Credit by Graham Robertson
How to write a brand concept or product concept
With all the homework you have done on the brand positioning statement and brand idea, you have everything you need to write a brand concept.
Write your concept in as realistic a manner as possible. Narrow it down to one main benefit and two support points. It should be realistic enough to fit on your package, new product innovation, advertising copy, or your sales message.
Too many brand leaders try to write concepts that include everything. They put in a long list of claims and reasons to believe. There is no value in writing a concept just to pass a test, and then find yourself unable to execute that concept in the market.
The ideal brand concept
The main headline should capture the brand idea. The headline is the first thing consumers will see, and it will influence how they engage with the rest of the concept.
Start every concept with a consumer insight (connection point) or consumer enemy (pain point) to captivate the consumer enough to make them stop and think, “That’s exactly how I feel.” Your consumers feel more engaged with your concept. The enemy or insight must also set up the brand promise.
The promise statement must bring the main consumer benefit to life with a balance of emotional and functional benefits. For Gray’s, I combined the “great taste” functional benefit and “stay in control” emotional benefit into a main brand promise statement.
The support points should close off any gaps that consumers may have after reading the main benefit. An emotional benefit may require functional support to cover off any doubt lingering in the consumer’s mind.
Complete the concept with a motivating call-to-action to prompt the consumer’s purchase intent, which is a significant part of concept testing. Adding a supporting visual is recommended.
Do the homework of your brand positioning statement
Most of the meat of a good concept comes from the work you do with a brand positioning statement. Make sure you go deep to understand who you are selling to and what you are selling. Your brand positioning statement provides the most useful function of taking everything you know about your brand, everything that could be said about the consumer and making choices to pick one target that you’ll serve and one brand promise you will stand behind. A best in class brand positioning statement has four key elements:
Target Market (1)
Definition of the market you play in (2)
Brand Promise (emotional or rational benefit) (3)
The Reason to Believe (RTB) the brand promise (4)
The classic way to write a brand positioning statement is to take the elements above and frame them into the following: For the target market (1) Brand X plays in the market (2) and it gives the main benefit (3). That’s because of the following reasons to believe (4).
This is how the positioning tool should lead you to a brand positioning statement that takes into account the target, category, benefit and support points.
Subscribe WorldLine Technology to be up-to-date the most innovative marketing technologies in the world.
Hotline: 0968683191
Youtube: WorldLine TV
