
Industry:
Life science
Task:
Building a strong product brand
Process:
Workshop
Output:
Brand manual, sales guide
Year:
2015
Launching a strong
product brand
Want a shortcut to product success? Make sure your brand is completely integrated into your product well before launch.
Aware that branding is not an annex to sales but an integral part, our client approached us with a wish to create a full communication suite for an innovative, new product. As the ambition was to take on the biggest competitors, the new product had to hit the ground running. This required complete integration of R&D, product management, branding, marketing, and sales – a core offering of Leanius.
When setting out to align different interests, asking questions is key. We used the 5W process to this end. 5W asks five questions central to lean and effective communication:
01 | What drives us? |
02 | What’s the soul of our product? |
03 | What are the triggers of our market? |
04 | When do we shine? |
05 | What makes the magic happen? |
In a workshop setting, this means asking participants to answer the question as if they were at the center of the universe. Since the purpose is to unite different, very personal interests, this inside-out approach is required.


The 5W process
01
What drives us
● | introduce yourself and your responsibilities |
● | list three things about your workplace that make you happy |
● | present three projects you’re particularly proud of |
● | explain your interest in the product and what makes you tick |
● | present and explain your success criterias and wishes for the product |
02
What’s the soul of our product?
● | present features of new product |
● | describe new product compared to previous product generations |
03
What are the triggers of our market?
● | define and profile stakeholders |
● | identify stakeholder wants, needs, and wishes |
● | identify must-haves, nice-to-haves, and deal breakers |
04
When do we shine?
● | compile gross list of product selling points |
● | identify unique selling points (compared to competition) |
● | rate USPs on a 10 point scale based on stakeholder preferences |
● | select top scorers |
05
What makes the magic happen?
● | produce positioning statement |
● | pen key messages for top USPs |
● | construct brand story around company identity, product USPs, and stakeholder demand |
With R&D, product management, branding, marketing, and sales in sync, and a complete communication package in place, the new product was launched with great success quickly establishing itself as a power brand.