GoTo.

Branding framework

GoTo Brand Compass™

Four bearings that keep a brand honest.
Category
Branding
Components
4
Applied in
Higher Education, Corporate Organisations, Small and Medium Enterprises
Status
Proprietary, trade marked
01What it is for

Purpose

North: purpose, mission, vision. East: customers, markets, positioning. South: identity, messaging, visual system. West: experience, culture, reputation.

The problem it solves

Brand work usually begins and ends at the southern bearing, the visual system. A new identity applied to an unchanged experience is an expensive way to raise expectations you cannot meet.

02Structure

How the framework is arranged.

NorthPurpose, mission, visionEastCustomers, markets, positioningSouthIdentity, messaging, visual systemWestExperience, culture, reputation
GoTo Brand Compass™ — 4 components. Full text below.
  1. 01
    NorthPurpose, mission, vision
  2. 02
    EastCustomers, markets, positioning
  3. 03
    SouthIdentity, messaging, visual system
  4. 04
    WestExperience, culture, reputation
03Methodology

How it is applied in an engagement.

  1. 01
    Each bearing is assessed before any design work begins.
  2. 02
    Positioning is written as a claim a competitor could not also make.
  3. 03
    The messaging framework is tested against the audiences it must actually reach.
  4. 04
    The visual system is specified with usage guidelines, not delivered as files alone.
04In practice

Where it is used, and what it produces.

Applications

  • Rebrands, brand architecture decisions, employer branding.
  • Merged or restructured institutions with competing internal identities.
  • Organisations whose reputation and self-description have drifted apart.

Expected outcomes

  • Positioning a sales or admissions team can repeat without a document in front of them.
  • A brand system with usage guidelines that survive staff turnover.
  • A stated gap between the promised and the delivered experience, with an owner.
05Related

Services and industries where this framework applies.

Licensing
From year four the intention is to license GoTo360™, IMPACT™, AI Navigator™ and the other frameworks to organisations and consultants. Enquiries about licensing are welcome now.
All frameworks
GoTo360™GoTo IMPACT™GoTo AI Navigator™GoTo Digital Blueprint™GoTo Growth Engine™

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