The Key Elements of a Winning Brand Strategy

Here’s the thing about branding that no one wants to admit: you don’t control it. Not fully. Your brand lives in people’s heads – it’s what they say about you when you’re not in the room. You can’t dictate that. But you can influence it. And that’s exactly where brand strategy steps in.

A winning brand strategy is your blueprint. The guts of your brand. It pulls together your mission, your vision, your values, your proposition, your tone of voice, your audience, your visuals, and your messaging – and makes them all point in the same damn direction.

Get it right, and you’ve got a brand that actually lands. One that builds trust, turns heads, and gets remembered. Get it wrong - or worse, skip it – and you’ll be wondering why no one’s paying attention.

Let’s break it down and show you how each element works together to build something unshakable.

Defining Brand Strategy

This question comes up a lot - what is brand strategy? And fair enough, because there’s a lot of noise out there. To put it simply, brand strategy is the plan behind how your brand shows up in the world – and more importantly, how people experience it. It’s about building trust, carving out your space in the market, and making sure every part of your brand—from your visuals to your voice – works together with purpose.

How to build a brand strategy is another thing entirely – and one that takes real thought, objectivity, and a solid understanding of your audience. Maybe you’re sitting there thinking ‘why does your business need one?’. If you’ve ever struggled to explain what you do, attract the right people, or stand out from the crowd, that’s exactly why. Brand strategy is the bit that connects the dots. And we’re about to introduce the core of it all – your Brand DNA.

Defining Your Brand DNA

Your Brand DNA is the truth of who you are. It’s the filter for every single decision, the standard you hold your team (and your business) to. Get it right, and everything else will flow like a dream. Half-ar*e it, and you’ll waste more time fixing the chaos than building a brand you love. Here’s what makes up your Brand DNA:

Mission – Why you exist

This is your purpose. The problem you solve. The change you’re here to make. Forget “we want to grow revenue” – this is about impact. What gap are you closing in the market? If your mission doesn’t make people care, it’s just a sentence on a website no one reads or connects with.

Vision – Where you’re going

Where’s the rocket heading? Your vision should be bold enough to inspire, clear enough to act on, and specific enough that people know what you stand for. What do you wanna be famous for? Your vision is the big picture that people want to be part of, even before they buy from you.

Values – How you show up

The rules your brand lives by. These aren’t empty words. If they don’t mean something behind closed doors, they’re worthless in public.

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

Tone of voice is the vibe check before the message lands. Are you punchy, playful, straight-up, or bold? It should be instantly recognisable. If your emails sound like corporate fluff but your socials are cracking jokes, you’ve got a problem.

Proposition – Why should anyone give a sh*t?

This is your edge. The thing that makes people choose you over anyone else. It’s not just what you do, but why only you can do it that way. When your proposition is clear, your messaging writes itself and the loyalty comes through.

Target Audience & Positioning: Know Exactly Who You’re Talking To

Audience Research

If your audience research stops at age and job title, you’re doing it wrong. Real insight means digging into how people live, shop, scroll, and think. What pi*ses them off. What excites them. What makes them click ‘buy’.

And when we say “research,” we’re not just lining up carbon-copy competitors and playing spot the difference. We zoom the f*ck out. We look at any brand trying to get your audience’s attention – whether it’s a fashion label, a food company, or a tech platform. Why? Because your audience doesn’t live in a tidy category box, and neither should your brand.

That’s how you uncover:

• Tired messaging that needs a rethink

• Visuals that could belong to literally anyone

• White space no one’s claiming

• Emotional angles no one’s pulling
  
  

Crafting a Strong Brand Positioning Statement

Follow this:

1. Identify core need

2. Define unique promise

3. State why it matters

4. Frame it

Now take co&co. Our positioning is simple:

No fluff. No bull. Just mega marketing.

Why does it work? Because it’s who we are. If you met anyone on the co&co team at the pub, on a pitch call, or on a random Tuesday, you’d get the same energy. We don’t flip a switch for ‘brand voice’ – this is the voice. Honest. Straight-talking. No bull, no ego.

That’s the goal with any great positioning. It shouldn’t just describe what you do – it should sound like you, feel like you, and filter out anyone who’s not the right fit.

This aligns your DNA with real-world motivations, keeping your strategy grounded. When your DNA and audience insight are locked in, you’re on your way to building a brand strategy that sticks. People remember brands that walk their talk, not ones that say one thing and do another.

Visual Identity and Messaging: Bringing Strategy to Life

Alright – now we can talk about visuals. But only now. Because until your DNA’s locked and your positioning’s sharp, anything you design carries no meaning. Branding without strategy is like dressing up with no idea where you’re going.

When your strategy’s locked in, your visuals become recognisable signals. Visual shorthand for your brand’s attitude, intent, and promise. It’s how people know it’s you before they’ve even clocked the logo.

Consistent branding performs. A Lucidpress study backs it: consistency across all platforms can bump revenue by up to 23%. Further studies even suggest you could see that 33% jump purely from staying visually consistent. Why? Because when your brand shows up the same way everywhere, people get it and they choose you.

Brand Voice & Messaging

Your brand voice is how your brand shows up in conversation. It’s the personality behind every word, every caption, every subject line. It’s the difference between sounding like a real human with something to say, or just another brand trying too hard.

Strong voice = strong presence. Something we should touch on here is – messaging pillars. These are your repeatable themes – the consistent hooks that carry your USP, proof points, and benefits wherever you show up. So this can be through tweets, billboards, Instagram posts or even emails. Bottom line is – it should sound like you. Confident. Clear. Cohesive. Every time.

Integration: Visual + Verbal

This is where it all clicks (or at least it should) but it can also be the place where everything falls apart. This is why we always say it’s worth investing in brand strategists like co&co. We know how to make both the visual and verbal come together to speak one language. Because if your design’s sh*thot but your voice sounds nothing like you, the whole brand starts to wobble. The real power comes when visuals and voice work together.

Here’s how to get there:

1. Audit every touchpoint – website, packaging, socials, emails, the lot.

2. Update your brand guidelines to include both look and voice rules.

3. Train your team and partners so the consistency doesn’t stop.

Measuring Success & Iteration

If anyone tells you ‘you can’t track this sh*t’ … they couldn’t be more wrong. Because yes – you absolutely can. And should.

Every brand move is a bet. Tracking tells you if it’s paying off. We’re not just talking about sales, either. ROI needs to be redefined for modern marketing: All sales are conversions, but not all conversions are sales. Sometimes it’s awareness. Sometimes it’s engagement. Sometimes it’s shifting how people feel about you. And guess what? That emotional shift? That’s what drives the sale later.

Here’s what to track:

• KPIs: brand awareness, recognition, engagement, sentiment, NPS

• Tools: surveys, analytics dashboards, social listening panels

• Key metrics: User-generated content, website behaviour, repeat purchase rate, sentiment trends

Your brand is a living, evolving thing. Use the data, spot the patterns, and tweak fast. That’s how good brands stay relevant – and how great ones stay ahead.

You’ve got a system: DNA, audience, identity, messaging, execution. Now take a step back and audit where your brand needs tightening. And if you’re ready to smash it, get in touch with co&co and we’ll help you get there. Let’s make your brand unstoppable.

Fancy working together?