Service Branding Designing for distinction Abstract: Designing human-centric is a wonderful thing, but leads in similar situation to similar results. However, especially large scale services need to be distinct to stick out in the competitor field. This presentation features a framework and applied case studies on Service Branding – how to create a signature experience through the process of combining service design and branding – leaving customers with a unique story they can experience first-hand. Innovation: Uniting two different fields that are closely related but yet in practical terms are rarely collaborating: The field of marketing communication and branding with a need for image, differentiation and preference („shaping expectation“), and the field of service design and human centered design with a need for utility, usefulness and desirability („shaping experiences“). In this unique combination, Service Design and its methods become even more relevant in a broader business context.

1. vService Branding:
Designing for Distinction
Christian Vatter | Rlevance Consulting

2. – Commercial Psychologist & Brand Expert
– Founder of Rlevance, a human centered
business consultancy
– Goal: Balancing business & user needs
for the benefit of both
A few words about me
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How to brand a service?

4. Human Centered Design is a great thing…
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…it helps to provide better ways of serving needs…

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…it makes things easier…

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…and it makes things more fun

8. Designing human centered results
in solutions that »work« for people.
8
But let‘s look a bit more into the details
when designing human centered.

9. Creating a solution for a given situation
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→ ideal solution for [person × situation]
Situation
Needs Goals Capabilities Restrictions

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Taking humans as primary measure doesn‘t come without downsides
ideal solution
for [person × situation]
task:
designing for a
commercial situation
similar solutions for
competing brands
HCD
Brand A = Brand B = Brand C

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Resulting in experiences that do not distinguish from each other
Source: Rupert Platz, http://de.slideshare.net/r000pert/why-youre-a-brand-shaper-knowingly-or-not-and-what-you-can-do-about-it?

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Especially important for large-scale services offers, you do not want the
same experience as your competitor

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Yet differentiation is necessary as today‘s customers face an abundance of
commercial choices

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When creating service experiences, it is not
enough to design for human centeredness.
To ensure economic survival, it is vital
to design for distinction.

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Designing for distinction

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There is one tool that specializes on that…

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A brand is a what people think and feel about
a product, service, or organization.

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Branding means designing for the cognitive world of thoughts,
attitudes & emotions, not for usage in specific situations

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In the long run branding inspires an emotional bond through relevant
meaning

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Branding facilitates perception

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Branding enables understanding
care

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Branding makes offers attractive

24. »Fueling a life full of daring«
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This meaning is packaged as »brand idea« which guides the building of a
brand

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Creating brands, the very simple version
implementationstrategyresearch
find relevant aspects
looking at customers,
offer, competitors
focus aspects
on a crystal clear
brand idea
attractive,
differentiating authentic
deliver the brand idea
consistently
across touchpoints
& time

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»Fueling a life full of daring« consistently delivered

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What are the mechanics of how a brand
can deliver its idea?

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How can brands deliver their idea?
hearing about it
non-direct, second-hand information
seeing it
direct, first-hand information, static
using it
direct, first-hand information, responsive
»I heard about John«
»I‘ve talked to John, now I know what he is like«
»I‘ve seen John, I know who he is«

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Service brands can focus on options that product brands hardly use:
The service experience
hearing about it
seeing it
using it
Product Brand Service Brand
hearing about it
seeing it
using itexperience branding
communication
branding

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Service Branding =
Experience Branding

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How to brand service experiences

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Using the brand idea to »speak to people« through situations of product/
service usage
Situation A
Brand Idea
Situation B
Situation C
Situation D

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In addition to translating the brand idea as usual into messages and
appearance, we translate it additionally into distinct…
micro services
action/reaction
behavior
features
SITUATION
Goal: to evoke desired thoughts and emotions
according to the meaning of the brand

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Designing for distinction: Human Centered Design combined with branding
improved solution
for [person × situation],task: designing for a
commercial situation
Improved offer
providing a distinct
experience to
competing offers
„way“ of improvement
according to brand idea
HCD
Branding

35. Service Branding Framework:
Creating value for the user
Using human centered design
methods to improve customer
situation
Building a distinct brand
Making these improvements
expressions of the brand idea
+
Giving value to customers while building brands

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Example: Experience Branding for airlines

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Study Brand Experience Airlines
– Airlines want to be brands, but only distinguish via design and communication,
the experience they provide are more or less the same
– Conducted an ethnographic study of 8 European airlines: experience journey,
pain points, brand perception
– Created service branding ideas for Lufthansa & easyJet

38. 38TV commercial Lufthansa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Aod5md6Ato

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TV commercial easyJet 2013
TV commercial easyJet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2cbLjab_FM

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Two very different brand positionings
Bringing German reliability
and precision into air-travel*
*) from interviews and communication analysis
Everyone can enjoy
time away affordably*

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Insight and brand idea
Creating value for the user
An air-trip is a complex process
full of uncertainties. For most
travelers, predictability and being
in the know helps a lot.
The brand idea
+ Bringing German reliability and
precision into air-travel

42. Opportunity to create value
There is a trade-off between not wanting to wait too long at the
airport and not wanting to miss your flight. This dilemma is a source of
stress.

43. Idea
To take away the feeling of insecurity, Lufthansa helps with the Travel
Companion: An app that provides necessary information. It also
shows how long it takes to airport with different modes of transport.

44. Opportunity to create value
Settling in your seat is when you have finally made it after all the stop
and go, and the journey is about to begin. This is a very sensitive
moment.

45. Idea
Lufthansa celebrates this with a new ritual, a very simple printed
schedule of the services planned – taking away uncertainty, as many
people like to sleep, but do not want to miss food and drinks.

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Insight and brand idea
Creating value for the user The brand idea
Everyone can enjoy
time away affordably+Any air trip offers the opportunity
to do exciting things, meet
friends and enjoy your time away.

47. Opportunity to create value
People are often looking for getaways, and not necessarily need to
travel to a certain destination. Also, it is more about activities and
weather than a specific destination. This is why they are flexible with
dates but have a fixed budget.

48. Idea
easyJet provides the Trip Alert: Users define certain criteria, including
a price point. When all criteria are matched, the user is notified about
his ideal trip, providing the feeling of great value.

49. Opportunity to create value
An air-flight is about the things you do at the destination. For private
travelers this is meeting people and doing great things. Although
planning is fun most find the time for it only in the plane.

50. Idea
The easyJet Trip Planner finds friends at the destina-tion through
Facebook. It is also a bookmarking tool for activities, restaurants etc. at
the destination. It increases the joy when looking forward to the trip.

51. Idea
The easyJet Trip Planner works in offline mode, so people can finally
plan the trip in the plane, matching people and activities and create
an itinerary. This way, easyJet increases the enjoyment of the trip.

52. Through Service Branding two very different stories delivered
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an enjoyable time
away, affordably
German reliability and
precision

53. More Service Branding projects by Rlevance
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54. Summary
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55. Service Branding Framework:
Creating value for the user
Using human centered design
methods to improve customer
situation
Building a distinct brand
Making these improvements
expressions of the brand idea
+
Giving value to customers while building brands

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With Service Branding we create value for users
and also for our clients – delivering a sustainable result
User
needs
Business
needs

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making companies relevant for people
Christian Vatter, cv@rlevance.com
www.rlevance.com
all intellectual property rights reserved
Illustrators Icons (Nounproject): Herbert Spencer / Stefan Kovac / Ates Evren Aydinel / Creative Stall / Francielly Costantin Senra / DKHN / Inn Style