Position Your Brand

While traveling recently in France, I was being asked about Bright Launch’s mission and services. The first thing coming to my mind was our brand statement, “Everything You Need to Succeed Online”. As I mentioned it, the interviewer nodded in approval, although I am pretty sure that he had no idea what that actually meant. While it meant something to me, and while it nicely summarized our services, I started to wonder if it was indeed the best brand statement we could have come up with.

Jennifer Rice, a brand consultant, shares her excellent advice on what constitutes good brand positioning:

• Five words or less. See if you can write your own tagline that clearly captures the essence of your brand. And don’t whine and say that’s a copywriter’s job… if you can’t boil down the brand essence into a short, memorable phrase, chances are a copywriter can’t either. It’s not a quick and easy process, but it pays off.
• Use consumer language. Too many times I’ve worked with clients who’ve insisted that we use certain phrases in the positioning that make sense internally but not to customers, or they’re so focused on features that they forget that customers care more about benefits. To get yourself in a customer state of mind, write your positioning statements from a customer’s point of view. For example, “If I choose x instead of (alternative), I will (get what benefit) because (primary reason to believe)”
• The 4D positioning rule is desirable by customers, distinctive from the competition, deliverable by the company, and durable over time. A good brand position will sit at the intersection of these four requirements.

All very good points that make sense – but how does it apply to Bright Launch’s mission statement? Let’s start with Jennifer’s 4D Rule:

• Desirable: comprehensive, tailored IT solutions delivered in a personalized manner
• Distinctive: sophisticated, appealing design at competitive prices
• Deliverable: relying on robust, free open-source software and best-practices
• Durable: measurable impact on a client’s business

Mmmh, that’s part of it, but I got to think about it more.

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