Developing and testing the brand platform
Objectives of a brand platform
Devising a brand platform is an effective way of clearly setting out the brand's mission, its value proposition and the way in which it seeks to meet the aspirations of certain target populations. The brand platform performs the same role as the foundations of a building; providing the base structure for the future product and the communication that surrounds it. It thus constitutes the key alignment tool for your communication agency partners.
Developing and testing the brand platform
Several key stages pave the way to a successful development and test of your brand platform:
1/ Preparatory phase: generally speaking we gather together elements of your brand history (previous platforms, communication material, agency briefs) in order to map out your trajectory. We work with you to clarify the stakes of your brand platform (your missions, your target audiences, etc...).
2/ Workshop: we recommend involving people from several different professional backgrounds: people from the brand team, communication, marketing, retail and also from your agency. By acquiring a cross-section of views and opinions and inviting contributions from those who will ultimately use the platform, you will find yourself in a position to draw up a wealth of valuable material. We offer a range of creative exercises and can provide you with platform templates if need be, based on a tried & proven methodological framework.
3/ Test: once devised, this platform can be tested and improved by means of our sprint method, drawn directly from the school of Design Thinking, and involving representatives from the marketing, studies and communication teams as well as from the communication agency (ideally the strategic planner and also the account manager) in a series of short iterative processes, in order to finalize the wording of the turnkey platform, making sure that it is not only customer-centric but also totally aligned with your in-house constraints and your predefined strategic framework.
The output will be a brand concept that is composed of an insight, a clear and univocal promise, key benefits, a clear commitment, the definition of a priority target and secondary targets and last but not least, a one sentence expression of the brand's positioning vis-à-vis the competition. The platform can be accompanied by inspiring visuals and other evocations. Once the process has been completed, the platform can be tested one last time.
