to get to the brand positioning statement and communications strategy, we go through a series of steps called the brand development process. it is a structured way of thinking that examines the drivers of a business to ensure the relevant information is being considered in the positioning. below is a schematic of the process:

there are five major steps in the process. the first is the preparation stage, in which relevant background information is gathered, including business objectives, reviewing or conducting research if required, looking at current materials from the brand and it’s competitors, and interviewing the key stakeholders in the organization.

the second step is to conduct the analysis stage, including looking at the major aspects of the business (current and future objectives, and risk factors), the brand (core strategy, leverageable differentiators, and organizational values), the market (trends, customer needs, and brand perceptions), and the competition (positionings, strategic gaps, and emerging players).

the third step is the definition stage, where we determine the brand objective (what do we do?), the differentiators (what are we best at?), our credibility (why should they believe it?), and our personality (who are we?). this leads to crafting our brand positioning statement (the what for whom, why).

the fourth step is the implementation stage. it includes developing the communications strategy, determining the internal and external communications tactics, the measurement tools, and agreeing on how to kick-off the program with employees.

after the brand positioning statement, the communications strategy, and the implementation tactics have been developed, then in the creative stage, the appropriate communications tools, such as websites, collateral, advertising, media relations, and events can be determined. this becomes it’s own separate process.

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