Building a brand out of legos.

I've continued to mull over the models for approaching brand communications that I posted about just the other day.  And Dave made a great request;  that I better define and explain the models I'm working with and, more importantly, that I use Legos to do so.  So here we go.

The model I want to start with is a Venn diagram originally from Get Shouty showing the overlap between these four "brand" concepts.  And inferring that where they meet is what is crucial.  (I've cleaned this version up slightly).

It shows the opportunity that presents itself when we look for overlap between the Brand Position, Business Goals, Consumer Interests, and the Promise.  Aiming to be inside this area makes great sense.  It's the point at which all the vectors unite.

Gavin summarizes brilliantly just why this model is so powerful, if done correctly.

You are making the promise MANIFEST and the position TANGIBLE -- but in a CONTEXT which is controlled by the customer.

I've taken his quote slightly out of context as he was referring more to Richard's original diagram of 4 bubbles which I go into later in this post.

So, this is great.  But how do I use this?  How do I apply this to my everyday life?  My next step was an attempt to answer these two questions and demonstrate how to make the leap from  brand elements I'm familiar with to using the approach in the model above.

So I used the Nodes & Links visualization technique I learned from Ryan Coleman.  First I mapped the common brand strategy elements against the four entities from the Venn diagram.  Then I focused on exploring the connections between these entities.  The result is shown below.

[click on the image to enlarge]

I changed a few things from my first pass the other day.  And it appears to map quite well.  But I can't shake a feeling that this model (the Venn diagram or the Lego one) is less than actionable.  What it does really well is define an arena within which we want to operate.  So I named this the "Campaign Arena".  But I'm unconvinced that it maps well into a brief that will motivate people to step up to the plate.

I find the original model a little more compelling from a project brief point of view.  So here it is.

The big missing piece for me in the earlier models is "The Problem."  And I love the way that Richard defines each of the entities in this diagram.  Be sure to check out his original post.

The problem sets a context that allows me to write a more impassioned brief.  And the problem defines a context for a more compelling brand story.  A frame from within which amazing ideas and work can happen.

So, I'm looking to use both tools.  The lego model to turn the diverse elements of a brand strategy into a clearer picture for the team.  And Richard's model to write my briefs.

Tags: Brand Building, Brand Story, Brand Model

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P.S.  Gavin presents the concept that the center + symbol can and should be viewed as the customer.  And a Venn diagram can then be used, showing the overlap with the customer.