Minimum Viable Brand: Starting from Here
Let me explain what an MVB is, what it's used for, how to develop it, and how it fits into lean design.
Hello. I'm Guido, and this is the first episode of Business Revealed. In September, I became dad to Lorenzo, and instead of thinking about how to plan his life for the next 18 years, I decided to give him a newsletter about startups.
I want to gather all the tools and methodologies I've learned over my years of work and turn them into a manual for startups. Let me be clear: it's not an attempt to convince Lorenzo that the world of startups is the most beautiful of all; I just want a part of my intellectual legacy to pass through here. I want my son to know me even in this aspect. Dad at work.
There isn't necessarily one design approach that is better than another, but each historical period requires different rules for innovation. The Lean Startup method, synthesized by Eric Ries in his 2011 book of the same name, is the most suitable approach for today's market. A market in constant evolution that demands speed, flexibility, and agility.
In the beginning, there was the product.
The cycle of actions (Validated Learning) at the core of the lean methodology is quite simple: development (build), testing (measure), feedback (learn), new development (taking into account previous feedback), new testing, new feedback, and so on in a loop, potentially endlessly.
This cycle might initially seem very similar to past approaches. The difference lies in its starting point, in what is decided to develop (and therefore test). It is no longer a finished product but rather its mini version, a product hypothesis, which, in lean methodology, is termed the Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
Definition and Characteristics of an MVP
A Minimum Viable Product is the smallest product version that can be introduced to the market (and thus sold).
Every MVP worth its salt must possess 3 characteristics:
Its perceived value must be sufficient for people to be willing to use that product.
Its perceived benefits must be sufficient for people who have started using that product to continue doing so after the first time.
Its design must ensure that feedback loop, which will be crucial for guiding the company towards future product developments.
Instagram's MVP, for example, allowed users to share photos and apply some filters. Just enough to enable founder Kevin Systrom to test the product in the social market.
On the other hand, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia of Airbnb relied on a simple web page, where they began advertising short stays in one of the rooms of their apartment. Fun fact: the service included an inflatable mattress and breakfast, hence the name Airbed and Breakfast.
MVP + MVB
In 2012, young Michael Dubin founded The Dollar Shave Club, a startup that sells subscription razors. The product is identical to many other brands; it is nothing new. But Dubin decided to put himself out there and created a launch video to advertise the razor. Two days later, he already had over 12 thousand customers.
Many companies are so convinced of the strength and usefulness of their products that they overlook the importance of a brand strategy. Obviously, they don't have the new iPhone in their hands, but a product like many others.
Developing a brand strategy takes time and money, often scarce resources in a startup. However, the risk of ending up in a box with many other razors is too high. This is why the natural evolution of the lean methodology has given rise to a tool that I consider fundamental for surviving in a context where the supply of products far exceeds demand: the Minimum Viable Brand (MVB).
What is an MVB
Marty Neumaier defines a brand as "a person's instinctive feeling about a product, service, or company." That is the set of characteristics (a name, a sign, a logo, the tone of voice) that identifies and distinguishes the goods and services sold by a company from those sold by competing companies.
A Minimum Viable Brand is the smallest version of a brand that can be presented to the public. With very few resources, it's the tool that allows companies to begin engaging future customers and influencing their behaviors.
Through the MVB, any startup can quickly and with a small budget create an embryonic brand strategy to establish common goals for the entire team, understand the distinctive elements that characterize their products, and study how to retain their customer base.
This mechanism will trigger, once again, that feedback loop (development, testing, feedback) that allows the initiation of a process of continuous brand exploration. A world of many attempts and errors essential to achieve that speed of adaptation to sudden market changes and to reach the Product/Market Fit (on this topic, I will delve deeper in upcoming discussions).
Characteristics of the MVB
Just like the MVP, the Minimum Viable Brand must also possess 3 indispensable characteristics to be effective:
Its perceived value must be sufficient for people to be willing to use that brand.
Its perceived benefits must be sufficient for people who have started using that brand to continue doing so after the first time.
Its design must ensure that feedback loop, which will be crucial for guiding the company towards future brand developments.
On paper, the difference with the MVP is minimal, just one word changes, product becomes brand. But in practice, the hierarchies change.
With the MVP, a miniature product is realized, allowing product hypotheses to be tested with few resources. Thanks to the MVB, it can be understood whether those product hypotheses (tested through the MVP) align with the strategic objectives and market insights that emerged during the definition of a brand strategy hypothesis.
The work to achieve these 3 characteristics affects all the work tables open to realize the MVB. The lean machine works well only if all its components are equally lean.
Hence, the need to adapt the macro areas (Strategy, Copywriting, Design) that work on the brand identity:
Strategy (Minimum Viable Strategy) Developing a sufficiently clear prototype of a strategy to guide the business decisions to be made..
Messaging (Minimum Viable Messaging) Creating a persuasive messaging prototype sufficient to influence people's behavior
Design (Minimum Viable Design) Designing a sufficiently coherent design prototype to be remembered among people
How to Develop an MVB
To date, Denise Lee Yohn theorized the best model for developing a Minimum Viable Brand in 2014.
The scope is outlined by answering 6 questions, the so-called "6 What's":
What we stand for (the brand essence, the reason for its existence)
What we believe in (the brand values)
What people we seek to engage (the brand's target audience)
What distinguishes us (the distinctive points of a brand compared to competitors)
What we offer (the company's experience made available to the brand)
What we say and show (the logo, the look, the brand concept, and its messages)
The first two questions define the brand's identity. The third, fourth, and fifth establish what the brand does. The last question determines how the brand communicates.
The answer to these questions helps to understand if:
The brand's objective is clear enough to guide the startup's strategic decisions.
The size of the designated targets is sufficient to meet the level of demand that the company needs.
The communication elements work as expected based on the startup's and its customers' use.
Risks to Avoid
The chances of underestimating one of these issues are very high, and the risk of messing up a well-done job is around the corner. Among the aspects many startups underestimate, which I want to dwell on, is undoubtedly the brand's target.
Never take for granted, and I repeat, NEVER take for granted, the type of customers you want to communicate with. Identifying the Ideal Customer Profile (B2B) or Buyer persona (B2C) is crucial.
Let me give you an example. Imagine a startup that, in its exploratory phase, starts selling a payment system aimed at corporates with a Sales-led approach. The reference ICP could be a front liner, an IT manager, or a Chief Innovation Officer. Based on this information, the startup decides that all communication and brand identity must have a premium, formal approach.
The startup encounters the market, competition, and sales cycles, and the lean evolution of the product could require a natural change in strategy. With the pivot, the same startup could find itself selling the payment system to creative agencies, mainly targeting developers or designers. Therefore, the change in target would require an adaptation of all communication assets.
Developing an MVB allows similar events to be faced with the right flexibility and speed, provided that all its elements have received the right treatment during their definition. Not doing so could compromise the MVB's effectiveness and cause a loss of money and time.
How to Organize Work to Answer the 6 What's
A quick and powerful way to answer the 6 What's is Jake Knapp and co.'s 3-Hour Brand Sprint. Through a 3-hour workshop, you can obtain a clear definition of the company's brand identity and avoid neglecting one element in favor of another or vice versa.
Working on an MVB, everything that is not essential can be put aside for later considerations. So, you can avoid thinking about animations, illustrations, and icons, which are certainly a fundamental feature for a successful brand but which, at this stage, can make room for stock solutions capable of expressing the desired mood.
The same goes for product design and communication: website and storytelling are essential for the go-to-market, while custom UI and ad-hoc component development can wait, preferring temporary solutions chosen from various market libraries.
As a detail fanatic and advocate of perfection at all costs, I have come to realize the importance of these aspects in the initial phases of launching a startup or product. To test whether a new startup works, customers must be interested in a specific feature right from the start. The brand is refined over time along the path to defining its identity.
What's Next?
The advancement of AI is further increasing the number of digital products and services offered to businesses and individuals every day. Those that will survive will be fewer, as a percentage, and it will be even more important to reach the market and achieve product/market fit quickly. I therefore believe that the lean approach to brand development will be increasingly widespread and that soon, it will be the only alternative for sustainable business.
Thank you for reading Business Revealed.
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Referenced:
https://www.porchlightbooks.com/blog/changethis/2016/how-to-start-up-your-brand-develop-a-minimum-viable-brand
https://www.peterjthomson.com/2013/07/minimum-viable-brand-wolff-olins/
https://www.slideshare.net/adrianh/leanuxnyc-leanbranding
https://uxdesign.cc/building-a-minimum-viable-brand-mvb-958b5d1f476
https://www.highalpha.com/blog/minimum-viable-brand
https://hbr.org/2014/06/start-ups-need-a-minimum-viable-brand
Thank you so much Guido for this reading!
Lorenzo will appreciate :)