You can’t, can you?… well, I believe you can.

I was reading an Introduction to Psychology (yes, I know…yawn, but bear with me…).
I found some loose models, including one of The theory of reasoned action. (shown redrawn below).

I started to see links with these models and brand positioning theory, which could develop into models to predict how customers interact with brands.

This model extended to The theory of planned behaviour and the page dialogue developed into ‘predicted behaviour’.

A summary concluded that our attitudes do a reasonable job of predicting behaviour, but the degree to which attitudes predict behaviour depends on other factors such as; level of correspondence across measures (visual language), the domain of behaviour (environment), attitude strength (reputation) and personality factors (what we know of the brand). The model suggested that motivation and opportunity are necessary to make a deliberate consideration of available information.

There are a number of variables that affect our attitudes to behaviour relations, and expressing an attitude involves making evaluative judgements about an object.

Attitudes have effective, cognitive and behavioural components. All three components contribute to overall attitudes.*

To make this more relevant to design and brand development, I have re-drawn a map from Cheskin’s ‘How to predict what people will buy’. Although first published in 1957, the principles are still relevant. (see diagram below)

This may be a bit small to read so please email me for a larger version (andy@griibdesign.co.uk).

Motivation (reason to buy) and the product or services’ attitude (brand personality and identity) will be evaluated to create the opportunity. Our attitudes towards this ‘opportunity’ will then be influenced by our unconscious behaviour that Cheskin identifies as his ‘marketing tree’ (shown above).

Cheskin’s ‘tree’ focuses on design research and product testing (preferences, sensations, memory retention and so on). We build these characteristics into the brand expression to ensure marketeers and brand strategists can predict how the product or service will be evaluated and create an attitude to motivate a purchase.

If design research is conducted internally (based on your current customers and their motivating habits) it is possible to predict how purchasing variants will increase sales, through managing the motivating and attitude elements.

The question we (as businesses) need to ask is; what sort of attitude does my product give my customers? And, is it motivating enough to lead to that purchasing opportunity?

For more information or a high res PDF of the redrawn Cheskin’s ‘Marketing Tree’, or to apply this design reasoning to your product or service, please get in touch.

Thanks for reading!

Andy Griib MA MCSD

Griib Design Ltd.

* Extracts taken from Miles Hewstone, Wolfgang Stroebe and Klaus Jonas’ Introduction to Social Psychology, A European Perspective.

A sports car manufacturer near me is considering a city car to extend its product category into a different sector.

While there is some merit in this and credibility may come from the green credentials associated with this product, you have to question if such extreme brand stretch is sensible or whether a jump to a sub brand would keep the sports car heritage credible.

Porsche managed to carry their credibility into the SUV sector by ensuring the performance credentials were at the heart of their Cayenne. Toyota decided they needed to create a prestigious marque (Lexus) to jump sectors and compete credibly with Merc and BMW.

The diagrams below illustrate how kudos can be maintained provided the brand is positioned with growth in mind.

To support this, understanding of user preferences allows brand strategy to add value. Five areas or dimensions of brand value that emerged from research*, in order of frequency mentioned were:

• functionality
• product image and style
• corporate image and style
• credibility and intimacy
• price and value

Of particular interest was how far respondents differentiated between corporate and product image and whether this influenced their brand selection. It was reported that very few constructs were mentioned exclusively in relation to the corporate or parent brand.

Brand positioning, structure and architecture are important factors when launching or extending your brand. Get it right and credibility will flow to your new product or service, get it wrong and the failure could back fire and harm your corporate reputation.

For a Brand or Design Audit, please get in touch.  +44 (0) 1508 570 505

Andy Griib
Creative Director
Griib Design

Having been on leave for a couple of weeks, I thought I’d update my blog over the Easter weekend.

We had a family holiday to the US and all made a point of trying more experiential activities. I wrestled with alligators (only kidding, held one which was two feet long with its mouth duck tapped shut), experienced an airboat ride through part of the Everglades (enjoyed that), swam with manta rays and dolphins and visited wildlife parks.

After watching several hyenas and cheetahs – and having the privilege to swim with tiger rays – I began to think about their camouflage. Nature has done a pretty special job of protecting these animals (allowing them to blend into their natural habitat without being seen, and with amazing patterns and colours) some even change colour to suit the background.

I then thought how strange that nature has given animals the protection of camouflage and yet, we humans, want to achieve the opposite and draw as much attention to ourselves as possible, especially when promoting a product or service and building brands. Can you imagine if Posh n’ Becks adopted the camouflage approach …they would have never received that Royal invite!

Camouflage serves several purposes, not just protection from predators, but also allowing stealth when catching prey. Some TV advertising does that. You think you can switch off to the constant barrage of media ads and messages until you put that brand of washing up liquid into your trolley or suddenly fancy cider instead of your favourite beer, then wonder why.

The point of all this is to make us ‘individual’, to make our own choices and to stand out. Stand out by having people recognise that we choose to wear or buy something that we feel makes a statement or ensures we belong to a tribe or pack.

Mmm…maybe we are not so different after all. We all want to be accepted and we all want to be recognised as different or as individual. Maybe we do wear camouflage. Maybe we have come to accept that buying ‘bling’ and top brands does make us fit with society and does make us popular. By standing out…we blend in…strange eh?

A brand tribe is a formal or informal group of consumers whom share the same awareness, passion and loyalty for a brand or a portfolio of brands…Camouflage!

Hope you all had a good Easter

Andy.

I’m really looking forward to summer now! … had enough of the colder months.

I like open air gigs and if the sun is shinning, it’s even better.

There are many similarities with gigs and the music industry, and corporate branding.

But what should you do to ensure your brand is appealing to audiences and gains the loyalty it deserves?

Let’s consider how the music industry works for a moment. How does a recording company promote a fresh, new artist to a saturated market with many artists fighting for airtime?

The BBC has some recommendations that have been interpreted and summarized below, giving a menu type list for quick reference. If we view this from a corporate perspective, we can make comparisons with a new artist seeking a record deal.

Right, here we go…

New artists receive ‘airplay’ on popular local and national stations to build expectation, often weeks before the record is released. When these records are launched, listeners have heard so frequently, the track is entrenched on their minds leading to a purchase or download. (Build brand expectation)

Writing a song (developing a brand):

Genre (brand development); Songwriters are free to write in whatever genre interest them, but often choose one or two on which to specialize. (so, be distinctive and choose your niche)

Structure (brand identity); Song structure can give a listener a natural sense of light and shade between the verse and chorus.

Verse (brand value); Make sure that your verses draw the listener into your song.

Chorus (relevance): Traditionally, this is where everyone joins in with the performers and sings along. (Just like those open-air gigs!)

Melody (brand image); An audience probably won’t bother listening to your song if the melody is weak.

Tempo/rhythm (consistency); Most popular songs have four beats in a bar with a clear ‘left right left right’ feel. (Be consistent and manage all touchpoints of the brand)

Beginnings (offer); First impressions last and the first few bars are an indication of whether it’s worth paying attention.

Middle 8 (brand management); A great mid-section will keep your audience interested in the song, like a subtle twist in the plot of a novel or movie.

Hooks (commercial awareness): It’s these that a prospective publisher (investor) or record company will be looking for when your play them your songs. (Steve Hillier)

Approaching record companies (finding a niche market); Find out which record label will be interested in you kind of music and research their artist’ roster.

‘Don’t turn up in your old jeans. You want to represent yourself as someone who is serious about what you do’. (Sue Verran) …unless you are Levi of course.

Do you need a manager? (Venture Capitalists/Management teams); ‘Some artists were extremely successful, but we thought we just wouldn’t make them happy’ (Paul Buchanan. The Blue Nile)

Performing (living your values); Being on stage is nerve-wracking but part of the process. …And you never know who’s watching.

Working with others (Collaborations); Laying some ground rules can help make collaborating fun and create great songs.

Staying on track (Manage those brand values); Success won’t happen overnight. Learn to keep your confidence and take setbacks on the chin.

Harmony (Value and positioning); Harmony can make or break a song. Ensure collaborations are suitable and chemistry works.

Promotion (Chasm crossing); At some point, you will need a record deal and learn a bit of business savvy. Provided your collaborations are strong, you are good performers, managers are in place, the song has been focussed to a specific audience and the record company supports you, influence and reputation may lead to audience adoption and take-off of popularity. (Brand loyalty)

Well, there it is…a light hearted comparison with the music industry and brand management. Hope you all enjoy this summer’s gigs!

Andy Griib.
Creative Director
Griib Design

I wasn’t fortunate enough to go on to university, but was lucky enough to go the practical route via the C&G apprenticeship system. After being selected for a job (and feeling very privileged), I worked my way through print, marketing, advertising and design agencies, before freelancing in London for some top design agencies. However, I always felt at a disadvantage because I didn’t have a degree. Something I felt I needed to prove I could do.

I applied for the Master’s programme at Brunel studying Design and Branding strategy at 35 and was accepted because of practical experience, so funded myself while running the design consultancy.

It wasn’t easy but was a great experience. Not only because of the inspirational people I met, but because I felt ready and was so committed.

We had the chance to interview some great brand professionals as part of our assignments and they shared their secrets of building great brands.

Landor Associates was one of those companies. They were fantastic. Gave us their time, listened to our questions and gave us loads of data and info on how they approach brand development.

Building brands at a corporate level isn’t too different from building brands at SME level; just the service and product distribution systems vary.

Landor Associates believe brands are built on four pillars: differentiation, relevance, esteem and knowledge. Differentiation is the perceived distinctiveness of the brand. Relevance is the personal appropriateness or connections it makes with an individual. Esteem is the regard for the brand and Knowledge is the understanding of what the brand stands for.

This is a very logical approach that is supported by measurable data. They know more about their client’s brand than their client…and that’s impressive.

The great thing about these design tools is that they aim to bring some structure and measurable systems to justify spend on design.

I believe we, as design professionals do need to measure our successes by ROI and offer clients justification to spend money on design, just as you would expect from other professions.

Also, I think it is right to exchange and debate tools and techniques to help colleagues and strengthen professional design and brand management as a credible business tool.

Oh yes, and I can’t promise everytime, but if I can assist design students understand the theory and practical application of design and brand strategy, I am happy to help.

Andy Griib

(p.s really chuffed, passed with distinction)