Tending to your ecosystem
Brands are an ecosystem. This isn’t to be confused with brand ecosystems like Apple or Peloton, although those brand architectures offer a great proof of concept. No, I mean that all brands are an ecosystem, as National Geographic defines an ecosystem.
An ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscape, work together to form a bubble of life. Ecosystems contain biotic or living parts, as well as abiotic factors or nonliving parts. Biotic factors include plants, animals, and other organisms. Abiotic factors include rocks, temperature, and humidity. - National Geographic
Okay, let’s play that out. Abiotic factors set the stage for biotic factors; temperature, for instance, dictates what kind of life can exist. In the brand world, these are things like Mission, Purpose, Positioning, Values, and Behaviors—they define the environment and set the rules. From those things come the biotic elements.
Let’s extend the metaphor: a hot, arid environment means that the life that exists there has to have adaptations that enable it to survive. In a brand ecosystem, the biotic factors—products, experiences, campaigns, services—are all held to the rules of the ecosystem that things like Mission define.
If brands are an ecosystem, what does that mean? It means we have to treat them as we would any organic ecosystem.
Every factor in an ecosystem depends on every other factor, either directly or indirectly. A change in the temperature of an ecosystem will often affect what plants will grow there, for instance. Animals that depend on plants for food and shelter will have to adapt to the changes, move to another ecosystem, or perish. - National Geographic
Like in a natural ecosystem, the elements of a brand ecosystem have a symbiotic relationship. They can influence each other positively or negatively. We can foster significant growth by nurturing the ecosystem in ways that align with its world and rules. However, introducing elements that disrupt this balance can lead to brand deterioration or, at the very least, some really questionable choices.
Brands with concrete brand associations are more difficult to extend than those that were built with more abstract associations, unless those brand associations are valuable in the extension category. For example, consumers were resistant to a Crest chewing gum because they thought it would taste like toothpaste, but accepting of Vuarnet watches, wallets, and skis, as they saw the brand’s stylish associations as relevant in those diverse product categories. They rejected Froot Loops oatmeal and waffles, breakfast categories functionally close to cereal, while embracing Froot Loops lollipops, given the brand’s strong affiliation with sweet, fruity flavors for kids. - HBR, Brand Portfolio Strategy and Brand Architecture
On the other hand, when a brand like Google takes the “helpfulness” equity, it built with its search products and smartly applies it to other helpful experiences, it is a massive success.
When Google extended its brand from being a search engine to include products like Google Maps, Google Drive, Google Hangouts, Google Earth, and Google Wallet, its meaning expanded from a narrow positioning as a digital place finder to a broader positioning as a provider of digital solutions for everyday life. This expansion made the brand more valuable and opened up many new opportunities for brand extensions - - HBR, Brand Portfolio Strategy and Brand Architecture
So, how can we tend your ecosystem? Well, we can start with the abiotic pieces first. Is your mission or purpose strong enough? Sharp enough? Do you have the correct set of rules defined? Do your values have teeth?
From there, it’s ensuring that everything you do is genuinely brand-driven. Does your innovation pipeline reflect who you are and where you want to go? Do your experiences feel like natural behavior for your brand? Are your purpose-driven endeavors truly something your ecosystem cares about?
These are big questions, but they’re why Giant Kestrel exists. If you’re interested in chatting about how we can help answer these questions, send us a note.
