The 'Dynamic Brand Essence' model - repositioning brands for growth

This paper argues that brand essence is often wrongly treated as a static, idealistic description of a brand that focuses on a few positive attributes, overlooking the multi-faceted and sometimes negative characteristics of brands.

The 'Dynamic Brand Essence' model - repositioning brands for growth

Ruth Saunders and Chris Barnham

BRAND ESSENCE: WHY HAVE WE GOT IT WRONG?

'Brand essence’ is commonly used to help marketers distil what a brand stands for. Typically it is seen as a ‘single thing’ that is fixed at the heart of the brand over time, irrespective of changing market conditions.

Consequently, marketers spend considerable time trying to distil a brand's essence down to a particular ‘word’ or ‘set of words’ – only for it to become so bland or generic that it's no longer differentiating or is...

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