Brand Alignment Matrix

Brand Alignment Matrix is a proprietary service designed to determine if your brand perception is tracking with reality and identify the adjustment points to bring the two into alignment.

How does Brand Alignment Matrix work:

Most companies have a difficult time making sure the perception of the market is reflective of the brand reality. Companies that have multiple units have a particular difficulty with this problem because those multiple units often create their own interpretations of the brand. Brand alignment uses a variety of studies and techniques to determine if the brand perception is tracking with reality. If it is not, either the brand has to change or the perception has to change.

Usually, the brand perception is easier to correct than the brand itself. Brand Alignment Matrix is a proprietary process that will analyze and make recommendations to adjust what we call the “Six Key Brand Adjustment Points.”

Focus – Is your message focused and on track or do you send mixed messages?
Relevance – Does your message make any difference to your target customers? Do they care?
Core Values – Are you clearly communicating the core values of your company such as integrity, leading technology, highest quality, etc.?
Personality – Do your customers and prospects see your company as it really is - Fun, conservative, professional, etc.?
Affinity – Does your brand attract your target customers? Does it have the power to keep them sold?
Experience – Does the experience you promise match reality?

It is important to note that Brand Alignment Matrix creates a very specific plan as to what needs to be done to adjust the Six Key Brand Adjustment Points, along with the anticipated costs, but it does not cover the actual work required to do so. This might require an ad campaign, PR program, special promotion, education program, etc.

Pricing for Brand Alignment Matrix:

The price for analyzing the extent of the problem depends on how much research the company has available. Many clients have a significant amount of the required research already in hand which dramatically reduces the cost of the program. The cost to implement the Six Key Brand Adjustment Points depends on the extent of the problem identified by the research. Please contact us and we can prepare a cost proposal based on your specific situation.

Typical turn around time to perform Brand Alignment Matrix:

The initial research usually requires 3 to 8 weeks, depending on what research is currently available.

The time required to identify the Six Key Brand Adjustment Points is typically 1 to 3 months, depending on the extent of the problem.

Steps in performing Brand Alignment Matrix:

Conduct audit to determine availability of brand tracking research
Determine what research is required to supplement existing research
Conduct research and evaluate results
Conduct a Shiny Object Workshop, if necessary
Evaluate each of the Six Key Brand Adjustment Points and make recommendations as to what needs to be done to adjust them.

How Brand Alignment Matrix can help you rein in the madness:

Most marketing directors are at odds with their local units. Whether it’s multiple retail locations or franchisees spread across the nation, corporate is constantly trying to control their brand but the local units, because of their entrepreneurial attitude, go out and do their own promotions. They often use the materials supplied by corporate but these materials typically don’t cover everything the local unit wants to do or they are too complicated or expensive to implement.

When the brand is out of alignment, it becomes impossible to create a unified image, which causes the value of the brand to diminish. This ultimately affects the ability to sell products and services.

One of the biggest issues surrounding this problem is that corporate usually does not have a clear understanding of the extent of the problem. It’s kind of like termites eating away at your house. You know it’s a problem but most of the damage is not readily visible.

Brand Alignment Matrix creates a clear and complete picture of the issues that are present and provides concise and practical solutions to bring the brand position and reality back into alignment.

Find Your Shiny Object

That one thing that will make your prospects stop dead in their tracks and take notice of your brand. Do you know what it is? Do you know how to find it? We do. Our agency is built on the concept of helping businesses to find their shiny object. In fact, we wrote the book on the subject - “Shiny Objects Marketing” to be available in all major bookstores by September 2008.