By M. Isi Eromosele

A brand architecture provides a strategic hierarchy of the brand’s key dimensions and outlines the way in which each of the brand drivers fits into the overall matrix.

As a result, the brand architecture is the most crucial document in your entire marketing plan.

In the simplest form, the brand architecture informs you which benefits will be most effective, which will be the least effective, and which will be ineffective at driving the purchase intent of your target consumers. Consequently, it must guide all company activities related to the brand.

Great brand architecture can be used to formulate communications and make investment decisions related to the entire marketing mix and every element of the brand experience. What are the key messages that you are sending? How do these messages reinforce what your brand stands for?

When properly used, your brand architecture becomes the ultimate tool for making sure that your marketing tactics are strategically aligned to produce the best results.

Brand Equity Drivers

Once you’ve got the basic framework of your brand architecture, establish the unique attributes that sets you apart from your competitors. These brand equity drivers encompass the sets of benefits whereby your brand has an advantage over all others in your sphere. If no one brand holds a sustainable advantage in your marketplace, it’s an open opportunity for you.

Key equity drivers are those that give you direct leverage against your competition. Quite simply, your business performance is higher than that of your competition and you can use this strength to take new ground, building new equities in areas that were previously open opportunities.

Minor advantage drivers are those benefits whereby your brand rates are statistically stronger than the competition, but your business performance is actually lower than that of the competition. Your brand is intrinsically strong, even if your performance is weaker than that of your competition. And in this case perception is reality. If your target customers think you’re a stronger company than your competition, in the long run, you will be.

Parity equity drivers come into play when your brand ratings are statistically equivalent to those of your competition, but you have a higher level of business performance. In this case, it’s to your advantage to highlight your own strengths and your competitors’ weaknesses.

Potential vulnerability drivers are those benefits whereby your brand rates at a statistical dead heat with the competition, but your performance is actually lower than that of your competitors. This could be dangerous territory; it’s only a matter of time before the competition seizes on your vulnerability and reveals it to your target customers.

Although there are parity equities with the category leader, there also exist open opportunities to take share from other competitors based on key drivers.