These days, brand messages come wrapped in all kinds of packages. Companies prompt you to repost their tweets; pay Facebook to promote their photos; chase you around the Internet with ads. It makes sense – the marketing world is driven by instant information and a cacophony of social media.
Messages on these platforms can excel (or fail) in any number of ways, and just keeping up can seem like a daunting task. But the medium is almost always beside the point, because the messaging foundation – especially for a newer company or one refreshing its brand – is generally the same: how do you position your brand in a crowded marketplace. Often what you offer may be the most compelling product or solution, but if the end user can’t wrap their head around the value proposition, you will crash and burn.
And unlike its more provocative relatives, like the tagline or the slogan, a brand position is typically an internal affair. An agency might create one to guide company goals, shape brand voice, and design an overall messaging rubric. Developing a position also requires a more formalized ideation process, because the most prolific statements follow a uniform template.
At Trevelino/Keller, we know a good brand-positioning statement can anchor a company far beyond its launch. Following a prescribed format, we collaborate with clients to create their positioning statements at the beginning of our relationship. it sets the tone for our engagement, helping us differentiate against the competitive set and build an outcome-based program.
Of course, visionaries never stop ideating and brands pivot. From one year to the next, a brand-positioning statement might evolve or need a rewrite, but it can also remain an important compass. A great statement should be a brand’s North Star, often helping it navigate two roads diverged in a mesmerizing Internet.