In brand planning there are typically two approaches. Find the brand Idea, which is a bit like a truffle hunt or form the brand idea, more akin to gestation. They are both fun and both hard.
Find usually takes the planner through the grasses and woodlands of the brand’s past. Readers know I’m not a rearview mirror planner, but the past contains many clues. Hard and soft. It helps to know where you’ve trod in order to know where you are going. But going forward you are. Understand the product, people, place, price and promotion fore and aft – and those of competitors — and you should be able to locate a brand idea that suits your business strategy.
Form focuses on new products and services; those that have never seen the light of day. Form brand ideas require mad context. Who, with what, and where will this new product be competing? If in a completely a new category, what person, place or thing will this new product replace? A rich new rich jungle tea might, for instance, compete with coffee not other teas.
And remember be it find or form, your idea needs organized support planks — planks that prove the idea. Lastly, do not confuse a brand idea with a campaign. As we all know, campaigns come and go. Peace!