Some things are so important they need a friendly reminder every now and then. Arguably, Distinctive Assets, and the whole Byron Sharp philosophy, isn’t one of them. The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute seems to have become a religion nowadays.
Still, all too often, marketeers focus merely on the logo, colour, tagline and typography when discussing distinctive assets. From a design agency perspective that might be great, but from a brand development perspective it’s a mistake.
Conventional brand marketing features are undoubtedly important, but what’s even more important is your product. According to an Ipsos and JKR study from 2023, the most distinctive asset happens to be… well, your product. So why do many marketeers still focus so much on the lipstick and not the pig?
Nice colour. Remind me, what do you sell?
When identifying distinctive brand assets, a lot of us forget to look at what’s right in front of us. Try to think about a product or a service that is so unique it becomes synonymous with the brand. What you just thought of, is a great example of a product-based distinctive asset – and often way more powerful than a unique logomark.
Most people probably wouldn’t remember the visual identity of Pandora, the Danish jewelry brand, but their charms have found a way into peoples’ hearts. Leading to double-digit growth in 2024 and Pandora becoming the world’s largest jewelry brand. The same goes for Crocs, Post-It, Victorinox, Lego, Ray-Ban and Zippo. Their products are the core of their brand experience. So much they become distinctive assets, not just transactional items.
With the product as the distinctive asset, brands also minimize the journey from trigger to connection. The asset is the Oreo cookie, not the slogan of Oreo cookies that some might confuse with Prinzen Rolle or McVitie’s anyways.
A friendly reminder
Building a strong brand requires many coordinated efforts. Product, communications, visual identity, behavior and services need to be aligned, and it’s rarely one or the other that make or break a brand.
Yet, distinctive assets need to be something your competitors don’t have. A good place to start is the product itself. It may require more than magnifying your logo on the packaging, but trust me, it’s worth the while.
Source: Everland
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