Distinctive Brand Assets and Messaging Brand Assets, the differences and why they matter

Cathal Gillen

This article explains the various roles that different types of brand assets and category codes play, and advises marketers on best practices.

The importance of meaning in Distinctive Brand Assets (AKA Brand Codes) is one of the most ambiguous areas in distinctiveness discussions. Clients provide us with a draft list of assets to research against distinctiveness metrics as part of our research and consultancy process. One of the main things we find is that this frequently contains a significant number of assets that lean more toward the meaning or differentiation camp than the distinctiveness camp. Most sectors have codes to help consumers navigate the category, and there is often confusion or mistaken belief that they are ownable Distinctive Brand Assets. In reality,...

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