Nowadays, it’s no longer enough to create a brandto develop a concept positioningиbrand legendas well as naming andcreate a logo.. In order to gain the trust and love of the consumer, it is necessary to create a connection between the brand and the target audience by embedding certain values in the brand.
Brand values are not just the functionality and quality of a product, but primarily its intangible side – the associated positive characteristics that differentiate your brand from other similar products. People don’t just want quality and functional products, they choose brands that add value.Therefore, it is brand values that often become a powerful motivatoror deciding factor when choosing a product or service!
Brand values are certain feelings and emotions that a brand carries along with its functionality, for example, owning a brand gives a person a feeling of self-confidence, belonging to a particular social group, position in society, a sense of prestige, confidence in the high quality and reliability of goods, etc. – all this gives the consumer deep satisfaction from using the brand.
How do you create brand values?
Before developing a brand identity or brand values, it is necessary to know clearly what the consumer and the target audience want. Therefore, the first and mandatory step in creating a brand identity is to study the target audience and make a portrait (needs) of the desired consumers. And then, when everything is already known about the consumer, and you know what he wants to get from the brand, it is necessary to highlight the most important and relevant values.
There are many ways to create brand value:
1.Formation of connection of values with material benefit. It implies the creation of value – an impression directly related to the benefit from the consumption of goods, for example, buying Head&Sholders shampoo, you know for sure that you will not only get clean hair, but also get rid of dandruff, and thus get a feeling of self-confidence and irresistibility.
2.Creating a mental context.Mental context is a concept that encourages consumers to seek out differences between existing brands. For example, if you stay at theHudsonorRoyaltonHotel in Manhattan, you know in advance that you will get there all the amenities and high-level service, while staying at theBoutiqueHotel, you can choose exactly the amount of service you need at the moment, as the rooms here have a wide differentiation – from the simplest to the suite.
3.Formation of direct experience.This method consists of creating an expectation that will multiply the experience of consuming the product. For example, the consumption of energy drinks makes the consumer feel more powerful and energetic than they can actually give, due to the colorfully stated expectation.
4.Creationof means of self-presentation.Creation of a meaningful symbol in the brand, which is well known within a certain group, which helps the consumer to express and characterize himself from one side or another. For example, the brand ofAbsolutvodka became a way for the yuppie subculture to indicate its belonging to one or another yuppie community more specifically (English abbreviation Yuppie, from Young Urban Professional Person).
5.Creating a means of communicating the message.This method also involves creating a well-known symbol through which you can express your emotions. For example, the jewelry giant DeBeers created the following symbols: if a woman wears her diamond on her right hand, she expresses her independence; if she wears it on her left hand, the diamond expresses certain obligations.
6.Creation of a social or cultural sphere of competence.Creating a sphere of competence that the consumer will use as a guide to understand what is going on around him, what will make him happy and what type of behavior should be chosen. Such a method was used by Apple when it offered the consumer a personal computer not only as a working tool, but also as a means of creativity and self-actualization.
7.The “long arm” method.Creating an opportunity for consumers to participate in solving a problem that they cannot reach themselves, but, for example, by purchasing a given brand, they can take part in an action to protect the environment or help an orphanage. For example, such actions are regularly held by McDonald’s, selling for small money “palms” and trinkets of happiness, collecting funds for various types of social assistance for children; as well as the company “Oriflame”, selling anti-cancer “paraphernalia”, the profit from which goes to a special fund that finances educational programs and the purchase of equipment to fight breast cancer. In addition, some manufacturers contribute a certain percentage of their sales during the marketing period to predetermined social needs.
8.Creation of Alter Ego.Embodying in the brand a certain opportunity for the consumer to do something that he dares not do himself, in other words, to create in the brand a certain provocation. This concept is most successfully used in fashion clothing brands – bold, provocative, challenging outfits allow the consumer to express himself as a person.
9.Creating an emotion simulator.This way of creating brand value implies that the brand will contain certain emotions that the consumer does not encounter in everyday life, but wants to experience them very much. An example of the use of this concept is the brand Sicily by Dolce & Gabbana.
10.Realizing fantasies.A brand that gives the consumer the opportunity to not only fantasize about omnipotence, success, love, etc., but also to fulfill fantasies. For example, the Timberland brand is a way for consumers to fantasize about travel, incredible adventures, and battles with the forces of nature.
By enriching your brand with values that are important to your target audience, you turn it into a universal means of achieving consumer goals, thereby increasing its importance in the eyes of the consumer, and the desire to possess it. By embedding the right values in your brand, you can win any competitive battle thanks to the commitment and loyalty of your consumers.
KOLORO Branding Agency provides a full range of branding services – from target audience research and brand creation to brand identity development and brand popularization strategy!We will help you to research the market, develop a positioning concept, conduct naming, create a logo and brand legend, and, most importantly, we know how to create brand values that will become its unique competitive advantage!
