After product, the most important elements of a brand are the name, logo and tagline. For consumer products package is also crazy important. It’s ironic that most of these elements are developed without a brand strategy to guide them.
Defined as an organizing principle for product , experience and messaging, a brand strategy can supercharge a product or service if developed before the name, logo, tagline and package. But typically, the process is bass-ackwards. The Amerinds got this right in the naming of their brethren and sister-ren: Crazy Horse, Sleeps in Woods, Antelope Runner all reflect a persona or quality. Strategy first.
Today, sans, strategy and sans big startup R&D budget, many companies name products much as they name their children. Lots of effort, good likeability, no strategy.
Brand strategy development is easier for products and services that have been around a long time. There’s something to study. It’s hard early on when a “marketable” is in the development stage.
What’s The Idea? was a strategy before a service. It works the hard way.
Peace.
