Realizing that today’s customers and consumers are not just buying the features of your products, but also the unique story and the fascinating experience of buying, owning and consuming your brand, we need to define Brands in a more holistic manner, in order to manage them well and keep developing them ensuring future success.

1) “Nothing beats a great product! … And not even the strongest brand can save a bad one!”

Sadly not all features and benefits in any given product or service are equally important to your customers. A 4 Year Warranty hardly fascinates any teenager as this audience normally plans for exchanging their products within a few months. But the fact of longevity and secure recurrence might be of interest to other audiences. So before you invest in creating new features and promote the latest new development in product R&D – be sure that you know that they are relevant for your customers – and the way that they prefer to use your offerings on a functional level in the brands Feature Dimension.

2) “Who’s going to spread the word?”

The Tribal Dimension of your brand expresses your brands social and ethical attributes. Who’s using this product and for what? What shared values are resonating with and within the audience? Can your brand be used as a sign of understanding, shared experiences or a lifestyle, behavioral connection between certain people? Social resonance does commands strong brand values and clever core target audience resonance.

3) “The experience is the ultimate brand message”

Be aware of your Brand’s Stages. Any aspect of brand performance is under scrutiny from critical customers/consumers that expect you to deliver truthfully in order to be trusted. So to be successful, a brand has to host their customers buying experience and turn them into Guided Customer Journeys. The Experience Society is real, and you need to make sure that you run the show. And it better be good. The Experience Dimension is what delivers the brand message.

4) “What’s your contribution to our World”?

Your brands Dream Dimension ensures your long-term license to operate. And guess what: A mission of having a solid bottom line is not going to do the trick alone. It is what good you are going to use your fame and wealth for that interests your buying, supportive audiences. Meeting the core of your customer’s system of beliefs, taking the brand beyond commercial value. The Brands Dream Dimension expresses the ideal in the mind of the consumer – of a better you, me or a better World…

In the end it isn’t really possible to separate the four dimensions from each other. And if you have decided – which we highly recommend you do – to enhance for example your brand’s experience and dream dimension, you might find that the features and benefits of your product should be altered. I.e. is the packaging just a container for your product or can it become a part of the brand story and experience in itself?”