1. 0
The role of competitor research in
corporate branding and design
Summer 2013
Know the competition
2. 1
Good to know
The enemy (competition)
Yourself
The terrain (environment)
Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and you know
yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you now
Heaven and you know Earth, you may make your victory
complete.
Sun Tzu’s Art of War
3. 2
Modern day capitalism=ancient warfare?
Uncontrolled environment
Conditions change
Competitive dynamics
Requires quick and appropriate responses
4. 3
Job one
As a first step in large scale
engagement, it is important to
look at the competitive landscape.
Ensures the ultimate end product is
unique and engaging.
5. 4
Provides frame of reference
Where you compete
Market
Landscape
Context
6. 5
Within this context…
How do you position yourself?
Where do you excel?
What is comparable?
What do others do better?
What makes you uniquely you?
7. 6
What can you learn?
Valuable intelligence
Best practices
Pitfalls
9. 8
Who
Hire a pro and benefit from their expertise,
insights and fresh perspective. Limit scope
and scale as needed to keep costs down.
Your involvement is key, but a full-fledged
DIY approach is time-consuming and may
shortchange the final product.
11. 10
When
Early on in planning/discovery phase.
Knowing where others stake a claim, how
they express themselves, etc., helps define
constraints for the effort at hand.
13. 12
Where (information sources)
Secondary sources
Social media
Company reviews: Glassdoor, CareerBliss
Paid sources (Forrester, Gartner, etc.)*
Primary research*
* Paid sources and primary research (e.g., interviews, focus groups) are high cost; used when budget is
extensive and brand is high value and high stakes.
17. 16
Background
Regional commercial bank (southern California, Arizona)
Acquired 10 banks since its inception in 2010, growing from a
startup to $2.2 billion in assets.
Opened startup banking division in 2013
Seeking to refresh the brand and website in an effort to address
the challenges and capitalize on the fresh opportunities that
come with such explosive growth.
18. 17
Competitor positioning audit
Snapshot of how competitor banks position themselves:
Traditional commercial banks
American Business Bank
City National Bank
First Republic Bank
Venture banks
Silicon Valley Bank
Square 1 Bank
21. 20
Website benchmarking
After brand research and development,
ready to refresh web design to reflect
updated brand.
Competitive study with different
evaluation criteria, e.g.:
• Target user groups
• Navigation scheme
• Noteworthy content /functionality
• Social media, mobile presence
• Imagery and messaging style
• Etc.
22. 21
Website benchmarking
Traditional commercial banks
American Business Bank
Citizens Business Bank
City National Bank
First Republic Bank
Chase
Venture banks
Silicon Valley Bank
Square 1 Bank
Bridge Bank
26. 25
It’s a short half life
Even if you get it, competitor advantage
typically fades
Sustaining advantage in the face of
competitive dynamics requires constant
monitoring… awareness… anticipation.