Brand platform

A brand platform is the document a brand stands on. It records who the brand is for, what it promises, why people believe it and what voice it speaks in. The identity, website and packaging come later and are checked against it, the way a building is checked against its drawings.

Brand platform, identity and brand book

The platform answers who you are and why you exist. The identity answers how you look: logo, colour, type, graphics, motion. The brand book is the rulebook for using all of that. When there is no platform, the identity rests on taste, and every layout review turns into “I like it” versus “I don't”.

What's inside: the Dresses example

Dresses is a womenswear brand that brings more colour into everyday life. Dresses is a working name: we came up with the real name after the platform, and from it. Below are the sections of the platform with the matching slides from the example case.

  1. 01

    Brand assets

    The strengths the product already has that set it apart from competitors.

    Dresses is a clothing brand with a single category: dresses. The focus is on prints and on a fit that suits any figure and, thanks to a special cut, adapts as the figure changes.

    Dresses brand platform — Brand assets, slide 2 of 28
  2. 02

    Competitors and market map

    We look at how similar brands look and talk to buyers, and build a market map from that analysis: brands are placed along two axes that matter to the buyer, and we find our brand's place on the map. For a brand already on the market, that means two points: where it is now and where it wants to get to.

    For the market of brands competing with Dresses, we chose the axes premium to affordable and pretentious to original. The brand takes the original premium spot, which means communication without pretension.

    Dresses brand platform — Competitors and market map, slide 13 of 28Dresses brand platform — Competitors and market map, slide 4 of 28Dresses brand platform — Competitors and market map, slide 5 of 28Dresses brand platform — Competitors and market map, slide 6 of 28Dresses brand platform — Competitors and market map, slide 7 of 28Dresses brand platform — Competitors and market map, slide 8 of 28Dresses brand platform — Competitors and market map, slide 9 of 28Dresses brand platform — Competitors and market map, slide 10 of 28Dresses brand platform — Competitors and market map, slide 11 of 28

    9 slides · swipe →

  3. 03

    Target audience

    Segments and the core audience. We write the core audience as a persona, a portrait of the ideal buyer with a name and an age, and study the visual world these people live in.

    For Dresses, these are independent women aged 28–55 who support themselves and travel a lot. The persona is Irina, 40: she owns a private clinic, has two children, wants to get out to exhibitions and festivals more often and isn't quite sure how to stand out there. Secondary audience groups: progressive young mothers and mature digital nomads.

    Dresses brand platform — Target audience, slide 15 of 28Dresses brand platform — Target audience, slide 16 of 28Dresses brand platform — Target audience, slide 17 of 28Dresses brand platform — Target audience, slide 18 of 28Dresses brand platform — Target audience, slide 19 of 28

    5 slides · swipe →

  4. 04

    Audience insight

    The contradiction the brand resolves, in one sentence built on the formula: I want…, but…, so I…

    Dresses: I want people to see a beautiful, vibrant woman in me as well as a professional and a mother, but I won't pay for it with comfort or time, so I need dresses that do it for me.

    Dresses brand platform — Audience insight, slide 20 of 28
  5. 05

    Brand message and reasons to believe

    What the brand promises, and the facts it backs that promise with.

    Dresses: bold, stylish dresses you look vibrant in without trying, that never restrict movement and are easy to pack. Reasons to believe: high-tech fabrics, adaptive and oversized cuts, a storage bag with every dress, fit tested on non-standard figures.

    Dresses brand platform — Brand message and reasons to believe, slide 21 of 28Dresses brand platform — Brand message and reasons to believe, slide 22 of 28

    2 slides · swipe →

  6. 06

    Personality, role model, values

    How the brand behaves and what tone it speaks in. Copy and visual identity are later checked against this.

    Dresses: bold, creative, independent, joyful. Values: freedom, independence, individuality, femininity.

    Dresses brand platform — Personality, role model, values, slide 23 of 28Dresses brand platform — Personality, role model, values, slide 24 of 28Dresses brand platform — Personality, role model, values, slide 25 of 28Dresses brand platform — Personality, role model, values, slide 26 of 28Dresses brand platform — Personality, role model, values, slide 27 of 28

    5 slides · swipe →

  7. 07

    Positioning concept

    The conclusion of the platform in one sentence: what it is, who it's for, what they want and how the brand gives it to them.

    Dresses: dresses for independent women who balance a career and a family and want to look vibrant and striking. They bring more colour and emotion into her life, so it feels richer, brighter and, at last, truly her own.

    Dresses brand platform — Positioning concept, slide 28 of 28
Open the full Dresses platform →

How much it costs

A brand platform for a new brand at Wave starts from $1,500. The price depends on the stage of the business: a large established company needs a full brand strategy, and then a dedicated strategist joins the team. The calculator gives you an estimate in a couple of minutes. Estimate the project

Second example: Wave's own platform

The platform we wrote for Wave itself: audience, place among design studios, message, values and character. Yes, we had to do our own too.

Wave brand platform — coverWave brand platform — studio capabilities and resourcesWave brand platform — target audience and core segmentsWave brand platform — audience segment: founders of creative projectsWave brand platform — audience segment: founders and directors in startups and small businessWave brand platform — audience segment: marketing leaders in corporationsWave brand platform — the visual world of the core audienceWave brand platform — target audience insightWave brand platform — market positioning map of contemporary design studiosWave brand platform — competitor communicationsWave brand platform — competitor communications, example 1Wave brand platform — competitor communications, example 2Wave brand platform — competitor communications, example 3Wave brand platform — competitor communications, example 4Wave brand platform — competitor communications, example 5Wave brand platform — studio team and the co-creation idea behind the nameWave brand platform — brand ecosystemWave brand platform — brand ecosystem, continuedWave brand platform — brand messageWave brand platform — reasons to believeWave brand platform — brand values: courage, creativity, developmentWave brand platform — brand character: fresh, bold, confident, sexyWave brand platform — role modelWave brand platform — positioning concept

What the Wave brand platform slides show

The second example is the platform Wave built for its own studio: capabilities, target audience (founders of creative projects, founders of startups and small businesses, marketing leaders in corporations), audience insight, a positioning map of contemporary design studios, competitor communications, brand message, reasons to believe, values (courage, creativity, development), character (fresh, bold, confident, sexy), role model and positioning as a studio of strategic branding and experimental design.