Brand Research & Brand Positioning e-learning Courses

 

During February and March of 2025, I am offering "Brand Research" and "Positioning Your Brand to Win" e-learning courses for $35 instead of the normal $150, for a $115 price discount. This very low price will only be available for these two months. These courses are intended for beginning through intermediate study of the topics. They include videos, links to online blog posts and articles, numerous examples, tools, templates, exercises and a quiz. You will emerge from these two courses with a much better understanding of these topics.

• Brand Research
• Positioning Your Brand to Win

Marketing Needs Assessment

 

In conjunction with BrandForward, Inc., we are conducting a marketing needs assessment. If you are a marketing professional or business executive of any type who is aware of your organization's marketing needs, please help us quantify those needs so that we can report those needs back to you in a subsequent blog post. Your response will be combined with other responses and your identity will remain anonymous.  It is estimated that it will take you 6 minutes or less to complete.

Here is the LINK to the survey. 

Thank you in advance for helping us report the most pressing marketing needs back to the marketing community.

Generic Market Segmentation

 

We at BrandForward have conducted dozens of market segmentation studies for our clients, some very sophisticated testing over fifty attitudinal statements with ending samples as high as 5,000 consumers. The sophisticated studies have employed cluster analysis, factor analysis, multi-variate regression analysis and other advanced statistical techniques. These sophisticated studies identify the top few market segments for a brand together with the key messages for each.

But I am not writing about that here. I am writing about the four generic market segments:

• Price driven consumers
• Convenience driven consumers
• Brand driven consumers
• Category enthusiasts

The two scarce commodities in most people's lives are time and money. One is very blessed if he or she has an abundance of both. But most people have one or the other or neither of these. This makes the price and convenience driven segments intuitively obvious. The brand driven segment prefers a specific brand, is happy with that brand and does not want to go to the effort to discover new brands, while the category enthusiasts love the category and are constantly in search of the latest products and brands in that category.

Historically, price driven consumers have been between 20-25% of the overall market, but in the last decade or two, and especially lately, that segment has grown to 50% of the market. Recent research shows that 50% of consumers in the US have indicated that they have become more price sensitive. And with the increasing bifurcation of our society into a very large group (80+% by some measures) whose wages had not been keeping up with inflation (while the top income groups are becoming richer), this may only get worse. 

This bodes poorly for brands because the only thing that separates brands from commodities is relevant differentiation that can command a price premium. Very few brands can win by claiming lowest price. And trying to "own" that segment is a downward spiral, especially regarding profit margins and overall profits. 

It is well known that a brand's products sold in big box stores (Walmart, Home Depot, etc.) are not of the same quality as seemingly identical products sold directly to plumbers, contractors and end consumers at specialty stores. For instance, my wife and I recently bought a well-known supposedly high quality branded kitchen faucet at our local ACE Hardware store only to find out that it kept on coming loose from our counter due to a plastic washer. It also had a plastic wand. We turned around and replaced it with a kitchen faucet that we bought directly from the manufacturer. It had a brass washer and a solid metal wand. It does not come loose and it will last much longer. We discovered the same when we bought our Cub Cadet riding lawn mower. We bought ours at a speciality store. It was a higher quality than supposedly the same product that we could have bought at Home Depot. 

Brands will increasingly have to figure out how to address mass markets, which have become much more price sensitive. On the other hand, the top 5% and 1% are seeking out the highest quality in luxury categories. And these products are highly profitable. 

Here are some related articles and blog posts that you might find useful:

• Market Segmentation
• Market Segmentation
• Share of More/Less Price-Sensitive Consumers
• Increasingly Bifurcated Consumer Market
• Evolution of Luxury Brands
• Luxury Brands and Exclusivity
• Purchase Patterns of Wealthy Households
• Brands as Social Status Symbols
• Luxury Brands Quiz

A Mosaic of Branding Strategy Source's Blog Posts

 

Since 2014, Branding Strategy Source has published 710 blog posts. Today, I have included links to twenty of its more unique posts for your reading pleasure.

• Animals in Advertising
• Brands that Harken Back to Simpler Times
• Brand Advertising and Humor
• Brand Problems of Their Own Making
• La Posada Hotel
• Brands as a Path to Self-Esteem
• Historical Brands in America
• Identifying Riding Lawn Mower Brands by Color
• Purchase Patterns of Wealthy Households
• Branding Water
• 21 Stories for Scouting
• When the Buzz is Gone
• Creating "Category of One" Brands
• Proactive Publicity
• How to Remain a Leading-Edge Marketer Throughout Your Career
• The Essence of Marketing in One Paragraph
• Retro Brand Imagery with Sexual Overtones
• Do you know how non-customers perceive your brand?
• Brands and Memory Triggers
• Brands, Mystery & Exclusivity

Your Brand is the Gestalt of Its Touch Points

 

While marketing professionals historically thought of the brand and its positioning as being primarily the result of its identity system and marketing communication, because the brand is owned in the mind of its customers, it is really the gestalt of all of its touch points. Brand managers have been talking about customer journey mapping and customer touch point design for the past two decades. However, it would behoove marketing professionals to occasionally revisit all of the ways their brands make an impression on the customer.

Does the brand's website make it easy for customers to reach someone at the brand if they have a question or a problem? Is the customer support telephone system easy to navigate? Are customers able to have their problems solved quickly or do they go through an annoying seemingly infinite loop of "press one for x, press two of y, press three for z"? How well trained are the brand's front-line employees? Do employee objectives encourage good customer service or are they more sales or profit driven? Have you ever waited an inordinate amount of time to be served at the counter of fast food restaurants or cafes because the front line employees are measured on drive-through efficiency, not on-the-other-side-of the counter customer service? Or how about filthy restrooms? Or unhygienic front line employees? Or user's manuals that are unclear and difficult to follow? 

What does the brand's distribution strategy say about the brand? How about its pricing? Its product design? Its package design? How accessible is the brand? What value-added services does the brand offer? Does the brand provide competent technical support? What payment methods does it accept? How fast can it be shipped to one's house? How are returns handled? What do customer testimonials say? What do third party product reviews say? Does the brand have third party endorsements? Is the brand known through its community involvement or its charitable support? Does the brand publish a newsletter? Is its marketing automation well-thought-through and relevant? What is its social media presence like? Do YouTube videos feature the brand? Are customers acquainted with the brand through its sponsorships? Have customers seen the brand placed in movies or television shows? What is word-of-mouth on the brand? What are customers' family, friends and co-workers saying about the brand? Do the company's computer systems support easy purchase and use of the brand? Is the brand in the news? Is the brand news positive? 

Yes, brand identity and marketing communication are important in the management of brand perceptions, but so to are overall company mission, vision and values, system and process design, user manual clarity, organization design, employee hiring criteria, employee training, common measures, individual job performance objectives, employee reward and recognition programs, product design, customer journey design, marketing automation design, brand-community involvement and company charitable giving among other company, brand and product elements that effect customer perceptions of the brand.

All of this speaks to the CEO being the ultimate brand manager, with the designated day-to-day brand manager reporting in at a very high level in the organization so that he or she can affect brand perception levers outside of just brand identity and marketing communication.

Color Psychology

 

Color choice is important in brand identity systems because colors have psychological effects on humans and can trigger specific emotions and associations. For this reason, I included an entire section on brand identity and color choice in my Brand Aid book.

Here is some of the latest research on colors.

These meanings are often associated with these colors:

• Red: Love, passion, sex, lust, excitement, power, confidence, speed, aggression, intensity
• Pink: Soft, reserved, feminine
• Purple: Royalty, luxury, glamor, mystery, magic, spirituality, bravery
• Blue: Wisdom, hope, reason, peace, calming, relief, competence, dependability/reliability, trustworthiness, tranquility, loyalty, stability, high quality, corporate
• Green: Nature, growth, freshness, eco-friendly, harmony, contentment, good taste, health/wellness, money
• Turquoise: Creativity, self-expression, cleanliness, recharging the spirit, replenishing energy levels
• Yellow: Hope, joy, happiness, optimism, youth, inexpensive, low quality
• Orange: Warmth, kindness, joy, comfort, autumn, affordability
• White: Truth, purity, clean, fresh, simplicity, innocence
• Silver: Modern, high-tech
• Gray: Subtle, quiet, neutral, practical, balance
• Black: Mystery, cold, sadness, fear, elegance, expensive, powerful, professional
• Brown: Strength, stability

Blue is the preferred color by men and women throughout the world. Orange is the least favorite color.

Blue increases concentration and learning.

Blue is used in brand identity systems throughout the financial community because it evokes trustworthiness and security. 

Republicans are associated with red, while Democrats are associated with blue.

Red ties communicate power. 

Red is the most emotionally charged color. It reduces analytical thinking. 

Jewel tones are sophisticated. Primary colors are bolder, more simplistic and associated with children.

The most visible color is yellow.

Too much yellow can make people feel nauseous. 

The most legible of all color combinations are black on yellow and green on white, followed by red on white. It is no surprise that traffic signs use these color combinations.

Reds and oranges encourage diners to eat quickly and leave. Red also makes food more appealing and influences people to eat more. It is no coincidence that fast-food restaurants often use these colors.

Pink increases appetites and has been shown to calm prison inmates.

Blue and black suppress appetites. 

Color psychology associated with automobile choices:

• Red makes a bold statement and is chosen by people who want to stand out.
• Blue is chosen by those who value consistency, reliability and stability.
• Black connotes power and is chosen by those who want to be perceived as powerful and professional. This is the color most often chosen for luxury vehicles.
• People who choose silver tend to be forward-thinking and value technology. It can communicate sophistication and wealth.
• White represents purity, simplicity and cleanliness. It is chosen by people who like a fresh, timeless look.

I hope this blog post has shed some light on the importance of color choice in branding. 

Skill Sets Required of Marketers

 

One of the things that attracted me to marketing is its use of both the right-brain and the left-brain. Ideally, marketers have creative and analytical minds. Having said that, the two most important skills a marketer must possess is common sense and the ability to put him or herself in the shoes of the customer. That is, a marketer must possess deep insight into the motivations and behaviors of their brand's target customers.

But marketing is actually a broad label for a wide variety of different marketing tasks and skill sets. For instance, a marketer could be an expert in qualitative marketing research, quantitative marketing research, data analytics, SEO, graphic design, photography, videography, copywriting, social media marketing, corporate communication, media & public relations, trade marketing, brand strategy formulation, brand identity development, brand management, brand licensing, account management and more.

Here are some of the specific skill sets required for each marketing specialty:

• Qualitative Marketing Research: a deep understanding of customer motivations (including their hopes, fears, anxieties, beliefs, values, attitudes, habits and behaviors), projective research techniques, guided imagery, stimulus creation, emotional IQ, being able to read people well, group facilitation, understanding order biasing
• Quantitative Marketing Research: formal education in marketing research including advanced statistical techniques, survey design, an understanding of scaling, biasing, and the right type of question and analysis to be performed for each insight, use of data analytics tools (e.g. Google Analytics, Hotjar, SPSS, etc.), online survey platforms, data sampling company relationships
• Data Analytics: formal education in data analytics, programming languages (e.g. Python, R, SQL), data visualization tools (e.g. Tableau, Power BI), statistical analysis, data wrangling and cleaning, machine learning, outstanding analytical skills, attention to detail
• SEO: an understanding of search engine algorithms and ranking factors, critical thinking, content writing, AI programming, web coding, ability to use popular SEO tools (e.g. Google Analytics), content marketing
• Graphic Design: design principles, typography, UX and UI design, creativity, understanding color psychology, Pantone swatch book, graphic design tools (e.g. Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Dreamweaver, Canva, CoralDRAW Graphics Suite, etc.)
• Photography: lighting, focus, composition, the rule of thirds, symmetry, background, cropping, shutter speeds
• Videography: storytelling, technical skills in video production, cinematic composition and lighting, post-production/editing skills, familiarity with editing software, audio sensitivity, color grading and correction
• Copywriting: customer insight, storytelling, creative writing, understanding the brand's voice and unique value proposition
• Social Media Marketing: social media strategy development, content planning and creation, graphic design, video editing, analytics and reporting, community management, paid social media advertising, influencer marketing, creativity, adaptability, deep understanding of Meta platforms and Google tools, understanding of blogs and RSS feeds
• Corporate Communication: storytelling, identifying story angles, strong writing skills, relationships with publications and other media, strong listening skills, emotional, intelligence, curiosity, the ability to explain why
• Media & Public Relations: communication and writing, social media, research, creativity, interpersonal skills, relationships with media sources, being aware of societal and industry trends, ideating and executing proactive publicity (i.e. publicity stunts)
• Trade Marketing: ROI (return on investment), POS (point-of-sale) and shelf management, brand marketing, digital marketing, Nielsen, business development, conference and trade show marketing, product development, marketing mix, relationship management, co-op advertising
• Brand Strategy: active listening, marketing research, customer insight, consumer psychology, creative and conceptual thinking, communication, storytelling, strategic use of data analytics, collaborative skills, influencing, group facilitation, global and cultural awareness, competitive and business model strategy, leadership
• Brand Identity Development: understanding brand essence, promise, archetype, personality and voice, graphic design, typography, color psychology, understanding various logo uses, written communication, knowing how to balance consistency and flexibility in design, being able to craft brand identity guidelines [A comprehensive online course on brand identity and architecture]
• Brand Management: marketing research, consumer insights and analytics, strategic brand development, storytelling, financial/budget management, collaboration and influencing skills, strong interpersonal skills, verbal and written communication, emotional intelligence, assertiveness
• Brand Licensing: understanding the brand essence, promise, archetype, personality and voice, building a network of industry contacts, financial skills, negotiating skills, emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, understanding IP (intellectual property)
• Account Management: understanding constituencies, client-service oriented, empathy, strong interpersonal and communication skills, time and project management, budgeting, calmness under pressure, influencing, "seeing the forest through the trees"
• Chief Marketing Officer: Posts about CMOs - What to Look for in a CMO, What a Chief Marketing Officer Needs to Know, The Changing Role of the CMO

These skills are common to many of these different marketing roles: customer insight, understanding the brand's essence, promise, archetype, personality and voice, communication, storytelling, creativity and analytical skills. Marketing is one of the few professions that typically requires a combination of right-brain and left-brain skills. If you are considering a career in marketing, perhaps this list of required skills will help. And if you are trying to hire a marketer, this will help you to understand the type of marketer you might want and what skill set they should possess. I wish you great success in all of your marketing endeavors. 

PS - As a bonus, here is my blog post on Eight Skills of a Marketing Rock Star