Introduction

As someone who has developed content and assets at scale for large organizations, I understand the daunting task of creating a strong brand that not only resonates with your audience but also ensures that multiple teams withinA your organization are delivering communications in accordance with your brand.

It's not easy.

In my experience, I have observed two challenges:

• A brand that is too flat, focused only on images and visuals, and using fancy words. The brand does not recognize that customer perception drives the brand.
• Even when brands are established, it is difficult for employees to activate them, use them across multiple materials, and create brand clarity with customers.

With these challenges in mind, this resource aims to help you achieve two objectives:

• Transform your brand from being flat and lacking resonance with customers to a well-rounded, multi-dimensional brand that connects with them on multiple levels. I will introduce a framework called the "multi-dimensional brand" that helps develop a brand story considering all aspects of the brand. This framework goes beyond traditional company-centered branding efforts and focuses on understanding what others are saying about your brand. After all, your brand is not just what you say it is; it is the story that your audience tells themselves about your company.
• Ensure consistency in brand messaging across all employees and marketing materials, avoiding confusion or creating multiple impressions of what the brand represents. I will share how to create a Brand Bible based on the multi-dimensional brand, that ensures your branding and messaging are integrated into all assets. All team members will understand what your brand is and how to use it within their day-to-day work.

Whether you're creating a new brand or reimagining an existing one, this resource is for you. Get ready to dive into the world of strategic branding and create a brand that truly resonates with your audience.

Part 1: The Framework

I'm excited to share with you the "Multi-dimensional Brand," a framework that I've developed for strategic branding. This framework challenges the traditional view of branding, which emphasizes the company's message, by recognizing that a brand is not a single story controlled by your organization. Instead, your brand is a blend of stories from different perspectives, including your own and those of your customers, former customers, employees, and suppliers.

Specifically, there are four stories that make up your brand. The first two are your verbal and visual stories, which represent what your brand says about itself. It’s the only part of the brand that it can completely control.  The other two stories are the campfire and experiential brand story, which represents what others say about the brand: their experiences and perceptions. The brand can influence these stories, but only so much. Each story serves a unique purpose but also reinforces the others.