It’s important to consistently look for ways to think “outside the box.” It’s a good metaphor for innovative ideas and looking beyond the obvious.

However, sometimes it’s important to explore what’s inside the box to gain a better perspective on what your brand stands for. Try this exercise to make the box your friend.

Draw a box (duh).
Make a list of all the things your industry is known for. Important: Don’t think about it from your perspective. Think about it from your customers’ point of view. For example, if you’re in the banking industry, your customers probably don’t care much about total deposits or net loans. But they do think about free checking, ATM locations, and online banking.
Write each one on post-it notes and place them outside of the box. It’s usually helpful to group them into categories.
Ask yourself: Out of all of these, which 5 do you want to be known for? Really think hard about what are the top things you want people to think about your company? These 5 things comprise your Brand Foundation.
After you’ve selected your 5, choose the number one thing you want people to remember about you. Draw a box around it in the middle and place the post-it in there. That’s your desired Core Brand Positioning, similar to Volvo and Safety; Apple and Design; Disney and Family.
Now, the fun part (which is also the most difficult). Ask yourself: Does your company really offer the best in each of the components in your Brand Foundation? For example, if you want to be known for your online banking, do you truly have a product that’s superior to your competition? If you don’t, you may want to reconsider if that should be in your top 5 or if you’re willing to invest in improving it, so it is superior.

All of your marketing tactics should be communicating your Core Brand Positioning in some way. And you may have different campaigns and tactics to promote your other Brand Foundation elements. All the other things outside the box simply distracts your communications.

Embrace the box. It can be your friend.