Value. It's one of those buzzwords much cherished in the business world. But whilst the importance of delivering value is universally recognized, too little consideration is given to the true meaning of the word.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines value as:

"The regard that something is held to deserve; importance or worth"

In other words, it's a perception - an intangible, shifting, complex concept that is defined not by the provider, but by the recipient. Put more simply, value is not what a business puts in, but what a customer gets out.

This creates an inevitable challenge for businesses. How can we keep everyone happy in a marketplace where the meaning of value changes from one customer to the next? Differences in taste, knowledge, attitude, culture, experience, buying power and ability to pay all influence an individual's perception of value. And yet, adding value to your product or service is now more important than ever to ensure you gain that crucial advantage in an increasingly competitive and demanding marketplace.

Therefore, it is vital for any organisation to understand where value is added at each and every point of the customer experience. Value is influenced by the way we treat customers, how we respond to them, what we say to them and how they judge our qualities, as well as products and prices. It is widely acknowledged that loyalty and profits are strongly linked to customer value, and that loyalty is only given when superior value is offered.

It is only by understanding your brand, the marketplace, consumers and the components that make your product or service unique and desirable that real value can be added. One of the greatest challenges we face in marketing is identifying and tracking the value drivers for different types of customers or segments.

Adding Customer Value by Design

Design is one of many areas where superior value can be added. Whether it's the design of a trademark, sales literature, an exhibition stand, an office interior or product packaging. It's an essential part of the value process. Design is one of the more obvious elements that consumers relate to, quite often more than anything else. Essentially this is because a brand identity acts as shorthand to communicating the key messages of a product or service. It helps consumers make informed and quicker choices when more often than not there is too much to choose from.

The value of excellent design is clearly demonstrated on every supermarket shelf. Consumers regularly make split-second purchasing decisions based purely on the brand image portrayed through packaging design. It's about buying into a lifestyle, a standard of living, a set of values.  

Welsh organic food producer Calon Wen recognised the potential value of strengthening their brand image through design. To position their brand as the leading provider of organic food products in Wales, a complete brand overhaul was required. Following in-depth research, a full brand review was undertaken, using our unique Brand Blueprint process, which enabled us to identify how and where design could add value to the business by adding value to the customer experience.

The brand was re-launched with new packaging, advertising materials, promotional products and website. The results are inspirational. The brand is now able to compete successfully in a previously inaccessible marketplace and is a shining example of adding demonstrable customer value through design.

Adding true customer value to your business can be an exciting challenge and can bring significant rewards.

Our processes for adding value to brands have proved highly effective for many organisations. If you would like to get to know us better and discuss how we can add value to your brand, call us on 029 2035 3940 or email james@stillsdesign.com

James Horsham MBA FCIM