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BrandArchitectureWorkbook
By Dave Dunn
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 1
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CONTENTS
I. Introduction...................................................................................2
II. BrandArchitecture............................................................................2
III. BrandProduct/ServiceDifferentiation.......................................................2
IV. BrandVision...................................................................................3
V. BrandPositioning.............................................................................4
VI. BrandTarget...................................................................................4
VII.BrandName...................................................................................5
VIII.BrandIdentity.................................................................................6
IX. BrandPromise..................................................................................7
X. BrandCharacter................................................................................7
XI. BrandPersonality..............................................................................8
XII.BrandEmotion.................................................................................9
XIII.BrandExperience..............................................................................10
XIV.BrandQuality..................................................................................10
XV.BrandPricing...................................................................................11
XVI.BrandPackaging...............................................................................11
XVII.BrandDistribution.............................................................................12
XVIII.BrandAssociation..............................................................................12
XIX.BrandCredentials..............................................................................13
XX.BrandMessage................................................................................14
XXI.AppendicesSection............................................................................15
•Worksheets.........................................................................16-24
•GlossaryofTerms......................................................................25
•ReferenceSection......................................................................29
•AbouttheAuthor......................................................................31
•Contact................................................................................32
ReferstoCorrespondingWorksheet
This document is based on the 2nd step from the book, “Branding: The 6 Easy Steps,” by Dave Dunn.
Points of Differentiation Should Be:
•Believable •Relevant
•Unique •Understandable
•Supportable •Easytocommunicate
19 building blocks of brand architecture:
•BrandProduct •BrandEmotion
•BrandDifferentiation•BrandExperience
•BrandVision •BrandQuality
•BrandPositioning •BrandPricing
•BrandTarget •BrandPackaging
•BrandName •BrandDistribution
•BrandIdentity •BrandAssociation
•BrandPromise •BrandCredentials
•BrandCharacter •BrandMessage
•BrandPersonality
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Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 2
INTRODUCTION coordinatedplantocreatebrandclarity.Itisthisfocus
thatmultipliesthepowerofyourmarketingefforts.
p.17Afteryouhavedoneyourduediligence—analyzed
your market, the competition, and gained insight
intowhatmakescustomerstick—it’s timetogive
yourbrandsomeshape. p.16
Brandbuildingisnotaseriesof isolatedactivities. It
needstobeviewedasacompletesystem.Buildinga
brand is like building a skyscraper. You start with a
plan—anarchitecturalblueprint.
Abrand’sarchitectureisoneofthekeydeterminants
ofwhetheritwillbesuccessfulornot.Yetlessthan5%
ofmarketersengageinthislevelofplanning.
Thearchitectureofabrandensuresthatthekeycom-
ponents of strategy, creativity, and tactics all work
together inharmony.Thegoal is to create aunified,
coherent approach that gets a customer to buy and
remainloyalforalifetime.
BRAND ARCHITECTURE
Themostimportantstepinthebrandingprocessin-
volvesdefining the19elementalbuildingblocksofa
brand’sstructure.
The combined integration of these blocks is called
brand architecture or the brand’sDNA. It’s the blue-
printforyourproductorservice.Eachblockneedsto
bebasedonwellthought-outstrategiesderivedfrom
the factsof themarketplace.All theelementsof the
architecturemust be aligned to work together in a
BRAND PRODUCT/SERVICE AND BRAND
DIFFERENTIATION
The first step in building a brand is decidingwhat
productorservicetooffer.Makesureitdifferentiates
youfromthecompetitioninameaningfulwayandis
relevanttothecurrentandemergingmarketplace.W
p.18
Toensureyoursuccess,ithelpstooffersomethingnew
tothecategory—orbetteryet,createanewcategory.
Whatever you offer, itmustmeet theneeds ofwhat
peoplewant.Justbeingnewwon’tcutit.
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Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 3
Some companies offer products just because they
dreamedthemuporbecausetheyhaveexcessmanu-
facturing capacity. These brands have always failed,
becausethecompanytookashortcutanddidnotre-
searchwhatthecustomerwantedorneeded.
On some occasions, however, brands are introduced
that customers don’t know they need orwant. PDAs
areanexample.Inthisinstance,it’simportanttoget
theproductrightbeforeintroduction,andnotbetoo
far aheadof themarket; remember theAppleNew-
ton?Severalyearslater,PalmPilotandBlackberrygot
itrightandthecategorytookoff.
Some products may change over time despite the
brand remaining the same. PCs, for example, change
allthetime—andsomeproductsmayseemneverto
change.ThetasteofJackDaniel’s,thefamousTennes-
seewhiskey, has the image of beingmade the same
wayformorethan100years.
If you are not selling a classic, be alert and continu-
ouslyadaptyourbrand’sofferingtotheever-shifting
needsofthemarketplace.Theageofmassproduction
isover.Customizationisking.LikeBurgerKing’s“Have
it your way” and Dell’s build-to-order computer, the
betteryoumeetthecustomer’sneeds, theeasierit is
tobuildlong-termbrandloyalty.
Onceyouhavedecidedwhatproductorservicetoof-
fer,youneedtothinkaboutavision.Somepeoplecall
it the “long-term view.” Every brand should have a
long-termvisionofwhereitwouldliketoendupina
perfectworld.Withoutavisionyourbrandislikelyto
gonowhere.Abrand’svisionisalong-termsnap-shot
—notashort-termnumericalobjective.
The better you meet
the consumer’s needs,
the easier it is to build
brand loyalty.
BRAND VISION
Visionisaboutwhat’sontheedgeof,andsometimes
beyond,thehorizon.It’saboutbig,ambitiousgoals
thatinspireemployeestogetinvolvedtomaketheir
brandgreat.
Avisionoftensetsthetoneforthecompany’sculture
and acts as a guide tomaking day-to-day business
decisions. It’s away for companies to connectwith
theiremployeesandhelpfocustheireffortsonbuild-
ingabrand.
AccordingtoaleadingSanFranciscoBayAreabrand-
ing consultancy, “When creating a vision for your
brand,thinkasbigasyoucan—butmakeitspecif-
ic.”
Forexample,HenryFordwantedtomakecarsafford-
ableforeveryfamilyinAmerica.SteveJobswanted
toputthepowerofacomputeronthetopofevery
desk.
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 4
WhenPresidentKennedyboldlystatedthatwewould
landanAmericanonthemoonbeforetheendofthe
decade—hewasveryspecific.JFK’sstatementseemed
outrageousat thetime,but itsocapturedeveryone’s
imagination,prideandsenseofself,thatitgotdone.
Positioniswhereyourbrandfitswithinthegalaxyof
product choices. It isanexpressionofhowyouwant
yourprospectsandcustomers toperceiveyouversus
yourcompetitioninthemarketplace.
For example, with hundreds of cars to choose from,
Volvohaspositioneditselfas“thesafecar.”Soifsafety
is really themost important thing to you—Volvo is
thecar.
Fora longtime,Hertzdominatedthecarrentalbusi-
ness,andAVISwasperceivedasequaltoalloftheother
seven competitors. To differentiate itself, AVIS posi-
tioneditselfwiththemessage:Becausewe’reonly#2,
“Wetryharder.”Asaresult,AVIS’ business increased
andnolongerwasitlumpedtogetherwiththelesser
brands.Itbecameadistinct#2andthealternatechoice
toHertzbecauseitclearlypositioneditselfagainstthe
leader.p.19
“When creating a vision
for your brand, think as
big as you can — but make
it specific.”
Brandswithgreatvision—Wal-Mart,Dell,ThePeace
Corps,Amazon,Google,MySpace,forexample—often
endupontop.Sometimes,wayontop.
Wal-Mart started as a small five-and-dime store in
Arkansas.SamWaltonwasonly27yearsoldwhenhe
began,buthisvisionwastobuildthefinestretailing
company he could. His first year’s sales in 1945were
$80,000.By 2006,Wal-Martwas the largest corpora-
tionintheworldwithsalesofmorethan$350billion.
Notbadforacountryboyfromthemiddleofnowhere!
Samprovedthatit’ssmarttohaveavision.It’stoobad
Sears,Macy’sandJ.C.Penneydidn’thavethesamevi-
sion.
BRAND POSITIONING
Positioning is one of the most important building
blocks. Often marketers resist the intellectual disci-
plineandtimerequiredtogetitright.Butthisisnot
theplacetotakeashortcut.
BRAND TARGET
Aclearlydefinedbrandtargetisabasicnecessityfor
all your marketing programs. Its primary role is to
guide you in product refinement, developing your
sellingmessage,placingyourmedia,andidentifying
thosesegmentswiththemostprofitpotential.
Nobrandshouldtrytoselltoeveryoneintheworld.
Nobrandcanbeallthingstoallpeople.Noteventhe
globalWal-Mart.
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A good brand name should be:
•Short
•Unique
•Consistentwiththecategorytype
•Noteasilyconfusedwithcompetition
•Freeofhiddenmeaningsinforeignlanguages
•Easytoremember
•Pleasantlookingintype
•Availableforadomainname
•Clearofinfringingonsomeone’strademark
•Consistentwiththebrand’spersonality
Demographic characteristics:
•Age
•Gender
•Education
•Income
•Ethnicity
Psychographic characteristics:
•Innovators
•Earlyadopters
•Lateadopters
•Laggards
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 5
Youneedtonarrow,andclearlydefineingreatdetail,
yourprimarytargetmarket.Decideifyouwanttobea
local,regional,nationalorglobalbrand.
Youneedtodetermine,throughaprocessofdata-driv-
ensegmentation,your idealcustomer’sdemographic
andpsychographic characteristics—so youwill know
howtotalktoandconnectwiththeminameaningful
way.
Youcanneverknowtoomuchaboutyourcustomers.
Themoreyouknow,thebetteryouwilldo. Abrandnameactslikeabigpot.Itcapturesandstores
alltheequityyoubuildintoyourbrandbyyourvarious
marketingandbusinessactions.
Whenyoustartout,thepotisemptyandthenamehas
novalue.Butinthelongrun,whenthepotisfull,the
namecanbeofgreatvalue.Notbecauseyouchosethe
rightname,butbecauseyoutooktherightstepstoput
valueintothename.
Choosing a brand name is often agonizing. You can
makeamistake.Don’tpickanamethatpeoplecan’t
spell,pronounceorunderstand.Companiesgenerally
selectanamebydevelopingalistofatleast20names,
then trying themout on their target audience, em-
ployeesandbusinessassociates.
Somecompaniesdoformalresearchtonarrowdown
the list;othersdoit themselves. Ifyougothebudget
route, make sure you talk to at least 30-40 people.
Basedonfeedback,narrowthelistdowntotwo.Then
make your selection based on the one that best fits
the brand’s architecture. One other consideration in
Keepinmindthatnotallcustomersarecreatedequal.
Somearemoreprofitablethanothers.Aimyourmar-
ketingat thegroupthat’snotonly themost likely to
buy, but the oneswhogive thehighest potential for
cross-sellingandup-selling.p.20
BRAND NAME
Whattocallyourproductorserviceisalsooneofthe
earlybrandingdecisionsyouwillneedtomake.This
ishowacustomeridentifiesandremembersyou.
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Examples of strategic tag lines:
TAGLINE STRATEGICUSE
•Since1904 •BrandCredential
•HRConsulting •BrandService
•Justdoit •BrandEmotion
•ThinkDifferent •BrandPersonality
•OvernightDelivery •BrandService
•BreakfastofChampions •BrandAssociation
•GoodtotheLastDrop •BrandQuality
•UltimateDrivingMachine •BrandMessage
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 6
pickinganameiswhetherornottousethecorporate
nameinconjunctionwithabrand’sname.Forexam-
ple, Proctor & Gamble always separates its brand’s
name from the corporate name by putting the P&G
nameonthebacklabel.Hewlett-Packard,ontheother
hand,doesjusttheopposite.Itscorporatenameisthe
brandnameonall itsproducts.Formanycompanies,
it’savariedcombinationofboth.
The last step in thenamingprocess isapplying fora
trademark. It’swise to do this early, so youwon’t be
sorrylater.It’snotashardasitusedtobe—youcan
doitonline.
BRAND IDENTITY
Brandidentity(i.e.,alogo)ishowpeoplewillrecognize
you.Generally it’sa combinationofa color,a symbol
andyourbrandname.Sometimesit’syourcompany’s
initials(e.g.,IBM,G.E.)Onrareoccasion,it’sonlyasym-
bol(e.g.,Apple).Sometimesataglineisaddedtothe
logo.
People often place toomuch value on logo develop-
ment.Agreatlookinglogo,inandofitself,isoneofthe
least importantelements inbuildingabrand. Ifpeo-
plespentasmuchtimeonbrandingstrategyasthey
spendongettingaflashylogo,theywouldbefurther
aheadinbuildingabrand.
Nomatterwhat your logo looks like, it is important
tobeconsistent in itsusage,sopeopledon’tbecome
confused.Theoneexception is thatbecauseofspace
limitationsyoumighthavetodropthetaglinefroma
logo.Butgenerallyyoushouldusethetaglinewiththe
logoifthat’stheofficialusagestyle.
Taglinesorbrandslogansmustbetakenintoaccount
before developing a logo. A long tag line generally
doesn’tworkwellwithany logo thatmustbeplaced
onsmallermarketingmaterials.
A tag line can be problematic unless it serves some
strategicbrandingpurpose.Ifitdoesn’t,it’sbetternot
touseone.
Brand logos need to:
•Workwellwithbrandname
•Bedistinctive
•Beeasytoread
•Workinblack/white
•Beusableinallyourcommunicationpieces
•Befreeofanyhiddenmeanings
•Beconsistentwithmarketcategory
•Beconsistentwithyourbrand’spersonality
Brand character traits:
•Honest •Respectful
•Responsible •Expert
•Fair •Trustworthy
•Environmental •Employee-oriented
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 7
Taglinesvarywidely.Somearenecessary—othersare
not.Someaddvalue—somedonot.Theyall should
beas shortaspossiblebecauseevenashort tag line
altersthevisualbalancebetweenabrandnameanda
brandsymbol,whereeverythingiscompetingfor the
eye’sattention.
BRAND PROMISE
Sometimesthereisaseemingoverlapbetweenbrand
promiseandbrandpositioning.Theyaredifferent,but
complementary.
Wal-Mart’s“everydaylowpricing”isabrandpromise.
Itspositioncanbedescribedasthelargest(therefore
lowercost)generalmerchandisediscountstore.
Ifacarcompanystates that its cargets30milesper
gallon—thisisabrandpromise.Youexpecttogetit;
ifyoudon’t,youlosetrustinthatbrand.
Abrandpromisesometimesinvolvesparityattributes
incombinationwithpoints of differentiation.Obvi-
ously,makingapromisethatnooneelsecanmakeis
anadvantage,butmakingpromisesofparity should
notbeoverlooked;theymightberequiredtogetinthe
game.Forexample,ifcarcompaniesdon’tpromiseat
leasta50,000-mileenginewarranty, theircarswon’t
beconsidered.
BRAND CHARACTER
Brandcharacterdescribessomeattributesaboutyour
companythatacustomerfindsattractive.Sometimes
itiscalledcorebrandvalues.
There are three categories of brand character that a
customer isexposed to:productor service,employee
andcommunity.
Fromaproductor service standpoint, for example, a
customerexpectsabanktobetrustworthyandanor-
ganicfarmertobeenvironmentallyfriendly.
Customers are also interested in how you treat your
employees.Peopledon’twant tobuy jeansor sweat-
shirts if theyareproducedinanoverseassweatshop.
Themajorityof customerswant tobuy fromcompa-
niesthatarerespectfuloftheiremployees.
Peoplealsofeelgoodaboutdoingbusinesswithcom-
paniesthatsupporttheircommunities.Somecompa-
niesevenpublicizethattheyareadoublebottom-line
company—pledging todonateacertainpercentage
oftheirprofitstocharity.
AccordingtoresearchbytheStanfordSocialInnovation
Review, being a good corporate citizen is an effective
brandingtoolandshouldbeconsideredagoodoppor-
tunityforbuildingbrandimage.p.21W W
Brand personality traits:
•Warm •Fun
•Friendly •Sophisticated
•Loud •Rugged
•Corporate •Strong
•Casual •Contemporary
•Off-beat •Traditional
•Innovative •Exciting
•Sexy •Leadingedge
•Genuine •Hip
•Flexible •Creative
•Glamorous •Practical
•Serious •Technical
•Nononsense •Athletic
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 8
BRAND PERSONALITY
While brand personality might seem far-fetched,
it’saboutrelatingtotheconsumer.Andrelatingisa
critical ingredient indeveloping long-termrelation-
ships.
Brandpersonality is different frombrand character.
A person who says nothing might lack personality,
butmayhavegreatcharacter.Characterconnectson
amorallevel—personalityconnectsonasociallevel.
It’snotunusual,insomecrowdedcategories,tofind
competitive brands with similar factual specifica-
tions— so it might be the personality element of
brandingthat letsyouestablishasustainablepoint
ofdifferentiation.
Tocreatetherightpersonalityforyourbrand,youneed
togothroughaprocessofeliminationtoidentifythe
right traits.Personality traitsareoftendifferentfora
productthanaservice.
Youneedtoanalyzeyourtargetaudienceandasksev-
eralquestions: Is yourbrand female,male, orgender
neutral;young,oldormiddle-aged;sophisticated,ur-
ban,rural,ormainstream?Forexample,Marlborocer-
tainlyhas adifferentpersonality thanVirginia Slims
basedonthegenderofitstargetaudience.
Onceyouhavedeterminedsomeoftheparametersof
whomyouaretryingtoreach,createalistof10to12
potentialbrandpersonality traits.Thencompare this
listtowhatyourcompanyorproducttrulyis.Don’ttry
tobesomethingyou’renot.Atthispoint,trytogetthe
listdowntosix.Makesurethatyourcustomerswould
relatetothesetraits.
Being a good corporate
citizen is an effective
branding tool...
Consider a Harley-Davidson versus a Yamahamotor-
cycle.Botharewell-engineeredandgothesamespeed,
buttothebuyer,theyareasdifferentasnightandday.
Theyhavecompletelydifferentpersonalities. Just the
guttural sound of their engines tells you the differ-
ence.
EmotionalFunctional
Self-expression
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Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 9
Forthefinalroundofelimination,reducethelistdown
to threeor four for thesakeofbrandclarity.Pick the
ones that are most consistent with each other, that
give youpointsofdifferentiation, andare traits that
canbeusedinyourmarketingmaterials.
The other type of personality difference a brand can
project(onethatisbecomingmoreimportant)isstyle.
Itused tobe that form followed function.Now,with
manyproducts,formfollowsemotion.
Appleisoneofthemastersofthisstrategy.Recogniz-
ingthatpeopleareveryvisual, theyhavetakencom-
puterdesigntoanewlevel.Nolongerareallpersonal
computersbeigeorboxy.Appledoesn’tmaketoasters,
but if they did, youwould expect them to reflect its
brandpersonality—onewithgreatstyle.p.21
Brand-BuildingStrategies
For someproducts,emotionplaysnopart. Forexam-
ple, when you buy a box of laundry detergentmost
people want just a performance relationship. You
simplywantyourclothestocomeoutclean,softand
smellingfresh.
Forotherproductcategories,buyersalsowantanemo-
tionalrelationship.Theywantboththefacts(whyit’s
better) andan emotional connection— is this prod-
uctright forme?Thecarcategory isagoodexample
ofcombiningbothelements.Peoplesay,“Ilovemycar.”
Theygenerallydon’tsay,“Ilovemydetergent.”
Emotionalbrandingcanalsoresultwhenacustomer
hastheoptiontoself-expressorpersonalizeaproduct
withoptionsoraccessories.Whenacustomerdictates
exactlyhowhewantshisDellPCconfigured,he feels
emotionallyempoweredashecreateshisconnection
tothebrand.
Brands also connect on a self-expressive level when
thebrand(asasymbol)allowsapersontocommuni-
catehisself-image.Aperson’schoiceofbrandssaysa
lotaboutwhotheyfeeltheyare,orwhotheywantto
be. If apersonwants toproject success, for example,
theymaychoosetodrivealuxurycarorwearexpen-
siveclothes.
It used to be that form
followed function. Now,
with many products, form
follows emotion.
BRAND EMOTION
For some brands, emotion can be as important as
function in influencing the purchase decision. De-
pendingon the typeofproductorserviceyouoffer,
emotionmayormaynotcontributetobuildingyour
brand.Youneedtoanalyze,defineandseparate the
rolesoffunction,emotionandself-expressionwhen
developingyourbrand-buildingstrategies.
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 10
BRAND EXPERIENCE
Overthelastdecade,brandingstrategistshavebeen
payingmoreattentiontothecustomer’sexperience
withtheirbrand.
Brand experience has many levels. If your laundry
detergentgetsyourclothesclean,youmightsayyou
hadagoodexperience.Butwhatifitonlycamein50-
lb.boxes,and itwasapain to lugfromthestore to
yourcar—notaverypleasantexperience.Thisexam-
plemayseemfar-fetched,buthaveyouevertriedto
handlea50-lb.bagofdrydog food?Therearehun-
dredsofexamplesofgoodproductsthatproducebad
experiences.
youmet thewinemakerand visited the caveswhere
thewineagedinsmalloakbarrels.
Coffeeistheotherendofthebeveragespectrum.You
generallydon’thavetogotoofarforthisexperience.
Youmighthaveseveralchoicesinyourneighborhood:
maybealocaldinerandaStarbucks.Coffeeinthelocal
dinergoesforabout$1.50acupandStarbucks’isabout
$2.50.IfyouchooseStarbucks,itmightbebecauseyou
wanttheexperienceofsippingcoffeeinaplacewith
atmosphereandaparticularsenseofcommunity.Cus-
tomersarewillingtopayabuck-fiftyforthecoffeeand
anextrabuckfortheexperience.
BRAND QUALITY
Onitsown,abrand’sactualqualityisnotasurefirefor-
mulaforbrandsuccess.
Manypeoplethinktheycantellhighqualityfromlow
quality.Inreality,itisnotalwaysthatclear.Whenyou
compareproductsratedinConsumer Reports,thereis
often little correlationbetweenqualityand sales. It’s
notthatqualityisunimportanttobranding—itisa
keyfactor.Butyouneedtoeducate theconsumeron
yourqualityproposition,ortheywon’tseethevalue.
Wherequalityhelpsbuildbrands isnot in theprod-
uct quality itself, but in the perceived quality in the
customer’smind. Swisswatchesdon’t keep timeany
betterthanaTimex,butsomepeoplesurethinkthey
do.Theworld’sbest-knownluxurywatchesgotogreat
lengths tobuild theperceptionofquality in thecon-
sumer’smind.
A positive brand experience
that creates complete
satisfaction leads to
enduring brand loyalty.
Brandmanagers should research and quickly correct
experiences that lead to customer dissatisfaction. A
positive brand experience that creates complete sat-
isfactionleadstoenduringbrandloyalty.
Customerexperienceforsomebrandscanalsogoway
beyondthefactualelementsof:“Doesitwork,”and“Is
iteasytouse?”
A Napa Valley winery tour, for example, can be an
experience that creates a lasting impression and as-
sociationwiththebrand.Thewineisbetterbecause
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 11
W
Tobuildastrongbrand,youmustfindmultipleways
tobuildandmaintainstrongperceptionsofqualityin
themindsof your targetaudience.The linkbetween
perceivedqualityandabrand’sfinancialperformance
is so strong that some largecompanieshavewritten
plansdedicated to thisgoal,because theyknowthat
peoplewillpayforqualityiftheyunderstandit.
p.22
Pricing is tricky. Italldependsonwhatcategoryyou
arein,butasageneralrule—accordingtoChuckMoy-
er,aleadingpricingconsultant—chargeasmuchas
youcan.There’snothing toapologize for, if thevalue
is there. Based on research, 92% of products are un-
derpriced— 4% are overpriced and 4% are correctly
priced.
BRAND PRICING
Pricinghasbothacompanyandacustomerperspec-
tive.
Itiscriticaltomostcompaniesbecauseitisakeyde-
terminantinhowmuchtheymake.Basedonastudy
bytheHarvardBusinessSchool,every1%increasein
priceincreasesyournetincomeby12-30%,andevery
$1increaseinnetincomeincreasesthevalueofyour
businessby$3-$5.
Pricing is also important because it directly reflects
onyourbrand’simage.Theoldcliche,“Itmustbebet-
terbecauseitcostsmore,”isstillfixedinthemindsof
manypeople.
Ahigherpricesayshigherquality,andifyouwantyour
brandtobeperceivedasthebestinitscategory,you
certainlydon’twanttobethelowpriceleaderorrun
toomanydiscountpromotions.Andifyourbrandis
thecheapestinitscategory,howmanypeo-plemight
thinkthere’ssomethingwrongwithyourproductor
service?
From the consumers’ point of view, pricing is impor-
tantbecauseit’stheirmoney.Theywanttoknowwhat
thevaluepropositionis—exactlywhatdotheygetfor
whattheypay?
Ted Levitt, of Harvard University, summed it up best
whenhesaid,“Priceisthetruemeasureofyourmar-
ketingskills.”
BRAND PACKAGING
Whether you are selling a product or a service, you
needtoensurethatyourpackagingisconsistentwith
your other brand strategies. Packaging for consumer
productsisextremelyimportantbecauseitcarriesso
muchbrandidentity.
...92% of products are
underpriced — 4% are
overpriced and 4% are
correctly priced.
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 12
That distinctive robin’s-egg blue box with the white
ribbon says“Tiffany” quality. You don’t even have to
opentheboxtoknowit’sspecial.
Consulting and accounting firms often go to great
lengths todesignandpackagetheirreports, tomake
their findings and recommendations look authorita-
tiveandsubstantial.
Winethatcomesina1/2gallonscrew-capjugdoesn’t
necessarilytastebad,butitbumpsupagainstcertain
pricepointsatretail, therebylimitingitsprofitability.
Sometimesone easy solution to correct lowmargins
istorepackage.Takethesamewine,putitinasmall-
erbottlewithacork,andraisethepricebyadollaror
moreperbottle.Whosayspackagingisn’timportant?
Itdefinitelyaffectsperceivedquality.
BRAND DISTRIBUTION
Branddistributionmightseemlikeasimplestrategy
tothinkabout.Isn’tthegoaltoselltoeveryoneand
everywhereyoucan?Yesandno.
Ifyouaredealingwitha luxurygood,youmightnot
want to sell to a mass-market store. When Martha
StewartsellsherlineexclusivelytoKmart,itsaysvol-
umesaboutwhoshethinkshercustomersare.Andif
youarenotaKmarttypeofcustomer,youmight,right-
ly orwrongly, decide thatMartha’s products are not
foryou.Thepointis,whereyoudistributeyourbrand
impacts the imageofyourbrand.Sopickyourstores
carefully.
Oneother facet ofdistribution to consider iswheth-
er to selldirect to the customeror throughdistribu-
torsand resellers. Ifdirect to the customer,will itbe
through stores, catalogues or online? Generally, the
morechannelsthebetter.
BRAND ASSOCIATION
Onelow-costwaytoextendabrand’sawarenessand
imageistoassociatewithanotherbrand.Sometimes
it’s called sponsorship— sometimes co-branding—
sometimesendorsing.Thekeytoasuccessfulassocia-
tionistomakesureyourbrand-partneriscompatible
withyourbrand’svalues,desiredimageandtargetau-
dience.
WhenCresttoothpastefirstassociatedwiththeAmeri-
canDentalAssociation,itsmarketshareshotupfrom
14%to28%inthetoothpastecategory.
Butdoyou think theAmericanCancerSocietywould
wanttopartnerwithMarlborocigarettes?No—notin
amillionyears.However,SutterHomeWinery’sasso-
ciationwithapromotionforfindingacureforcancer
isawinforbothbrands.
Nike’s partnership with Tiger Woods makes sense.
Buick’sassociationwithTigermightnot—it’snotbe-
lievable.Doyoureallythink,athisage,theworld’sbest
andrichestgolferisgoingtostepoutofhisprivatejet
andintoaBuick?
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 13
BRAND CREDENTIALS
Abrand’scredentialsareoftenoverlookedasanim-
portantbrandingelement.AccordingtoAlRies,who
co-authored The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding,
“Credentialsarethecollateralyouputuptoguaran-
teetheperformanceofyourbrand.”
Credentialsaregenerallymoreimportantintheserv-
iceandentertainment industries, but they canalso
behelpfulwithintheconsumerandindustrialprod-
uctscategories.
Yourbrand’s credentialsgiveanextradimension to
your brand’s reputation based on actions, achieve-
mentsorawards.Thebetteryourcredentials,theeas-
ieritisforacustomertobuy.
Credentials also help provide the assurance cus-
tomers need when they are wrestling with a close
purchasedecision.Oftenit iscredentials thatactas
thetie-breakerbetweentwoverygoodchoices.
Abrand’scredentialsneedtobedevelopedovertime.
Andwhenmarketed,theycanhaveadirectimpact
onbothsalesandthebottomline.
Forexample,amoviethatwinsanumberofAcademy
Awards can expect to sell a lotmore tickets simply
basedonthiscredential.AcarthatwinsaJ.D.Power
Awardcancountonextrasales,ascananautomobile
companywhenitsteamwinstheDaytona500.
“Credentials are the
collateral you put up to
guarantee the perform-
ance of your brand.”
When colleges try tomarket themselves to prospec-
tivestudent-athletes,ithelpstohaveawallfulloftro-
phiesinthegym.
Stanford,forexample,whensellingitssubbrand“Stan-
fordAthletics,”notonlyshowcasesthemassiveamount
ofgoldandsilverinitstrophycase—theresultofwin-
ning70NCAAteamchampionshipssince1980—but
stressesitscredentialsasatop-tieracademicinstitu-
tion.
Theirpitch is simple: It’sallaboutcredentials.Where
else,theyasktherecruit,canyouplayforaNCAAcham-
pionship,roomwithanOlympicathleteandbetaught
byaNobelLaureate?
Buildingbrandcredentialsissometimesbeyondyour
spanofcontrol.Butmostlyitisuptoyou.
GettingagoodrankingfromConsumer Reportsisout-
sideyourcontrol,butbuildingthesuperiorproductto
getthatrankingisuptoyou.Youcan’twritethefavor-
ablerestaurantreview,butyoucanservegreatfoodto
earnthatreview.
Criteria for crafting a core brand message:
•Willitbeeasilyunderstood?
•Doesitdifferentiateyouvs.competition?
•Isitbelievable?
•Isitrelevanttothemarketplace?
•Isitconsistentwiththebrand’sarchitecture?
•Isthemessageunique?
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 14
Tocompetemoreeffectively,consultingfirmsstressin
theirproposalshow long theyhavebeen inbusiness
andtheirexperiencewithbigbrand-namecompanies.
They also showcase client testimonials on theirWeb
sites.
Accounting and law firms prominently display the
academic credentials of their employees on their of-
fice walls. Advertising agencies showcase howmany
creative awards they havewon. Banks highlight how
manyassetstheyhaveundermanagement.
Every brand has the capacity to earn credentials.
impressionmessageneedstobeimplementedconsis-
tentlyacrossallofyourcommunicationsandmarket-
ing programs, so that your customers don’t get con-
fusedaboutwhatyourbrandstandsfor.
Your core message gets delivered in many different
ways,buteveryoneneedstobesingingfromthesame
pageinthesongbook.
Whenyouare#1inthecategoryit’seasy,butthereare
alsoopportunitiesoutthereforeveryonewho’snoton
top.Whenabrand’scredentialsareproperlymarketed,
theyaddvalue toyourbrand’sequitybybuildingup
thebrand’sperceivedquality.p.23
Forexample,nomatterwhattypeofmarketingpiece
you see fromBMW,youknow theyare talkingabout
“Theultimatedrivingmachine.”ForBMW,theirtagline
isalsotheircorebrandmessage.p.24
BRAND MESSAGE
The last elemental building block in the process of
creating your brand’s architecture is crafting a core
brandmessageordominantsellingidea.
Thismessageneedstoreflectwhatyourbrandstands
for. Itneedstobesimple,soitcanbedistilleddown
toonesentenceorasingle-net-impression.Forexam-
ple,The New York Times’coremessageis,“Allthenews
that’sfittoprint.”
Once youhavedeveloped your corebrandmessage,
youneedtocommunicateittoeveryoneinyourcom-
panywhomakesbrandingdecisions.Yoursingle-net-
This is the conclusion of describing the elements of
brand architecture. The Appendices Section that fol-
lowscontainsworksheets thatwillhelpyouputyour
brandtogether.
After youhavefinisheddeveloping yourbrandarchi-
tecture (p. 17) it’s time toput yourbrand intoaction.
Consult “Branding: The 6 Easy Steps” for additional
information.
W
W
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 15
XXI. APPENDICES SECTION
• CompetitiveBrandAnalysis&InsightsWorksheet...............16
•BrandArchitectureWorksheet....................................17
•BrandDifferentiationWorksheet.................................18
•BrandPositioningWorksheet.....................................19
•TargetAudienceWorksheet......................................20
•BrandTraitsWorksheet...........................................21
•PerceivedQualityWorksheet.....................................22
•BrandCredentialsWorksheet....................................23
•BrandMessageWorksheet.......................................24
•GlossaryofTerms................................................25
•ReferenceSection...............................................29
•AbouttheAuthor................................................31
•ContactPage.....................................................32
16
Referencep.2
COM
PETI
TIVE
BRA
ND
AN
ALYS
IS &
INSI
GH
TS W
ORK
SHEE
T
17 BRAND ARCHITECTURE WORKSHEET Referencep.2-14
BrandElements Strategies,Descriptions,Comments
BrandProduct/Service
BrandDifferentiation
BrandVision
BrandPositioning
BrandTarget
BrandName
BrandIdentity
BrandPromise
BrandCharacter
BrandPersonality
BrandEmotion
BrandExperience
BrandQuality
BrandPricing(valueproposition)
BrandPackaging
BrandDistribution
BrandAssociation
BrandCredentials
BrandMessage
18 BRAND DIFFERENTIATION WORKSHEET
Strategies, Descriptions, Comments
BrandProductorService
Targetmarket(s)
KeyCompetitors’Differentiation
CurrentDifferentiation
NewDifferentiation
Uniqueness
Whybetter
Support
Believable
Relevance
Understandable
Easytocommunicate
Timing
“DifferentiationisnotDiscretionary” — Ted Levitt
Competitor#5
BrandsinCategory
Competitor#4
Competitor#3
Competitor#2
Competitor#1
YourBrand
19
Whatbusinessareyouin?
BRAN
D PO
SITI
ON
ING
WO
RKSH
EET
Referencep.4
(specificproductorservicecategory)
KeyCustomerBenefits
BrandPositioningStatement
SizeofMarket
TARG
ET A
UDI
ENCE
WO
RKSH
EET
(behavior)
Psychographics
(age/gender)
Demographics
MediaReach-what
peopleread,watch,etc.
DistributionPoints-
wherepeoplecanbuy
20
Primary
Target
Target
Target
Tertiary
Secondary
Referencep.4
21 BRAND TRAITS WORKSHEET Referencep.7
BrandCharacter:
BrandPersonality:
BelievableOptions 3MostStrategic
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
BelievableOptions 3MostStrategic
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
22 PERCEIVED QUALITY WORKSHEET Referencep.10
Actual WaystoIncreasePerceivedQuality
23 BRAND CREDENTIALS WORKSHEET Referencep.13
Historicalandcurrentfactsthatgiveabrand’simageaddeddimension.Examplesinclude:timeinbusiness,sizeofcompany,etc.
Marketleader
Awards,medals,records,etc.
Certifications,licenses,accreditations
Articlesorquotespublishedinnews-papersandmagazinesthatimproveabrand’simage,andthatcanbeusedinmarketingmaterials
Testimonials,clientreferences
Achievements—includingbeingfirsttodosomething
Productorserviceratings/rankings
Prestigeofuserorclientlist
Credentialsofyouremployeesand/ormanagement
Prestigeofstrategicalliancepartners
Intellectualproperty(patents,etc.)
Brandreputation
24
Product/Service(Differentiation):
TargetAudience:
Whatdoestargetaudiencethinkorfeelnow?
Whatdoyouwantthecommunicationstoaccomplish?
CoreBrandMessage(ASingleNetImpression(SNI)orDominantSellingIdea):
SupportforSNI:
Otherrequirements:
BRAND MESSAGE WORKSHEET Referencep.14
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 25
W
BRAND GLOSSARY Thisglossaryisincludedtohelpyoubetterunderstandthelanguageofbrandarchitectureasusedinthisbook
andinotherbooksonthesubject.Itfocusesonwhattheauthorhasjudgedtobethemostusefultermsinvolved
withdevelopingabrand’sarchitecture.
Oneofthechallengesofsuccessfulbrandingisgettingeveryonewhoisinvolvedwithmakingbrandingdeci-
sionstousethesamevocabulary.
Thedefinitionsprovidedinthisglossaryaretheauthor’sbestjudgment,basedon30yearsofhands-onexperi-
enceandextensivereadingonthesubject.
Brand
Abrandisanidentifyingnameorsymbolrepresent-
ing the sumof all the information, perceptions and
feelingsaboutaproduct,serviceorcorporation.
Brand Architecture
The combination of branding elements that helps
determine the outcomeof the brandingprocess. It’s
theunifyingandcoherentformthatdecisionmakers
throughoutanorganizationcanfollowinregards to
thebrand.
Asecondarymeaningistheorganizationofmultiple
brandsinacorporatebrandportfolio.
brand,thatiscalledbrandassociationorendorsement.
Whentwobrandsmarkettogether,itishopedthatthe
combined goodwill of both brands will benefit both.
Whenabrandsponsorsacharityevent,theassociation
generatesgoodwillforthesponsoringcompany.Brands
associatetoincreasesales,buildperceivedquality,and
toburnishtheirreputation.(Referencep.12)
A secondarymeaning of brand association iswhen a
customer,inhismind,identifiesabrandwithapartic-
ularsetofattributes.
Brand Awareness
Ifpeoplerememberorrecognizeabrand,that’sbrand
awareness. Advertising is one of the primary tools to
buildbrandawareness.Ifapersonisawareofabrand,
theyaremorelikelytobuyitversusabrandtheydonot
recognize.
p.17(Referencep.2)
Brand Association
Brand association happens in many different ways.
Whena famouspersonactsasa spokesperson fora
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 26
Brand Character Brand Experience
Brandexperienceistheknowledgeacustomergains
asaresultofusingorobservingthebrand.When
someonevisitsyourWebsitethatisalsoconsidereda
brandexperience.(Referencep.10)
Brand Identity
A brand’s identity is the visual expression of how a
brand is recognized. It can be comprised of a name,
symbol,color—orinsomesituations,justthebrand’s
initials.Abrand’sidentitycanalsoprojectitscharacter
andpersonality.Sometimesitiscalledthebrandlogo.
(Referencep.6)
Brand Message
Aconciseexpression (oneor two sentences)ofwhat
yourbrandstands forandwhysomeoneshouldbuy
yourproductorservice.(Referencep.14)
Brand Name
Abrandnameishowacustomerorprospect identi-
fiesandremembersyou.Thenamerepresentsallthat
your brand stands for. The brand name acts as the
trustee forall theequity thatyourbrandbuildsand
accumulatesovertime.(Referencep.5)
Brand Packaging
Brandpackagingisanythingthatcomeswiththeprod-
uctthatisnotcentraltothebrand’sperformance.
(Referencep.11)
Adistinctivesetofmoraltraitsthatdescribesabrandin
humanterms.Abrand’scharactertraitsareattributes
thatacustomerfindsbothattractiveandreassuring.A
brand’scharacterisoftenreferredtoasitscorevalues.
p.21(Referencep.7)
Brand Credentials
Abrand’s credentialsareanything that increases the
perceivedqualityortrustworthinessofabrand.Exam-
ples include: awards, product reviews, certifications,
testimonialsandachievements.
p.38(Referencep.13)
Brand Differentiation
Something that sets your product or service apart
fromcompetition.Itisimportantbecauseinmostcat-
egories, there are toomany choices. Sometimes it is
referredtoas“theuniquesellingpropositionordomi-
nantsellingidea.”(Referencep.18)
Brand Distribution
Branddistributioniswhereorhowapersonisableto
purchasetheproductorservice.(Referencep.12)
Brand Emotion
Brandemotionishowapersonfeelsaboutyourprod-
uctorservice.Forsomeproductsandservices,itisan
importantdeterminant in thepurchasedecision.For
example,intheprofessionalservicescategory,aman-
agermayselectandpaymoreforabig-nameconsult-
ant—justtofeelsafe.(Referencep.9)
W
W
W
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 27
W
Brand Perception
Brandperceptionisacustomer’smentalimage,orgut
feeling,ofwhatabrandstandsfor.
Brand Personality
Adistinctivesetofsocialandpersonal traits thatde-
scribesabrandinhumanterms.Abrand’spersonality
helpsdifferentiateitfromcompetitioninabehav-
Brand Product/Service
Abrand’sproductorserviceiswhatisdeliveredtothe
customer in return for payment or other consider-
ation.
Brand Promise
Abrandpromiseisadeclarationthatsomethingspecif-
icwillgetdoneorhappen.Whenabrandoffacecream
promises to remove all yourwrinkles after 7 days of
usage,thatisabrandpromise.Ifthecompanyselling
that brand promises a full-satisfaction, money-back
guarantee,thatisacompanypromise—notabrand
promise.Abrandpromise (orperceivedpromise)sets
thecon-sumer’sexpectationofwhathewillgetafter
hebuystheproductorservice.(Referencep.7)
Brand Quality
ioraloremotionalway. p.21(Referencep.8)
Brand Positioning
Brandpositioningishowyouwantpeopletoperceive
your product or service versus competition in the
marketplace. It helps peg in the customer’s mind
whereyoufitinaparticularcategory.Forfurtherdefi-
nitiononpositioning,refertoAlRies’andJackTrout’s
Positioning:TheBattleForYourMind.
(Referencep.4)
Brand Pricing
Brand quality is a combination of real (tangible) and
perceived (intangible) quality from the consumer’s
perspective.Realqualityisbasedonproductorservice
specifications.Perceivedqualityistheextravalueacus-
tomerassumes is therebecauseof thestrengthof the
brand.Abrand’sperceivedquality, ifhigher thancom-
petition’s, generally allows for premiumpricing and a
higherR.O.I.
Brandpricinghas twokey components:what thepro-
ducerof thegoodsandservices receives,and the total
pricethecustomerpays, includinganytax.Sometimes
theretailpricecanbeveryvisible(asinawell-merchan-
disedsale),andatothertimesvirtuallyinvisible.Thelat-
tercanhappenwhenasupermarketshopperjustputs
itemsintheshoppingcartwithoutcheckingtheprice.In
thiscase,it’sthepowerofthebrand,nottheprice,that
influencesthepurchaseselection.
(Referencep.11)
Brand Target
Abrand’stargetaudienceiscomprisedofone(primary)
ormore(secondary,tertiary)groupsofprospectsorcus-
tomerstowardswhomthebrand’smarketingeffortswill
bedirected.Targetingisabasicbrandstrategyusedto
helpmaximizetheeffectivenessofacompany’sbrand-
ingprogram.
W p.19
W p.18(Referencep.2)
W p.22(Referencep.10)
W p.20(Referencep.4)
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 28
Brand Traits
Brand traits are distinguishing qualities that a cus-
tomerperceivesabrandtohaveasitrelatestoperson-
alityorcharacter.
Brand Vision
Atheoreticalprojectionofwhereyourbrandwillstand
in thedistant future (e.g., 10-25years). It ispartofa
brand’s architecture and acts as a compass for the
brand’slong-termdirection.(Referencep.3)
Branding
Brandingencompassesall theactions taken tobuild
abrandand the resultingbrandequity. It isadisci-
plinedprocessinvolvingallthecomponents,elements
andsub-elementslistedontheBrandingTablefound
inthebook,Branding:The6EasySteps,byDaveDunn.
W p.21(Referencep.7)
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 29
REFERENCE SECTION Oneoftheobjectivesofthisbrandingbookistoprovidethereaderwithjustenoughinformationtounderstand
thecompleteprocessofdefiningbrandarchitecture.Whenyoustarttobrandyourowncompany,though,you
mightwanttoconsultsomeofthebookslistedbelowtogainadditionalinsightintooneormorefacetsofthe
process.
The11ImmutableLawsofInternetBranding—Ries&Ries,HarperBusiness,2000
The22ImmutableLawsofBranding—AlRies&LauraRies,HarperCollinsPublishers,1998
TheBrandGap—MartyNeumeier,NewRidersPublishing,2003
BrandHarmony—SteveYastrow,SelectBooks,2003
BrandLeadership—Aaker&Joachimsthaler,FreePress,2000
Branded?ProductsandTheirPersonalities—Williams,V&APublications,2000
BrandSimple—AllenAdamson,PalGraveMacMillan,2006
CreatingPowerfulBrands—deChernatony&McDonald,Butterworth,1998
DifferentiateorDie—JackTroutwithSteveRivkin,JohnWiley&Sons,2000
EmotionalBranding—MarcGobel,AllworthPress,2001
EmotionalBranding—DarylTravis,PrimaPublishing,2000
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 30
TheEndofAdvertisingAsWeKnowIt—Zyman&Brott,JohnWiley&Sons,2002
Focus—AlRies,HarperCollinsPublishers,1996
TheFutureofAdvertising—JoeCappo,CrainCommunications,2003
Lovemarks—KevinRoberts,PowerHouseBooks,2004
ANewBrandWorld—ScottBedburywithStephenFenichell,PenguinGroup,2002
NoLogo—NaomiKlein,St.MartinPress,2002
TheOriginofBrands—Al&LauraRies,HarperCollins,2004
Positioning:TheBattleForYourMind—AlRies&JackTrout,McGraw-Hill,1981
ThePowerofLogos—WilliamHaig&LaurelHarper,InternationalThompson,1997
PurpleCow—SethGodin,PenguinGroup,2003
RisingTide—Dyer,Dalzell&Olegario,HarvardBusinessSchoolPress,2004
TheSubstanceofStyle—VirginiaPostrel,HarperCollinsPublishers,2003
UnitedWeBrand—MikeMoser,HarvardBusinessSchoolPress,2003
About the Author:
Dave Dunn is the managing principal of Branding Communications
and BrandEquity Consulting, located in the San Francisco Bay Area.
He has spent more than 30 years as a branding professional work-
ing for start-ups, Fortune 500 firms and non-profit
organizations.
He is recognized as an expert brand strategist and has gained hands-on experience with more
than two dozen brands of some of the nation’s largest firms. His experience includes new product
introductions, brand building and brand restaging for:
•General Foods •Georgia-Pacific
•Warner Lambert •Kentucky Fried Chicken
•Seagram’s •Foster Farms
•AT&T •Tenet Healthcare
In 2002, Dave was honored as the “Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber
of Commerce. Dave is a graduate of Stanford University and has an MBA from the Wharton School
of Finance and Commerce. He is active in the community and was chairman of the Oakland
Convention & Visitors Bureau from 2005 - 2007.
Dave, a sought-after speaker, has authored numerous newspaper and magazine articles, a series of
white papers, and written six e-books on branding:
g Branding: The 6 Easy Steps
g Inventing Big Ideas
g Brand Architecture: Your Blueprint for Success
g Web Site Audit Handbook
g The Social Media Planning Guide
g A Primer on Content Marketing
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 31
Contact Information
Twitter: www.twitter.com/BrandingComm
Blog: www.brandingcommunications.typepad.com/branding_20/
Web: www.BrandingCommunications.com
Phone: Dave Dunn 510.452.8870
E-mail: [email protected]
Fax: 510.763.5378
Mail: 725 Washington Street, Oakland, CA 94607
Copyright© 2010 by David C. Dunn All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the author. Printed in the United States of America.
Brand Architecture — Blueprint for Success 32