Value Disciplines

In the theory of Treacy and Wiersema, there are only three dimensions, or value disciplines, in which a brand can excel:

• Product leadership: the brand creates products or services that are being perceived as being excellent in quality. Examples: Fly Emirates. German car brands.
• Operational excellence: the brand has perfected its operations and can therefore offer the products or services for the cheapest price. Examples: Ryanair. Discounter supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl.
• Customer intimacy: the brands has a strong connection to the customer, either by improving customisation and personalisation of products, or by having created a brand that customers find hip and like to associate themselves with. Examples: Apple. The hip coffee bar in your city.

Good brands excel in one of these features. Only the best manage two. Doing all three is impossible.

Exercise

Students take an existing brand (or get one assigned to them).

1. They try to analyse this brand in terms of value discipline.
   Does this brand try to be the best, the cheapest or the coolest?
   How are they positioned compared to competitors?
2. Develop a campaign or story that utilises or enhances this value discipline.
   Should the campaign look expensive and well-made, should it look easy and low-budget, or should it be very hip or personalised?