This presentation was given to the City and Regional Magazine Association (May 2013) by Brand Fever. The talk shared helpful techniques from the field of content, web and editorial strategy, in order to help magazines and regional publications to stay "on brand" in all aspects, from events to content audits and mastheads.

2. hellowe are
brandfever

3. we deliver insight-driven
creative excellence
through engaging and
meaningful experiences
online, offline and mobile

4. PMS Cool Gray 5 PMS 432 PMS 285 PMS 2995
we have developed brand systems for the following clients:

5. we have years of experience working within established brand systems:

6. your brand is not merely a messenger
it’s an ambassador

7. Making meaningful connections
through engaging experiences –
online and offline. Delivering
results and driving value at every
touch point. Becoming a brand of
substance and sustainability.
your brand
is always on

8. what is a brand?
discuss “brand mindset: basics
here...
brand attributes?

9. What makes your magazine
compelling, unique or ahead
of the curve? What is your
impact on the community,
city or region?
time to exercise!
Take a moment to jot down some
attributes in Exercise One of
your worksheet.

10. step one:
acknowlege the issue

11. How do we create one voice in a cross-channel,
cross-platform and cross-media environment?
print publishing
blogs & social
media
video
production
events & vendors
All of these channels complement each other,
but how do we create a branded, cross-content
relationship among all entities without diluting
the brand’s identity?

12. Condé Nast discusses their view on print media:

13. step two:
discover solutions

14. Excellent idea! But how?
Before we can be a brand we need
to break open the brand.
Creating a branded publication starts by
assessing where all the nodes of the brand’s
content – or magazine – are right now
utilizing everyone’s favorite process: Audits.
But that discussion comes later…

15. step three:
celebrate the benefits

16. Working strategically means
working smarter, not harder.
Strategy lets us do more with less
because when we know who we
are we can run a leaner, more agile
operation without wavering from
brand identity.

17. Above all, brand and
content strategy give us:
CONFIDENCE
clarity
consistency
certainty
in processes.
which leads to overall

18. the following strategies
are designed to:
• Allow your editorial, design, marketing
and advertising teams work with a shared
understanding of brand goals, philosophies
and values.
• Give everyone the keys to producing better,
bolder branded work
• Enable advertisers to seek out your
publication for specific value-driven
purposes, rather than general value-
guessing assumptions.

19. branding 101:
content audits

20. Content Audits discover
where your content lives,
why it lives there, and
how it got there.

21. An audit is strategic—and subjective.
It’s a point-of-view that’s informed by expertise,
research and, werever possible, metrics.

22. branding 101:
content
governance audit

23. Content Governance Audits
discover who is responsible
for what content where.
The Goal: Discovering points of contact
(and content) so that we can devise a turnkey
process for writing, editing, and posting that
content without layers of approval and without
a brand identity crisis each time.

24. “Web content workflow and
governance include many moving
parts. In order to keep the wheels
turning, roles and responsibilities
must be defined to make sure
that all work gets done and that
content contributors have clear
expectations about their own and
others’ responsibilities.”
- Source: meetcontent.com/blog/topic/governance

25. - Source: www.followtheuxleader.com

26. branding 101:
personas

27. Now that we’ve taken stock
of where the content lives,
we can define what branded
content is crucial to whom.

28. Sample Persona:
Helen
HR Director/Office Manager of Business Using Digital
“I appreciate helpful resources that enable me to perform my HR
duties quickly and efficiently. I also need to understand the impact
of healthcare reform on our business and want information served
up in brief, action-oriented communications.”
background:
Helen has many responsibilities and limited time. She needs
reliable resources that enhance efficiency. User-friendliness is
paramount. A well-designed site that can be easily understood
and navigated by employees makes her life easier.
Goals/Action Items:
• Access policy information and forms
• Easily obtain comparative quotes for renewals
• Communicate with Digital representative
• View quick snapshot and understand breadth of resources
available to employees
• Obtain relevant info about healthcare reform
• Reference calendar of key dates (renewal, enrollment
deadlines, etc.)
• Access reference tools, FAQs, glossary
Tone
Friendly, helpful, efficient
Personas are stand-in, fictional
characters that represent real
readers and illustrated their
desires, needs, motivations
and interests.
Personas are “square one”
strategies that help you
determine your most valuable
someone, without wasting
valuable time trying to appeal
to everyone.

29. branding 101:
voice and tone

30. Voice and Tone guides define
content and copy guidelines,
and identify the (sometimes)
subtle differences between
all moving content pieces.
The Goal: Establishing a brand voice
distinguishes your identity from all other
publishing entities, and shows that you value
and are committed to consistency.

31. How can we go about
defining one voice within
the aforementioned cross-
channel media environment?
Casual interviews with memebers of
the publication staff, editorial team, key
stakeholders, advertisers, customer support
representatives… anyone you can get your
hands on! Then have them do the following:

32. Describe your publication as a person.
What does he or she drink each
morning? What can we find them doing
after a long work day? What do they
need to know before starting their day?
Why do they read our magazine?
sTop! It’s time
to exercise.
Take a moment to jot down some
attributes and the “this, not that”
blanks in Exercise Two of your
worksheet.

33. branding 101:
voice and tone
sucess stories

34. Consider MailChimp: They have a Voice & Tone
Guide that lives online, and is used to define the subtle
differences in thier voice for various content occasions.

35. Consider Scoutmob FAQ: With personas in mind, the
Scoutmob page addresses readers thoughtfully, yet
whimsically, and above all—like a human.

36. THANKSfor your time
brandfever