Why Brand Is Not Just Your Logo: The Layers of Brand Value
How to think beyond visuals to build something that lasts.
In my early days managing brand strategy, I often heard my brand peers utter two phrases: "They just don't understand branding," and "That's not really brand strategy." What struck me was that these comments weren't aimed at outsiders—they were said about other seasoned marketers. Too often, my marketing peers looked to a quick logo refresh or a new product name as the solution to lagging sales or deeper challenges with positioning, pricing, or customer perception.
As Lindsey Pedersen writes in Ironclad Brand:
"Logo is part of a brand, TV and social media are parts of a brand. Naming, your product, your customer experience, your SEO tactics are as well... But none of those are, by themselves, the brand."
That insight completely re-shaped how I saw brand and my role as a brand manager. My job wasn't just to develop brand strategy—it was to navigate a complex ecosystem of marketing needs, all of which pointed to "the brand" as the fix. But brand strategy is more than a name or logo; it's a foundational part of a company's entire marketing ecosystem.
In this article, I'll unpack the seven layers of brand value—and explain why branding isn't a finishing touch, but a strategic lever that should be considered at the very beginning of the marketing cycle. Or, as Trey Robinson put it in Forbes: "A good brand, especially when used as an asset throughout the entire business, has the power to build loyalty that no cool logo or great deal ever could."
Understanding Brand as Customer Perception
Ask a room full of seasoned marketing professionals what a brand is, and chances are you'll get a variety of responses. The frustrating—and fascinating—thing is that they're all, in part, correct. That's what makes brand such a challenging and exciting field: it lives at the intersection of creativity and strategy, where shaping customer perception has a direct impact on a company's ability to connect with people and achieve sustained growth.
At its core, brand is customer perception. It's what your customers think and feel about your company. It's the impression left by their last interaction with your frontline staff. It's the number of clicks it took to complete a purchase. It's the emotion sparked when they see your logo or read your tagline. A brand is the sum-total of these micro-experiences, culminating in the moment a prospective buyer decides to trust your product or service and become a customer.
Marty Neumeier captured this beautifully in The Brand Gap: "A brand is a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or company. It's a GUT FEELING because we're all emotional, intuitive beings, despite our best efforts to be rational. It's a person's gut feeling, because in the end the brand is defined by individuals, not by companies, markets, or the so-called general public. Each person creates his or her own version of it."
In marketing, the general term we use for brand perception is Consumer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE)—a way of measuring the overall value and health of a brand. This framework helps us understand that while brand is indeed a gut feeling, it's one we can observe, evaluate, and even influence over time through strategic choices across multiple interconnected layers. I mention this as a reminder that while brand is indeed a gut feeling, it’s one we can observe, evaluate, and even influence over time.
Understanding brand as both an emotional and measurable entity sets the stage for exploring the deeper layers of brand value—where perception evolves into lasting equity.
The 7 Layers of Brand Value Framework
The following framework shows how brand value builds from internal foundation to external perception. Each layer influences and reinforces the others—when aligned, they create powerful brand equity; when misaligned, they undermine each other and confuse your audience.
1. Core Values & Purpose (Foundation)
At the foundation of every brand lies a mission and a set of values. These internal commitments act as the compass for how customers, partners, and employees perceive a company. A strong brand reflects those values consistently, answering the core question: "Is this on brand?"
Strategic Question: Does my brand authentically reflect my company's values? If I asked customers, employees, and partners what values my brand represents, would their answers align with my intent?
Success Indicators: Employee alignment scores above 80%, consistent brand behavior across departments, clear value-based decision making.
2. Brand Promise (Positioning)
A brand promise is the unique value proposition a company makes to its audience—the one thing it does better or differently than anyone else. It positions the company as a differentiated problem-solver, capable of delivering something others cannot.
Strategic Question: Does my brand clearly communicate the promise of my company's value proposition in a meaningful way?
Success Indicators: Customers can articulate your unique value in their own words, 80%+ message recall in brand awareness studies, clear competitive differentiation.
3. Messaging & Narrative (Communication)
Brand storytelling brings the promise and values to life. Every word choice, tone, and structure contribute to how the brand "looks" in the mind's eye of the audience. Great messaging doesn't just describe a brand—it creates an emotional and intellectual connection.
Strategic Question: Does my brand's storytelling build the right narrative? Am I using language that reinforces the perception I want customers to take away after every interaction?
Success Indicators: Consistent voice across all channels, 90%+ brand recognition in blind message testing, emotional connection scores trending upward.
4. Visual Identity (Expression)
Logos, colors, typography, photography, and other visual assets translate the brand personality into design. These elements should align with messaging and reinforce both the promise and the narrative, creating a cohesive picture across all touchpoints.
Strategic Questions: Does my brand's visual identity support its messaging, promise, and values? Do tone, voice, and visuals work together to tell the same story?
Success Indicators: Brand guideline compliance above 85%, visual recognition without logo present, consistent aesthetic across all materials.
5. Experience & Touchpoints (Delivery)
A brand isn't just experienced through campaigns—it's shaped by every interaction. Whether it's a frontline employee, a digital chat, or an influencer's post, each touchpoint builds (or erodes) perception. Thoughtful selection and design of these moments are critical to brand success.
Strategic Question: Are the channels and experiences where my brand shows up the right ones to reach my audience—and do they reinforce the narrative I want to tell?
Success Indicators: Customer satisfaction scores above 80%, consistent experience ratings across touchpoints, positive sentiment trending upward.
6. Perception & Reputation (Market Reality)
Brands live in the minds of audiences, so measurement matters. Tools like brand awareness surveys and consumer-based brand equity frameworks help capture whether the brand is resonating as intended. Tracking perception over time ensures strategy can adapt when needed.
Strategic Question: How frequently should I measure awareness and equity to understand whether my brand is performing as intended with my target audience?
Success Indicators: Quarterly brand health tracking shows upward trends, competitive brand preference gains, positive earned media sentiment above 70%.
7. Internal Brand & Employee Culture (Living the Brand)
A brand isn't just external—it's also lived daily by employees and stakeholders. Their connection to the mission and values drives authenticity and alignment. Inviting employees into the brand journey strengthens both culture and external credibility.
Strategic Question: Will employees be excited and motivated by this brand direction? If not, why—and what needs to change?
Success Indicators: Employee net promoter scores above 50, brand ambassador participation above 60%, cultural alignment with brand values.
How the Layers Work Together
Consider this example: A software company promises "effortless automation" (Layer 2) but has a complex, confusing user interface (Layer 5). This misalignment undermines the brand promise, creates negative customer experiences, and ultimately damages perception (Layer 6). Even a perfectly designed visual identity (Layer 4) can't overcome this fundamental disconnect.
Conversely, when layers align, they amplify each other. Patagonia's environmental values (Layer 1) inform their "Don't Buy This Jacket" messaging (Layer 3), which is supported by their rugged, outdoors-focused visual identity (Layer 4) and delivered through experiences like their Worn Wear program (Layer 5). This alignment creates a powerful, authentic brand that customers trust and pay premium prices for.
The Brand-Pricing Connection
One additional dimension worth considering is pricing strategy. Research increasingly shows that brand perception and experience directly influence value-based pricing and shape the boundaries of a customer's willingness to pay. Brands with strong equity across all seven layers can command premium pricing because customers perceive higher value.
While brand teams may not own pricing strategy outright, having brand representation in pricing discussions ensures decisions reflect customer perceptions of value—capturing the premium that strong brand equity creates, or accounting for the discount that weak brand equity demands.
Taking Action
My goal with this framework is to help Marketers, Founders, and C-suite leaders recognize the impact brand has on business outcomes and to make brand a foundational part of marketing and growth strategy. Companies that integrate brand across these seven layers often see stronger financial performance, higher awareness, and more resilient equity metrics.
Your next steps:
Complete a quick assessment: Rate your company 1-10 on each layer (use the free diagnostic found in the services section)
Identify your lowest scores—these are your priority areas
Use the strategic questions to dig deeper into root causes
Work with Jasper at Vallenwood to develop your Marketing Tune-Up plan (see the prioritization guide below for a preview of what that looks like)
If your company isn't there yet—don't worry. It's never too late to start. At Vallenwood Consulting, I offer a 7-Layers of Brand Diagnostic designed to evaluate your branding needs—whether that's a holistic review of all seven layers or a deep dive into a single priority area. In my experience, the greatest gains in growth and value come when brand is fully integrated into marketing strategy, helping to drive every marketing motion forward. Here is a quick roadmap of what a final plan might look like to give you an idea of how we can optimize your brand, pricing and overall marketing strategy together.
Where to Start: A Prioritization Guide
Immediate Priority (Next 90 Days): We will craft a plan focusing on layers 1, 2, and 5
Clarify core values and ensure leadership alignment
Define brand promise clearly
Audit key customer touchpoints for consistency
Evaluate brand value impact to customer willingness to pay
Next Phase (6-12 Months): We then look to add layers 3, 4, and 7 over time
Develop cohesive messaging that supports the brand promise
Align visual identity with the new/updated brand narrative
Build internal brand adoption programs
Ongoing Management: Layer 6
Establish quarterly brand health measurement
Track perception shifts and competitive positioning
Adjust strategy based on market feedback
Quick Reference: The 7 Layers Checklist
□ Core Values & Purpose: Clear, authentic, lived by organization
□ Brand Promise: Unique, defendable, clearly communicated
□ Messaging & Narrative: Consistent, compelling, emotionally resonant
□ Visual Identity: Aligned with values and message, professionally executed
□ Experience & Touchpoints: Seamless, on-brand, customer-centric
□ Perception & Reputation: Measured regularly, trending positively
□ Internal Brand: Employee-embraced, culturally integrated