations Manifestations ( Manifestationen ) are what people can see of the brand, its typical signals and symbols. In a person they would be looks such as eye colour or height (PSBC, 2004, p. 4). The figure asks "Are there symbols or signals?" (PSBC, 2004, p. 6, Figure 2; translated). Each trait of the MarkenWesen is either essential ( essenziell ), a central part of the brand that should not be changed and is hard to change (in extreme cases the brand is hardly imaginable without it), or accidental ( akzidenziell ), less important and easy to change (PSBC, 2004, pp. 4–5). | Three Descriptive Dimensions | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 08 | Brand Proposition In the brand strategy, the target MarkenWesen is boiled down to a short core message, the Brand Proposition. It has two supporting parts. The Benefit states what the brand as a whole gives people, not what single products do. The Support explains why the brand can deliver it (PSBC, 2004, p. 12). When the strategy is put into practice, all measures are built around the Brand Proposition (PSBC, 2004, p. 12). | Derived from the MarkenWesen | Brand Essence |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 | Individuality Individuality ( Individualität ) means that the brand stands clearly apart from its competitors. People should form a picture of it that nobody could mistake for another brand (PSBC, 2004, p. 6). | Four Strength Parameters | Perceived Differentiation Whether the brand is seen as distinct is judged by the audience and is a result of positioning work. |
| 05 | Attractiveness Attractiveness ( Attraktivität ) means that the brand matters to its target group and is wanted by it, in the best case admired and loved. As between people, first attraction leads to a relationship in which both sides expect something in return (PSBC, 2004, p. 7). The MarkenWesen therefore needs traits that promise the target group a reward for joining the relationship, ideally as a whole and not only in single traits (PSBC, 2004, p. 7). | Four Strength Parameters | Perceived Relevance and Attractiveness Appeal is felt and judged by the audience and results from the identity rather than forming part of it. |
| 06 | Consistency Consistency ( Konsistenz ) means that the brand does not contradict itself, neither over the years nor from one measure to the next: it stays true to itself (PSBC, 2004, p. 7). The reason is how people think. They know only a few traits of a brand, complete the picture with "implicit personality theories" (translated) and expect the brand to behave accordingly, in what it delivers, rationally and emotionally. A brand may still surprise, and it may look and sound different at different touchpoints, as long as the gap stays small enough for it to count as one brand (PSBC, 2004, p. 7). | Four Strength Parameters | Brand Strength and Equity Strength is measured in what audiences think and do, so it is an outcome of brand work and not its content. |
| 07 | Familiarity Familiarity ( Vertrautheit ) is more than being known. The brand has to stand close to a person, and it can get there in two ways (PSBC, 2004, pp. 7–8). One is habit, because a brand that is present for years becomes hard to do without. The other is the first impression, when a brand already feels "made exactly for me" (PSBC, 2004, pp. 7–8; translated). | Four Strength Parameters | Familiarity Closeness is felt by the person and not fixed by the owner; it is an outcome of long presence or strong fit. |
Tier B
Minimum Viable Brand
Wolff Olins · Brand Consultancy, London · 2013
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Why It Matters The first question of the pitch names "the bigger purpose of the brand in the world" (Thomson, 2013). | Pitch: Four Questions | Brand Purpose |
| 02 | Why the Brand Exists The second question, "Why we exist" in the source, asks how the brand achieves the bigger purpose named in the first (Thomson, 2013). | Pitch: Four Questions | Brand Mission |
| 03 | What Can You Do The third question turns to the user: "The action the user takes and the impact on their life" (Thomson, 2013). | Pitch: Four Questions | Functional Benefits |
| 04 | How It Will Feel The fourth question covers "the emotional experience for the user" (Thomson, 2013). | Pitch: Four Questions | Emotional Benefit |
| 05 | Assets The second part of the toolkit answers "How you make it yours": the brand assets "that are used to express the brand including the name, tagline, logo, and visual identity" (Thomson, 2013). The name can be built around the company's purpose rather than only its product, so it stays flexible and lasts as the product develops (Thomson, 2013). | Assets | Distinctive Brand Assets |
Tier B
Minimum Viable Brand Canvas
Jeremiah Gardner · The Lean Brand · 2014
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Story The story sets out who the brand is, what drives it and why people should want a relationship with it. It is the "unique rallying point" that defines what the brand is fighting against and what it is fighting for; relationships form "in the synchronicity between who you are and who your audience wants to become" (Gardner, 2014a, section "Story"). On the canvas, teams sketch the founder story, what the startup stands for, its rallying point and what it aspires to become, then narrow these ideas into "a single, compelling story" (Gardner, n.d., section "Using the Minimum Viable Brand Canvas"). The slice carries the prompts Beliefs / Values, Rally Point and Your Why (Gardner, 2014b). | Canvas Components | Rallying Cause |
| 02 | Artifacts "Artifacts are expressions of your story." The aim is to find artifacts that carry the story and involve people in what the brand is; "Great artifacts evoke emotion and reflect the relationship you are forming with your audience." (Gardner, 2014a, section "Artifacts"). On the canvas, teams put down words, pictures or even sample artifacts that they think show the story best (Gardner, n.d., section "Using the Minimum Viable Brand Canvas"). The slice carries the prompts See (Visual), Experience and Feel (Interact) (Gardner, 2014b). | Canvas Components | Brand Artifacts |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | Invitation Invitations actively ask people to take part in the brand's story. An invitation is "much more than 'messaging'": what the brand says, where it says it and how it says it shape the way people respond; "Compelling invitations don't sell, they inspire." (Gardner, 2014a, section "Invitation"). On the canvas, teams sketch tone of voice, content and mediums with specific channels and words, then narrow them to "a single, compelling invitation" to test with the audience (Gardner, n.d., section "Using the Minimum Viable Brand Canvas"). The slice carries the prompts Medium, Message and Channels (Gardner, 2014b). | Canvas Components | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
Tier B
National Brand Identity (NBI) Model
You-Kyung Kim & Yoo-Shin Kim · Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Pusan National University · 2012
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Social System The social system ( 사회시스템 ) is the first dimension; it explains 39.7 percent of the variance. It is about how transparent, fair and orderly a society is: its tolerance towards other cultures and races, its democratic awareness and its respect for law and order. The authors read it as a nation's social stability, its political ideology and its openness to other cultures (Kim & Kim, 2012, pp. 270–271). | Dimensions of National Brand Identity | Perceived Social System of a Nation This is measured among survey respondents and not decided by the owner, although a nation brand could set its content as a target. |
| 02 | Leadership and Growth Leadership and growth ( 리더쉽/성장력 , in the English abstract "leadership/growing power") is the second dimension (9.9 percent of the variance). It shows where a nation stands internationally in politics and the economy, and it weighs future growth potential as well as the present state. The main items ask about political leadership, the chance of becoming an opinion leader among nations, economic capability and the ability to cope with political and economic change (Kim & Kim, 2012, pp. 270–271, 288). | Dimensions of National Brand Identity | Perceived Leadership and Growth of a Nation This is measured among survey respondents and not decided by the owner, although a nation brand could set its content as a target. |
| 03 | National Heritage National heritage ( 국가유산 ) is the third dimension (6.8 percent of the variance). It judges a nation's cultural heritage mainly by its aesthetic appeal and value: how inspiring and outstanding it is, how original and excellent compared with other nations, and how artistic (Kim & Kim, 2012, pp. 271, 274). The item design also asked about the universality of the heritage and the harmony of tradition and modernity (Kim & Kim, 2012, p. 270). | Dimensions of National Brand Identity | Perceived National Heritage This is measured among survey respondents and not decided by the owner, although a nation brand could set its content as a target. |
| 04 | Nation People Nation people ( 국민 ) is the fourth dimension (4.0 percent of the variance). It looks at how good a nation's human resources are. Its items ask, for example, about a spirit of challenge, effort towards goals and diligence. Beyond that, it covers each citizen's drive to develop and achieve, and personal character (Kim & Kim, 2012, p. 274). | Dimensions of National Brand Identity | Perceived Nation People This is measured among survey respondents and not decided by the owner, although a nation brand could set its content as a target. |
Tier B
PRO Brand Strategy Framework
Stephen Houraghan · Brand Master Academy · 2020
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Uncover Your Brand Core The first step leans heavily on the business and brand leaders, because it draws out what the brand means from their point of view. Through discovery and joint work, the step brings four things to light: why the brand exists, where it is going, what it is committed to and how it will behave (Houraghan, n.d., Step 1). | Twelve Steps | Guiding Philosophy |
| 02 | Develop Your Buyer Personas Many brands say they know their audience, but few know it in depth. This step takes the time to understand who the buyers are and how they split into groups, because much of the brand follows from that (Houraghan, n.d., Step 2). | Twelve Steps | Target Customers |
| 04 | Forge Your Differentiation Strategy With audience and competitors mapped, the team sees the market from above. It then takes the openings that competitors left and works each one into a full idea for how the brand could stand out (Houraghan, n.d., Step 4). | Twelve Steps | Key Differentiator |
| 06 | Align Your Brand Archetype Brand archetypes go back to the psychiatrist Carl Jung. The team first uses them to read the personality type of its audience, and then to shape a brand personality that is likely to attract that type (Houraghan, n.d., Step 6). | Twelve Steps | Brand Persona |
| 07 | Shape Your Brand Personality Strategy The archetype gives only the outline. The team fills it in with the brand's opinions about its industry, the world and life in general. That detail makes the personality credible and gives the audience someone to connect with (Houraghan, n.d., Step 7). | Twelve Steps | Brand Persona |
| 08 | Find Your Brand Voice & Tone Voice and tone are how the personality speaks, in writing and aloud. The more familiar the language sounds to the audience, the more willing people are to listen to what the brand says (Houraghan, n.d., Step 8). | Twelve Steps | Brand Voice |
| 09 | Uncover Your Human Brand Persona Archetype, personality and voice add up to one character, the brand as a person. Usually this character has no body. It shows in how the brand acts at every touchpoint, through its look, colours, images, message, story and tone (Houraghan, n.d., Step 9). | Twelve Steps | Brand Persona |
| 10 | Define Your Brand Messaging Framework The brand message builds on the human brand persona and on close knowledge of the audience and what it wants, and it is meant to win that audience's hearts and minds. Knowing their problems, hopes and fears lets the message touch them on a deep, human level (Houraghan, n.d., Step 10). | Twelve Steps | Key Messages |
| 11 | Craft Your Brand Storytelling Framework People pay more attention to information that comes as a story. Houraghan cites the neuroscientist Uri Hasson, whose finding is that people are 22 times more attentive. In this step the strategist turns the brand message into a story that can be told at every touchpoint (Houraghan, n.d., Step 11). | Twelve Steps | Brand Narrative |
| 12 | Design Your Brand Identity System Here the strategy is handed over to visual design. A designer who receives the full strategy sees the job more clearly than one who works without it, and the identity gains from that (Houraghan, n.d., Step 12). | Twelve Steps | Distinctive Brand Assets |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | Weigh Up the Competitive Brands Customers already have choices. A brand that offers the same as others starts behind those that are already known. Here the team studies the competition, to see where it is strong and which gaps it leaves open for the brand (Houraghan, n.d., Step 3). | Twelve Steps | Competitors This describes other brands as they are, so it is analysis before the identity work and not content the owner decides. |
| 05 | Define Your Strategic Market Position Now the team checks that audience and differentiation fit together and that the market can carry the idea. Then it fixes the position, which says what the brand offers, for whom, how it differs from the alternatives and what benefit it brings (Houraghan, n.d., Step 5). | Twelve Steps | Brand Positioning Positioning is derived from the identity and set against competitors, so it is the next step after the identity and not part of it. |
Tier B
Personal Branding Canvas
Luigi Centenaro · BigName · 2014
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Audience Who needs to know (block 1): "customers, influencers and their communities", whom the guide calls "the real stars". The audience is the receiver the person wants to influence, and it is the place to start when there is no personal branding strategy yet (BigName, n.d.-a). | Receiver | Key Stakeholders |
| 02 | Competence What the person can do (block 3): their abilities, contacts and skills. The guide adds: "Don't be afraid to boast!" (BigName, n.d.-a). | Sender | Brand Competences |
| 03 | Identity Who the person is (block 4): what makes them unique, because that is what "makes you successful" (BigName, n.d.-a). | Sender | Key Differentiator |
| 04 | Credibility Why the person is credible (block 5). People "don't believe in fairytales anymore, they also want facts", so this block shows why others can trust the person (BigName, n.d.-a). | Sender | Reasons to Believe |
| 05 | Profession What the person does and how (block 2): their services, but also their talents and their soft and hard skills, "whatever produces value" (BigName, n.d.-a). | Sender | Product Scope |
| 06 | Arena The field where the professional wants to compete and be seen (Centenaro, 2017). It sits at the centre of the four sender blocks and is worked on together with the profession (block 6; BigName, n.d.-a). | Sender | Frame of Reference |
| 07 | Promise So what (block 7): people sign up for the profession when they have high expectations, so the promise answers what is in it for them (BigName, n.d.-a). The canvas centres on this promise of value, which the person conveys to the right audience (Centenaro, 2014). | Sender | Brand Promise |
| 08 | Positioning Why this person specifically (block 9): how the person is different from others. The guide asks whether this differentiation is "clear and effective" (BigName, n.d.-a). | Activation | Key Differentiator |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09 | Competitors A secondary mini-block that prompts thinking about differentiation and competitive positioning (Centenaro, 2017). On the canvas it sits between positioning and audience (block 8; BigName, n.d.-a). | Activation | Competitors This describes other brands as they are, so it is analysis before the identity work and not content the owner decides. |
Tier B
Place Brand Identity Model
Maja Konečnik Ruzzier and Leslie de Chernatony · University of Ljubljana (Konečnik Ruzzier) · 2011
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Experiential Promise The identity elements of a destination brand interact constantly to fulfil the brand promise through functional and emotional values, with the aim of creating an experiential promise ( izkustvena obljuba ) (Konečnik Ruzzier & de Chernatony, 2013, as cited in Stubelj, 2018, p. 17; translated). The functional and emotional values and the experiential promise of the brand are included in the model and sit at the core of the figure (Konečnik Ruzzier et al., 2011, p. 404, Figure 2). All elements later show as promises on three levels, with the experiential promise at the highest (Konečnik Ruzzier et al., 2011, p. 414). | Core | Brand Promise |
| 02 | Emotional Value Emotional value ( čustvena vrednota ) is one of the two values at the core of the model (Konečnik Ruzzier et al., 2011, p. 404, Figure 2). Through these values the identity elements fulfil the brand promise (Konečnik Ruzzier & de Chernatony, 2013, as cited in Stubelj, 2018, p. 17; translated). In de Chernatony's identity model, on which the place model builds, the personality of the brand lives its emotional values (de Chernatony, 2010, as cited in Stubelj, 2018, pp. 16–17; translated). | Core | Emotional Benefit |
| 03 | Functional Value Functional value ( funkcionalna vrednota ) is the other value through which the identity elements fulfil the brand promise (Konečnik Ruzzier & de Chernatony, 2013, as cited in Stubelj, 2018, p. 17). In the figure, it sits in the core together with emotional value and the experiential promise (Konečnik Ruzzier et al., 2011, p. 404, Figure 2). In de Chernatony's identity model, the positioning strategy of the brand includes its functional values (de Chernatony, 2010, as cited in Stubelj, 2018, pp. 16–17; translated). | Core | Functional Benefits |
| 04 | Benefits Benefits ( koristi ) are the rewards that people think a destination can offer them, and they can come from practical or psychological features of the place. Konečnik Ruzzier and de Chernatony (2013) took this idea for destinations from Keller, for whom benefits are the personal values that consumers tie to the features of a product or service (as cited in Stubelj, 2018, p. 17; translated). Benefits are one of the two elements that the place model adds to de Chernatony's identity model (Konečnik Ruzzier et al., 2011, p. 404). | Identity Elements | Value Proposition |
| 05 | Mission Mission ( poslanstvo ) is, together with benefits, one of the two elements that the place model adds to de Chernatony's identity model (Konečnik Ruzzier et al., 2011, p. 404). Konečnik Ruzzier and de Chernatony (2013) treat mission and vision as two separate things, since they refer to different periods and differ in their focus on the brand's existence and direction. The mission covers past and present, the vision the future (as cited in Stubelj, 2018, p. 19; translated). Taken together, the two set a clear course for how the destination brand should develop, with the key trends of its macro-environment in view (Konečnik Ruzzier & de Chernatony, 2013, as cited in Stubelj, 2018, p. 20; translated). | Identity Elements | Brand Mission |
| 06 | Vision De Chernatony, whose identity elements the model takes over, sees vision ( vizija ) as a clear course for how the organisation works toward a better future. It consists of three parts: the desired future environment, the purpose of the brand and the values of the brand (de Chernatony, 2010, as cited in Stubelj, 2018, p. 19; translated). Because a tourist destination is complex, it is important to reach consensus among the key stakeholders of its brand and to involve them in shaping the vision. The Delphi method can reduce the variety of their own visions to some extent; it was also used to shape the identity of I feel Slovenia (Stubelj, 2018, p. 20). | Identity Elements | Brand Vision |
| 07 | Values Konečnik Ruzzier and de Chernatony (2013) see the values ( vrednote ) of a destination brand as the values held in common by the destination's influential stakeholders. They matter for the identity of a destination because they influence how these stakeholders behave and deal with one another, which can give a destination a base for standing out from others (as cited in Stubelj, 2018, p. 20; translated). | Identity Elements | Brand Values |
| 08 | Personality Konečnik Ruzzier and de Chernatony (2013) add that the personality ( osebnost ) of a destination brand depends largely on the personality of the people who form and live the brand, so it can include their main traits and their way of life; they see this as a normal part of the identity of any brand (as cited in Stubelj, 2018, p. 21; translated). They share the definition of destination personality by Ekinci and Hosany (2006) as the set of human characteristics associated with a destination (Stubelj, 2018, p. 21). | Identity Elements | Brand Persona |
| 09 | Distinguishing Preferences Distinguishing preferences ( razlikovalne prednosti , literally "distinguishing advantages") can refer either to the attractions a destination offers or to its attributes (Konečnik Ruzzier & de Chernatony, 2013, as cited in Stubelj, 2018, p. 23; translated). The attributes divide into functional and psychological ones (Echtner & Ritchie, 2003, as cited in Stubelj, 2018, p. 23) or represent unique characteristics of the destination (Konečnik Ruzzier & de Chernatony, 2013, as cited in Stubelj, 2018, p. 23). A suitable combination of identity elements describes what makes the brand unique (Konečnik Ruzzier & Ruzzier, 2015, as cited in Stubelj, 2018, pp. 22–23). | Identity Elements | Key Differentiator |
| 10 | Stakeholder Groups The outer ring holds the stakeholder groups ( interesna skupina , literally "interest group"). Because destination brands have specific characteristics, Konečnik Ruzzier and de Chernatony (2013) treat the relations between a destination's stakeholders as a separate and important aspect of building its identity (as cited in Stubelj, 2018, p. 17; translated). The model assumes that key internal stakeholders take part in developing the country brand (Konečnik Ruzzier et al., 2011, p. 404). For a country, internal stakeholders include the custodians of the brand, mostly appointed by the government, the residents who experience, live and co-create the brand, and groups from public and local administration to the wider economy (Konečnik Ruzzier et al., 2011, p. 402). | Outer Ring | Key Stakeholders |
Tier B
Sector Brand Identity Model
Marina Toledo de Arruda Lourenção and Janaina de Moura Engracia Giraldi · University of São Paulo (FEA-RP) · 2017
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Personality The personality attributes of the sector brand. The identity components are "managerial decision attributes" that characterise the products or services of the organisation (Lourenção et al., 2018, p. 17). The application asked whether the personality attributes of the sector brand matched those of each association's own identity (p. 36, Table 3). | Identity Components | Brand Persona |
| 03 | Product The characteristics by which the sector's products are known abroad; the element "represents the difference in products being exported" by the industries of each association (Lourenção et al., 2018, p. 19; Table 3, p. 36). | Identity Components | Product Attributes |
| 04 | Country of Origin Whether the sector brand is associated with its country, that is, whether the exported products relate to characteristics of the country of origin (Lourenção et al., 2018, p. 19; Table 3, p. 36). | Identity Components | Brand Origin |
| 07 | Visual Identity The attributes that the visual identity of the sector brand should communicate abroad, for example through the semiotic resources of its logo (Lourenção et al., 2018, pp. 20–21; Table 3, p. 37). | Communication Components | Distinctive Brand Assets |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Positioning The target markets of the sector brand; in the application, each country is a target market for the exports of the sector's firms (Lourenção et al., 2018, p. 18; Table 3, p. 36). | Identity Components | Geographic Scope Geographic reach is a business decision about scope, not content of the identity. |
| 05 | Market Orientation Whether the sector helps its companies aim at buyers abroad, meaning whether they adapt their export products to what international consumers prefer (Lourenção et al., 2018, p. 19). | Identity Components | Geographic Scope Geographic reach is a business decision about scope, not content of the identity. |
| 06 | Marketing Campaign How the sector brand is used in campaigns abroad: whether all partners take part and who defines the campaign and its attributes. The communication components follow once the identity components are defined and set how the identity is communicated to the external market (Lourenção et al., 2018, p. 20; Table 3, p. 37). | Communication Components | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
| 08 | Stationery Stationery developed for the sector brand and its use by the partners (Lourenção et al., 2018, p. 21; Table 3, p. 37). | Communication Components | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
| 09 | Promotion Tools The tools the partners use to communicate the sector brand internationally (Lourenção et al., 2018, p. 21; Table 3, p. 37). | Communication Components | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
| 10 | Relationship The relationship with buyers, through programmes with international clients. Once the identity is defined and communicated, the brand, that is, the organisation and its products, also has to make contact with the consumer (Lourenção et al., 2018, p. 21; Table 3, p. 37). | Identity Delivery Elements | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
| 11 | Product Performance Whether the sector knows how its products are accepted by international buyers (Lourenção et al., 2018, Table 3, p. 37). | Identity Delivery Elements | Brand Research and Controlling Research and controlling measure and steer, so they are activities around the identity and not its content. |
| 12 | Competitors' Actions The countries or regions that compete with the sector (Lourenção et al., 2018, p. 23; Table 3, p. 37). | External Factors That Influence Identity | Competitors This describes other brands as they are, so it is analysis before the identity work and not content the owner decides. |
| 13 | Environment The surrounding conditions the sector works in; in this study, the image of Brazil abroad: whether a brand that ties products to Brazilian traits helps or harms, and whether there is prejudice against Brazilian products (Lourenção et al., 2018, p. 23; Table 3, p. 37). | External Factors That Influence Identity | Market and Environment Conditions These conditions exist independently of the owner's decisions, so they are analysis and not identity content. |
| 14 | Consumer Attitudes and Behavior The behaviour of international buyers, assessed before the sector enters a market and through the buyers' opinion after the purchase, including any restrictions on the country's products (Lourenção et al., 2018, p. 23; Table 3, p. 37). | External Factors That Influence Identity | Customer Analysis This is knowledge gathered about customers as they are, so it is an input to the identity and not part of it. |
Tier B
Six-Station Corporate Identity Model
Jean Yannis Suvatjis, Leslie de Chernatony and John Halikias · 2012
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Corporate Identity Corporate identity ( tożsamość przedsiębiorstwa ) sits at the core of the model and comprises the six stations, which together form the set of issues and management areas that make up corporate identity; the model shows its management as a cyclical process (Stangierska, 2015, p. 46; translated). The authors stress that managing corporate identity requires an understanding of the synergy between its components; using the model allows corporate identity to be managed while creating additional value and trust towards and within the company (Suvatjis et al., 2012, as cited in Stangierska, 2015, pp. 46–47; translated). In the figure, double-headed arrows join the core with each station, and communication sits inside the core (Stangierska, 2015, p. 47, Figure 9). | Core | Brand Essence |
| 02 | Head Station The head station ( stacja główna ; in Stangierska's text czynnik główny , “main factor”) comprises mission, vision and values, leadership and the management board ( misja, wizja, wartości, przywództwo, zarząd ) (Stangierska, 2015, p. 46; translated). Jedynak et al. list mission, vision and values together with leadership and, indirectly, top management (2022, p. 22; translated). In the figure, mission, vision and values and leadership run along the outer sides of station 1, the management board along its inner side (Stangierska, 2015, p. 47, Figure 9). | Six Stations | Brand Face |
| 04 | Creativity The creativity station ( kreatywność ) comprises visual identity, the visual identification system, also called symbolism, and advertising ( tożsamość wizualna, system identyfikacji wizualnej/ inaczej symbolika, reklamy ) (Stangierska, 2015, p. 46; translated). Jedynak et al. list visual symbolism and corporate visual identification systems (2022, p. 22; translated). In the figure, advertising and visual identity run along the outer sides of station 3, the visual identification system ( SIW ) along its inner side (Stangierska, 2015, p. 47, Figure 9). Stangierska finds that the visual identification system should sit on the outer side of the model and visual identity on the inner side (p. 46). | Six Stations | Distinctive Brand Assets |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | Strategy The strategy station ( strategia ) covers the strategy for the company's brand, for its products and services and for marketing ( marki przedsiębiorstwa, produktów i usług, marketingu ) (Stangierska, 2015, p. 46; translated). Jedynak et al. list corporate brands, corporate strategy and marketing (2022, p. 22; translated). In the figure, brands and marketing run along the outer sides of station 2, strategy along its inner side (Stangierska, 2015, p. 47, Figure 9). | Six Stations | Corporate Strategy as Frame Corporate strategy is the frame around the brand, not content of its identity. |
| 05 | Communication The communication station ( komunikacja ) comprises traditional and digital channels within the company and in its relations with its environment ( kanały tradycyjne i cyfrowe w obrębie przedsiębiorstwa i w relacji z otoczeniem ) (Stangierska, 2015, p. 46; translated). Jedynak et al. name traditional communication channels together with digital communication (2022, p. 22; translated). In the figure, external and internal communication run along the outer sides of station 4, digital communication along its inner side, and arrows labelled communication lead clockwise from station to station (Stangierska, 2015, p. 47, Figure 9). Stangierska finds that it would be logical to place internal communication in the middle of the model (p. 46). | Six Stations | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
| 06 | Human Power The human power station ( energia ludzi , literally “people's energy”; in Stangierska's text zasoby ludzkie , “human resources”) comprises employees and stakeholders ( pracownicy oraz interesariusze ) (Stangierska, 2015, p. 46; Jedynak et al., 2022, p. 22; translated). In the figure, stakeholders and team dynamics run along the outer sides of station 5, employees along its inner side (Stangierska, 2015, p. 47, Figure 9). For identity management as a whole, without linking it to a station, Stangierska adds after the authors that the management board should observe and monitor individual employees as a contribution to identity management (Suvatjis et al., 2012, as cited in Stangierska, 2015, p. 47; translated). | Six Stations | Internal Branding Anchoring the brand inside the organisation is carrying out the identity after it is defined. |
| 07 | Critical Triplet The critical triplet ( krytyczna trójka ; in Stangierska's text punkt krytyczny , “critical point”) comprises image, reputation and personality ( wizerunek, reputacja, osobowość ) (Stangierska, 2015, p. 46; translated). Jedynak et al. name corporate reputation, corporate image and corporate personality (2022, p. 22; translated). In the figure, reputation and personality run along the outer sides of station 6, image along its inner side (Stangierska, 2015, p. 47, Figure 9); Stangierska suggests swapping personality and image (p. 46). | Six Stations | Brand Image The image arises in the audience's minds and cannot be decided by the owner; it is a result of identity work. |
Tier B
TAIKN Brand Identity and Management Model
Achim Burkhardt & Henrike Göpel · TAIKN Strategische Markenberatung (brand consultancy, Heidelberg) · 2011
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Brand Core The brand core ( Markenkern ), also called the core idea, sits in the middle of the identity. It does four jobs: it underpins the communication strategy, gives a clear mission for the future, ties the values of the corporate brand together and serves as the brand's central communicative positioning statement (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, pp. 3–4). The authors name eight criteria for a promising positioning: it reflects the brand's real strengths, fits what the brand offers, matters to the target groups, sets the brand apart, is simple, looks ahead, promises a clear benefit and suits the company culture (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 4). | Who Are We? Brand Identity in the Narrow Sense | Brand Essence |
| 02 | Brand Values The values ( Markenwerte ) are "standards against which one's own or other people's behaviour is measured" (Bierhoff, 1998, as cited in Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 3; translated). For TAIKN they show the company's character and describe how its staff act. They also guide cooperation, shape the company's attitude, drive all its activities and are set for the long term, not to be changed at will. As a rule there should be only a few, so that people can remember them. According to the authors' experience, a corporate brand cannot stand out through its values. Most corporate brands end up with very similar ones, and they have to: at least in the West, a successful corporate culture needs similar values (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 3). | Who Are We? Brand Identity in the Narrow Sense | Brand Values |
| 03 | Brand Personality Because the values stay few, the identity also fixes a brand personality ( Markenpersönlichkeit ). It is the basis for the tone of the brand's communication. TAIKN determines it inside and outside the company with Jennifer Aaker's internationally validated personality items (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 3). | Who Are We? Brand Identity in the Narrow Sense | Brand Persona |
| 04 | Brand Offering The offering ( Markenleistung ) states exactly which products and services the brand "actually offers" (translated). Together with the strengths, the benefit promise and the differentiators, it forms the core of the identity in the narrow sense (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 3). | Who Are We? Brand Identity in the Narrow Sense | Product Scope |
| 05 | Brand Strengths The identity defines the brand's strengths ( Markenstärken ) (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 3). The first success criterion of the positioning, competence, says that it should represent the brand's actual strengths (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 4). | Who Are We? Brand Identity in the Narrow Sense | Brand Competences |
| 06 | Benefit Promise The identity sets the brand's exact benefit promise ( Nutzenversprechen , in the text also Markennutzen ) (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, pp. 2–3). A positioning should make a clear benefit promise to the stakeholders (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 4). Positionings built on benefits promise more success than self-descriptive ones, because they "think" from the target group and address its needs and expected benefits (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 6). | Who Are We? Brand Identity in the Narrow Sense | Brand Promise |
| 07 | Differentiation The differentiators ( Differenzierung in the figure, Differentiatoren in the text) answer the question of how the brand differs from its competitors "actually and noticeably in content" (translated) (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 3). The positioning must allow the brand to stand apart from the competition (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 4). | Who Are We? Brand Identity in the Narrow Sense | Key Differentiator |
| 08 | Target Groups This ring asks whom the brand wants to reach ( Zielgruppe(n) ) and what these groups expect from it. The groups with priority are described in detail in psychographic terms (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 2). The step matters especially for corporate brands. The touchpoints, and with them the brand's performance and communication, follow from the groups chosen (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 4). Figure 2 of the paper lists seven possible groups: the sales market, the labour market, employees, media and the public, politics and lobbies, the capital market and investors, and business partners (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 5). | Whom Do We Address? Target Groups | Key Stakeholders |
| 10 | Brand Touchpoints The outer ring lists the places where people meet the brand ( Markenkontaktpunkte ), both on the communication side and on the performance side (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 2). In the long run, communication cannot carry a brand alone; what it promises has to match how the company actually performs. Once the relevant target groups are set, the touchpoints that matter to them are therefore identified and ranked by how relevant they are and how big the existing gap is (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, pp. 7–8). | Where Can We Be Experienced? Brand Touchpoints | Key Touchpoints |
| 12 | On-Brand Communication (Coding) On the communication side, the model defines the design of the brand's appearance ( markenadäquate Kommunikation ): its coding through language, images and symbols, and other sensory elements. It has proved helpful to set down in detail not only the "go's" but also the "no go's" (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, pp. 2–3, 9). On-brand language uses the right key terms again and again over a long time, and its whole style reflects the brand's values and personality and the motives of the target groups (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, p. 9). | How Can We Be Experienced? On-Brand Performance and Communication | Verbal Identity |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09 | Psychological Moment of Brand Choice Beyond naming the groups, the model describes them by their motives and expected benefits. The aim is to understand these motives and the experience customers have when the brand's promise fulfils them. Burkhardt and Göpel call this the "psychological moment of brand choice" ( psychologischer Moment der Markenwahl ). Only with this deep understanding can the benefit promise be put into practice for the target groups. Means-end analyses have proved especially useful for this (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, pp. 6–7). | Whom Do We Address? Target Groups | Consumer Insight The insight is discovered in customers' minds and not decided by the owner; it feeds the benefit promise but is not the promise itself. |
| 11 | On-Brand Performance (Proofpoints) For each relevant touchpoint, the model works out in detail what performance fits the brand ( markenadäquate Leistung ), where the brand stands today and which measures are needed to keep its promise. On the performance side, the "proofpoints" or "moments of truth" (translated) are identified in three search fields: products, services and processes (Burkhardt & Göpel, 2011, pp. 2, 8). | How Can We Be Experienced? On-Brand Performance and Communication | Strategic Imperatives These are actions and conditions that make the identity deliverable, so this is planning after the identity and not its content. |
Tier B
TBA Branding Model
Emilio Llopis · Brand consultant and lecturer (GLR Partners, EDEM Escuela de Empresarios) · 2023
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Be Be is the phase in which the brand itself changes. Sustainability moves into its core, meaning identity, value proposition and positioning. Llopis calls this a deep transformation. The brand states its commitment in its mission and in what customers get from it. It still has to be relevant and different from others, and it has to match the values it promotes (Llopis, 2024a). In the figure, Be is the brand strategy step, headed "define what we want to be" (translated). A ring holds the value proposition (functional and emotional benefits, reason to believe) and the positioning, with the identity inside (Llopis, 2024b, figure). | Three Phases | Social Responsibility |
| 05 | Expression Expression ( Expresión ) covers what people can see and touch of the identity. Galué words the block as "expression, facts and symbols" (translated) (Galué, 2025). | Six Identity Blocks | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 06 | Personality Brand personality ( Personalidad de marca ) is the style and tone the brand shows in its dealings with others (Galué, 2025). | Six Identity Blocks | Brand Persona |
| 07 | Internal Culture and Values This block ( Cultura interna y valores ) covers the values and culture inside the company, which steer what it does (Galué, 2025). | Six Identity Blocks | Brand Culture |
| 08 | Mission, Vision, Purpose Together, mission, vision and purpose ( Misión, visión y propósito ) answer why the brand exists, a reason meant to inspire and give direction (Galué, 2025). | Six Identity Blocks | Guiding Philosophy |
| 09 | Brand Essence The essence ( Esencia de marca ) is the one central idea that sums up everything the brand stands for (Galué, 2025). In the figure, it sits at the centre of the identity (Llopis, 2024b, figure). | Six Identity Blocks | Brand Essence |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Think Think is the analysis phase. Before a company changes its brand, it checks where it stands. That means how customers behave, what competitors do, what regulators demand and how the company itself affects its surroundings. Its main result is an ESG roadmap (environmental, social, governance) that later sustainability decisions refer back to (Llopis, 2024a). In the figure, Think is the business strategy step, headed "understand what we can be" (translated), and splits into Outsight (customers, stakeholders, context, competition) and Insight (brand audit, strategy, ESG roadmap, product and service, CEO commitment) (Llopis, 2024b, figure). | Three Phases | Situation Analysis A stock-take describes the starting situation, so it is analysis before the identity and not content the owner chooses. |
| 03 | Act Act is the delivery phase. Customers and other stakeholders should meet the sustainability commitment wherever they deal with the brand, from communication to customer experience (Llopis, 2024a). Llopis singles out greenwashing as the key danger, so a brand should announce only what it can keep (Llopis, 2024a). In the figure, Act is the brand experience step, headed "decide how we will achieve it" (translated), with Internal & Employer Branding and Stakeholder Brand Experience as its two branches (Llopis, 2024b, figure). | Three Phases | Brand Strategy and Action Plan Planning the actions comes after the identity is set, so it is steering and not identity content. |
| 04 | Customer & Stakeholder Insights This block ( Clientes y stakeholders insights ) asks the company to know its customers and other stakeholders well, including what they need and what they aspire to (Galué, 2025). | Six Identity Blocks | Consumer Insight The insight is discovered in customers' minds and not decided by the owner; it feeds the benefit promise but is not the promise itself. |
Tier B
The Brand Canvas Model
Brandcom · Brand and advertising agency, Germany · 2018
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | Objectives Brandcom counts the goal among the most important guidelines for the brand's direction, and says it is often treated far too superficially. Focused measures need a clear goal. So the field asks how far the brand wants to go, "niche hero or world market leader" (translated) (Brandcom, 2018a). The 2022 canvas asks for the goals of both the company and the brand (Brandcom, 2022). | Set-Up | Brand Ambition |
| 05 | Customers The field describes the customer groups and goes beyond age and gender. It records what customers need and expect from the brand, which problem they have, and in what situation they come across the brand (Brandcom, 2018a). | Alignment | Target Customers |
| 06 | Brand Promise The promise is the core of the brand and the link customers draw between brand and product (Brandcom, 2018a). At best it sits clearly between what customers want and what competitors can offer. It should be broad enough for all products and sharp enough to be unique. Brandcom calls finding it "certainly the hardest task in brand development" (translated) (Brandcom, 2018a). The 2022 canvas asks for it in one sentence (Brandcom, 2022). | Alignment | Brand Promise |
| 07 | Story / Differentiation This field holds the story behind the brand and what sets it apart (Brandcom, 2022). A brand marks a difference from its competitors, and the German word Marke comes from Markierung (marking) for that reason (Brandcom, 2018a). When the product itself is hardly different, the story can carry the difference. It can tell how the brand or company began, name its goals, or give any other reason that matters to customers, even the pricing (Brandcom, 2018a). | Alignment | Key Differentiator |
| 08 | Services / Offers / Products This field lists what the brand offers. That means products and services and, for NGOs, beliefs or services for others, with details where they help (Brandcom, 2018a). The range should already fit the brand promise. A brand that wants to make life easier should not have a complicated offer (Brandcom, 2018a). The 2022 canvas also asks how the offer is built up and how it is priced or paid for (Brandcom, 2022). | Alignment | Product Scope |
| 09 | Corporate Design The bottom row turns the upper fields into the brand's appearance, and its fields should follow logically from the ones above (Brandcom, 2018a). Corporate design is the visual side. It depends on the impression the brand should give, such as trust or innovation, on whether it should stand out or blend in, and on the colours and imagery that fit. The canvas suggests small pictures instead of words (Brandcom, 2018a, 2022). | Derivation | Distinctive Brand Assets |
| 10 | Brand Personality The design shapes the personality, but the personality deserves its own description. It shows how the brand behaves, for example close or distant, relaxed or formal. A simple test is the form of address. If the brand were a person, would it use the informal or the formal word for you ( du or Sie )? Descriptive adjectives can say a good deal here (Brandcom, 2018a). | Derivation | Brand Persona |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Framework Conditions / External Factors The top block places the brand between outside conditions, inside conditions and its goals (Brandcom, 2018a). This field collects the outside forces that affect the brand, such as the economic climate, social trends and legal rules (Brandcom, 2018a). The 2022 canvas lists economic, social and political conditions (Brandcom, 2022). | Set-Up | Market and Environment Conditions These conditions exist independently of the owner's decisions, so they are analysis and not identity content. |
| 02 | Organisation / Structure Here the canvas shows where the brand sits in the company and who looks after it. The brand can be the whole company or just one product line. A team, one person or an agency can run it, and it can be international or purely local (Brandcom, 2018a). The 2022 canvas adds the brand's place in the organisation chart, team and resources, and other brands or companies (Brandcom, 2022). | Set-Up | Brand Governance Organising responsibility is steering after the identity exists, not identity content. |
| 04 | Competitors The middle block sets the strategic direction, with competitors on one side and customer demands on the other (Brandcom, 2018a). This field names the main competitors and notes how big they are, what they argue with and why customers pick them (Brandcom, 2018a). The 2022 canvas also asks for their strengths, weaknesses and market share (Brandcom, 2022). | Alignment | Competitors This describes other brands as they are, so it is analysis before the identity work and not content the owner decides. |
| 11 | Marketing Strategy The strategy is the plan for reaching the brand's goal (Brandcom, 2018a). The field records which media and channels the brand uses and in what order, and whether seasons or trade fairs play a role (Brandcom, 2018a, 2022). | Derivation | Communication Channels and Campaign Messages Communication carries the identity to the outside after it is set, so it is carrying out the identity and not its content. |
Tier B
The Brand Strategy Canvas
Patrick Woods · Archer Malmo · 2020
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Customer/User Insight A sharp picture of the people the brand is built for. It goes beyond demographics to how they think, what they are afraid of and what they hope to become (Woods, n.d., section "How It Works"). | Market Opportunity | Target Customers |
| 04 | Company/Product Features "What your product actually does", the raw material before benefits, emotion and story (Woods, n.d., section "How It Works"). | Market Opportunity | Product Attributes |
| 05 | Rational Benefits How customers experience the features: "not what it does, but what it means for them". It is the first step up the "Ladder of Abstraction" (Woods, n.d., section "How It Works"), on a continuum that runs from feature to rational benefit to emotional benefit (Woods, 2020, p. xii). | Benefits | Functional Benefits |
| 06 | Emotional Benefits "The higher-order payoff". Woods notes that this is "where most startups stop" and calls it "the biggest differentiation opportunity on the canvas" (Woods, n.d., section "How It Works"). | Benefits | Emotional Benefit |
| 08 | Brand Essence Two to four words that boil the whole positioning statement down. They have to be easy to remember and clear enough to guide decisions (Woods, n.d., section "How It Works"). | Positioning | Brand Essence |
| 09 | Company Values The values are "internal guide rails" rather than marketing copy: nouns that name what the company really believes and how it reaches decisions (Woods, n.d., section "How It Works"). The values help a startup deliver its messaging authentically (Woods, 2020, p. xii). | Voice & Expression | Brand Values |
| 10 | Brand Personality How the brand shows up in the world, "characterful, not generic": "the outward expression of everything your values say internally" (Woods, n.d., section "How It Works"). Personality guides the tone and voice of the brand and offers further room for competitive differentiation (Woods, 2020, p. xii). | Voice & Expression | Brand Persona |
| 11 | Key Messages Three to five ideas that the brand puts across consistently, each one backed up by evidence. Before they are final, they should pass the "Talk Like a Human test" (Woods, n.d., section "How It Works"). In the key messages, the strategy turns into something the team can act on: they guide what the brand writes on its website, in press releases and in customer support emails (Woods, 2020, p. xii). | Voice & Expression | Key Messages |
Elements Outside Brand Identity (fail at least one of the three tests; not used for the categorization):
| # | Element | Group (As Named by the Originator) | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Cultural Moment What is changing in culture, technology or the market so that the brand fits the present: the "why now", which sets a brand that seems to know what is coming apart from a generic one. Woods calls it the box that changes most, to be looked at again as the moment moves on (Woods, n.d., section "How It Works"). | Market Opportunity | Cultural Moment This is a condition outside the brand that the owner observes and does not decide. |
| 03 | Competitive Environment An overview of the field: what other options exist, how they position themselves and where nothing is offered yet. An "anti-audience" exercise makes clear who the brand is explicitly not for (Woods, n.d., section "How It Works"). | Market Opportunity | Competitors This describes other brands as they are, so it is analysis before the identity work and not content the owner decides. |
| 07 | Brand Positioning Statement A single sentence that sums up the brand: its audience, its offer and the reason it matters (Woods, n.d., section "How It Works"). On the canvas it runs through six lines: Audience ("For:"), Culture ("at a moment when:"), Description ("… is:"), Benefit ("that:"), Proof ("because:") and Payoff ("so that:"), and the canvas asks whether it is "important, unique, believable, actionable, and sustainable" (Woods, n.d., figure). The statement is "the foundation and inspiration for all brand execution" (Woods, 2020, p. xii). | Positioning | Brand Positioning Positioning is derived from the identity and set against competitors, so it is the next step after the identity and not part of it. |
Status: 28 October 2026. Part of the Brand Identity Model Atlas by Klaus Heine. The definitions are the Atlas profile texts in full; sources and page references stand on the profile pages.
Part of the Brand Identity Model Atlas. The atlas underpins the Brand-Building Canvas: a practical one-page brand identity and strategy framework for building, auditing, and repositioning brands. Download the PDF or PowerPoint template, or compare all brand identity models in the overview.