The document discusses the importance of brand strategy, emphasizing the need for clarity, consistency, and constancy to build a strong brand. It introduces the central-distinctiveness (C-D) map to help companies find a balance between being central and distinctive in their market, as well as to evaluate branding decisions and strategies. The C-D map categorizes brands into four types—aspirational, mainstream, peripheral, and unconventional—each with unique strategic implications.

1. Balancing Centrality and
Distinctiveness for Mapping
Brand Strategy

2. Brand – personality of a business01
3 Cs of Branding02
Brand Strategy – the blueprint that help to communicate03
5 Roles to Execute Brand Strategy04
The Central-Distinctiveness (C-D) Map05
Potential Applications of C-D Mapping06
Strategic Implications07
Concluding Thoughts08
Agenda

3. Brand – personality
of a business
A brand is a feeling
people have about you.
Brand = Mind Set
The sum of all communications and experiences
received by the consumer and customer resulting
in a distinctive image in their “mind set” based on
perceived emotional and functional benefits.
A brand is the personality of a business. The modern
concepts views a brand as consisting of four levels
• generic
• expected
• augmented
• potential
“

4. 3 Cs of Branding
The benefits of having a
strong brand are
tremendous. Strong brands
charge premium pricing;
they thrive during economic
downturns; they attract
great employees, partners
and customers; and they
can extend into new
business areas with ease.
In addition to being able to
boast these enviable
benefits, strong brands have
something else in common.
They all exhibit the “three
Cs” of branding.
Strong brands are clear
about what they are
and what they are not.
Volvo, for example, is
clear about their
commitment to safety
and security.
In addition to being
clear about who they
are, strong brands are
also consistent. They are
always what they say
they are.
Strong brands are
constant; they are
always there for their
customers and
prospects. They don’t
go into hiding.
Clarity Consistency Constancy
No brand is truly a strong brand if it doesn’t pass the Three C Test.

5. Brand Strategy –
the blueprint that
help to
communicate
A brand strategy is “a plan for the
systematic development of brand in
alignment with a business strategy.
– branding guru Marty Neumeier
The brand strategy process can be
broken into three distinct parts.
• Brand Heart - the core of the brand
• Brand Messaging - how brand talk
about the brand
• Visual Identity - the visual expression
of the brand.

6. Align brand and
business goals by
bridging the gap
between brand and
business.
Preserved brand
identity, oversee
and enforce brand
guidelines
Align marketing to
brand strategy,
oversee content
creating and
coordination of
teams/resources
Brand
Shepherd
5 Roles to Execute Brand Strategy
…a brand team to craft, revise, and bring it to life at every level of the organization.
Without this designated team, the work will likely get sidetracked or steamrolled.
Creative
Lead
Marketing
Lead
Culture Lead Communication
Lead
Cultivate culture to
reflects brand values
to help company to
attract active
participants in
building the brand
Share brand
knowledge by
documenting
information and
building the brand
library

7. Centrality
Brands envisioned to be
central in their category.
Central brands shape
category dynamics.
They’re the first ones that
come to mind when we
think of the category.
Distinctiveness
The ability of a brands to
be standing out from the
crowd. It helps brand to
command a slightly higher
price for its handsets than
its nearest rival
The Central-Distinctiveness (C-D) Map
Companies must find the right
balance of centrality and
distinctiveness that is most
profitable for them.
The model of brand Centrality-
Distinctiveness (C-D Map)
designed by Niraj Dawar and
Charan K. Bagga.
To determine a desired
market position
To make resource
allocation
To make brand
strategy decisions
To track performance
against competitors

8. Producing a
C-D Map 01
Niche players, meaning that
they are decidedly distinctive,
and not particularly central.
Unconventional
02
Both central and distinctive –
meaning that they have high
sales volume, but can still
command high prices
Aspirational
03 Neither central nor distinctive,
yet they can still generate high
profits due to low marketing
and innovation costs
Peripheral
04
Central but not distinctive and
are often carefully aligned to
appeal to popular tastes.
Generally regarded as reliable,
recognizable brands.
Mainstream
Centrality
how representative the brand is in category
Distinctiveness
degreetowhichbrandstandoutof
crowd
Unconventional Aspirational
Peripheral Mainstream
The C-D map is split on a 2x2 basis, with 4
distinct quadrants. Where the brand falls
on the map – based on its unique
coordinates – has implications for key
decisions such as pricing, sales volumes,
risk, and profitability.
* Circles are sized according to brands’ performance on
financial matrix.

9. Companies can create what-if scenarios for a range of strategies
to move a brand along the centrality or distinctiveness dimension
and assess how those moves would affect sales or profitability.
Potential
Applications of
C-D Mapping
Measuring customers’
perceptions of a
brand’s distinctiveness
and linking that
statistically to
performance provides
an instant check on a
strategy’s effectiveness.
Assess brand’s
positioning strategy
Track the
competition
Manage your
brand portfolio.
Manage global
brands
Track and
analyze results
C-D maps reveal a
brand’s location
relative to others in a
way that reflects
consumers’ mental
representations of the
category. This helps
focus competitive
efforts on actual rather
than perceived
competition.
C-D maps allow
companies to compare
brand performance
and strategy across
categories. Thus a
multiple brand
company could use the
maps to allocate
resources objectively
across categories.
C-D maps offer a way
to visualize differences
in consumer
perceptions and in
performance across
markets. it helps global
managers make
decisions about brand
standardization versus
localization
The two dimensions that
C-D maps track—
centrality and
distinctiveness—are
shared by all brands
and remain relevant
over time. marketers will
be able to gauge how
their actions affect
consumer perceptions.

10. Strategic Implications - Aspirational
Often attracting the most profitability of the four categories, ‘aspirational’ brands
combine both centrality and distinctiveness in high measure. This means they hold
mass appeal but can keep their prices high due to a strong reputation.
Take advantage of high sales
volumes and premium pricing.
These trusted brands are well
positioned to launch innovations
that redefine the category.
Key Aspect
Often challenged by brands from
the more distinctive
unconventional quadrant or more
central mainstream quadrant
Challenge
Must focus to make their
distinctive features sufficiently
mainstream to be widely
appealing without becoming run-
of-the-mill.
Strategic Context

11. Strategic Implications - Mainstream
Mainstream brands build their central position through careful engineering and
product development to align with (or even shape) popular tastes and through
heavy advertising to make the brand synonymous with the category. They can shape
markets & consumer preferences more adeptly than brands in other quadrants can.
Their strategic position calls for risk-
averse stewardship of the brand;
they avoid rocking the boat. They
are generally regarded as reliable,
recognizable brands.
Key Aspect
The primary competitive
challenge to mainstream brands
comes from peripheral and
unconventional products that
could become central as
consumer tastes shift.
Challenge
Align centricity with distinctiveness
by influencing the market and
generate higher sales volumes by
offering lower prices
Strategic Context

12. Strategic Implications - Peripheral
Peripheral brands are neither central nor distinctive, yet they can still generate high
profits due to low marketing and innovation costs. They offer benefits similar to the
central brands; consumers typically buy them as substitutes, generally because they
are attracted by lower prices or have minimal engagement with the category.
Tend to replicate a product or
service of a mainstream brand
and draw in customers with lower
prices. However, business models
may still prove profitable due to
low marketing and innovation
costs.
Key Aspect
Low marketing and innovation
cost result lower engagement with
the category, which in long run
effect the business growth and
sustainability of the brand
Challenge
May attempt to shift positioning by
adding distinctive features or
launching advertising campaigns,
but this is an uphill and expensive
battle.
Strategic Context

13. Strategic Implications - Unconventional
Unconventional brands are usually specialize in a niche product or service and aren’t
particularly central. As such, unconventional brands should expect low sales volumes,
and instead look for profitability through higher prices. Unconventional brands are not
especially appealing to the population at large.
Profitability at low volumes by
charging higher rates for their
service due to not standing within
a crowded market.
Key Aspect
The niche market brand may be
invaded by large companies, and
small marketers may find it difficult
to compete.
Challenge
Migrate from the unconventional
to the aspirational quadrant by
making the brand’s unique
features more mainstream or
adding mainstream features
Strategic Context

14. Concluding Thought
In a nutshell, the central-distinctive map helps companies
assess the strengths and weaknesses of the brand by
repeatedly chart position following campaigns, incentives
and otherwise and track how these changes have
affected this. It can help to decide whether to stay in
place or find the strategies that will help them move to a
more advantageous quadrant.

15. i a m m o u l u d e . w o r d p r e s s . c o m
Things that Describe ME!
A person with intense personal magnetism and a great love of home and
family. One of the most important traits of my personality is I am detail-
oriented and have a hard time letting something rest until I am satisfied it’s
complete and accurate.
In my personal time and on my own world I am very sensitive and often
think about my childhood and how it affects me in the present. Learning
to let go of things is something that will contribute greatly to my happiness
and success in life.
Besides my professional commitments and responsibilities I am very much
fond of bonding with people. In my personal world I used to write poems
and short stories.
ME
about
Modhyo Badda, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
+8801914538413
iammoulude.wordpress.com
mdmoulude@gmail.com
FinTech | Digital Payment | Product and Strategy|
QR Payment | Entrepreneur | Business Development
Md. Moulude Hossain

16. THANK
YOU