THE COPY STRATEGY AND

BRAND EQUITY
 WHAT IS COPY STRATEGY?

• The Copy Strategy determines what to

tell customers about your brand, so to
win their preference.
 WHAT IS COPY STRATEGY?
It is the execution of the Positioning Statement.
It sets a measurable objective and it is built
upon three elements:

• Benefit or promise the brand makes to

customers (f.i. [Brand X] washes clothes
cleaner and whiter than any other detergent)
 WHAT IS COPY STRATEGY?
It is the execution of the Positioning Statement. It sets
a measurable objective and it is built upon three
elements:
• Support or reason why customers should believe the
promise the brand makes (often linked to R&D and
product formulation)
• Tone or how the brand should be perceived (f.i.
Modern and progressive)
 WHAT IS COPY STRATEGY?
These elements are chosen before creating the
Positioning Statement and as usual you must
support each choice with evidence from surveys
and other reliable sources.
 HOW TO CREATE A STRONG COPY
STRATEGY?
A convincing Copy Strategy connects the
expectations of customers concerning the
product category with the benefits of our
brand. Brand benefits are of two kinds:

• Pre-requisites to enter the market.

Differentiating
concept to win in the marketplace.
 HOW TO CREATE A STRONG COPY
STRATEGY?

• Pre-requisites to enter the market. For

instance, buyers of laundry detergent may
expect products with enough cleaning power
to remove dirt and stains as well as giving
clothes a pleasant scent.
 HOW TO CREATE A STRONG COPY
STRATEGY?
• Differentiating
concept to win in the marketplace. For
instance, My Brand “washes clothes whiter
than white” or “keeps clothes looking their
best”. Strong differentiating concepts are
often inspired by consumer behavior rather
than product performance and design.
 HOW TO CREATE A STRONG COPY
STRATEGY?
The Copy Test helps make sure customers
appreciate your Copy Strategy. A Copy Test
investigates three pivotal aspects of the
message:
• Comprehension. The message must be clear
and easy to understand. Complex or subtle
messages may require much larger advertising
investment. Professional Copy Tests helps you
save money.
 HOW TO CREATE A STRONG COPY
STRATEGY?

• Reaction. It must elicit a positive reaction (like

vs. dislike). It’s good practice to test the
reaction of users to both the pre-requisites
and the differentiation concept.
 HOW TO CREATE A STRONG COPY
STRATEGY?

• Memorization. The message must be easy to

remember, to build awareness fast and
facilitate brand recall when buyers make their
purchases.
 HOW TO CREATE A STRONG COPY
STRATEGY?
• It goes without saying that before testing the Copy
Strategy you must make sure the product delivers
the technical performance it promises, for instance
with a Product Test (or Concept Test when the
product doesn’t exist yet or you just have a
prototype). Otherwise, there may be a disconnect
between your communication and the way your
product performs, and the result would be a failure.
Build Brand Equity
 WHAT IS BRAND EQUITY?

• Brand equity is the value that your brand

brings to your company. You can measure it in
a number of ways, such as the price premium
you can charge over a no-name product, or
long-term customer loyalty.
 WHAT IS BRAND EQUITY?

• One way to strengthen your customers’

perception of your brand is to apply the
Customer Based Brand Equity Model created
by Kevin Lane Keller, a marketing professor
and author of the textbook, Strategic Brand
Management. These steps build from a base
to form a brand equity pyramid.
 STEPS TO BUILD BRAND EQUITY
• Step 1 – Identity: Build Awareness.
Begin at the base with brand identity. Build
basic awareness of your brand. Make sure
customers recognize your brand and see it in the
way you intend.
 STEPS TO BUILD BRAND EQUITY
• Step 2 – Meaning: Communicate What Your Brand Means
and What It Stands for.
Know what your brand means (“performance”) and what it
stands for (“imagery”). Performance describes how well your
product meets customer needs. Imagery refers to the social and
psychological aspects of this. For example, a company that is
genuinely committed to being environmentally responsible will
build loyalty from customers and attract employees who identify
with and support those values. You can develop greater brand
meaning through targeted marketing, word of mouth and
positive direct customer experience.
 STEPS TO BUILD BRAND EQUITY
• Step 3 – Response: Reshape How Customers Think
and Feel about Your Brand.
Customers respond to your brand through
judgments and feelings. Judgments relate to things like
quality, credibility, how relevant your product is to
customer needs, and whether your brand is superior to
those of your competitors. Positive feelings could
include warmth, fun, excitement, security, social
approval and self-respect.
 STEPS TO BUILD BRAND EQUITY
• Step 4 – Relationships: Build a Deeper Bond With
Customers.
The most powerful – and difficult to attain – level in
the brand equity pyramid is resonance. This refers to
building deeper customer relationships. Achieving this
means that your customers have formed a deep
psychological bond with your brand.
 STEPS TO BUILD BRAND EQUITY
• Step 4 – Relationships: Build a Deeper Bond With
Customers.
They make repeat purchases and they feel an
attachment to your brand or product. They might feel a
sense of community with other consumers and
company representatives. And they can be actively
engaged as brand ambassadors by taking part in online
chats, attending events or following your brand on
social media, such as Twitter or Facebook. That brand
equity connection can be tremendously valuable.
 HOW TO MEASURE BRAND EQUITY?

• Brand equity can seem like and abstract

concept that is difficult to measure or
quantify. Depending on the goals of your
branding efforts, there are multiple methods
that can be used to measure equity through 
brand tracking efforts.
 HOW TO MEASURE BRAND EQUITY?

• Brand tracking not only provides an

understanding of a brand campaign’s ROI, but
can help to measure awareness, association,
and more. These studies focus on either
business impact metrics - retention,
conversions, price - or consumer impact
metrics such as consumer research, sentiment
analysis, etc.
Here are a few ways to measure goals from a
branding perspective:
 Financial
• Company Value: To measure the brand equity, you
could think of the firm as an asset. When subtracting
the tangible assets from the overall value of the firm,
you would be left with the brand equity.
• Market Share: What is your company’s market share?
Leaders in the market tend to have a higher brand
equity.
• Revenue potential: What does the revenue potential
look like for your product? How does this compare to
your company’s current revenue?
 Product Value
• A good way to measure this would be to
compare a generic product with the branded
product. In the case of soap, Unilever can
measure if women were more likely to
purchase Dove over the store brand.
Additionally, you could consider what users
may be prefer - for example, Coca Cola
compared to Pepsi.
 Brand Audit
• Conducting a brand audit can also help you
get a better understanding of how your brand
is performing. To begin a brand audit, review
comparison sites, social channels, and web
analytics. Pull this data together to see how
consumers are talking about you and if this is
inline with the vision for your brand.
 Brand Association - Keller’s Brand Equity
Model
• This model was developed by Dartmouth
professor Kevin Lane Keller and emphasizes
the need to mold the feeling associated with a
brand’s products. By creating positive
associations with your products, you can
shape how customers think about your brand.
 Brand Association - Keller’s Brand Equity
Model
• The model is based on a hierarchy of brand
equity that begins with a brand establishing
their identity and differentiation, and is fully
realized when the brand establishes
resonance and connection with target
consumers.  
 Brand Association - Keller’s Brand Equity
Model
• By understanding where your brand is in the
pyramid, you can get a better idea of how
much brand equity you have, and what the
next steps should be to further establishing
your brand in the consumer conscious. The
steps consist of:
Brand Association - Keller’s Brand Equity
Model
 Understanding Consumer Perception
Although not as quantifiable, mapping consumer perception to
your brand is also an important aspect of understanding brand
equity.
• Recall and Recognition - Do people remember your brand
without a prompt (unaided brand awareness) or do they need an
aide? (aided awareness). Understanding how familiar people are
with your brand can help you address any gaps in the market.
• Emotions Associated with the Brand - Failing to address negative
emotions with your brand can be a costly mistake. Even if your
brand holds a monopoly of the market, consumers who are eager
to switch will do so as soon as a competitor grows into
maturation.