The Brand Gap Read online

  fifth discipline

  The organizational discipline of systems thinking, used to integrate four other disciplines: personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning | read The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge

  first mover

  A company or brand that starts a new category | see Disruptive Innovation

  focus group

  A qualitative research technique in which several people are invited to a research facility to discuss a given subject; a type of research designed to focus later research | see Qualitative Research

  frankenbrand

  A poorly aligned brand, often resulting from a merger or acquisition; a dysfunctional brand | see Brand Alignment

  futurecasting

  A technique used to envision future products, industries, competitors, challenges, or opportunities; a combination of forecasting and imagination | read Unstuck, Keith Yamashita and Sandra Spataro, Ph.D.

  generic

  An unbranded product, service, or experience; a commodity | see Commoditization

  generic brand

  A misnomer often applied to a commodity product or store brand (since the terms generic and brand are mutually exclusive) | see Store Brand

  global brand

  A product, service, or company that competes globally (often a misnomer, since most brands, by definition, vary from culture to culture)

  guerilla marketing

  A marketing program that uses non-traditional channels to sell or advertise products or services | read Guerrilla Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson

  halo brand

  A brand that lends value to another brand by association, such as a well known master brand and lesser known subbrand

  harmonization

  The alignment of the elements of a brand across product lines or geographic regions

  hawthorne effect

  The tendency for research subjects to behave uncharacteristically | see Observer Effect

  hollywood model

  A system of creative collaboration in which specialists work as a team for the duration of a project | see IMT, Metateam, Virtual Agency

  house of brands

  A company in which the dominant brand names are those of the products and services the company sells, also called a heterogeneous brand or pluralistic brand; the opposite of branded house

  icon

  The visual symbol of a brand, usually based on a differentiated market position; a trademark | see Trademark

  IMT

  An Integrated Marketing Team, comprised of various specialist firms collaborating to build a brand; a metateam or virtual agency | see Hollywood Model, Metateam, Virtual Agency

  information architect

  A person who designs complex information systems to make them more navigable | read Information Architects, edited by Richard Saul Wurman

  information hierarchy

  The order of importance of the elements in a brand message

  ingredient brand

  A brand used as a selling feature in another brand

  innovation

  A market-changing product, service, experience, or concept; the formal practice of innovation | read The Art of Innovation, Tom Kelley et al.

  integrated marketing

  A collaborative method for developing consistent messaging across media

  intellectual property

  Intangible assets protected by patents and copyrights; the legal discipline that specializes in the protection of brand assets, including brand names, trademarks, colors, shapes, sounds, and smells

  internal branding

  An internal program to spread brand understanding through the use of standards manuals, orientation sessions, workshops, critiques, and online training; brand cultivation

  jamming

  Building a brand or company through improvisational collaboration | read Jamming, John Kao

  junk brand

  A brand based on a facade instead of a real value proposition; sometimes called a Potemkin brand | see Value Proposition

  leveraging a brand

  Borrowing from the credibility of one brand to launch another brand, subbrand, or co-brand; a brand extension | see Co-Branding, Subbrand

  line extension

  The addition of one or more subbrands to a master brand; the expansion of a brand family | see Master Brand, Subbrand

  living brand

  A brand that grows, changes, and sustains itself; a healthy brand

  logo

  An abbreviation of logotype, now applied broadly (if incorrectly) to all trademarks | see Logotype, Trademark

  logotype

  A distinctive typeface or lettering style used to represent a brand name; a wordmark

  look and feel

  The sensory experience of a product, environment, or communication

  mall intercept

  A market research technique in which researchers interview customers in a store or public location; a one-on-one interview | see One-On-One Interview

  marketing

  The process of developing, promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service | read The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Al Ries

  marketing aesthetics

  The principles of perception used to enhance the feelings or experiences of an audience | read Marketing Aesthetics, Bernd Schmitt and Alex Simonson

  market penetration

  The market share of a product, service, or company compared to others in the category

  market position

  The ranking of a product, service, or company within a category, sometimes calculated as market share multiplied by share of mind | see Positioning

  market share

  The percentage of total sales in a given category, usually expressed in the number of units sold or the value of units sold | see Market Position

  master brand

  The dominant brand in a line or across a business, such as Pepperidge Farm or Sony, to which subbrands can be added; a parent brand | see brand architecture, Parent Brand, Subbrand

  media

  The channels through which brand messages are delivered, such as television, printed publications, direct mail, the Internet, and outdoor posters

  media advertising

  One-way messages designed to sell, persuade, or create awareness of a brand through public communication channels

  meme

  An idea that self-reproduces like a virus; a unit of social currency, such as “Where’s the beef?” or “Sweet!” | read The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins

  mental model

  A conceptual image of an experience, environment, process, or system that provides better understanding or predictive value

  message architecture

  The formal relationships among brand communications

  metateam

  A large team made up of smaller specialist teams; an IMT or virtual agency | see Hollywood Model, IMT, Virtual Agency

  mission statement

  A concise statement of the purpose or aspirations of an organization

  morpheme

  The smallest unit of language that has meaning, often used by naming specialists to assemble coined words, or neologisms | see Neologism

  name brand

  A widely recognized product, service, or organization

  natural reading sequence

  The order in which readers can most easily absorb separate pieces of information

  neologism

  A coined word or phrase that can serve as a brand name | see Morpheme

  new luxury

  Goods and services that deliver higher quality or superior performance at a premium price, such as Belvedere Vodka or Callaway Golf Clubs | read Trading Up, Michael J. Silverstein and Neil Fiske

  nih syndrome

  The tendency of a company, department, employee, or consultant to reject any idea “Not Invented Here”

  no-logo movement

  A group of activists who see global brands as a form o
f cultural imperialism | read No Logo, Naomi Klein

  nomenclature system

  A formal structure for naming related products, services, features, or benefits; the naming portion of an organization’s brand architecture | see Brand Architecture

  observer effect

  A tendency for the presence of the observer to change what is being observed | see Hawthorne Effect

  one-on-one interview

  A market research technique in which subjects are interviewed one at a time

  one-stop shop

  A single firm that offers a full range of branding services, as opposed to an IMT | see IMT

  opinion leader

  A person whose opinion or personality exerts an influence over other members of a group; also called an opinion maker

  parallel execution

  The process by which creative teams work simultaneously rather than sequentially

  parent brand

  The main brand in a brand family; a master brand | see Brand Architecture, Master Brand

  perception

  An impression received through the senses; a building block of customer experience | see Marketing Aesthetics

  perceptual map

  A diagram of customer perceptions showing the relationships between competing products, service, companies, or brands

  permanent media

  Environmental brand messages that last for years, such as architecture or signage

  permission marketing

  The practice of promoting goods or services with anticipated, personal, and relevant messages | read Permission Marketing, Seth Godin

  positioning

  The process of differentiating a product, service, or company in a customer’s mind to obtain a strategic competitive advantage; the first step in building a brand | read Positioning, Al Ries and Jack Trout

  power law

  In brand building, the tendency for success to attract more success; a law that explains why the “rich get richer” | see Virtuous Circle

  primacy effect

  The observation that first impressions tend to be stronger than later impressions, except for last impressions | see Recency Effect

  private label

  A store-owned product that competes, often at a lower price, with widely distributed products; a store brand as opposed to a name brand | see Name Brand, Store Brand

  product placement

  A form of paid advertising in which products and trademarks are inserted into non-advertising media such as movies, television programs, music, and public environments

  promise

  A stated or implied pledge that creates customer expectations and employee responsibilities, such as FedEx’s on-time guarantee

  prosumer

  A category of products and services that combines professional-level features with consumer-level usability and price

  prototype

  A model, mockup, or plan used to evaluate or develop a new product, service, environment, communication, or experience

  provenance

  A historical connection that lends authenticity or credibility to a brand | see Authenticity

  pure play

  A company with a single line of business; a highly focused brand

  qualia

  Subjective experiences that determine how each person perceives a brand | see Experience Design

  qualitative research

  Research designed to provide insight, such as one-on-one interviews and focus groups | see Design Research, Focus Group, One-On-One Interview

  quantitative research

  Research designed to provide measurement, such as polling and large-scale studies | see Design Research

  radical differentiation

  A bold position that allows a brand to stand out from market clutter; a zag | see Positioning, Zag

  rapid prototyping

  A process of producing quick rounds of mockups, models, or concepts in rapid succession, evaluating and reiterating after each round to develop more effective products, services, or experiences | read The Art of Innovation, Tom Kelley et al.

  reach

  The number of people exposed to an advertising or brand message | see Market Penetration

  recency effect

  The observation that last impressions tend to be stronger than earlier impressions, including first impressions | see Primacy Effect

  reputation

  The shared opinion of a product, service, or organization among all the members of its audience | see Audience

  sacrifice

  The practice of eliminating any product, service, or feature that fails to strengthen a market position or brand

  sales cycle

  For buyers, the steps in making a purchase (often defined as awareness, consideration, decision, and use); for sellers, the steps in making a sale (often defined as finding and qualifying customers, defining the products or services, and accepting and acknowledging the order)

  segment

  A group of people who are likely to respond to a given marketing effort in a similar way | see Audience

  segmentation

  The process of dividing a market into subcategories of people who share similar values and goals

  shelf impact

  The ability of a product, package, or brand to stand out on a shelf by virtue of its design

  signature

  The defined visual relationship between a logo-type and a symbol | see Logotype, symbol

  silo

  A department separated from other departments according to product, service, function, or market; a disparaging term for a non-collaborative department

  slogan

  A catchphrase, tagline, or rally cry; from the Gaelic “sluagh-ghairm,” meaning “war cry”

  social network

  A network of people that can be leveraged to spread ideas or messages using viral marketing techniques | see Viral Marketing

  sock-puppet marketing

  A disparaging term for “fake” brands built on frothy advertising campaigns, such as those of the dot-com era | read The Fall of Advertising, Al Ries and Laura Ries

  specialization

  The strategy of focusing and deepening a business offering to better compete with larger companies or to better collaborate with other specialists

  speech-stream visibility

  The quality of a brand name that allows it to be recognized as a proper noun (as opposed to a generic word) in conversation, such as Kodak or Smuckers

  stakeholder

  Any person or firm with a vested interest in a company or brand, including shareholders, employees, partners, suppliers, customers, and community members

  store brand

  A private-label product that can be sold at lower prices or higher margins than its widely distributed competitors, sometimes incorrectly called a generic brand; a private-label brand | see Generic Brands, Private Label

  strategic DNA

  A decision-making code derived from the intertwining of business strategy and brand strategy

  strategy

  A plan that uses a set of tactics to achieve a business goal, often by out-maneuvering competitors | see Brand Strategy

  subbrand

  A secondary brand that builds on the associations of a master brand | see Master Brand

  sustaining innovation

  An incremental improvement to an existing product, service, or business | see Disruptive Innovation

  swot

  A conceptual tool that analyzes Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

  symbol

  A sign or trademark designed to represent a brand

  tactic

  An expedient maneuver used in support of a strategy

  tagline

  A sentence, phrase, or word used to summarize a market position, such as Mini’s “Let’s motor” and Taco Bell’s “Think outside the bun” | see Positioning, Slogan

  target market

  The group of
customers a company has decided to serve | see Segmentation

  team dynamics

  The psychological factors that influence collaboration, including trust, fear, respect, and company politics | read Unstuck, Keith Yamashita and Sandra Spataro, Ph.D.

  thought leader

  A brand that leads the market in influential ideas, though not necessarily in market share, such as Apple Computer

  tipping point

  A leverage point in the evolution of a market or society where a small effort can yield a surprisingly large result, not unlike “the straw that breaks the camel’s back” | read The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell

  touchpoint

  Any place where people come in contact with a brand, including product use, packaging, advertising, editorial, movies, store environments, company employees, and casual conversation

  trade dress

  The colors, shapes, typefaces, page treatments, and other visual properties that create a recognizable “face” for a brand | see Brand Identity