The Brand Gap

How to Bridge the Gap Between Business Strategy and Design

by Marty Neumier

A brand is not a logo. A brand is not an identity. A brand is not a product. Brand is intangible, a gut feeling, an emotion. Brand is not what you say it is; it’s what they say it is. Brand is the combination of logic and magic, strategy and creativity. Yet, in most companies, strategy and creativity are separated by a huge gap. Bridging this gap is the difference between the brand that no one has ever heard of and a brand people believe in.

In brand building there are five major disciplines: differentiate, collaborate, innovate, validate, and cultivate. To differentiate a company must consider three questions: Who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter? The first two questions will help to clarify the focus of the brand, but the answer to the last question will be what sets the brand apart from its competitors. Building a brand takes collaboration. Many companies are creating their own brand building communities by mixing and matching brand agencies with internal marketing teams. Brand innovation is always risky and sometimes costly, but the cost of not innovating is far worse. “You can’t be a leader by following,” (76). Validation through field testing and unobtrusive observation is an excellent way to reassure those who might be paralyzed by the “fear of stupid” (80). It is also a smart way to test a brand’s distinctiveness, relevance, memorability, extendibility, and depth. Cultivation of a successful brand requires constant adaptation to changes in the marketplace while maintaining consistent handling of the brand. The brand encompasses the whole company from the product, to the employees, to the stationary. To have a successful brand all these must work together to support the message presented to the consumer.