Most of the time we deal with “normal” brands (not the Oscar nominees)—the brands you may come across everyday—not the big powerhouse brands like Apple, Starbucks, Budweiser, Ralph Lauren, etc. And from our experience, we initially spend time counseling our clients on how to innovate their brand to fully realize its true and untapped potential. So, we thought we would layout the basics here, just FYI.

For the large majority of brands out there, doing these basics (correctly) will be recognized and received by your market as Brand Innovation—a good thing! It will also strengthen your competitive position, revitalize your customer and consumer base, and set you on the pathway to preference. Even better things for your bottom line!

So here goes…

1. Benchmark the perception of your brand in the minds of your customers and consumers, in both your direct and peripheral markets, and compare with your foundational brand truths (these should be documented somewhere).
2. Seek clear understanding of the values that underpin the actions and behaviors (functional, psychological, and emotional) of those customers and consumers.
3. Analyze and evaluate your brand’s performance in successfully aligning with those values.
4. Reset (from your foundational truths—because these shouldn’t change) the positioning of your brand (if necessary) and its value propositions to each key segment of your target market.
5. In light of this reset, evaluate your brand’s existing core elements (name, visual identity, character, and style) for their effectiveness in expressing the positioning.
6. Make necessary adjustments. And then…
7. Be obsessive and meticulous in creating and delivering your proposed value in actions, expressions, and experiences (these should directly correlate with your brand’s tone, voice, manner, and personality).

There…that’s what we advise our clients to do, and it is what we do for them when they ask us.

The key—if you decide to do this under your own steam—is doing it right the first time and then putting in place the continual evaluation process to stay on course. After all, Brand Innovation (like its sibling—Innovation) is not only a continual, consistent effort, but also a state of mind and discipline.