The Four Cornerstones of Branding by Laurence R Bernstein

white paper Back to Basics: The Four Cornerstones of Branding

I have a very specific reason for this

paper: while

onrad Hilton once said, “When I hear the word ‘branding’ I reach for my pistol!” Actually, he didn’t, but he might have, had he known how much the word is used and abused in this day and age. He might have rolled his eyes (a trait he inherited from his lovely great-granddaughter, Paris), and he might have moaned, quietly, pleading, “Please, No

“branding” is an overworked idea, it is nevertheless at the heart

of everything we do in the hotel (or any) business.

Of course, he would have been right and his is a sentiment that we would all agree with. Is there anything about branding that hasn’t been said? At least 100 times? Why would we want to hear or read about this tedious subject again? We get it! We got it! Enough! Please, stop! Not again! And yet, here I am writing yet another article on this forsaken subject. Am I mad? Desperate? Insane? Probably, but more to the point, I have a very specific reason for this paper: while “branding” is an overworked idea, it is nevertheless at the heart of everything we do in the hotel (or any) business. This was brought home to me, again, at a recent roundtable with hotel investors and lenders. When I asked them what was the first question they would ask an owner or developer of an independent hotel, they all agreed: “What’s your brand?”

Q: Before anything else you would ask what the brand is. Even of small independent, unbranded hotels? “Yes, especially of unbranded hotels.” Q: Before you ask where the development is, or what the business plan is, or the projected ROI, or what segment, or how much they want?

“These are just details, and obviously important, but unless we have a brand context to understand them in, they are either meaningless or not credible. Knowing what the brand is, if it’s well articulated (and if it’s not well articulated the deal will never happen), tells us who the target is, what business is it in (category, segment, market) what will make the hotel relevant and appealing to the guests, why it is different from the competition, and essentially how this will be delivered. We need to know this in order to evaluate the business plan and hence the potential of the

Excerpted from the article by Protean Managing Partner Laurence Bernstein first published in Hotelexecutive.com (http://hotelexecutive.com)

A well thought through brand tells us that there is a thor-

ough strategy behind the enterprise… Without it, there will be no consistency,

no design; just a jumble of buildings, furniture, people, systems and guests, banging into each

other like ran-

investment. “There’s more to it. A well thought through brand tells us that there is a thorough strategy behind the enterprise – a brand is the expression of the mission and vision of the developer and contains the DNA-like code that instructs every part of the operation how to execute. Without it, there will be no consistency, no design; just a jumble of buildings, furniture, people, systems and guests, banging into each other like random molecules in a nuclear reactor waiting to explode.” (Worse still, it can be components ambling around, never bumping into each other – an explosion, at least, is memorable!) Hence this blog: if the investment is, from a point of view of stakeholders, essentially non-existent without a defined brand, what is the easiest way to understand the brand and articulate it in a meaningful and, most importantly, useful way?

INTRODUCING THE FOUR CORNERSTONES OF HOTEL BRANDS We like to think of the articulated brand as having four cornerstones: brand description, brand expression, brand experience, brand delivery. As you can see in the info-graphic, these four cornerstones encompass everything the business does or sand for, showing how central the branding function is.

cules in a nu-

At the heart is the Brand Essence and the brand story. These are the critical expressions and should be well thought through.

clear reactor

BRAND ESSENCE

dom mole-

waiting to explode

The essence is the heart and soul of the brand (Pure Michigan; Marriott Brands --- Individually Distinctive, Collectively Powerful; Autograph Collection: Where you stay should be as original as who you are), and encompasses the idea inherent in the brand definition. Determining which comes first (Definition or Essence) is a chicken and egg thing, but in most

cases its easiest to figure out the six components of the brand definition and then crystalize them into a pithy, emotionally charged brand essence. In these examples the brand essence has been turned into a tag line (or slogan). This is sometimes useful and sometimes not. The brand essence survives the entire life of the brand, while the tag line or slogan can change over the course of time, so directly using the brand essence as the public face of the brand means a long term commitment to the words which may or may not make sense.

BRAND STORY

The brand story is a means of clarifying the brand for the benefit of stakeholders, employees and customers in an engaging, comprehensive way. We are all susceptible to stories – in fact, neuro marketers have discovered that we constantly (try) to turn events and idea into stories in our minds to help us comprehend the world around us. By writing a brand story you are getting ahead of this (people will make up a story anyway, it might as well be your story) and emphasizing the key attributes (emotional and functional) that determine the brand essence. The exciting thing about living in a post-millennial world is that stories no longer are limited to words on paper: brand stories can be in the form of infographics (http:// www.spanx.co.uk/shop/aboutsara.html/), videos (https:// ca.dollarshaveclub.com/), or even an engaging slide show (http:// www.astonmartin.com/en/thecompany/company-history). Of course the brand story can be a story crafted out of well-chosen words. It can focus on the customer, the product, the company and its history or the values of the brand – or all of them. Increasingly small businesses are finding that a focus on their “purpose,” will lead to brand stories that are closely linked to the Page 2

Loyalty programs are very

often the most frequent and consistent communication brands have with their customers, so

it is imperative that the loyalty program itself is seen as, and dealt with as, an expression of the brand

rather than a promotional tool

local community, especially in areas of sustainability – note that these brands are not positioned on sustainability (which is not-believable and not differentiating), but they include sustainability as a leading value in their brand story.

THE FIRST CORNERSTONE: BRAND DEFINITION

We’ve mentioned the brand position, which is one of the most important ways of describing the brand, but the brand description needs more meat on the bone.

As the business relies on a clear mission and vision (all enterprises do, in business or in life – if you don’t know where you want to go, it’s unlikely you’ll get there), it is useful to include these as part of the brand definition. Similarly the values of the organization underlie the way the brand will behave, and they too should be clearly expressed in the brand definition. Brand personality defined the softnature of the company and the operation. This is a useful dimension when developing communications and when introducing staff to the brand, as the personality is a shortcut to the soul of the brand, easily understood because it is framed in human traits.

the various systems and tactics used to ensure the brand is strong, remains differentiated, becomes distinctive and adds value to the organization. Brand expression is the ongoing process of communicating the brand internally and externally. It includes logos and style-guides, graphic standards, standards for images, web sites, SM design, advertising and so on. We also include as part of the brand expression programs such as the Loyalty program which, though not strictly speaking a communication device, it does very strongly influence the picture the consumers form of the brand in their minds. Loyalty programs are very often the most frequent and consistent communication brands have with their customers, so it is imperative that the loyalty program itself is seen as, and dealt with as, an expression of the brand rather than a promotional tool.

THE THIRD CORNERSTONE: BRAND EXPERIENCE

We will deal with brand experience in a subsequent article in this series, but it is essential to point out that the brand experience is the most important determinant of the success of

Finally in the description we include the brand promise – this is what the brand promises the customer and the stakeholders and the community, and is balanced with the “Reward”, which highlights the key benefits of being part of, or engaging with, the brand.

THE SECOND CORNERSTONE: BRAND EXPRESSION The remaining three brand cornerstones encompass what could be thought of as the execution of the brand –

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You need to start by hiring the right people (who understand the vision and feel compelled to share it) and then you need to ensure that they understand how the vision is manifest

the operation (even more than Twitter! or Trip Advisor). The brand experience is the way everything you do ultimate makes the customer (and potential customers) feel. It is the net result of everything you do and needs to be understood and managed with the same care you put into everything else you do: Customer experience is not a department nor a VP, it’s an approach to the business By understanding the way the customer experiences the brand it is then possible to design experiences that amplify this feeling, resulting in real customer delight and loyalty. Brands that have focused on customer experience (rather than their own benefits or attributes) consistently shine: Four Seasons Hotels, FedEx, Apple, etc.

THE FOURTH CORNERSTONE: BRAND DELIVERY

Making sure that the Brand is experienced by guests requires the entire organization to be aligned and motivated to give the guest the feeling the brand promises. This is no easy task. You need to start by hiring the right people (who understand the vision and feel compelled to share it) and then you need to ensure that they understand how the vision is mani-

fest (brand definition) and how it is experienced (brand experience). One of the best ways of ensuring this deeper understanding is to develop a few signature experiences that are tightly wrapped to the brand (e.g. anything Ikea does), and map these in detail, using them as a way of inculcating the brand expression in the associates. These can be included in a “brand playbook” or some other policy and procedure manual, or simply taught by the managers and supervisors. If done well, associates will immediately understand what the brand experience is and how guests respond. If you have recruited the right people, this will be repeated in everything they do, even if the delivery is slightly different for each employee – as long as the guest experiences the brand, the specifics are not important. It is only when there is concern that the associate are not able to do this that detailed procedure manuals covering every “customer touch point” are necessary.

IN THE END

This may all seem complicated and time consuming. It may well be at first. But once the brand cornerstones are in place, the hotel will run more smoothly with delighted guests and happy stakeholders. Which is, after all is said and done, the point.

Protean Hospitality is a boutique brand strategy advisory firm focused on helping our hospitality clients drive growth. We combine our business/category expertise with tenacity, balancing rigor and creativity, to uncover new opportunities for hotels, resorts and hospitality brands. For further information on this and other Protean Hospitality studies contact: Laurence Bernstein, Managing Partner, 416 967-3337 x 101; Bernstein@proteanstrategies.com Www.proteanhospitality.com Page 4