Copyright by Jourdan Kenneth Wooden 2021 The Thesis Committee for Jourdan Kenneth Wooden certifies that this is the approved version of the following Thesis: The Brand Identity Pyramid: A Theoretical Model to Predict Brand Success and Failure APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Isabella C Cunningham, Supervisor Matthew Eastin The Brand Identity Pyramid: A Theoretical Model to Predict Brand Success and Failure by Jourdan Kenneth Wooden Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts The University of Texas at Austin May 2021 Acknowledgements Special thanks to Dr. Eastin, who gave me guidance in developing this model, and Dr. Cunningham, who spent a year keeping me on track as I wrote about it. Thanks to Professor Rao, who promised he’d read this at some point. And my heartfelt thanks to Amy, for the support and encouragement to go back to school in the first place; you are my very favorite person, and I couldn’t have done it without you. iv Abstract The Brand Identity Pyramid: A Theoretical Model to Predict Brand Success and Failure Jourdan Kenneth Wooden, MA The University of Texas at Austin, 2021 Supervisor: Isabella C Cunningham Te visual aspects of a brand are a powerful communicator. Researchers have spent years investigating the power of suggestion of colors, type-faces, logos, and images in general. Brands depend on visual cues to communicate with consumers in general. Te visual aspect of a brand is an integral part of the brand identity, but still only one part of a whole. Visual branding should reflect the strategic goals of the brand and should reinforce the values, principles, and story on which a brand stands. Tis thesis proposes a theoretical model developed to predict the success of a brand and to provide guidelines for strategists and designers. Te Brand Identity Pyramid is based on theoretical principles already explored by researchers combined in a predictive model. Practitioners agree that brand is a reflection of a company, product, or service as the customer sees it; however, most existing models approach brand from the orientation of the strategists or graphic designers. Te Brand Identity Pyramid approaches from the perspective of consumer psychology, and was developed afer researching the development and market acceptance of a number of brands through the case study method. Further, the validity of the model was tested through the analysis of three case studies. Tis thesis describes the Brand Identity Pyramid, its theoretical foundations, and proposes the future efectiveness of the model in developing a brand identity congruent with that brand’s strategic goals. v Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 Literature Review .................................................................................................... 3 Current Understanding of Branding ................................................................. 3 Important Concepts ....................................................................................... 4 Elements of a Brand Identity ........................................................................... 6 Proposed Model ................................................................................................... 16 Section 1: Preliminary .................................................................................. 17 Section 2: Behavioral ................................................................................... 19 Section 3: Affective ...................................................................................... 21 Section 4: Heuristic ...................................................................................... 24 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 27 Background ................................................................................................ 27 Approach to the Model ................................................................................ 28 Model Development .................................................................................... 29 Case Study Development ............................................................................. 30 Methodology Conclusion .............................................................................. 33 Case Study: Sears ................................................................................................. 34 Company History ......................................................................................... 34 Case Analysis .............................................................................................. 36 Case Conclusion .......................................................................................... 42 vi Case Study: Target ............................................................................................... 44 Company History ......................................................................................... 44 Case Analysis .............................................................................................. 44 Case Conclusion .......................................................................................... 49 Case Study: Spotify ............................................................................................... 51 Company History ......................................................................................... 51 Case ........................................................................................................... 52 Case Conclusion .......................................................................................... 59 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 61 References ........................................................................................................... 63 vii Table of Figures Figure 1. ................................................................................................................ 6 Figure 2 ................................................................................................................. 8 Figure 3 ................................................................................................................. 9 Figure 4 ............................................................................................................... 13 Figure 5 ............................................................................................................... 15 Figure 6 ............................................................................................................... 17 Figure 7 ............................................................................................................... 20 Figure 8 ............................................................................................................... 24 Figure 9 ............................................................................................................... 41 Figure 10 ............................................................................................................. 43 Figure 11 ............................................................................................................. 50 Figure 12 ............................................................................................................. 57 Figure 13 ............................................................................................................. 59 Figure 14 ............................................................................................................. 60 viii Introduction Everybody knows that branding is important, but a closer examination reveals that many people don’t understand why, or even what branding is. Given that a strong brand can be vital for the success of a business, it is equally vital that said business fully understands the implications of the branding process. Tis is made difcult by the fact that there are many conflicting notions and definitions of brand, branding, and brand identity. By our modern understanding of brand, most practitioners agree that it transcends mere advertising or graphic design, and instead encompasses the consumer’s perceptions of a company, product, or organization. Jef Bezos is widely atributed as saying “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” 1 Despite this growing consensus in industry, many scholars have only recently begun to approach brand as anything more than a visual mark or name to diferentiate one company from the next, while others still cling to this outdated approach. Tese academics, along with decision makers in business without a deeper understanding, believe that “brand identity” is a collection of colors, fonts, and logos, and that “rebranding” means updating that collection. Even among the group of researchers, authors, and practitioners who subscribe to the school of branding that is explored in the literature review below, many still approach the branding process from the perspective of stakeholders, rather than that of the consumer. In this thesis, I propose and test the Brand Identity Pyramid: a theoretical model that serves twofold to predict the success of brands, and to instruct designers, strategists, and businesspeople as they