Brand vision and identity playbook

Step-by-step practical advice on developing a brand strategy to elevate your business and market position

How will this playbook help me and my business?

Brands are vital business assets, particularly for large, international organizations. But, even for small businesses, branding is critical. Ultimately consumers and businesses are often making the choice between one brand and another. This is why improving brand identity is relevant to all businesses.

Creating a rich, clear brand vision and identity will strengthen your business, provide strategic clarity and focus and act as the foundation for all your marketing activity.

In this playbook, branding expert Debbie Inglis explains a structured approach to review and define your brand identity to make it more appealing to customers. By referring to examples of effective branding, Debbie gives step-by-step advice on developing a brand strategy, purpose, positioning, identity to deliver an authentic and consistent end-to-end customer experience.

What is a marketing playbook?

A marketing playbook defines the types of communications, best practices and optimization techniques that should be used to maximize return-on-investment for different marketing objectives. They are designed to help you prioritize where you need to focus your efforts, with quick links to relevant resources to help you in each area.

Throughout this resource we link to other useful Smart Insights resources to help you elevate your brand.

Who is this playbook for?

Our brand vision and identity playbook is aimed at all managers within business who are looking to review their brand to make it more competitive including those working for SMBs and larger businesses

Typical roles include:

CMOs, Marketing Directors, Marketing Managers and small business owners.
Product managers and brand managers wanting to audit and improve their brand identity.
Agency account managers who may be working for smaller or mid-sized businesses.

How is the brand vision and identity playbook structured?

This resource explains:

The importance of brand vision and identity.
Definitions for brand vision, brand positioning, brand identity and brand guidelines.
The two main approaches to delivering a brand vision and a brand identity with a focus on the classical approach (Aaker) and the Challenger approach.
How to develop your brand vision, brand positioning, brand identity.
- The main deliverables including brand vision, proposition, positioning, identity and guidelines. Includes 5+ B2C and B2B examples.

Resource Details

Author: Debbie Inglis
Editor: Amelia Cooper, Smart Insights
Format: Online interactive format suitable for printing if needed.
Related recommended resources: Digital Branding guide

About the author

Debbie Inglis

Debbie Inglis is a strategist, insight generator and FMCG marketer who specialises in transforming consumer brands, delivering consistent end-to-end customer experiences. She has over 15 years’ experience building great brands including Yeo Valley, Clarks, McCoy’s crisps, Appletiser, Cadbury’s and Costa Coffee.

Debbie has an MA in Strategy and Market Management. Her communications research paper, ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You. Aha (Or Not)’ was presented at the Academy of Marketing Conference in 2014. As a thought leader she works with Smart Insights to share the world of FMCG brands with marketers with a digital background.