Brand essence with the Brand Key Model
Working towards the core message
23.12.2021
How do you determine what your brand is all about? What is the foundation, and what does your product or service offer to the target audience? By asking the right questions and answering them from the perspective of your business, you work towards a core message: the brand essence. These are a few impactful words that summarize the essence of your brand, derived from its positioning and brand values. It acts as a common thread throughout your brand, encapsulating what everyone in your company says, promises, and does.
What is the Brand Key model?
The Brand Key is a classic in the world of marketing. It's still a highly useful framework, presented in the form of a canvas or traditionally depicted as a keyhole. This framework is used by major players in the market, but it's also a tool that can be utilized by independent entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized business owners.
The purpose of the Brand Key is to reach the essence of your brand through 9 steps. It helps uncover the common thread that summarizes what your brand says, promises, and does. These are terms that are so recognizable to your target audience and employees that they unmistakably describe your brand.
When filling out the Brand Key, the usual approach is from an outside-in perspective. It starts with a strategy that works backward from what the target audience wants. Once the desires of the target audience are identified, you create solutions, products, or services from your brand that satisfy these desires. In this approach, you listen to the market. Of course, there are other models with an inside-out perspective, and they are also perfectly valid!
The 9 Brand Key steps
These steps lead to the essence of your brand. It's important to follow the sequence of these steps and not take any shortcuts. We will outline each step for you below.
1. Foundation
We begin with the first and newest step of the Brand Key model. This step was added for long-established brands, those with undeniable historical strength. Focus on outlining the core strengths of your brand. What has the brand been historically good at? Which authentic aspects provide fertile ground for the future? Describe the original product or service, initial values, attributes, and benefits that make the brand what it is today.
2. Competitive field
Who are the direct competitors of the brand? And which entities could pose indirect competition? List the brands that your customer considers when making a purchasing decision. Include both direct, primary competitors and the less obvious, secondary competitors.
3. Target audience
In this step, delve deeper into your target audience(s). Note the sociodemographic characteristics that are relevant, but go beyond that and consider the type of person your brand appeals to. The influence of demographic and social characteristics on people's opinions and behaviors has significantly decreased in recent years.
Therefore, we recommend using the Mentality model (Motivaction) in this step. This model categorizes the Dutch population into eight distinct segments based on their mindset. These segments are formed based on fundamental beliefs and values that define each group. If you're already creating buyer personas to better understand the attitudes and (product) preferences of your target audience, the Mentality model can be a valuable tool to assist you in this process.
4. Insights
Why does the target audience choose your product or service? What problems do you solve? What pain points do you alleviate for the target audience? In the Insight section, outline the latent purchase motivations of your target audience. Note why they would choose your products or services, but also consider why they might not. Understand their reasons for choosing a competing product or service. Having these factors documented will help you better address the purchase motivations of your target audience in the future.
5. Benefits
In this step, we shift our focus internally, on your product or service. List the benefits of your brand/product/service: the unique selling points (USPs). Consider both functional and psychosocial benefits that your product or service can offer the target audience.
6. Values and personality
In this section of the Brand Key, describe what your brand stands for. What it believes in and which values and personal characteristics are central. Your target audience likes to identify with brands, products, or services they consume. Personify your brand and describe it as if it were a person. Are you caring? Are you direct, transparent, and upfront with no fine print? What do you find important in this world? What do you want to contribute or achieve? People who see similarities between the brand personality and their own personality are more likely to develop a preference for your brand.
7. Credibility
Here, you provide evidence for your brand's positioning. Identify the arguments that indicate why the target audience trusts that your brand is the best choice. Determine the reasons why the target audience would want to choose your product or service. The stronger your evidence, the sharper and more credible your brand positioning.
8. Differentiating power
This part is concise and powerful, encompassing the primary reason why the target audience should choose your brand. Identify the most compelling and strongest argument or unique selling point (USP) of your product or service. Clearly demonstrate what sets your brand apart from competitors. Where is your brand unique? What sets you apart?
9. Brand essence
The heart and final part of the Brand Key is the core of your brand. Try to articulate the essence of your brand in just a few words. This essence should be recognizable in every communication from your brand.
Your very own Brand Key
Do you also need a Brand Key? A few impactful words that summarize the essence of your brand? A common thread in your brand that captures what everyone in your company says, promises, and does?
