If creativity and design is the process of exploring and articulating the product, then what is the product?

The product is the identity, not to be confused with the narrower definition of the ‘corporate identity’. An identity is the, perceived sum of all characteristics making an experience identifiable and recognizable across platforms and situations. The object itself is only one part of this identity, which is the accumulation of a range of languages, from material to shape and consistency, from story and values to product experience.

An identity is unique and identifiable. It is designed with great craftsmanship. It is the collective language of all signifiers of an object, the sum of its parts, both form and visual language. It is the articulated answer based on the strategic insight, customer empathy, promise and value offering.

Essential to building, promoting and sustaining a valuable identity is understanding its relation to the other levels in the communications pyramid: the hierarchical structure positioning the four cornerstones of product communication in relation to each other and their role.

At the top of the pyramid is advertising. Loud, obvious messaging designed to acquire the attention of the receiver and inform them of availability, price or establish a story relating value laden symbols already familiar to the recipient to the value-less brand (of a presumed value less product). Advertising messages are applied for a short time span and by that carry little responsibility in regards to the long-term relationship between citizens and the product (even if many advertising strategies last for a couple of years this might be nothing compared to the longevity of the product itself). Advertising has short-term goals of attention and interest and most often attempts to establish a relation between the receiver and the marketing.

I need to give a short explanation here in regards to the difference between the marketing relationship and the product relationship: People love their stuff and can develop an almost personal relationship with some of their assets; a bracelet, t-shirt, backpack, chair or any object. We call this the product relationship, the relation between people and their objects.

Every personal relationship has its own unique story connecting the person and the object. For hiking boots it can be that summer in the Alps, for bags all those trips to the gym at 6 AM. There are thousands of stories connecting objects to people in special ways, each one individual and integrated into their everyday life.

The marketing relationship is different, it is characterized by two hurdles in the relationship mindset; first of all, where the product relationship generates a hundred thousand individual stories, the marketing relationship can only tell one. Secondly, it assumes their doesn’t exist a product relationship, and wants to create a new one, by associating the “empty” object to a set of values already existing in peoples minds for something else, this is called “storytelling”.

Of the two relationships one directly connects people to the product, the real value. And one directly connects people with the marketing, the perception of value. In addition these are often two completely different sets of value. Companies end up serving both relationships, and often focus on creating the artificial one from scratch instead of understanding and expanding on the existing value proposition from the product relationship.

Right below advertising in the communications pyramid we find marketing. Marketing is the process of promoting and selling goods and services. It’s executed through individual actions, but fundamentally it’s the overall strategic program; defining, coordinating and executing on all levels of the organization. Marketing is the sum of day-to-day activities putting products to market and activating people through promotion and sales. Marketing is designed to achieve company goals and is constrained/directed by both brand and design.

On the next step we find the brand, the fundamental platform for the marketing relationship. Admitting that even if it has ambassadors and fans, this is coincidental as all products are equal (read: customers are unable to tell them apart).

There are as many definitions of what a brand is as there are brand experts, from Neumeier’s “gut feeling”, to Yakob’s “The collective perception”. One thing is for certain; brand value exists in the mind of people engaging with it – not the company itself. But still, there needs to be guidance and direction to this value. The brand strategy defines how the company should achieve the right set of values.

Branding aims at creating an advantage in a market place filled with identical products, as Helen Fischer quotes George Bernard Shaw: “Love is overestimating the difference between one woman and another”. The brand direction defines a framework and guides the rest of the company’s promotional and sales activities, but it is not fundamental, it is not the core company idea.

The fundamental idea behind the company comes from its design. From identifying how to offer value in a specific situation, to designing the product (or service), how it creates value, its unique, identifiable identity, its story, form, interaction etc. From the initial value proposition to its tangible product the design defines how it creates value, how it performs, and how it remarks itself in the marketplace.

Design in this context is not just the visualization of an engineered product; it’s the comprehensive identity of the company or product – from the ground up.

By looking at the pyramid we can identify the role of each field of communication and how it relates to the other fields. (Advertising is created on the basis of the marketing strategy, which is the consequence of the brand and design platform. The brand is an enforcer of, or supplement to, the design – or lack of design).

The identity is the sum of all parts of the pyramid, not directed by  natural one, but affecting and being affected by the processes, goals and products from each step. The challenge with unique meaningful identities is that they often tend to overlook the real value creator, the design, and end up with artificial and shallow differentiating stories based on the shorter-term communications portfolio rather then its core, fundamental value proposition.

The identity of a product should not be defined by its loud advertising, but it should shape its advertising. A task often left to branding and marketing. This creates products out of touch with its experience, sometimes missing the point and often generalizing its ambition so that it mixes with more fundamental traits and needs of human nature. (The product is important, but inside situations, not as general as contributors to peoples lives on par with friends or sleep).

About the Author

Helge Tennø is a planner at Scandinavian Design Group, Norway’s biggest design agency and a part of the McCann World Group. Helge writes an acclaimed blog 180/360/720 and regularly contributes articles and content for printed and online publications. You can read his invaluable presentations here. Helge can also be followed on Twitter — @congbo.