If you think about some of the most successful brands in America, they are well-defined in in attributes that support the vision, mission, and values of the brand.  These attributes are often referred to as their brand pillars.  Brand pillars serve as a foundation for how the brand behaves, communicates, and connects with its target customers.

When I was the President of Jimmy John’s, we went through a branding exercise to identify the brand pillars that helped crystalize what the brand is today.  Through a series of exercises, we helped determine the following:

• What the product does for me
• How I would describe the product
• How the brand makes me feel
• How the brand makes me look

We looked at both the rationale (brand facts & symbols) as well as the emotional (brand personality) to determine three core brand pillars to use as a vetting measurement for all go-forward branding and product decisions.  At the end of the exercise, we identified three core branding attributes:

• Lightning – everything we did had to have a sense of urgency to it
• Vibrancy – our stores, people and culture needed to embody a vibrancy
• Thoroughbred – our brand had to be pure and powerful to stick to its core

Every decision, from operational procedures to product development, had to be vetted through these brand pillars to see if it would pass the test.  So, for instance, introducing salads would most likely be nixed because you cannot make a salad fast enough to ensure that the “lightning” pillar was upheld.  In short, brand pillars keep you disciplined.

Here’s an outline for developing brand pillars:

Brand Vision – This identifies and reflects where the brand is headed.  An example of this would be Nike’s “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”

Brand Mission – This is where the sausage is made.  This describes how the brand acts every day to fulfill its vision.  The brand mission for Walmart is “We save people money so they can live better.”

Core Values – These are the fundamental beliefs that influence the brand and its decision-making that ultimately resonate with your brand.
 
Brand Promise – What can the brand promise to its customers on a consistent manner?   An example of this would be Target’s “Expect more. Pay less.”

Brand Differentiators – What attributes sets your brand apart from your competition?  Identify items that make your brand unique and known for.  In some cases, the development of a signature item – unique to your brand – can be the ultimate differentiator.
 
Brand Personality – What characteristics and tone does your brand reflect?  It could be fun and playful, or it could be more sophisticated.  Determining the personality of the brand is critical to maintaining its integrity.

Brand Story – Everyone likes a backdrop or story on how a brand was created.  Back in my Little Caesars days I was told that when Mr. Ilitch opened his first store, he was so excited that he wanted it to be a big success.  The story goes that he wanted it huge, big, colossal “Caesar”, to which his wife said, “oh honey, you are more like Little Caesar.”

Brand Experience – Saying the brand stands for something is one thing, having the customer interact with the brand through touch points can be a different experience.  Strong brands are very consistent in backing up the brand promise with the experience.

Visual and Verbal Identity – The wrong colors, fonts or tone of voice can all detract from the strength of your brand.  All the messaging, typography and visual identity must accentuate the essence of your brand.

The key is to have a cohesive, consistent manifestation of your brand.  Elements of the brand cannot be fighting one another if you want to articulate a strong brand message.  Only by defining clear brand pillars, can your brand resonate with its audience and stand out in the marketplace.