It all starts with the stage we’re doing business on. What’s going on out there? What’s the vibe like? Why does the world need what we offer? What opportunities are there for us?

Before nearly all else, we need to understand our audience. We’ll uncover who they are, their pain points and stresses, what they want and need, and how we can help.

All brands have truths they believe and abide by to do business. Ultimately, we’ll discover the one guiding view of what we believe would make the world a little better, and how we’ll achieve it.

This is a big one. It sets the tone for our brand, fuels our strategy and shows the world how we achieve our purpose. It’s more than what we’re here to do. It’s why we exist — beyond making money.

The story we tell through our actions. The one the world assembles about us based on its experiences. Another way to think about it is our “Reputation”. To get it we answer 4 key truths.

The Protagonist (our company and its current situation), The Participants (our target audience), The Stage (the world we’re doing business in), and The Quest (our aspirational mission/goal).

Every great brand is defined by one word. Volvo is safety. GE is innovation. Disney is magic. Together, we’ll find the one word we want to stand for and truly own/build around in the marketplace.

Our brand promise and competitive position in the marketplace. Ultimately, it’s a foundation for our marketing, summarizing what we do and how we meet the needs of our audience.

The value our brand will provide to our audience. This is a single statement from which all external-facing communications and touchpoints will be inspired and based off of.

What our brand truly cares about. This is the list of beliefs informing everything we do when it comes to product, marketing, operations and beyond — both now and in the future.

The beliefs/actions our brand stands for and against. The fights we want to pick as a brand. For example, Nike is FOR determination, progress & movement, and AGAINST laziness, excuses & inertia.

Often called unique selling propositions (USPs), these are the things/services our brand offers. They include our functional features & benefits that make us stand apart from competitors.

The 3 benefits to our audience. First Technical (our unique underpinning & foundation), then Functional (what we offer/do), and finally, Emotional (how we make them feel, our spirit/ethos).

The people we’re an amalgam of. Those we’re constantly striving to become. The company we keep. If we were a mixture of real living, breathing humans (or characters), who would be on that list?

How our brand behaves. The traits and characteristics that make us trusted and beloved by the people we want to trust and love us. This is how we talk, and what we sound like when we do.