Brand Essence is a way of articulating the emotional connection and lasting impression — usually summed up with one simple statement or phrase — that defines the qualities, personality and uniqueness of a brand. Said another way, Brand Essence characterises what a brand stands for in the minds of customers and stakeholders. 

It embodies the brand’s core competencies, advantages, culture and values.

Think of Brand Essence as the heart and soul of a product or service. A brand’s essence establishes a positive, powerful connection with everyone with whom it touches. It represents the relationship and intrinsic value the brand provides to the customer. For those who serve the brand, it is a beacon that motivates and inspires continued commitment. 

Brand Essence should be viewed as long-term positioning. It is reflected in the quality and evolution of a product, how it is communicated and marketed, the type of care and concern customers receive, and the way stakeholders support the brand. 

For example, Hallmark uses the phrase, ‘Enriching Lives’ to capture its Brand Essence and company culture. Enriching Lives represents the basis for how Hallmark serves customers, develops its products, communicates in its marketing, merchandises stores, and creates a positive work environment for employees. Hallmark’s Brand Essence permeates every aspect of the company and business. And it has continued to serve the brand over time.

Harley-Davidson’s Brand Essence has created a fiercely loyal customer base that connects to the brand emotionally. Harley-Davidson’s image doesn’t merely reflect the quality and design of its motorcycles. Rather, the brand is best known for the value it places on nonconformity and self-determination. That’s why buyers believe that owning a Harley makes a powerful, empowering statement to others that they live life on their own terms. And who can resist that?

Determining and capturing Brand Essence involves extensive research with customers and non-customers to acquire a keen understanding of needs and desires. Other research is also needed in the market, among competitors, and with internal audiences to further serve in the development of the positioning message.

Even small businesses need brand essence. Where it goes totally wrong is when a business owner like for example a printing company that thinks it’s a design, marking or communications company. 

When brand essence goes terribly wrong (case study)

I know of one particular company in Aylesbury (UK) that is trying to be something it isnt or will never be.

The company is a small local low cost printing business with a couple of machines that print low run average quality digital print (you know, cheap A5 leaflets and that sort of stuff!).

Unfortunately the business owner thinks the printing company is some sort of creative ‘mediaport’. But to the outside creative business community and to experienced creative professionals within the industry that have been around a longtime (and have a very high reputation in the creative industry) it’s painfully obvious that this business brand essence is ‘printing’.

Ironically this company is losing a hell of alot of business and quality-high value printing work from creative agencies because it’s trying to be something it isn’t (unfortunately the business owner doesn’t even realise this and is shooting himself in the foot!).

Another problem with this particular company is that they take 3 days to email over a quote for a very simple and basic print job. This happened recently and I got the quote 3 days late. I needed the quote that same day and because of the late quote from them I used another company, who by contrast were on the ball totally professional and by the time the other company had emailed over the quote the job had been printed and delivered!

As a result almost all of my digital print work will now be done by that new company.

Another example (with the same poor printing company) : I was on the look out for a printer for a magazine project that was worth £35,000 per annum in print alone (around £4,000 per month recurring monthly print revenue for the chosen print company). I was considering this particular print company but they started offering design services so they lost the job from my company.

In the end it was a wise choice; as the printer I did use was better geared up for the job, was more professional with environmental accreditations and awards and who delivered on the dot to the client - in fact they delivered early!

So to learn from this; businesses need to stick to their brand essence of what they do best, not pretend to be something they aren’t and offer a service they haven’t got the culture of expertise or specialisms to deliver.

In the modern business environment and poor global economy businesses need to learn to be an ‘open field’ by working with the experts than being ‘walled fence’ type businesses.

By offering services that are not ‘essence specialisms’ all these companies do is lose alot of business and increase the number of better competitors to that business.

Contact me to find out more about finding your brand essence :

Pete Burrows, Owner, Design & Creative Marketing Visionary @ SO we create.
e hello@sowecreate.com / linkedin : http://uk.linkedin.com/in/peteburrows / twitter : @SOwecreate