What about image?

The image your current consumer has of your organization is based on the existing relationship. The image your potential customers have of your organization is based primarily on what they read, hear and see about your organization. Both groups are important in determining your organization's strategy.

When you know what existing and potential customers think about you, you can use this as the basis for your brand management strategy, the way you manage and interact with your brand.
Brand management involves another essential element. Namely, the image you and your employees have of your own organization: your identity. Your brand's identity is shaped, among other things, by your core values. Those core values are what you stand for as a brand. It gives you direction and focus.

Especially when your company is growing and has more employees, it provides a foothold to work together toward the same goal. You have the same "why" and this creates direction and equality in your propositions and services.

The better you know what you stand for, and the more clearly you communicate that identity, the more likely your identity will match your image. So that consumers also understand who you are and what you stand for.

So much for theory.

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Image: I love my mum most

In practice, after 20 years of brand and image research, it turns out that your core values are not top of mind with consumers. Consumers are not very conscious and rational about brands. Your core values can be so good, it doesn't convince your customers to choose your brand.

If you want to do brand research to grow your brand, do work on your "why," define your identity and include it in your internal strategy, but don't test your core values externally.

In fact, many consumer image researches show a standard pattern. When customers rate you, you score high on your core values. Good news, of course, but so do your competitors. Competitor customers find that competitor the most reliable, the most service-oriented, just the best.

We call this the "I love my mum most" principle. Of course your own mother is the sweetest in the world, because she is YOUR mother. That's how it works with brands, too. You value the brand you use the most. Attitude follows behavior, and not the other way around.

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Be concrete and grow faster than the rest

Consumers who are not yet customers of yours see little distinction on core values; they have a much flatter view of the industry. Therefore, translate your core values into category entry points.

And test those among consumers using implicit techniques. This way you make the differences between you and your competitors much more concrete for the consumer. Keep in mind that as long as your brand strategy does not deviate from other brands in your industry, as long as you move with the market, you will not grow faster than the rest of the industry. If you want to grow faster, dare to deviate.

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