The brand language brief: A pillar of sound brand strategy

When carefully planned, language can be a strategic tool for managing a brand’s communication to target customers and for building brand equity. This paper explains how and why managers should conduct a brand language audit — a comprehensive inventory of the many and varied linguistic devices used by brands in the category — and then use the findings from the audit to develop a brand language brief. The brand language brief is like a blueprint for crafting a distinctive language for a brand. It ensures that a brand’s language aligns with a brand’s overall communications strategy; it guides development of the language that will be deployed throughout all of the brand’s marketing initiatives, including brand naming, claims, advertising, packaging, sales promotion, and even face-to-face and online interaction at the point of purchase. The authors argue that a strong brand language brief will help bring attention to a brand’s message, enhance message comprehension and memory, convey the desired brand personality and contribute to the formation of sustainable relationships with consumers. A brand language strategy will be a driving factor in a brand’s marketplace success.