The importance of distinctive brand assets is now widely accepted. It certainly plays a key role in all our brandgym projects. But how do you go about distinctive brand asset creation? brandgym partner agency Distinctive BAT has produced a great guide, From Scratch to Standout, with five different approaches to doing this (1). In this post we share headlines on these approaches along with examples.
1. Amplify an existing asset
The first place to start is to see if you have an existing asset that could be fully amplified and activated. For example, Hawaiian Airlines identified and amplified the key asset from its logo, the Pualani (flower of the sky or heavenly flower in Hawaiian). The symbol is now activated across the mix, most importantly on the fleet of aircraft, a 356 day a year free media channel!
Driving distinctiveness in this way has helped the brand become the most distinctive airline in the U.S. according to Distinctive BAT research (2).
2. Update an existing asset
The second approach is to identify an existing asset that could be updated and better leveraged. For example, it could be a brand asset that is in part of the marketing mix, or one that is something of a “sleeping asset”, yet to be fully exploited.
Angel Soft is a brand Distinctive BAT highlight. The brand had a name and on-pack angel symbol with the potential to not only trigger recognition, but also meaning and emotional connection. The brand refreshed the angel using an illustrated character and made it a focal point in their advertising too. To note, having an angel character as opposed to a real person has several advantages, as we posted on here.
3. Dig for buried brand treasure
I love the process of “brand archeology” on brandgym projects. This involves digging for buried brand treasure by looking back at what made the brand famous. Often, we find that a brand had a distinctive asset in the past that it then ditched. This often happens for internal reasons, such as a change of marketing director, rather than for lack of effectiveness. The challenge is to refresh the asset to update it for today.
Tullamore D.E.W., the 2nd largest Irish whiskey globally, is an example quoted in Distinctive BAT’s guide. The brand operates in a fiercely competitive category, so driving distinctiveness was a growth imperative. The brand team conducted extensive research to identify which assets had the potential to become a lead DBA, including some from the archives. “One such asset was the Irish wolfhound, a subtle feature on our packaging for years, explained Áine McGrath, Tullamore D.E.W. Global Head of Brand. “The research confirmed that the wolfhound held significant potential to serve as a strong DBA for the brand.”
The wolfhound was given a prominent position on the bottle and also integrated into the brand’s communications.
4. Use insight as inspiration
Searching for insight into your product, brand or consumer can be a source of inspiration for distinctive brand asset creation. The report gives the example of Cheetos building on an insight about the orange dust that’s part of the eating experience. The brand has given this dust a name, ‘Cheetle’, and leveraged it in communication and activation campaigns.
5. Make a creative leap
A final approach to distinctive brand asset creation is to make a creative leap. Playing with the words in your brand name is one such approach. Compare the Market, a UK based online price comparison service, has successfully taken this route to create a distinctive brand character that’s been running for 17 years and counting. Aleksandr Orlov, an animated Russian meerkat, is frustrated at the confusion between his website, comparethemeerkat.com, and comparethemarket.com. Aleksandr has become a cultural hit, with his “simples” catchphrase even being added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2019!
In conclusion, distinctive brand asset creation is not straightforward and these five approaches provide some helpful inspiration to get you started.
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