Know-How Exchange : Branding

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Common sense isn't". It may be the "obvious choice" for people who are smart, efficient, eco-friendly, quality obsessed, etc. So, the key is to connect which group is your product the "obvious" choice for, and point others to the "wise tribe".

A brand is more than just a name, logo or color scheme. Think of a brand as an iceberg where only the tip of the iceberg (e.g., name, color, logo or tagline) is visible. The driver of consumer's perception of your brand is the way you deliver on the brand's promise at every single touch point. If the customer experience at those touch points is not consistent with a luxury position, it won't matter what you call your brand.

As a first step, I would make sure that the way you conduct business with your customers gives off a sense of luxury. Visit your local Lexus dealership, or go to Nordstrom's as an example of what you would be competing with in the luxury space. If your store does not measure up, then you should work on that first.

You might ask the boss why s/he wants to change the positioning. Changing a positioning is much more difficult than creating a new brand, because you have to explain what's different now that makes the new positioning more appropriate than the old one.

I think someone has not thought this through very well, and they might appreciate an outside perspective on what they're trying to do. They could ruin a great brand franchise if it's not done properly -- with a large enough budget to make it work and overcome all the obvious barriers to positioning success.