Hierarchy of Benefits

Just like Maslow believed in a hierarchy of needs, I believe there is a hierarchy of benefits. For brand builders, the precedent benefit is the functional benefit. What is the physical function of the brand? Cleaning clothes, reducing thirst, providing energy, dry cleaning clothes, transportation, supporting feet, etc. Define what functional benefit you want to stand for first, and build from there. And practically speaking, most of us market brands/products that already exist. It's just not a practical option to start over. So understand what your brand does functionally, then proceed.

From my P&G days, Tide stood for clean, Cheer stood for color safety, Gain stood for scent. Oh they all cleaned clothes, gave them fragrance and had an acceptable level of color safety, but the brands were built off of three different functional benefit platforms. With their core functional benefit determined, they were then able to differentiate product performance through synergistic product design and communication focus. Similarly, from a well defined functional benefit, you are also able to develop a relevant emotional benefit.

Emotional benefits that are disconnected from functional benefits are inherently inauthentic. Consumers smell these for what they are, marketing over promise. A couple of current examples of over-promise: Coca-Cola: Open Happiness. McDonald's: I'm Lovin' It. I'm just not believing this. Are you? On the flip side, Apple: Think Different. Olay: Love the Skin Your In. These brands back up the emotional promise with functional performance.

For a season, I was Global Brand Manager on Fanta. Fanta is a sticky sweet, brightly colored (usually Orange), carbonated beverage. Not a thirst quencher, it's too sweet. It's liquid candy. Our emotional benefit was a sense of belonging that emerges from fun times with friends. Why? Because the marquee consumption occasion for Fanta was fun social environments for tweens. Is Fanta a cool hip teen/young adult brand? No. It has no credibility in that world, partly because its intrinsic properties keep it from ever being taken too seriously.

So, figure out the functional benefit first, THEN define a believable emotional benefit.