10 models for Identity

& Branding
Schematic tools to assist the understanding
of complex problems and the identification of
solutions

Renaat Van Cauwenberge TOTAL IDENTITY

About the author

Renaat Van Cauwenberge (1959) studied philosophy at Ghent

University and took a management course at Valrico Business
School. After graduating, he worked as a freelance newspaper
journalist at ‘De Morgen’ and in the promotion & communications
department at Amnesty International.
On 1 April 1989, he founded the design & communications agency,
GRAMMA, together with number of colleagues. In 2003, GRAMMA
formed a strategic alliance with its Dutch partner, Total Identity.
This gave GRAMMA the opportunity of growing into a creative
consultancy.
Renaat’s primary work areas are education, social profit & local
government. His objective is to make organisations able to see
beacons; beacons which provide clarity and direction creating
movement towards a shared and clear destination.
Identity & Branding in 10 models
Schematic tools to assist the
understanding of complex problems
and the identification of solutions

Renaat Van Cauwenberge

2015 TOTAL IDENTITY Antwerp

Models as tools

With a sketch on a flip chart and a minimum amount of words, you can
suddenly make a complicated subject a whole lot simpler. This was what
we had in mind when we started the ‘Identity & Branding’ feature for CxO
Magazine. In this issue, we are going to bundle together the first 10 mod-
els. In as many double spreads, we shall put forward approaches and mod-
els for managing communications: on the left a schematic representation;
on the right a brief explanation with a description of the model and the
practical applications that we have observed. The models are intended
for communications in situations in which every organisation has ever
encountered (merger, change process, positioning, crisis etc.) or simply in
day-to-day management issues such as marketing, maintaining the net-
work of relationships, competitor analyses etc.

A model can simplify the reality and constrict your vision. That’s correct!
A model can blind you or be too abstract. That’s correct, too! In other
words, models are dangerous, but the danger ebbs away visibly when you
use it as a tool. This is when models become magical. You get an over-
view in a single diagram. Models make something complex understand-
able. A schematic tool to analyse and solve complicated problems. A tool
that helps you organise and structure thoughts, angles and perspectives.
This way, as a communications manager, you have an instrument that you
can actually work with, rather than one which you blindly accept.

3
Corporate identity mix.
The mirror of the organisation.
(CxO Magazine, April 2012)

4
In essence, the Birkigt & Stadler model (subsequently adapted by C. Van
Riel) shows the relationship between the organisation’s self-presenta-
tion (the desired image) and its perceived identity (image). The model
shows that the image is a reflection of an organisation’s identity. Three
elements (outer circle) form the concrete manifestations of the organi-
sation’s deeper personality. Using this model, managers can gain insight
into the balance between the organisation’s identity and the image that
the organisation creates among different target groups.

Personality is the ambition of the organisation and the way it responds

to stimuli from the force field. The ambition relates to the organisation’s
positioning and profiling. What this means is that the organisation must
know itself well (vision, mission, culture, structure, core competencies,
values etc.), if it is to present itself clearly. The symbolism of an organisa-
tion can be described in terms of ‘the style of the house’. By introducing
unity to the visual presentation, a coherent image is conveyed. Commu-
nication describes an organisation’s verbal, visual and written messages
to the different target groups. Its behaviour comprises how the organisa-
tion acts on a daily basis. How does the organisation (its staff) treat cus-
tomers? How does it handle arguments? What about keeping its promises?

A strong corporate identity

–– ties in with its core activities;
–– ties in with the organisation as a whole;
–– is in line with an organisation’s roots.
–– is distinctive and appeals to a range of target groups.
The idea that the image is merely a photographic print of its identity is
a thing of the past. The most important point put by this thought model
is realising that a sharply profiled identity can provide clear direction to
the organisation’s image.

Source: Birkigt, Stadler, M.M (1986), Corporate Identity, Grundlagen, Funktionen, Fallspielen.
Verlag Moderne Industrie, Landsberg an Lech.

5
Brand compass 2.0
gives your brand direction
(CxO Magazine, April 2014)

6
Organisations are increasingly looking for a sharp profile in order to
deepen existing customer relations and create new ones in an ever-
changing environment. In order to bring this about, it is now necessary
to be explicit about who the organisation actually is at the moment. The
brand compass is a useful instrument for mapping an organisation’s DNA.
The compass collects and organises the self-chosen challenges in terms
of brand positioning and makes them tangible and communicative for all
employees.

Carefully weighted structure

The brand compass consists of three parts, each of which represents a
separate domain. The first box consists of the mission, vision and ambi-
tion and says something about the organisation’s identity. The second
box consists of the organisation’s symbolism, core values, brand person-
ality and pay-off and represents a shift from internal to external focus.
The third and final box represents the organisation’s proposition. This
part looks at the evidence of the brand promise. It is here that the instru-
mental and emotional benefits (USPs, reasons to buy) are formulated and
named. On one side of the model we see the preconditions and on the
other the target groups.

The brand compass serves the following purposes:

–– It provides your brand policy with direction.
–– It acts as a consensus builder.
–– It serves as a touchstone.
–– It checks whether communications products, PR activities etc. match
the chosen brand objectives.
–– It is a systematic blueprint that serves as a consistency monitor.
–– It lends direction to the organisation’s collective ambition.

Deliverable: a sharpened corporate identity

An A3 with the blueprint of the organisation’s vision, ambition, brand per-
sonality, values, propositions etc. From concrete communications prod-
ucts it is possible to test the extent to which they match the organisa-
tion’s (brand) ambitions.

7
Brand House Model
(CxO Magazine, February 2015)

8
In order for the whole organisation to get to work with the brand, it is
important that the chosen position is worded clearly and powerfully. The
Brand House Model is a powerful way of summarising the brand so that
it can be used internally as a compass. The Brand House is made up of
three issues: the brand dream (the social ambition of the brand), the brand
promise (the emotional return when the brand is used) and the brand val-
ues (which together describe the brand’s character).

The brand dream describes the ‘why’. It describes the higher aim or the
organisation’s conviction. The dream is socially relevant and inspires
some, but not everyone.
The brand promise describes the ‘what’. This is the emotional ‘what’ rather
than the functional ‘what’. The promise concerns what the organisation is
able to offer the external and internal customers. What effect does the brand
have on customers? At the same time the promise, or an element of it, is
propagated in the communications and pay-off.
The brand values describe the ‘how’. The brand values are the compass
for the organisation, although they are not the GPS with specific coordi-
nates. They provide direction whilst offering space.
The two anchor values are the two legs on which the brand stands. They
form the foundation of the brand. They are features which the brand
excels at and they are already being lived up to today. The self-worth
expresses the brand’s uniqueness. It is the most distinctive and quin-
tessential part of the brand. This value provides the greatest indica-
tion of what the organisation stands for. The aspiration values indi-
cate the area in which the brand can still be developed. These values
are potentially present and indicate the area in which the brand is will-
ing and able to improve.

The tension between the values is what makes the brand attractive to
people. This means that a value never stands alone; it is always concerned
with the relationship between the different brand values. The brand val-
ues also need to match the direction of the positioning.

Source: Brand House Model: Van Eck, Willems & Leenhouts (2008)

9
The brand scenario vs.
the identity scenario
(CxO Magazine, August 2013)

10
For many years, the brand scenario has proved its worth as an instrument
for presenting and maintaining a brand. The aim of this scenario is to gen-
erate appreciation for the brand. For this to be achieved, the first prior-
ity is for the brand to stand out from the rest, doing whatever it takes, so
that it is able to establish a position in the marketplace. Once the brand
has a presence within the market and is known to the recipient (again,
doing whatever it takes), the scenario focuses on communicating the
brand. These communications must ensure that people reflect and rec-
ognise themselves in the brand. They have to see what they want to see
in the brand. Finally, a marketing communications programme needs to
ensure that the brand takes root, is given authorisation and, of course,
leads to increasing sales of the product concerned.

In this case, the identity scenario offers more possibilities. Whereas the
brand scenario initially wishes to distinguish itself from other brands in
order to harvest long-term appreciation, the identity scenario actually
works the opposite way. This scenario concentrates on making sure that
what the organisation stands for becomes known and in turn acquires
meaning for its environment. With identity, it is not all about what sets us
apart, but what ties us to our customers and other stakeholders. The com-
munications do not operate from within a marketing paradigm. The focus
in on the authentic motives, ambition, policy, values, principles and spear-
heads of the organisation itself. It is not only the product or service that
count, but also the context in which they are supplied. The more trans-
parent you are as an organisation, the more chance you will give your
target group to commit to you. Only when this bond exists will there be
added value, enabling your organisation to win over appreciation, trust,
sympathy and, consequently, future perspective. With our approach, it is
not the product’s sender that takes a central role, but rather the values
and principles that we share with our customers.

11
The deeper motives of target
groups
(CxO Magazine, February 2014)

12
An effective way of sharpening the identity of an organisation is by means
of brand archetyping. This method was inspired by the psychology of
Carl G. Jung. The motives that underpin the archetypes are plotted in two
dimensions: closed versus open and control versus flexibility. Closed ver-
sus open refers to the question about the extent to which an organisa-
tion exposes itself to outside influences. Control versus flexibility refers
to the question of how management treats its workforce: are they given
too much freedom and trust to perform their job as well as possible or
are they constantly checked by means of all manner of control mecha-
nisms? These two dimensions create four quadrants – always incorporat-
ing three archetypes – that are also known as ‘motivational segments’ or
worlds of perception.

Archetypes are certain kinds of inherited ways of responding or univer-

sal templates that are stored in the subconscious of every human being.
They are typically activated whenever people recognise them in certain
situations. Archetypes refer to a certain tendency to respond in a par-
ticular way to circumstances we encounter in life. They are intrinsically
neither good nor bad. The nice thing about an archetype is that every-
one is aware of it on a subconscious level. An archetype is therefore a
universal set of roles and situations that are recognisable to everybody.
These archetypes for the basis of the ambitions that people have. Expe-
rience has taught us that archetypes are understood very well in organ-
isations, both at the top and on the work floor, making them a very pow-
erful instrument.

Working with archetypes offers practical benefits when developing cor-

porate identities, ensuring that there is a clear framework within which
the brand can manifest itself and immediate recognition among consum-
ers. After all, an individual set of values belongs to each archetype. Since
archetypes are timeless, everybody is familiar with the characteristics
of each specific one.

13
A strong corporate brand
yields a profit
(CxO Magazine, January 2011)

14
Swedish research (Gromark, Bo Asvik, Melin – 2005) shows that brand-
oriented organisations are more profitable. It also shows that organi-
sations handle the capability of developing a strong corporate brand in
completely different ways. Using eight factors, the research makes dis-
tinctions between four types of organisations, based on the extent to
which they place the emphasis internal or external focus when develop-
ing their brand.

In order of least to most brand orientated, the four types of organisa-

tions are:
–– Sceptics - brand as logo: principally describing the corporate brand as
‘logo’ and ‘name’. The corporate brand is nothing more than a trade name
and actually remains unused.
–– Salesmen - the brand as a sales tool: seeing the corporate brand mainly
as a tactical sales instrument. Here, the corporate brand is the respon-
sibility of the marketing department. On the list of priorities it has to
let the product brands go first.
–– Educators - the brand as internal socialisation mechanism: seeing the
corporate brand as an instrument that can steer the workforce’s behav-
iour. They work under the assumption that dedicated employees mean
satisfied customers. They see a strong connection between a strong
corporate culture and a strong corporate brand.
–– Leaders - the brand as a central philosophy for the organisation: giving pri-
ority to the corporate brand and using it as a philosophy, departure point,
support etc. in the performance of internal and external activities.

For some, the corporate brand is nothing more than a logo or merely a
sales tool. Others see it as an internal socialisation mechanism. The win-
ners are the ones who see the corporate brand as the central philosophy
for the organisation. This Swedish research shows that there is a positive
correlation between the extent to which organisations are brand oriented
and their financial performance. Organisations that truly use the brand
to give them direction are, on average, more profitable than organisa-
tions that do so to a lesser extent: working at brand orientation pays off!

Source: Gromark, J., Astvik, TB, Melin, F (2005) Brand orientation index
15
The Golden Circle:
communicating with character
(CxO Magazine, June 2013)

16
The Golden Circle is a thought model developed by Simon Sinek. He talks
about three levels in organisations: what you do, why you do it and
how you do it. What are the products or services that an organisation
sells. How is the explanations given by organisations on how they do what
they do. Why concerns what drives organisations. According to Sinek,
organisations that acts from their ‘why’ are more successful because they
connect with the personal values of their interest groups.

Sinek makes the comparison between the Golden Circle and the human
brain. The ‘what’ can be compared to the neocortex. This is the sec-
tion of the brain responsible for rational and analytical thoughts and
language. The two inner circles correspond to the brain’s limbic sys-
tem. This section of the brain is responsible for people’s emotions. It is
also in charge of all human behaviour and decision making. The limbic
system does not have any capacity for language. When organisations start
to communicate what it is they do, they appeal to their customers’ rational
approach. The customers understand the information they are fed, although
this is not what stimulates their behaviour. When companies start at the
core of the model (‘why’), they directly address the section of the brain
that is in charge of making decisions. The language section then attempts
to explain rationally why someone should have taken a certain decision.
However, that is hard to put into words which often leads to rational
explanations that do not tally with the actual reason for a decision. It
is therefore difficult for companies to respond adequately to people’s
emotions when they focus on the ‘what’. It would therefore be better to
influence emotions by inspiring them (‘why’) than manipulating reason
(‘what’).

Source: Sinek, S. (2009), Start with why: how great leaders inspire everyone to take action.
Penguin Group, New York, N.Y.

17
Manage the gap: parallelism
of brand and identity
(CxO Magazine, April 2013)

18
Panta Rhei. Changes are always ongoing. Knowledge of this dynamic leads
to accelerating corporate performance. Innovators, early adopters, early
majority, late majority and laggards represent actuality and change. The
strategic underlying question is: how do I create enough volume and how
do I simultaneously arrive at the correct innovation challenge. Brand ver-
sus identity. Volume versus innovation: Manage the gap.

Business role playing, innovators. This small group of ‘channel builders’

and opinion leaders is focused on the organisation in relation to its envi-
ronment. At the core they strengthen the connection among relevant
stakeholders by actively participating in dialogue in order to extend the
network.
Landscaping, early adopters. This group is made up of ‘platform builders’.
First of all, they activate the network by mapping out the relationship the
organisation has with its environment. This landscaping of the environ-
ment ensures that there is influence in the force field.
Corporate story, early majority. The early majority are the ‘story builders’.
The organisation’s relationship with itself and the outward communica-
tive force are the main focus. The corporate story, as a story offering good
prospects, forms the strategic instrument.
Corporate identity, late majority. The late majority are ‘identity builders’.
The organisations are aware of their ambitions and use communication
to express them, the aim being future perspective. Dynamic, creative
design and target-group-focused communications go hand in hand. The
corporate brand as a strategic instrument represents a fixed beacon or
orientation point.
Corporate design, laggards. This final group represents a decreasing
minority where no innovation or volume is to be found. Organisations
see the added value of design as something that will increase their vis-
ibility and recognisability. The corporate design, the house style, is the
strategic instrument.

Source: Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press.

19
Economically viable identity
(CxO Magazine, June 2012)

20
Underpinning our vision is the concept that corporate identity is
the expression of the organisation’s collective vision. However,
apart from its function as beckoning perspective, identity can also have a
direct economic function for the organisation. In the graph, connections are
made between the economic dynamic within an organisation and its iden-
tity. This is because identity is not only an ideal, it is also the engine driv-
ing the everyday running of the organisation – using innovative capacity
as fuel. The point of departure for the economic dynamic within organ-
isations is the product life cycle (PLC). The PLC describes, in chrono-
logical order, the transition of a product from the development phase
through its introduction to the market, growth, maturity and decline
and ultimately its disposal.

The dotted line on the chart also indicates the phasing of the mar-
ket dynamic. During the development phase, the organisation still
has a monopoly position; from the introduction the organisation
first enjoys unlimited, then limited growth, price competition and
hypercompetition leading to its decline. The point where the satu-
ration line meets the PLC curve is where the shake-out takes place.
As a turning point, the transition towards a new cycle is crucial: the
more capable a company is of forecasting the moment of innova-
tion and starting the cycle, the better it will be for the organisation.
It is the deciding factor for the organisation’s innovative ability.

Just before the point at which the difference on the y axis

between the PLC curve and the saturation line is the biggest, is
when a transition to a new standard needs to take place. It is
at this point in time that the experiment phase needs to start.
As soon as the PLC of product X enters the growth phase, is the moment
for a transition to developing a new product Y. Product Y does not yet exist
though, either as an idea or an experiment, let alone as market expecta-
tion. The success of the transition therefore depends highly on the cor-
porate characteristics: culture, methods, capabilities etc.

21
The new way to customer
satisfaction
(CxO Magazine, October 2012)

22
The much increased significance of the customer in our service eco-
nomy demands a new form of customer relations. We will re-examine
these relations with a supplement to Treacy and Wiersema’s value cre-
ation model. According to that model you can stand out from your com-
petitors by focusing on the product (product leadership), on the process
(operational excellence) or on the customer (customer intimacy). Given that
you cannot be the best at everything, you concentrate best on a single dimension
to beat the competition at it. Companies can use this model to make
strategic choices. The reality, however, points out to us that we have
become a perception society in which serving the customer takes a cen-
tral role. Increasingly, the customers make their decisions based upon
softer aspects such as emotion, perception and relations. Moreover, in
the 21st century they have become damned critical individuals who are
hard to manage. What it boils down to is that you have to create a con-
text for the customers that contributes to their self-realisation and use
it as a base on which to build up a structured and high quality customer
relationship.

This leads to a transition of the Treacy and Wiersema model. Operatio-

nal excellence becomes strategic sourcing. Customer intimacy becomes
social networking. Product leadership becomes service leadership. Nowa-
days, many organisations share the motto: become the ultimate custo-
mer-oriented company. The ultimate customer-oriented organisation
develops by internalising the principles of customer interaction, emp-
hasising them in its positioning and, as such, repeatedly creating valua-
ble encounters. The customer is no longer interested in receiving a pro-
duct or service (product push). Instead, they are increasingly looking for
interaction and perception (market pull). Organisations which succeed
in doing so possess a large adaptive capability. They are able to identify
with their customers, they have a desire to learn and they meet their tar-
get group with openness. The ultimate result is co-creation: the customer
contributes to the organisation and the things it produces.

23
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