The Contrast gap
Contrast is one of the 6 gaps of ACM Framework. It compares the “Does” perspective with “Expects” and answers the question “How different is the behaviour?”. It is calculated as the distance between the two profiles across 12 archetypes, and the target is a band, not zero. The thresholds come from the published instrument.
How it is calculated
From the instrument · ACM 1.12 · 18.10.2026 · DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22926708 · proposed translation
- The pair: Does ↔ Expects.
- The distance: the sum of the absolute differences across the 12 archetypes, divided by two (0–100).
- The target: within the band 20 ± 15 (between 5 and 35): below it the brand is too conform, above it the brand departs far from the norm.
- Weight in the index: 15%; the index is reported only at tier 3.
- Appears from tier 3 (“Full diagnosis”).
Which diagnosis it feeds into
From the instrument · ACM 1.12 · 18.10.2026 · DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22926708 · proposed translation
It feeds the position relative to the norm, together with Boldness: their average says whether the brand is too conform, in zone or distinct.
How to read it
Platform material · not part of the published instrument
Here zero is not the target: a brand identical to the category norm is easy to replace. Too far from the norm, the brand risks no longer being recognised within the category. See also the archetypes.
The method and the author
Platform material · not part of the published instrument
All the reference pages describe the same method: how ACM Framework measures a brand’s coherence. The terms are explained in the glossary. The instrument is openly published, with DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22926708, by Dumitru Talmazan.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Contrast gap compare?
The “Does” perspective with “Expects”: How different is the behaviour?
When is the Contrast gap large?
When it falls outside the 5–35 band, below or above it.