What is a Brand DNA?

A brand DNA is a document which thoroughly outlines the essence and identity of a business. Brand DNA documentation clearly defines what makes your business unique and own-able within its market with actionable strategic application.

The brand DNA is part of the overarching Brand Intelligence and the culmination of all brand research and discovery presented as an action plan of how to apply the findings. Use the document internally to communicate your values and differentiators. Use the document to guide your external communications and to position your brand uniquely within the market.

Commonly referred to as a Brand Strategy, the brand DNA gives your business a 'Why' to operate from and is broken into 3 primary sections:

• DNA and Internal Positioning
• Customer Personas
• Brand Personality, Voice and Tone

Internal Positioning in Brand Strategy

The internal positioning documentation first establishes a core belief system. This system is built on feedback provided by internal stakeholders, external customers, and own-able viability within the market. 

A comprehensive internal positioning presentation will cover the following topics in-depth:

• Organizational Core Purpose
• A 'Why' statement which clearly articulates why the business does what it does
• A 'How' statement defining how we accomplish what we do
• A 'What' statement illustrating as concisely as possibly what the business exists to do
• A Mission Statement which clearly communicates the Why, How and What
• A Core Value system which differentiates the business in the market 
• A Brand Attributes system which leads behavioral direction within the organization
• Positioning Statement

Customer Personas within Brand Strategy

Customer personas are developed as part of the brand DNA in order to group segments of your target audience into actionable archetypes. 

Buyer personas are created through industry research and discovery and can act as a guide to brand messaging as well as a way to make larger audience groups more relatable to internal staff. While buyer personas are fictional people, they should be comprised of data points collected through the brand research in order to be most actionable.

Brand Personality, Tone and Voice within the Brand DNA

The personality of a brand can be tough to articulate. The Brand DNA should do this in a manner which is unmistakable for anyone in your business.

The Brand Persona 

If we imagine our brand as a person, this is how we would envision ourselves. The Brand Persona is a filter for how we think, act and perceive ourselves. It helps to determine our tone of voice, messaging and creative approach as we begin to develop anything we create for ourselves and share with the world. Perception is reality - we need to be cohesive in all things.

The Brand Tone of Voice

A brand’s tone of voice is revealed throughout a customer’s journey. As a person moves from touchpoint to touchpoint, your voice should help to guide their next behavior, and deepen their relationship with your brand.

The brand tone of voice documentation should be actionable... not be just a fluffy, ethereal description. Comprehensive tone of voice documentation will outline specifically how the brand communicates in different real-business scenarios with examples of how the brand persona would navigate specific situations. 

Additionally, the brand tone of voice will list specific filters to help guide all external communications with copywriting samples. 

Defining the Brand Narrative

The brand narrative conveys what the business stands for and solidifies its positioning. When the brand DNA is presented, the brand narrative is the final storyline which ties all elements of the brand together. 

When the brand narrative is presented you should see lots of heads shaking in confirmation.

What happens after a Brand DNA?

After the Brand DNA is completed, the visual and communication work can commence intelligently. 

Visual Brand Language

With the brand DNA complete, the visual brand, creative application, and brand asset creation can begin. Until this point, any visual creative output should be considered artwork.

Communication Strategy

The communication strategy for a brand is a roadmap for all sales, marketing, and service tactics which will serve to build a comprehensive customer experience. With the brand DNA in place, the communication strategy will morph from guesswork into precision.