The Power of the Pyramid
How to build a brand that stands the test of time.
Today we’re talking pyramids, so let’s cue the overly-serious History Channel voiceover voice, ahem… the pyramids of ancient civilizations are captivating and enigmatic, towering across centuries with their mysteries still unsolved. The absence of definitive answers makes the pyramids a lasting mystery that beckons researchers to unlock their secrets. Ok, now that we got that out of the way, cue the nasal Northern Wisconsin accent of Pat Morgan - be sure to lean heavily into the long “O”.
Ahem… oh okay den, I think I get yer picture dere dontchaknow. Uhhmmm yeah, that might be a bit too much leaning in. Try half a Fargo, but not a full Fargo.
Like the ancient pyramids, a brand equity pyramid is a tool that’s withstood the tortures of time. Originally developed by the marketing research firm Millward Brown in the 1990s. The pyramid was based on 30 years of research into thousands of companies that helped reveal the most important elements of building a strong brand. Our current day brand equity pyramid is a visual tool that helps businesses discover, articulate, and document the elements of their brand that set them apart from their competition and give them an edge in the marketplace. Unlike the pyramids of old, it takes mystery and confusion and turns them into clarity and certainty for your brand.
It’s Time to Level Up
The equity pyramid has four levels that represent the stages of a customer's journey from becoming aware of a brand to developing a deep connection that’s difficult to break. Here’s how the levels build on one another:
Level One - Building Blocks: The foundation of the pyramid, where you establish your brand's unique selling points and define what’s not unique about your brand
Level Two - Brand Character: How your brand acts and delivers value, both rationally and emotionally
Level Three - Brand Equity: How customers perceive your brand and their emotional responses
Level Four - Brand Purpose: The top of the pyramid reveals the elements of your brand that help you achieve strong customer loyalty and a deep connection with your audience.
“But Why Should I Care?”
Yeah, I get it. This can all sound like a lot of marketing baloney, so very simply put, we use the equity pyramid to define and document what’s special about your brand so that you, your employees, and anyone associated with your brand can make decisions that support and continue to build on that special quality. It’s a roadmap of what makes an interaction with your brand valuable in the mind of your customers and potential customers. Using it properly will help you and your marketing team align on the things about your brand that are most likely to drive your desired action (like purchase) and communicate them consistently and cohesively, which can save you money and effort that is often wasted on inconsistent messaging. Let me show you an example of an equity pyramid we built for our client Rep Data, and then show how those decisions impacted the communication decisions that followed. (We’ve blurred out some information to ensure secrecy for the strategic decisions we made for the brand).
The Impact of the Pyramid
From a marketing and advertising perspective the main way that an equity pyramid’s impact is felt is in how the strategic choices drive communication choices. In the case of Rep Data, they are “The one source for the most demanding data collection challenges”. In order to deliver excellence in a place where their competition fails, they take a completely unique approach to delivering data to their customer. We wanted the knowledge that this is not the usual experience to come through in all brand communications, and “Data Done Different” was born.
The Impact of the Pyramid
By taking the time to define, articulate, and align on what makes the brand special in the hearts and minds of the audience we were communicating with, we were able to create consistent communications that built awareness of Rep Data’s superiority. By consistently delivering on this promise Rep Data builds a valuable emotional bond with their customers that like the pyramids, withstands the test of time.
Interested in finding out how an equity pyramid can help you streamline communications to the most important elements of your brand? We love helping companies create impactful communications that break through the clutter. Let’s talk