The following is a summary of Chapter 5 of the book “Integrated Branding” by F. Joseph LePla and Lynn M. Parker. Buy the book.

Every aspect of the integrated branding model is important to the whole. Each piece plays a role in helping you gain and maintain a firm understanding of what your brand is all about. As we step up beyond Organization Drivers and begin to talk about Brand Drivers, we discover that the Brand Principle is truly the key element of this layer. It is the foundation for differentiating the brand in every area.

Think of everything you know about branding- creating a differentiator, narrowing your focus, communicating one key message, and so on…all of these things are made possible by the Brand Principle. Without this key Brand Driver, you run the risk of squandering brand assets by not focusing on them, by overlooking them, or by inadvertently discarding them.

Your principles impact every action of your brand. Your principles encourage unified action and direction on the part of everyone in your company, regardless of rank or title. They direct new product and new feature development.

For instance, if I work at Volvo, then I will work towards developing products and feature that enhance safety. If I work at Xerox, the Document Company, then I will work towards developing products and features that support effective creation and use of documents.

The Brand Principle has the power to differentiate the brand everywhere it interacts with the consumer. It is the foundation for consumer expectation and experience.

The definition of Brand Principle

If your mission is what you do, then your principle is your unique approach to what you do. So if Volvo’s mission is to make great cars, then their unique approach is through being the safety choice.

Companies can have multiple brands, and each brand has it’s own set of principles. Dockers and 501 have different principles, but they both map back to the Levi corporate brand.

The point is that principles are the foundation for all actions and messages. Principles uncouple product, service, and message development from the beliefs of product and marketing managers and instead are grounded in the brand promise.

What form does a principle take?

A Brand Principle is usually one word or a short phrase that is based on your promise as a brand. It is written in a way that focuses on the unique strengths of the brand. The principle is for the benefit of you and your team. It is rarely repeated word for word to customers.

A good principle is a balancing act between forward-looking and current action. It is both broad and specific.

Criteria for an effective Brand Principle

Principles share some of the same characteristics as your mission statement. But, remember the difference- your mission is what you do, and your principles describe your unique approach to what you do.

Consider the following qualities of an effective Brand Principle:

• True. The Brand Principle must be true. We’ve discussed this numerous times here on this blog…the absolute need for authenticity. Consumers aren’t stupid. Your principle should be true in that it should describe how you ARE, not how you WANT TO BE. Always match your principles to the way that you really act.
• Focus Actions. The Brand Principle must not be a quick read, but employees should be able to easily understand how it impacts their decisions.
• Close to the buying decision. The principle should work the magic of differentiation and help the customer understand why you’re different and, presumably, better or at least preferable to your competition. It should convey something of value.
• Emotional resonance. Brand Principle should strike a chord with your customers and your employees. Something about it should inspire excitement about your unique approach to your business or industry.
• Not be too broad. The principle should be sufficiently narrow so that employees and/or customers can take action on it. A principle that is about “creating value for our customers” doesn’t give anything actionable, whereas “safety” does.
• Ownability. Many cars claim to be safe, but Volvo owns that principle. If your principles are aligned with your actions, then chances are you are well on your way to owning it. But it takes a long, consistent, and determined effort to remain focused on the brand in order to achieve ownership in the mind of the consumer.
• Clarity. If you have to explain your principles to your own employees, then chances are they will not follow them.
• Brevity. If it to be used, then your employees need to remember it without having it inscribed on their foreheads.

How to use the Brand Principle

The Brand Principle is a relatively simple concept, but it can be extremely powerful when properly executed. When your team is making a decision, they should ask: Will this decision strengthen our focus on [insert brand principle]? Or will it at least be complimentary to the principle?

Is the principle the complete promise referred to in the definition of Brand (the promise that you keep)? No. But it is certainly a part of it. It isn’t necessary to describe the complete promise in your principles. That’s what the other drivers are for, and they will play their part. The principle’s job is to communicate your unique approach and, as a subtle inference, describe how that unique approach helps you deliver on the brand promise.

Positioning and Brand Principle

Those of us in the marketing world spend such a large amount of our time talking and strategizing over positioning our clients. Positioning can be defined as that which differentiates you from your competitor in the mind of the consumer. Positioning is a Brand Conveyor. We haven’t gotten to that yet in this series. Brand Conveyors communicate Brand Drivers. So whereas positioning is a Brand Conveyor, the Brand Principle is a Brand Driver.

However, positioning statements grow directly out of the soil of Brand Principles. Therefore, your ultimate position as it relates to your competitors will be defined by your principles. In other words, your eventual positioning statement is simple the act of communicating your principles in a pleasing manner.

I bring this up now to make the point that so many marketers are obsessed with positioning. And well they should be. Positioning is the name of the game. BUT, without being firmly grounded in solid Brand Principles, positioning statements will ultimately fail to take hold in the mind of your consumers.

Final Example

We’re working with a landscape designer and CAD drafter to create a brand summary and communications strategy. At the moment, we’re working through his Brand Principles. Most landscape designers are pretty straightforward guys…they do things by the book and for the most part, they all use the same materials.

This particular guy is a very free-spirited type with an engaging personality. It comes natural to him to look for the beauty in the natural landscape. So, we’re working with him to develop and define the principle of personality-driven. In essence, personality-driven is about taking the basics of mood, attitude, and energy and using the tools of landscape to enhance those things for the client. Interior Designers have been doing it for years- they call it Feng Shui. In his case, personality-driven simply describes his competitive edge to a service that is otherwise fairly common.

Personality-Driven landscape design will be a premium service for consumers that desire something above and beyond the norm. And that’s the whole point of the principle- to describe your uniqueness and, in so doing, create something of greater value than what the other guy offers.