What Is Brand Message? How To Craft A Brand Message?

In this big world of biased demand, not every brand makes its way through.  Some of the brands fail at providing the promised product/service, while some fail at conveying their value proposition and expressing how they’re different or better than the others. Brand message is something which can help you in both of the above situations. It ties together your product and your communication message, and aligns everything to your value proposition.

But what exactly is a brand message and is it that important to craft one?

Well, if you can match these slogans with their companies, you’ve got your answer.

• Just do it.
• Eat Fresh.
• Save Money. Live Better.

What Is Brand Message?

Brand message is the value proposition of your brand which you convey to the target audience through your brand personality to set your brand positioning.

In simple terms: Your brand message is the message communicated to your target audience through your products and your verbal and non-verbal communication messages that describe what you do and how you’re different from others.

(To understand the true meaning of a brand message, we suggest you read more about brand personality and brand positioning before moving ahead.)

Brand Message Isn’t Limited To Taglines

Taglines are usually crafted to give voice to the brand message but the brand message isn’t limited to taglines.

Your tagline holds no value if your products aren’t delivering the promise. It’s just a 4-5 word sentence which people use to recognize you.

A brand message is what resonates with the needs, wants, or luxuries of your target audience. It is the reason people choose your brand.

People prefer diamond rings because ‘A Diamond Is Forever’

They choose Walmart because it helps them to ‘Save Money. Live Better’

Subway is known for delivering ‘Fresh food’.

Coca-Cola is known for being a part of good experiences. Hence, ‘Open Happiness’.

A brand message is the verbal communication of the brand promise. It is drafted considering the internal perspective, the customer’s perspective and the competitors’ promise, and positions the brand in a spot different from all others.

How To Create A Brand Message That resonates?

A brand message is a concise easy-to-understand communication message which tells a story. It is directed towards a pre-determined market segment and considers what the customers want to hear, what the brand can provide, and what the competitors are already providing.

Before moving on to discuss how to create an effective brand message, here are a few examples of great brand messages.

Nike:

‘Just do it.’ isn’t just the tagline or slogan of Nike; it’s what Nike is all about. Nike released ‘Just do it.’ as a full-fledged marketing campaign where it communicated its values and motivated all athletes nationwide, across all sports, and all levels of play.

The campaign was backed by various ad films, motivational posts, and even endorsements by celeb athletes.

Coca-Cola:

Coca-Cola has always been a part of happiness and good experiences. Right from the ‘I’d like to buy the world a coke’, to the 2009’s global ‘Open Happiness’ campaign, to 2016’s global ‘Taste the Feeling’ campaign, the message has remained the same – Coca-Cola is your partner in good experiences.

Did you see how broad yet connected the brand message is? How companies give voice to their brand message? And how it results in the positioning of the brand?

Now let’s dive into how to craft an effective brand message.

Focus On The Desired Brand Positioning

Do not craft your tagline to sound cool, craft it to sound relevant to the customer.

It’s evident that the brand message gives rise to brand positioning. Hence, it is always advisable to focus on the desired positioning while crafting your brand message. Decide this positioning by analysing three angles:

• The Customer: What matters the most to the customers?
• The Company: What’s your company’s vision?
• The Competition: What’s your competitors’ stance? How do you want your positioning to be different from them?

Be Relevant To Your Audience

Your brand message should resonate with the needs, wants, and desires of the target market. It should be the reason they buy your products.

Research and look for what your customers are looking for in a brand and tell them you provide that with a well-drafted brand message.

Don’t Overpromise

Overpromising leads to bad ends. Your brand message should convey only what you can provide to the customers.

Don’t promise on providing them with the full cake when all you can offer is a cherry.

Align The Tonality With Personality

The message tonality matters a lot. It gives rise to the brand personality. Along with positioning, decide what personality your brand or offering will have. The target audience has a huge role in deciding this as well.

If your target audience constitutes kids and parents, you might want to sound playful and caring. If it constitutes C-level executives, you might want to sound professional and perfect.

Incorporate The Brand Message Everywhere

Brand message, once decided, should be incorporated in every product offering and communication message. Incorporate it into your website design, product packaging, and even in your marketing campaigns.

Go On, Tell Us What You Think!

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