The Brand Gap, written by Marty Neumeier, goes into great depth on how to bridge the gap between business strategy and design. When there is this so-called rift between strategy and design occurs, the brand gap occurs. This is important to any product, if it wishes to sustain a competitive advantage. To help you sustain a competitive advantage, one must master the 5 disciplines of branding. These disciplines consist of differentiate, collaborate, innovate, validate and cultivate.
-Differentiating your product is one of the most important components needed in business. Be different, that is what consumers like. Apple for example, goes out of its way to make its customers feel valued.
- Another important component to sustain competitive advantage is to collaborate. The Brand Gap explains; “It takes a village to build a brand”. Brands develop through collaboration not isolation.
- Then comes innovation! Being innovative is what sets you apart from others. Google is a good example, in the sense that its workers do not necessarily get paid the highest, but still is classified as one of the, if not the most innovative company in the world.
- Next, you must validate your brand. One way you can validate ones product is via the new communication model, which comes in the form of the sender->the message-> the receiver.This new model enables the communication between the sender and receiver. Customer Feedback is crucial in business.
- Lastly, one must cultivate the product. “Business is a process, not an entity”. Successful businesses are those that continuously adapt to “the marketplace, the industry, the economy, and the culture”.
The Brand Gap is ones perspective on a product. “It is not what YOU say it is. It’s what THEY say it is”. One must realize that good strategy must be interconnected with good creativity. This was a very good read, I encourage you to do same!
Sincerely,
Zinny
-Differentiating your product is one of the most important components needed in business. Be different, that is what consumers like. Apple for example, goes out of its way to make its customers feel valued.
- Another important component to sustain competitive advantage is to collaborate. The Brand Gap explains; “It takes a village to build a brand”. Brands develop through collaboration not isolation.
- Then comes innovation! Being innovative is what sets you apart from others. Google is a good example, in the sense that its workers do not necessarily get paid the highest, but still is classified as one of the, if not the most innovative company in the world.
- Next, you must validate your brand. One way you can validate ones product is via the new communication model, which comes in the form of the sender->the message-> the receiver.This new model enables the communication between the sender and receiver. Customer Feedback is crucial in business.
- Lastly, one must cultivate the product. “Business is a process, not an entity”. Successful businesses are those that continuously adapt to “the marketplace, the industry, the economy, and the culture”.
The Brand Gap is ones perspective on a product. “It is not what YOU say it is. It’s what THEY say it is”. One must realize that good strategy must be interconnected with good creativity. This was a very good read, I encourage you to do same!
Sincerely,
Zinny