Every brand platform needs an adjective. By this I mean every brand needs to own a word in the minds of consumers. Jif peanut butter, for example for decades had TV ads that ended with the tagline, "Choosy Mothers Choose Jif." Obviously, the branding strategists behind Jif hoped to associate the word "choosy" with their peanut butter. (Notice how superior product quality is implied, not stated, through use of the folksy term, "choosy.") Today, Jif's tagline remains virtually unchanged. Talk about a successful branding strategy: Jif has been the leading peanut butter brand in the United States for more than 27 years.
This leads to the third installment of my four-part series on A.S.A.P. Branding. Both an acronym and an adjective, each letter in A.S.A.P. stands for a key component to your branding platform. For example. A = "Advantage; but as a whole, A.S.A.P. refers to the speed and efficiency with which you can successfully gain brand traction using the following simple guideline:
A = Advantage. Content of your message.
S = Style. Style of your message.
A = Adjective. Verbal cue to your message.
P = PMS Color. Visual cue to your message.
See my previous A.S.A.P. columns for discussions on Advantage and Style. Read on for more information on Adjective.
What's Your Adjective?
Like Jif, your goal is to select one word to associate with your product, and then cement that association in the minds of consumers. The adjective you select should be based on the competitive advantage your brand offers. It's your advantage boiled down to one word--something unique, compelling and easy to understand.
In my first article on A.S.A.P. Branding, I suggested a hypothetical advantage statement: "Prodo Products provides Fortune 500 corporations with the highest-quality printers providing fast document printing to increase business efficiencies."
In this example, "quality" might be the first adjective that comes to mind. But "quality" is neither unique nor interesting and compelling. Instead, consider a synonym of "quality" that describes your products, evokes emotion or incites action. The more specific you are, the more unique your adjective will be and the more your brand will stand out against the competition's. Choose only one adjective for your brand platform, but also create a list of synonyms for that adjective.
Remember, the adjective component is directly related to what you're promising your customers. It's a bite-sized way to communicate what they can expect from your brand vs. the competition. It would be wonderful if customers spent the time to memorize your brand's comprehensive advantage statements--features, benefits, and all--but that's not going to happen. So use the advantage statement to guide your selection of that one key word: your adjective.
Content Continues Below
I recommend using your selected adjective in your tagline (like Jif did). Salt your headlines with the adjective, as well. To avoid redundancy, choose synonyms for your adjective when writing body copy. You may grow tired of the word, but your customers won't. Frequency is part of branding. Keep pointing your message in the direction of your advantage and customers will get the message.
Your adjective may also impact the tone of your copy. For example, "choosy" calls for a casual and relaxed voice, while "premium" requires a more formal tone. Consider your price and audience. While choosy works when selling a common household item, it wouldn't be a good choice for selling sports cars.
Next month I'll wrap up the A.S.A.P. series with a look at selecting the right PMS color, a color matching system, to represent your brand.
John Williams is founder of LogoYes.com, the world's first and largest DIY logo website. In his 25 years in advertising, he has created brand standards for Fortune 100 companies like Mitsubishi and won numerous international awards for his design work.