By: Adam Kleinberg, special to Overdrive
You only have one value proposition and you want it to stick in your customers’ minds. BMW is the “ultimate driving machine.” Apple customers “think different.” Nike’s message — “Just do it” — is ubiquitous with the brand. In my column “The Secret to a Strong Branding Message? Focus,” I discuss the need to be one thing in the minds of your customers. But how do you determine what that one clear message should be? The answer is to triangulate. The basic notion of triangulation is that you can figure out a location if you know its distance relative to three distinct points. This is how ship captains stay out of the Bermuda Triangle. Look for the intersection of three perspectives to identify your promise: the customer perspective, internal perspective and marketplace perspective.