This document discusses the importance of competitor research for corporate branding and design. It recommends assessing no more than five competitors to avoid information overload. The document provides a case study of a regional bank that conducted competitor positioning audits and website benchmarking as part of refreshing its brand and website following significant growth through acquisitions. The case study includes samples from the bank's competitor positioning audit and website benchmarking analysis. Conducting ongoing competitor research is important for understanding relative strengths, weaknesses and staying aware of changing competitive dynamics.

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

8. 7
The who, what, when, where,
why, and how…

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.

10. 9
What
Typically, assess no more than five
competitors.
Execs get information overload after that.

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.

12. 11
Where (information sources)
Company-generated
 Website content
 Investor communications
 Advertising
 Public relations
 Social media
 Etc.

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.

14. 13
Why
Oh, the things you’ll learn…
 Relative position: strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, threats
 Marketing, sales, operations, HR, tactics
 Audience interaction
 Visual, verbal expression
 Quick problem analysis, solving

15. 14
How
Case study: Bank

16. 15
Case study:
competitor benchmarking

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

19. 18
Competitor positioning audit
Case study
Sample from competitor positioning audit: competitor bank

20. 19
Competitor positioning audit
Case study
Sample from competitor positioning audit: competitor 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

23. 22
Website benchmarking
Case study
Sample from competitor website benchmarking

24. 23
Website benchmarking
Case study
Sample from competitor website benchmarking

25. 24
Rinse and repeat

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.

27. Prepared by:
Jill Stephens
Vice President
Baker Brand Communications
@jillstephens