Brand DNA: The Core of Brand Strategy

At co&co, we talk a lot about Brand DNA – because without it, your brand strategy isn’t going to work. Full stop.

Brand guidelines felt too static. Too surface-level. We call it Brand DNA because what we build doesn’t sit still – it shapes how your brand thinks, acts, and grows.

It’s built from five core elements that give your brand direction, depth, and a distinct voice. These are the pillars that connect your business to your audience – and keep everything aligned when sh*t gets messy.

This is what keeps your brand from having an identity crisis. These elements guide your brand strategy, shape culture, and hold it all together.

WTF Is Brand DNA (And Why You Can’t Ignore It)

Think of it as the non-negotiables. The hard-coded truth behind your brand. When you get it right, it becomes the standard you hold every decision against. Here’s what makes it up:

Mission – Why you exist

This is your reason for being. The spark. The change you're here to make. Not just “we want to grow” – what gap are you closing? What problem are you solving? People back brands with purpose. This is where that purpose lives.

Vision – Where you’re going

Your long game. The future you’re building. Ask yourself: What do you want to be famous for? Your vision should be big enough to rally around, clear enough to act on, and bold enough to get people talking. It’s the thing people buy into before they even buy from you.

Values – How you show up

These are the rules you live by. They’re the non-negotiables that drive your behaviour, shape your culture, and show up in everything from how you treat customers to how you run your Monday meetings. If your values don’t mean anything behind closed doors, they won’t mean

anything to the outside world either.

Tone of Voice – What you say, what you don't say, and how you say it

It’s how people feel your brand before they even process what you're saying. It’s about sounding unmistakably like you – everywhere you show up.

Proposition – What makes you different and desirable

​​This is your brand’s answer to: Why should anyone give a sh*t? It’s not just what you do – it’s what makes you the only brand worth choosing. Nail this and everything else – messaging, campaigns, customer loyalty – gets a whole lot easier.

Strategy With No DNA? You’re Guessing

Strategy without DNA is guesswork. You can build funnels, campaigns, content calendars, and customer journeys – but if your brand doesn’t know what it stands for, it’s all surface level, with no depth or direction. A strong Brand DNA helps you:

👉 Position with purpose – You're not just shouting into the void hoping something sticks. You’re staking a claim in your space with confidence. Your DNA tells you where you fit, what you stand for, and what you don’t – so you stop blending in and start being the one people remember. We always say to people - know what you are, own your sh*t, and lean into it.

👉 Differentiate consistently – Forget trends. Forget what the competition’s doing. When you build from your DNA, you’re not reacting – you’re leading. Your tone, visuals, behaviour – it all comes from a place that’s uniquely yours. That’s how you stand out without trying too hard.

👉 Build culture from the inside out – This is big. A brand without internal alignment is a mess waiting to happen. With strong DNA, your team knows what they’re part of. It shapes hiring, training, decisions, behaviour. When your internal brand matches the external one? That’s when people trust you. That’s when culture becomes real.

👉Create cohesion across every move – DNA becomes your filter. Whether you're launching a new product, rethinking a campaign, or hiring a new head of ops – your brand DNA keeps everyone aligned. Just one clear voice, one consistent direction.

This is what separates brands that grow with integrity from the ones that burn out fast. The ones with staying power know who they are.

What Happens When You Skip It

Let’s give you an example. Let’s say you’ve got a brand new identity and a beautiful website. Sounds great right? Well it doesn’t work if your content’s all over the place or your social media sounds like a different person every day.

That’s what happens when you don’t anchor your brand in DNA. You shape-shift to fit the room. You end up confused, forgettable, and untrustworthy.

And your audience? They know it - they can sense the inconsistency. And let’s be honest - if your brand doesn’t know itself, why should anyone else care?

How co&co Builds Brand DNA

We get under the skin of your brand and build a brand strategy with substance. Here’s how:

1. Strategy Workshops

We kick things off with proper face-time (virtual or IRL, take your pick). These are honest workshops that get to the guts of your brand. We ask the right questions, challenge the fluff, and don’t stop until we’ve surfaced what really matters.

2. Competitor Research That Doesn’t Just Look Sideways

We deep-dive into your space – and beyond it. Yes, we analyse the usual suspects in your sector, but we also look at brands outside your category that are winning with your audience. This gives us real insight into what’s cutting through – and how your brand can land harder from day one.

3. Values & Voice That Actually Mean Something

We help you define what you stand for, how you say it and where you say it. From tone of voice to core values, we create a brand language that’s distinct, consistent, and feels human. Just a clear voice and messaging rules your whole team can get behind.

​​4. Visual Assets With Brains Behind the Beauty

Your visual identity doesn’t exist in isolation – it’s a reflection of your brand’s DNA. Every logo, colour choice, and font style should tie back to who you are and what you stand for. We develop logos, brand markers, typography and supporting assets that tie directly into your brand strategy.

5. A Living, Breathing Brand Blueprint

We create a Brand DNA template that becomes the reference point for everything – your campaigns, your content, your culture. You can use it daily and grow from it consistently.

Why Skipping Brand DNA isn’t an option

Skipping Brand DNA is like skipping the foundations of a house. It might look good on the outside, but it’s one storm away from falling apart.

When your Brand DNA’s locked in, you get:

• Consistency – across every channel, platform, and person on your team. Everything feels like it came from the same brain.
  
  

• Clarity – no mixed messages, no fluff. Just sharp, clear communication that hits.
  
  

• Connection – because your audience isn’t just buying your product, they’re buying into your point of view.
  
  

Still think you can wing it? Let’s talk PrettyLittleThing (PLT).

PLT built an empire selling fast fashion to a hyper-engaged Gen Z audience. Cheap, trend-led pieces, relentless influencer campaigns, and a brand voice that knew exactly who it was speaking to. But here’s where it went sideways: the brand started dabbling in “sustainable edits” and inclusive messaging – while still pushing £5 dresses, zero transparency on labour practices, and throwing influencer events that screamed excess.

It was a mismatch. One minute they’re talking sustainability, the next they’re flying influencers to Dubai to party in polyester. And consumers noticed. The same Gen Z audience they’d won over with fast fashion turned around and called bullsh*t on the sudden values glow-up. The result? Confused customers. Damaged trust. And a brand stuck between its roots and a rebrand it hadn’t fully earned.

Now they’re trying to claw it back with a new look and higher price tags. But design can’t hide disconnect. The backlash has been loud – and fair. People are questioning the move, not just because it feels surface-level, but because the fundamentals haven’t changed. The quality’s the same. The messaging’s muddled. And the shift away from size inclusivity and accessible price points has left their original audience feeling sidelined.

The lesson? Don’t rely on aesthetics to clean up a messy truth. If your Brand DNA isn’t real and rooted, people will see straight through you and this is often why a lot of brand strategies fail. Brand DNA keeps your story straight. It makes sure what you say matches what you show.

Final Word? You Can’t Fake Foundations.

If you want to build a brand that lasts – the kind that moves markets, earns loyalty, and doesn’t fall apart the second sh*t gets tough – you need to start with a brand strategy.

There are already too many brands out there faking it. Saying one thing, doing another. Looking great but standing for nothing. The ones who cut corners on DNA always end up paying for it. Don’t be PLT. Don’t rely on aesthetics to fix what’s broken underneath. Build something with substance.

The brands built on truth – not trends – are the ones people stick with. Know who you are. Say it loud. Back it up. That’s how you win.

So if you’re ready to ditch the guesswork, cut through the noise, and build a brand that actually f*cking means something – we’re here for it.

Let’s work together.