The brand strategy Toolkit: The two-by-two matrix

One of the most beloved and often-used tools at a brand strategist’s disposal, the two-by-two matrix was initially developed by the pioneers of game theory as a way of presenting strategic alternatives.

Once you strip away all the nonsense, ‘brand strategist’ is really just a semi-fancy term to describe someone who thinks about brands for a living. Over time, those of us who practise this dark art accumulate a toolkit of instruments to help structure these thoughts: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, SWOT analysis, customer journeys, archetypes, brand equity pyramids and balanced scorecards are just the tip of the iceberg. But these tools don’t count for much if we don’t take the time to understand them and, particularly, the types of challenges they were designed to address and the limits of their usefulness....

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