Brand Revenue in the Business-to-Business World:
Brand Revenue in the Business-to-Business World:
Brand Revenue in the Business-to-Business World:
The Grapevine Method
By Dominique Deserrano, Managing Director, Sweeney International Ltd
The challenge posed is to create a brand representing YOU - how would
you select and draw attention to the features that need to be highlighted so
that you can describe and sell yourself? If the goal of the exercise is to
promote oneself, then holding back on the self-flattery would be futile,
self-compliments and bold, even grandiose statements would be the only
way forward, there is no place for humility in this exercise!
At Sweeney International, we set our clients this very challenge and the
results were fascinating. So much so, that we were able to build an entirely
new model to help our clients identify their current and potential brand
revenue. The results of the surveys we conducted showed that people
often identify and select similar characteristics which fall into one of three
main categories:
- Physical appearance
- Social behavior and interrelationships
- Cognitive and corporeal accomplishments
At Sweeney International we now consider each of these categories in turn
and use this framework as a blueprint to support both the creation and
development of a given brand for the products and services we are
promoting.
1. Physical appearance
Not all participants focus upon their physical features when self-branding,
however, it appears that those who do, obviously tend to highlight features
in their physical appearance which they consider to be attractive. Some
boast about their great figure, shapely legs or alluring eyes whereas others
draw attention to the colour of their hair or the sensuality of their lips for
example.
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In terms of branding a product or service this naturally guides us first to
consider the packaging, use of colour, symbols, logos, design, aesthetics
and any other physical features.
2. Social behaviour and interrelationships
In this category, we consider the self-perceptions of an individual’s role (or
roles) across a variety of social settings. Do others enjoy their company?
Are they the source of the humour in the room? Are they the trusted or
reliable one? Are they the facilitator, the leader, the peacekeeper, or the
entertainer?
Our findings indicate that many people tend to liken themselves to either
being problem solvers who enjoy finding solutions for others or they choose
to portray themselves as ‘wholesome’ and loyal, drawing attention to their
devotion to ‘good causes’ and their charitable nature. Likewise, being
passionate and committed in both personal and professional contexts also
features highly in this category.
When we begin to observe what constitutes ‘being a good person’ and how
we position ourselves in society we can begin to make the necessary
comparisons and strategically position any given brand through considering
a company’s interactions, communication style and channels, expectations,
associations, and relationships.
3. Cognitive and corporeal accomplishments
_________________________________________
Given that we live in a highly competitive society, it is not surprising that
many people refer to their portfolio of both educational and professional
accomplishments to set themselves apart from the crowd. Similarly, we see
others refer to their intellectual capacity or natural flair for languages,
music, puzzles, mathematics or cultural awareness and this is often given
more credit if these capacities are certified or award winning.
Whilst intellectual attributes are highly valued, it is also evident that we like
to describe ourselves as ‘sporty’ or fit and revel in any associated
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performances or achievements. Overcoming injury or trauma, coping with
or accelerating whilst having a disability or illness are also perceived to be
worthy of promoting. These cognitive and corporeal accomplishments can
all be associated with the goal of achieving self-fulfillment; reaching one’s
potential is the ultimate dream for many.
When branding a product or service consideration needs to be given,
therefore, to the company or product’s affinity for the market, market
leadership position, reputation, personality, richness, uniqueness, equity
and vision.
Brand Revenue
This self-branding exercise was completed by respondents from B2B
industry backgrounds. The participants’ ‘brand kaleidoscopes’ seemed to
be heavily influenced by the degree of closeness to specific relationships
with any given brand. Naturally, the respondents were often concerned
about how they are perceived by others and wanted to address any gap
between the reality and the ideal.
Admittedly, there are hundreds of publications which advise on how to
define a brand or how to understand any given brand dimension. However,
the results of our surveys led us to the conclusion that the respondents
interpreted most of the brand dimensions rather differently to how we would
perhaps imagine to be the case. For instance, brand image is more likened
to the brand which sells the most and brand relationship signifies a brand
which listens to client needs. We were able to elicit the 30 most pertinent
brand dimensions of interest to the respondents. We refer to these
dimensions as The Grapevine, an informal communication network which
has been developed by the respondents, our clients, themselves (see
figure 1).
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Fig.1 The Grapevine – 30 Brand Dimensions
Finding terms to accurately represent the meaning of these 30 brand
dimensions using the respondents’ own words presented a challenge – it
was vital that the names given to the dimensions truly reflected their
significance. After careful consideration we eventually established a series
of connections. For instance, ‘I am successful with this brand, and it helps
me achieve new business’ seemed to signify brand equity. ‘The brand has
had an excellent reputation for a long time’ refers to brand soul and ‘The
brand influences me on an emotional level’ implies brand radiation.
Once we developed our understanding of how the respondents were
defining the 30 brand dimensions, we were able to move to the next step,
semantically creating performance levels for each of these dimensions from
the worst to best case scenario (see figure 2).
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Fig. 2 Top 10 Brand dimensions for Client X in the Automotive Industry
Finally, we implemented a hierarchical scale which facilitated the ranking of
the 30 brand dimensions according to their importance. We were then able
to devise a method to calculate brand revenue, which we define as the
strength and capacity of the brand in relation to the customers.
Each of the 30 brand dimensions are given a weighted calculation which
measures both importance and performance. The total importance of the
30 dimensions is then standardized across 1000 points. For example, if we
take brand soul as being the most important dimension in a survey this
dimension would receive 250 importance points out of the 1000 available.
The performance score for brand soul is 200 points which therefore gives
an 80% result. We repeat this exercise for all 30 dimensions and calculate
the total revenue for your brand, immediately allowing us to identify the
strongest and weakest dimensions.
The Grapevine method connects 30 brand dimensions which have been
derived from our own research using existing client responses and
feedback. For each dimension we calculate a revenue figure which
considers the mathematical ratio between performance and importance. By
collecting these ratios across all 30 dimensions, we obtain total brand
revenue.
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Most of our clients prefer to compare their overall brand revenue to each of
their individual brand(s) as well as considering each dimension. The
Grapevine method allows us to draw such comparisons with brand
competitors (see figure 3).
Brand Relationship
My relationship with this brand is one of true partnership
My relationship with this brand is stable but I would like to receive more attention
My relationship with this brand is not stable, there are too many shortcomings
and associated poor qualities
I do not consider myself to have a relationship with this brand
Brand Richness
I am always interested in this brand, how it evolves and the associated
innovations
I take an interest in this brand from time to time
I do not favour or take more of an interest in this brand over others
I am not interested in this brand
Brand Equity
This brand contributes to my success and helps me gain new business
I expect more success when adopting this brand
Without this brand, the value of my business would diminish
This brand does not contribute to the success of my business over any other
brand
Fig. 3 Sample of Brand Dimension questionnaire
Once brand revenue has been calculated and we have complemented
these results with the outcomes of other more traditional branding
exercises, our clients receive actionable data to support future strategic
decisions and continue strengthening their brands.
Dominique Deserrano
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