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So, what is the Brand Gap?

Unfortunately the left brain (analytical, logical, linear, concrete) doesn’t always know what the right brain (intuitive, emotional, spatial, visual) is doing.

Whenever there’s a rift between strategy and creativity – between logic and magic – there’s a brand gap.

It can cause a brilliant strategy to fail where it counts most, at the point of contact with the customer; or, it can doom a bold creative initiative before it’s even launched, as early as the planning stage.

A brand is not what YOU say it is. It’s what THEY say it is.

• A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or company.
• The foundation of a brand is trust.
• Branding is the process of connecting good strategy with good creative.
• A charismatic brand is any product, service or company for which people believe there’s no substitute.
• People base their buying decisions more on symbolic cues (design) than features, benefits and price. Make sure your symbols are compelling.

Bridging the Brand Gap

How do you bridge the brand gap? Here are some tips suggested by Neumier:

Differentiate:
Our brains filter out irrelevant information letting in only what’s different and useful.

Collaborate:
By asking left-brainers and right-brainers to work as a team, you bridge the gap between logic and magic.

Innovate:
It’s design, not strategy that ignites passion in people. And the magic behind better design and better business is innovation.

Validate:
The standard communication model is antique. Transform your brand communication from a monologue to a dialogue by getting feedback.

Cultivate:
Demand unambiguous answers to these 3 questions:
Who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter?

“Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the brand image” – David Ogilvy

View the full presentation here:
http://www.slideshare.net/0to5marketing/the-brand-gap-review