Brand Brief: Why it matters and how to write a strong one

Creating a brand brief involves collaboration and review from different stakeholders to ensure a comprehensive brand. When writing a brand brief, you need to be as clear as possible about your goals. Here are the steps to the actual writing process.

Provide an overview of your company

You should start by describing the idea and thought behind your brand by clearly providing an understanding of your business and what you offer to the people. Your brand brief should clearly answer questions such as “What do you do?” with all the necessary details to avoid confusion.

Here is how you can address different questions.

“We are [Brand Name], and we offer [Product/Service] for [Audience] who want [Brand Solution] and [Brand USP] or [Competitive Advantage].”

Specify the target market

The definition of a brand clearly states that it is more than just text, images, and colour; it is the overall effect and how your customers perceive your business. So, before making your rebrand successful, you should know your target market.

If you don't have a target audience already, here are some ideas to help you define yours.

First, focus on your current audience and identify common interests and characteristics among the individuals who make the most purchases. This will help you get a good starting point for targeting.

Then, examine your product or service closely, focusing on who would benefit most from your solution and each specific product feature.

Lastly, consider who you originally had in mind when the idea for your solution first emerged by looking into factors such as age group, income level, gender, marital status, and occupation.

You should always keep in mind that any target demographic you select should have sufficient people who can afford to buy your products/services at the rate and frequency needed to sustain your business.

State your brand promise

Once you have defined brand ideas and target audience, you need clarity on their expectations from using your brand. Though it sounds easy, many fall into the trap of simply mentioning a boring old message without putting enough thought behind it.

To create an effective brand promise, list all the reasons customers choose you and the most critical problem your brand solves for your audience. Make sure your brand promise is simple, catchy, and memorable. It'd be much better if you made it credible and inspiring, too.

For example, the chocolate brand M&M's has a brand promise, “no chocolate mess.”

Define the brand mission

The who, why, and what are the factors that together define your brand mission. On the other hand, vision is the influence your brand hopes to make in the world with its products and services.

You need to define these two things to keep a balance between what is and what you hope can be. It'd be the present vs future.

Let's take the example of LinkedIn’s vision: creating economic opportunity for every individual in the global workforce. On the other hand, their mission involves connecting the world's professionals to make them more productive as well as successful.

Develop your value proposition

A brand's value proposition might seem like a brand promise, but both differ. A brand's value proposition provides the reason why customers should favour your brand over your competitors.

To highlight your value proposition, here are the questions you should ask: What makes my products different from competitors? Do my products rely on fewer resources to achieve targeted results? What features do my products offer? What emotional purchasing drivers does it cater to? What rational purchasing drivers does it cater to? What hidden needs does it fulfil? 

Once you answer all these questions, you will find your unique selling proposition.

Analyse the competition

Many businesses already know how important it is to analyse competition to stay in business. If you know who is most likely to outcompete you in business, you are more likely to know what new developments need to be adopted to adjust or beat them.

Adding at least the top 3 competitors would make a strong brand brief.

It's also good to watch your competition because it makes it easier for you to determine things you are doing that can't be easily replicated. You can also benefit from comparing your products to those of your competitors and asking your customers' opinions on why they select your brand over your competitors.

Define brand values

Brand values can help you frame your brand story in a way that humanises it and inspires loyalty. By defining what your brand stands for, you can align it with your mission and vision to increase employee performance, create a memorable identity, and build deeper customer connections.

You can also gain clear insights into your brand values by seeking employee and customer feedback.

Establish brand culture

Brand culture shows what your company looks like from the inside out. It can ensure that your company attracts the best and that your team is full of talented workers.

It can also help the employees feel more motivated to work and increase productivity and creativity in the workplace.

Identify brand voice and image

The brand voice reflects your brand's unique personality, making it memorable and creating a sense of consistency across your marketing channels. It also shapes how you convey your message to the audience. Are you a fun yet authoritative brand with sarcastic humour or a premium and exclusive brand?

When discussing a rebrand, we often hear admiration for the Apple website. But mimicking its clean and minimalist style can make your brand blend into the sea of white, too Apple-ish looking facades instead of stand out.

Your brand image should reflect what truly represents your business. Instead of building your brand around fleeting trends as they quickly become outdated, leaving your brand behind, you should focus on creating a timeless and authentic identity.