OUR TESTING METHODOLOGY / BrandReturn®
BrandReturn® is a proprietary testing methodology we developed that traces the connection between the negative or seemly unnoticeable symptoms of an organization to their fundamental internal or external breakdowns.Which then enables us to forecast the impact, lifecycle and competitive positioning of the brand being assessed. Allowing us to determine which one of the three categories the brand falls in, Accelerate, Reposition or Recreate.
After the assessment is complete we are able to strategically align the brand from the fundamental causes rather then the symptoms.
BrandReturn® History:
This methodology was founded as a result of the frustration we had with a specific project. We had a client who was a startup that we developed an external brand initiative plan for. The brand went from startup to global distribution of 60+ countries and over 10,000 accounts in 18 months. Which illustrated the initial momentum from external communications. But shortly after the new opportunity the brand started to flounder because we did not address some key issues.
This challenged us to take a hard look at how we viewed and forecasted brand initiatives. This honest assessment put us on a long road of research and development of both small and large organizations.
Through our research we developed a theory that was built on a simple comparison of Chiropractic vs. Medical Care.
Comparison:
In Chiropractic Care the symptom of a headache is mainly addressed through the spine, which encapsulates a humans central nervous system. A disk in the spine shifts, placing pressure on the nerve and the connection is shorted, which causes a headache. The chiropractor fixes this issue by adjusting the spine to relieve the pressure on the disk that is pinching the nerve.
In Medical Care the symptom of a headache is mainly addressed through outside medication that masks the pain of the pinched nerve caused by the misaligned disk. In most cases, the Medical Care’s approach of medication quickly relives the pain and deceives the patient in believing they are ok. After a period of time the pinched nerve will resurface as a different symptom like, muscle fatigue or a cold that is a result of a compromised immune system.
We have found that unless the cause of any symptom is addressed it will never completely fix the problem.
Like the Medical Care industry the majority of the advertising, marketing, public relations and branding industries approach projects from the same viewpoint. They address symptoms rather than the cause of the symptom.
In short, in business when a symptom is treated rather than the cause of the symptom, the brands market perception; market loyalty and competitive position are compromised. Which will later lead to brand decline. Because the brand “can’t deliver on what it’s promising” or “isn’t providing a desired value to their market in a unique way that their competitors are."