BrandPlan Glossary
Audience
The group to which a product, service or message is aimed; also called a target audience.
Authenticity
The quality of being genuine, often considered a powerful brand attribute.
Avatar
A brand icon designed to move, morph, or otherwise operate freely across various media.
Brand
A person’s perception of a product, service, experience, or organization; that art and science of brand building.
Brand Agency
A strategic firm that provides or manages a variety of brand building services across a range of media.
Brand Alignment
The practice of linking brand strategy to customer touchpoints.
Brand Asset
Any aspect of a brand that has strategic value which may include brand associations, brand attributes, brand awareness, or brand loyalty.
Brand Consultant
An external adviser who contributes to the brand building process, often in a strategic or advisory role.
Brand Equity
The accumulated value of a company’s brand assets, both financially and strategically; the overall market strength of a brand.
Brand Identity
The beliefs, ideas that are formed that give a brand a sense of self.
Brand Image
A customer’s mental picture of a person, product, service, or organization.
Branding
The process of uniting a businesses dream customers and employees through itself.
Brand Loyalty
The strength of support in a brand is usually measured in repeat purchase.
Brand Manual
A document that articulates the parameters of the brand for members of the brand community; a standardized set of branding elements.
Brand Story
A creative narrative that draws an audience into a brand.
Brand Strategy
The strategic process of uniting a brand and people.
Charismatic Brand
A brand that has an irresistible charm that inspires a high degree of loyalty.
Co-Branding
The purposeful linking of two or more brands synergistically for mutual benefit.
Core Offering
A brand’s flagship product or service.
Commoditization
The process by which customers come to see products, services, or companies as interchangeable, resulting in the erosion of profit margins.
Differentiation
The process of establishing a unique market position to increase profit margins and avoid commoditization; the result of positioning.
Emotional Branding
Brand expression efforts that aim at customer’s feelings through sensory experiences.
Feature
Any element of a product, service, or experience designed to deliver a benefit.
Halo Brand
A brand that lends value to another brand by association, such as a well known master brand and lesser known sub-brand.
Icon
The visual symbol of a brand, usually based on a differentiated market position.
Look and feel
The sensory experience of a product, environment, or communication.
Marketing
The process of developing, promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service.
Market penetration
The market share of a product, service, or company compared to others in the category.
Market Position
The ranking of a product, service, or company compared to others in the category.
Market Share
The market share of a product, service, or company compared to others in the company
Mission Statement
A concise statement for how the brand is going to actualize its vision.
Name Brand
A widely recognized product, service or organization.
Perception
The mental impression received through the 5 senses.
Positioning
The process of differentiating a product, service, or company in a customer’s mind to obtain a strategic competitive advantage; the first step in building a brand.
Promise
A stated or implied pledge that creates customer expectations and employee responsibilities.
Radical Differentiation
A bold position that allows a brand to stand out from market clutter.
Brand Relevance
The result of a significant connection between an audience and brand created by meaning.
Reputation
The shared opinion of a product, service or organization among all the members of its audience.
Segment
A group of people who are likely to respond to a given marketing effort in a similar way.
Segmentation
The process of dividing a market into subcategories of people who share similar values and goals.
Strategy
A plan that uses a set of tactics to achieve a business goal.
Tagline
The shortest form of communication used by a brand.
Trademark
A name and/or symbol that indicates a source of goods or services and prevents confusion in the marketplace; legally protectable form of intellectual property.
Validation
External affirmation that a brand is valuable.
Value Proposition
The unique value a brand promises customers.
Vision
The mental image that your brand is creating reality from.
