Business success through brand strategy
A guide to envisioning, organizing, and setting the stage for brand communication success.
The success of a strong and secure brand begins with the focused creation of it’s foundation. Built as a complex system of interworking parts, the process of building it is organized but not sequential. Each part strengthens the other parts so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Below is an abbreviated outline of the process I’ve refined over the past two decades and used successfully across a variety of companies and organizations.
Here to There.
The pathway to the brand of the future.
The brand strategy process is a comprehensive and strategic approach to define, build, and manage the brand foundation. It typically begins with a thorough analysis of the market, target audience, and competitive landscape. Through this research, crucial insights reveals opportunities to establish clear brand positioning, including the brand's unique value proposition and differentiators. Following this, a brand architecture is developed, outlining the relationships between various products or sub-brands within the overall brand portfolio. Once the foundation is set, the brand strategy encompasses the creation of brand messaging, visual elements, and a consistent brand experience across different touchpoints. Ongoing stewardship is crucial to ensure that the strategy aligns with market dynamics and organizational goals, but the brand strategy process creates a dynamic and iterative journey with the goal of cultivating a strong, unique, and long-lasting presence in the minds of consumers.
Brand Foundation.
The groundwork for clarity and strength.
Brand architecture is the thoughtful organization and structure of key elements that define and differentiate a brand. The primary components are Pillars, Traits, and Core Purpose. While the individual components are important, the way they work together to tell a compelling and clear story is where the magic happens. The result is a clear and cohesive structure that helps customers connect to the brand and gives guidance to internal teams as they represent the brand in various communications, ensuring clarity, strength, and recognition for the brand.
Mission and Vision.
Defining The Now and The Future.
Mission and Vision serve as foundational elements in guiding and inspiring an organization’s purpose and direction, with the Mission articulating the fundamental focus on a day to day. A well-crafted Mission can inspire organizational alignment and purpose.
The Vision is a reflection of ambitious hopes of the future. Describing an aspirational future state, it should be updated every time the Vision is accomplished but should also be challenging to attain. While both the Mission and Vision can respond to internal and external dynamics shifting organizational focus and goals, the Vision that often drives the Mission change.
Meet your Audience.
Identify who you want to speak to and who wants to listen.
Demographic characteristics, preferences, and behaviors, combined with psychographic elements like interests, values, and lifestyle create a clear and sophisticated understanding of the audience, enabling effective marketing strategies. By tailoring messages to the audience and customizing to specific channels, messaging will have higher levels of relevance and thus greater impact for the effort.
Messaging Matrix.
Writing a compelling story.
The Messaging Matrix is the framework that encapsulates all components of the communication strategy: brand foundation, core values, and value proposition of an organization. It includes crafting cohesive and compelling stories that resonates with the audience, conveying a brand's unique story and creating a sense of connection with the brand. The Matrix enables consistent messaging across all communication channels, including advertising, social media, and internal corporate communications. Conveying specific goals, it helps build brand awareness with clear and authentic messaging to foster a deeper connection with the audience, establishing belief and loyalty. Playing a pivotal role in shaping the perceptions of the brand and driving engagement, the Matrix is in a regular state of evolution and refinement, ensuring communication remains aligned to audience preferences and market trends.
The Visual Catalyst.
Bringing the brand to life.
The strategic use of strong visual elements helps tell a compelling story in partnership with well-written brand copywriting. Encompassing the elements that make up the overall look and feel of a brand, it’s a crucial part of the brand toolkit to build a strong and recognizable brand. Well-executed visual branding will also communicate a brand's vibe and essence, creating differentiation from competitors. It’s a powerful tool for creating a lasting and positive impression in the minds of consumers, and is often the catalyst for creating brand ambassadors.