Building irresistible brands

Unity is one of the 8 apps that drive irresistibility. Irresistible brands can successfully embrace master brands, sub-brands and variants, retaining an inherent family brand feel. Johnnie Walker excels in Unity maintaining an impressive brand architecture across price points.

Ask yourself: is your brand recognisable across different products and categories?

Alignment is one of the 8 apps that drive irresistibility. The great challenge for a brand is to align look, message and emotion across all touch points. Brands that can do so can increase their irresistibility. Look at Audi whose strongly unwavering brand promise touches every aspect of the brand.

Ask yourself: does every one of your touch points express the same feeling?

Nexus is one of the 8 apps that drive irresistibility. Brands have a high nexus when they build strong connections from the emotive through to the functional. Consumers visiting the Red Bull website immediately see the bold, adventurous brand promise ladders through all layers of the brand.

Ask yourself: does your functional offer evoke exactly the emotion you want in your brand?

Symbolism is one of the 8 apps that drive irresistibility. Symbolic meaning is present in everything from product design and packaging to tone of voice, music, logos, service delivery and retail environment. Every brand sends messages through its symbolism but irresistible brands manage symbolism to its full effect.

Ask yourself: Does your brand use a compelling emotive language?

Emotion is one of the 8 apps that drive irresistibility. Emotion gives irresistible brands inner meaning in the eyes of consumers. Fashion and the automotive brands are obvious examples but think too of Vodafone and Gillette which tap the instinctual emotions around connection and masculinity respectively.

Ask yourself: does your brand know what its emotive meaning is?

Differentiation is one of the 8 apps that drive irresistibility. Irresistible brands need a point of difference that really matters to consumers and one that's leveraged through every aspect of the brand. Think Dove and how its Real Beauty campaign instantly differentiated the brand.

Ask yourself: does your brand have the courage to stand for something?

Momentum is one of the 8 apps that drive irresistibility. Irresistible brands need to constantly evolve to keep consumers engaged and interested. Think how Coca-Cola has kept momentum for over a century and Samsung has recently created momentum in the category.

Ask yourself: how does your brand stay ahead of the game?

Know-how is one of the 8 apps that drive irresistibility. Credible know-how is a must-have and conscious proof that a brand knows exactly what it's doing in the category. This proof can take different forms depending on the category. Think Bang & Olufsen (product excellence) or Nike (sports star endorsement).

Ask yourself: is your brand a credible player?