Finding and Selecting Your Branding Partners
Contrary to what you might hear from mega-sized firms, no one discipline in the communications field holds all the keys to the kingdom of branding. It is an interdisciplinary effort that you or a surrogate must guide, orchestrating the efforts of many players. To put any skill-set position player in charge is to put the load out of balance.
The following list is arranged according to primary players and secondary players, i.e. those with supporting roles but who, under no circumstances, are qualified in any way other than to support the branding process.
Position Players
Ad agency
Corporate identity/graphics design
Direct marketing/collateral literature developer
PR firm
Supporting Roles
Law firms
Marketing consultants
Production services (printing, video production, etc.)
Research
Online Brand Statement Planner
Company Name:
Offering (site, service, product) name:
Of the name to be branded, what are the top five qualities you want associated with it? List in order of preference:
When you hear that name, what visual images come to mind?
Other than your logo, what kinds of symbols or signs depict the ideas you want to embody in your name?
Are there other brands or sites that evoke similar impressions?
If the brand were a person, please provide a personality profile of the brand.
What mood do you want your site to have?
Have you ever visited a site that has that mood? Which one is it?
When first linking to your site, what feelings and emotions do you want visitors to have?
Does the brand name make you feel the same way?
How do you feel when you see someone at your site?
How do you think they feel?
If different, why?
What reaction do you want someone to have when hearing your brand name for the first time?
What reaction do you want them to have when visiting your site for the first time?
Rate on a scale of 110 (with 10 being highest) the relative weight you want your site to embody in the following areas:
On the same scale, rate your site on how it performs in each area.
Is your sales mode hard-sell, soft-sell, or informational-sell?
Do your site elements support the choices you have made?
Brand Y N
Brand Y N
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B.
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Competence
Excitement
Ruggedness
Sincerity
Sophistication
Trustworthiness
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE BRANDING GUIDE
PRE-SALE |
SALE/POST-SALE LOYALTY |
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AWARENESS |
PREFERENCE |
PURCH. |
USE |
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REFER |
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ONLINE |
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BANNER |
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SEARCH |
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CHAT |
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SITE |
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HOTLINK |
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OFFLINE |
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ADVT. |
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DIR. MKT. |
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PROMOT. |
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POS |
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PR |
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PERSON-2-PERSON |
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Indicate the media and category you want for the following objectives:
Inform
Educate
Pre-dispose
Motivate
Reinforce
Acquire
Build Value
Evangelize
Refer