Proprietary assets

These are valuable resources and capabilities that give a brand or product a strong competitive advantage. They can provide credibility and establish trust. For example, owning a patent that provides strong evidence of expertise.

• Intellectual Property (IP) - This includes aspects like trademarks, copywritten material and patents.

• Digital assets - This includes aspects like unique content, domain names and proprietary software.

• Relationships - This includes aspects like supplier and distributor relationships that cannot be copied.

• Brand elements - This includes aspects like colour palettes, characters and jingles.

• Proprietary processes - For example, you have optimised processes for delivering physical goods or providing personalised customer support.

You should identify these assets and store them centrally. You can then review them to ensure they are properly protected and have no unauthorised usage.

Marketing your assets

Assets can be utilised in marketing messaging. They can be used to demonstrate differentiators and provide a competitive advantage. The process below helps you identify how well you are using these.

• Start by listing your assets.

• Map these on the grid to determine which are most valuable and which are underutilised.

• Make a note of those that could be improved, starting with major differentiators that are barely mentioned on the grid.