Three-Hour Brand Sprint Template

A brand sprint is a collaborative workshop or meeting, typically lasting a few hours or days, aimed at defining or refining key elements of a brand strategy. It involves intensive activities and exercises to align team members, explore the brand's essence, define its positioning, clarify its values, and outline its visual and verbal identity. The goal of a brand sprint is to accelerate the brand development process and gain clarity on key brand components in a focused and efficient manner.

Why use a brand sprint template?

Using a brand sprint template provides a structured framework and guidance for conducting a brand sprint effectively. It ensures that essential activities, discussions, and decisions are captured and organized in a cohesive manner. The template helps teams stay focused, saves time, and facilitates collaboration, allowing for consistent documentation of key brand elements. It also serves as a valuable reference tool for future brand-related initiatives and helps maintain alignment among team members and stakeholders throughout the brand development process.

How to run a Three-Hour Brand Sprint

Running a three-hour sprint isn’t simple. However, anyone can help with the prep work and be a facilitator. You should aim for two to six people including your CEO. The co-founder, product, or marketing head should be in the meeting. Make someone the decider and find 1-2 more facilitators to help the one leading the sprint.

Select the template and follow the steps below:

1. Have each participant write down their 20-year roadmap and invite everyone to share it. They don’t have to be exact, but it will get people thinking.
2. The what, how, and why the framework is three concentric circles. The outside circle is what, the middle is where, and the inside is why. Go around the room and ask everyone to answer the questions: What does your company do? How do you do it? Why?
3. Write down your company’s top three values and rank the decision-making principles that matter to you.
4. List your top three audiences and have everyone write their answers and share them.
5. Now, think about your brand’s attributes and position your company’s attributes between brand extremes such as Elite, Friendly, and Authority.
6. Analyze your competitive landscape. Ask your team these questions: What can you do differently? What other organizations are in your space? What are they doing right?

Where did the brand sprint originate?

The brand sprint gained popularity through its adoption by the Google Ventures team and was extensively documented by Jake Knapp in his book Sprint. It incorporates ideas from notable sources like Steve Jobs' 1997 internal meeting at Apple, Stewart Butterfield's essay "We Don't Sell Saddles Here," and Simon Sinek's TED talk "How Great Leaders Inspire Action."

If you're interested in delving into the practical aspects of running a brand sprint, you can explore FigJam's experience of conducting a brand sprint with a remote team during their rebranding process.

How do you define brand strategy?

Brand strategy refers to the long-term plan and actions taken to develop a brand's identity, positioning, and competitive advantage in order to resonate with target audiences and achieve business objectives. It encompasses defining brand values, messaging, visual elements, target audience segmentation, and the overall brand experience. The purpose of brand strategy is to differentiate the brand from competitors, establish a strong brand presence, and build meaningful connections with customers.

How do I know my brand personality?

To determine your brand personality, consider your brand's values, voice, and target audience. Assess how you want your brand to be perceived and the emotions you want to evoke. Conduct market research, gather feedback, and analyze customer interactions to align your brand personality with your desired image.

When should you run a brand sprint?

A brand sprint is typically conducted when a business wants to define or refine its brand strategy in a short and intensive timeframe. It is beneficial when launching a new brand, repositioning an existing brand, or experiencing a shift in business direction. Additionally, brand sprints are effective when there is a need for rapid decision-making, aligning internal stakeholders, or addressing specific brand challenges or opportunities.