Funding, Growth & Exit Advancing the Success of Your Company John Stuppy, MBA, Ph.D. [email_address] Former president TutorVista.com E D U M E T R I X BRANDING A Secret Weapon in

Are you looking to… Raise money Attract the best employees Build your business to the best exit Grow & achieve segment leadership … for your company? Consider maximizing & leveraging your company brand to achieve your goals.

Raise money

Attract the best employees

Build your business to the best exit

Grow & achieve segment leadership

… for your company?

Consider maximizing & leveraging your

company brand to achieve your goals.

Why Brand? Lots of competition Hard for consumer to differentiate Need to attract the best employees Tough financial climate today “ 5 is the new 12” (valuation multiple) Some categories have leverage High emotion is key to branding Eg. education brands can draw support Build your brand. Improve your company’s prospects for funding , growth and exit .

Lots of competition

Hard for consumer to differentiate

Need to attract the best employees

Tough financial climate today

“ 5 is the new 12” (valuation multiple)

Some categories have leverage

High emotion is key to branding

Eg. education brands can draw support

Build your brand. Improve your company’s

prospects for funding , growth and exit .

Does Branding Work? In The NY Times article “Maybe It's Time to Rethink The Cost of College Prep” (2/28/2009) “ National companies like Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, the Princeton Review, Sylvan Learning and TutorVista.com , offer a variety of offline and online tutoring options at a wide range of prices.” As the former president of TutorVista.com, I led an inexpensive marketing and promotion campaign of news and carefully planned events to capture the hearts and minds of TV producers, top VC companies, consumers and the press. This valuable service and brand-building has made TutorVista worthy of mention in respected print and television news worldwide. TutorVista continues to be highlighted today alongside market leading companies that have been in business 35-60 years and spend $40M or more a year on advertising.

In The NY Times article “Maybe It's Time to Rethink The Cost of College Prep” (2/28/2009)

“ National companies like Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, the Princeton Review, Sylvan Learning and TutorVista.com , offer a variety of offline and online tutoring options at a wide range of prices.”

As the former president of TutorVista.com, I led an inexpensive marketing and promotion campaign of news and carefully planned events to capture the hearts and minds of TV producers, top VC companies, consumers and the press. This valuable service and brand-building has made TutorVista worthy of mention in respected print and television news worldwide.

TutorVista continues to be highlighted today alongside market leading companies that have been in business 35-60 years and spend $40M or more a year on advertising.

TutorVista.com has been featured in news & print to over 80 million people

“… every brand has a unique claim to fame – an unmatched value…find the One Thing the brand stands for at its very core and surround that thing with reason and emotion.” -- Be The Brand, David Martin

Building Your Brand Stand out & stand for something Unique Desirable Differentiate Move out in front of the pack Be seen in right light by the right people Must you advertise to build a brand? NO! You can dominate a category on a modest budget and that’s the focus of this slide deck…Be one of the Big Dogs with less than a Coca-Cola or McDonald’s budget!

Stand out & stand for something

Unique

Desirable

Differentiate

Move out in front of the pack

Be seen in right light by the right people

Must you advertise to build a brand?

NO! You can dominate a category on a modest budget and that’s the focus of this slide deck…Be one of the Big Dogs with less than a Coca-Cola or McDonald’s budget!

To build a brand, you must know the essence of your company/product* Who are your consumers? Lifestyle profiles? Hopes & fears, pleasures and dislikes, fads? What do people want from products in category? Must be relevant! Likes/dislikes about the competition? What rational & emotional needs can we meet that others have not met? What will make a meaningful difference? How, where, with whom & when used? How used in future? Trends we can ride? *Be The Brand, David Martin

Who are your consumers? Lifestyle profiles? Hopes & fears, pleasures and dislikes, fads?

What do people want from products in category? Must be relevant!

Likes/dislikes about the competition?

What rational & emotional needs can we meet that others have not met? What will make a meaningful difference?

How, where, with whom & when used?

How used in future? Trends we can ride?

And – It’s Key – Brands Must… Make an emotional connection with Consumers Employees Funders Media/industry leaders

Make an emotional connection with

Consumers

Employees

Funders

Media/industry leaders

Brand Awareness In addition to name retention, your brand must include recall of: What you do The benefit of what you do What you stand for Awareness is the first stage of selling Needs + Awareness + Emotion  Desire  Action

In addition to name retention, your brand

must include recall of:

What you do

The benefit of what you do

What you stand for

Awareness is the first stage of selling

Needs + Awareness + Emotion  Desire  Action

Branding Checklist Identify & understand your Core Identity Mission (drawn from customer insight) Customer segment(s) Differentiated position/defining benefit Marketing strategy Customer need, expectation, experience Emotional pay-off Talk to customers & employees

Identify & understand your

Core Identity

Mission (drawn from customer insight)

Customer segment(s)

Differentiated position/defining benefit

Marketing strategy

Customer need, expectation, experience

Emotional pay-off

Talk to customers & employees

Branding Ideas Awareness Signs/posters, Events, Speeches, Conferences, Announcements, Postcards, Free pilot programs, Grants Invite media; engage lobbyists Be relevant, interesting & desirable Establish expertise Real success stories, Growth, Results, Benefits, Wow -factor (innovation) as well as Now -factor (solutions are here today/relevant) Stake your claim, sell, retain & refer

Awareness

Signs/posters, Events, Speeches, Conferences, Announcements, Postcards, Free pilot programs, Grants

Invite media; engage lobbyists

Be relevant, interesting & desirable

Establish expertise

Real success stories, Growth, Results, Benefits, Wow -factor (innovation) as well as Now -factor (solutions are here today/relevant)

Stake your claim, sell, retain & refer

Use This Template to Compose Your Brand Positioning Statement To the ( market target ) , ( brand name ) , is the brand of ( frame of reference ) with ( benefits and attributes ) that ( sustainable and emotional point of difference ).* Eg. To parents worried about their child’s academic success , TutorVista.com , is the brand of online tutoring that delivers the highest quality, most affordable and convenient tutoring that will help your child compete and succeed in school . *Be The Brand, David Martin

To the ( market target ) , ( brand name ) , is the brand of ( frame of reference ) with ( benefits and attributes ) that ( sustainable and emotional point of difference ).*

Eg. To parents worried about their child’s academic success , TutorVista.com , is the brand of online tutoring that delivers the highest quality, most affordable and convenient tutoring that will help your child compete and succeed in school .

The Best Brands Drive Emotions* Some Key Emotions for Brands are: Love of offspring (9.1 on a 10-point scale) Parental affection (8.9) Ambition (8.6) Fear, Safety (7.8) Economy (7.5) Curiosity (7.5) Efficiency (7.3) Competition (7.3) Social Distinction (6.9) *Psychology in Advertising, Albert Poffenberger

Love of offspring (9.1 on a 10-point scale)

Parental affection (8.9)

Ambition (8.6)

Fear, Safety (7.8)

Economy (7.5)

Curiosity (7.5)

Efficiency (7.3)

Competition (7.3)

Social Distinction (6.9)

Use branding to get a leg up Establish coherent focus Align employees around this focus Drive home this message for media, employees, customers & investors so all know what you stand for Stir your customers’ emotions Differentiate and stake your claim Deliver on your brand’s promise

Establish coherent focus

Align employees around this focus

Drive home this message for media, employees, customers & investors so all know what you stand for

Stir your customers’ emotions

Differentiate and stake your claim

Deliver on your brand’s promise

A rising tide floats all boats If yours can be “the brand” and represent all that’s good about your product or service niche all by yourself, GREAT! If not, or if your category has political or other obstacles working against it, consider working with competitors to promote and strengthen your category BUT…be sure to keep differentiated advantages in mind so you can break away from the pack and establish the value of your own brand when there’s enough “water in the bay.”

If yours can be “the brand” and represent all that’s good about your product or service niche all by yourself, GREAT!

If not, or if your category has political or other obstacles working against it, consider working with competitors to promote and strengthen your category

BUT…be sure to keep differentiated advantages in mind so you can break away from the pack and establish the value of your own brand when there’s enough “water in the bay.”

What’s next? Be True To Your School Deliver on your promise/potential ----------- BRAND !!!

Be True To Your School

Deliver on your promise/potential

John Stuppy background… EDUMETRIX, Principal Find effective education/training products, services, programs Replicate, scale and prove them effective Leverage assessment, e-learning, branding, operations, education management, program evaluation, student achievement, test-prep, online tutoring, charter school management, instructional supervision, professional development, technology and curriculum. TutorVista, President Grew company 825% per year for 2 years serving 500,000 students in 29 countries Raised $36M from Sequoia, Lightspeed & Manipal Featured/interviewed on ABC, NBC, CBS & Fox News, BBC, PBS; NBC Today Show; & in The NY Times & The Wall Street Journal

EDUMETRIX, Principal

Find effective education/training products, services, programs

Replicate, scale and prove them effective

Leverage assessment, e-learning, branding, operations, education management, program evaluation, student achievement, test-prep, online tutoring, charter school management, instructional supervision, professional development, technology and curriculum.

TutorVista, President

Grew company 825% per year for 2 years serving 500,000 students in 29 countries

Raised $36M from Sequoia, Lightspeed & Manipal

Featured/interviewed on ABC, NBC, CBS & Fox News, BBC, PBS; NBC Today Show; & in The NY Times & The Wall Street Journal