Phase 01 - Explore
Phase 01 - Explore
Brand Strategy:
what you do next.
The position says what you stand for. The strategy says what follows from it: which brands you run, what happens first, who decides, and how you will know in a year whether it worked. Not a twenty page concept, but a plan somebody can work through.
The position says what you stand for. The strategy says what follows from it: which brands you run, what happens first, who decides, and how you will know in a year whether it worked. Not a twenty page concept, but a plan somebody can work through.
Definition line
A brand strategy is the long-term plan by which a brand reaches its goals: what it stands for, who it is for, how it speaks, and in what order all of it gets rolled out. It is what everyone falls back on in doubt.
Scope
What is included
The position is set, but nothing changed in daily work.
Because nobody decided what happens first and who does it.
You have more brands and product names than you can explain.
Grown over years and acquisitions, and by now nobody knows what belongs to what.
Every department runs its own version of the brand.
Not out of bad will, but because nobody ever set who decides and what goes ahead without asking.
You are asked to justify what the brand budget achieved.
And apart from a feeling and a few likes there is nothing you can take into a board meeting.
Problem List
This is for you if
"A strategy paper only the marketing lead has read changes nothing."
"A strategy paper only the marketing lead has read changes nothing."
"A strategy paper only the marketing lead has read changes nothing."
Frequently Asked
Frequently Asked
Questions
Questions
What is a brand strategy, and how is it different from positioning?
Positioning is a statement, brand strategy is the foundation underneath it. The position says what you stand for. The strategy says why you exist, where you are heading, in what order you say it, and what you tackle over the next two years. As a communications agency based in Munich, FRAEM develops both in the Explore phase, the strategy following on from the positioning.
Positioning and brand strategy connect, but only in one direction. Without a position the strategy is arbitrary, because nothing sets what it works towards. Without a strategy the position stays a sentence in a deck that nobody mentions after four months. You can commission them separately, but it rarely makes sense.
The same work also runs under brand platform, brand framework, brand foundation, or simply mission and vision work. Whatever it is called, the classic version holds purpose, vision and mission. Added to that are the two parts everything hangs on in daily work: the order of your messages, and a roadmap with dates.
What does not come out of it is a sixty page strategy paper. Documents like that get presented once and filed, and that is not an accident: the people meant to use them daily find nothing in there they recognise. Made to be used rather than filed is not a slogan on this service, it is a decision about format.
Framer is a web builder for creative pros. Be sure to check out framer.com to learn more.
Positioning is a statement, brand strategy is the foundation underneath it. The position says what you stand for. The strategy says why you exist, where you are heading, in what order you say it, and what you tackle over the next two years. As a communications agency based in Munich, FRAEM develops both in the Explore phase, the strategy following on from the positioning.
Positioning and brand strategy connect, but only in one direction. Without a position the strategy is arbitrary, because nothing sets what it works towards. Without a strategy the position stays a sentence in a deck that nobody mentions after four months. You can commission them separately, but it rarely makes sense.
The same work also runs under brand platform, brand framework, brand foundation, or simply mission and vision work. Whatever it is called, the classic version holds purpose, vision and mission. Added to that are the two parts everything hangs on in daily work: the order of your messages, and a roadmap with dates.
What does not come out of it is a sixty page strategy paper. Documents like that get presented once and filed, and that is not an accident: the people meant to use them daily find nothing in there they recognise. Made to be used rather than filed is not a slogan on this service, it is a decision about format.
At what company size does a brand strategy start to pay off?
Size is not the criterion. The point where this pays off is the point where more than one person talks about the brand. That happens at twenty employees just as much as at two hundred.
As long as one person decides everything and says everything, the strategy lives in their head, and that is enough. As soon as sales, marketing and leadership answer the same question differently, a shared foundation is missing, and every discussion starts from zero again.
Two triggers come up especially often. The first is growth: you hire, and the new people cannot explain what the company stands for, because it is written down nowhere. The second is outsourcing. The moment an agency, a freelancer or a sales partner produces for you, that person needs the same foundation your own team has, in writing.
If neither applies, we say so in the first call. A brand strategy for a company where everything runs across one table anyway is a document nobody opens.
Framer is a web builder for creative pros. Be sure to check out framer.com to learn more.
Size is not the criterion. The point where this pays off is the point where more than one person talks about the brand. That happens at twenty employees just as much as at two hundred.
As long as one person decides everything and says everything, the strategy lives in their head, and that is enough. As soon as sales, marketing and leadership answer the same question differently, a shared foundation is missing, and every discussion starts from zero again.
Two triggers come up especially often. The first is growth: you hire, and the new people cannot explain what the company stands for, because it is written down nowhere. The second is outsourcing. The moment an agency, a freelancer or a sales partner produces for you, that person needs the same foundation your own team has, in writing.
If neither applies, we say so in the first call. A brand strategy for a company where everything runs across one table anyway is a document nobody opens.
When is the right moment for a brand strategy?
The most common trigger is a contradiction: the positioning is set, and nothing in daily work has changed anyway. That is not an execution problem, it is a sign that the foundation underneath is missing. What you stand for has been decided, but not in what order you say it or what you tackle first.
The most common triggers show up as recurring friction. Every briefing starts the same discussion from scratch, because nowhere does it say what decisions are made against. Every department runs its own version of the brand, not out of bad will, but because nobody ever set what goes ahead without asking. New people need months before they understand the brand, because there is nothing you could hand them on day one.
Then there are the planned triggers: you want to grow and do not know in what order. A generational handover or a new managing director is coming. Or you are working with several suppliers in parallel for the first time and notice each one produces something different.
It is too early while the positioning is still open. A strategy without a position only describes how you work, not what you are working towards, and that is a manual, not a strategy.
Framer is a web builder for creative pros. Be sure to check out framer.com to learn more.
The most common trigger is a contradiction: the positioning is set, and nothing in daily work has changed anyway. That is not an execution problem, it is a sign that the foundation underneath is missing. What you stand for has been decided, but not in what order you say it or what you tackle first.
The most common triggers show up as recurring friction. Every briefing starts the same discussion from scratch, because nowhere does it say what decisions are made against. Every department runs its own version of the brand, not out of bad will, but because nobody ever set what goes ahead without asking. New people need months before they understand the brand, because there is nothing you could hand them on day one.
Then there are the planned triggers: you want to grow and do not know in what order. A generational handover or a new managing director is coming. Or you are working with several suppliers in parallel for the first time and notice each one produces something different.
It is too early while the positioning is still open. A strategy without a position only describes how you work, not what you are working towards, and that is a manual, not a strategy.
What goes into a brand strategy?
Four parts: why you exist, where you are heading, in what order you say it, and what happens over the next two years. FRAEM builds them in that order, because each part gives the next one its reason.
Brand core and purpose. Why you exist, beyond revenue. Not as a poster line, but as a standard you can check a decision against when two options look equally good.
Vision and mission. Where you want to be in five years, and what you do every day to get there. Two sentences kept apart, because they answer two different questions. Together with purpose, this is what many companies call their brand platform.
Messaging hierarchy. An order: what gets said first, what comes next, and what you stop saying. Split by occasion, because what leads in a sales conversation is not what leads on the website or in a job interview. The reason is mundane: most companies do not have a message problem, they have too many messages and no ranking, so everyone decides in the moment. Of everything here, this is the part teams actually use day to day.
Strategic roadmap. What happens over the next twelve to twenty-four months, in what order. And just as important: what deliberately happens later or not at all.
Framer is a web builder for creative pros. Be sure to check out framer.com to learn more.
Four parts: why you exist, where you are heading, in what order you say it, and what happens over the next two years. FRAEM builds them in that order, because each part gives the next one its reason.
Brand core and purpose. Why you exist, beyond revenue. Not as a poster line, but as a standard you can check a decision against when two options look equally good.
Vision and mission. Where you want to be in five years, and what you do every day to get there. Two sentences kept apart, because they answer two different questions. Together with purpose, this is what many companies call their brand platform.
Messaging hierarchy. An order: what gets said first, what comes next, and what you stop saying. Split by occasion, because what leads in a sales conversation is not what leads on the website or in a job interview. The reason is mundane: most companies do not have a message problem, they have too many messages and no ranking, so everyone decides in the moment. Of everything here, this is the part teams actually use day to day.
Strategic roadmap. What happens over the next twelve to twenty-four months, in what order. And just as important: what deliberately happens later or not at all.
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Nikkan & Soli Managing Directors
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Nikkan & Soli Managing Directors
