Brandlift podcamp 2011 'rising tide' presentation

Brand Strategy:
The Rising Tide
That Lifts All Ships

© 2011 Brandlift LLC

Key takeaways

‣ The costly mistake too many marketers
+ companies make
‣ Why brands have such a powerful impact
on business
‣ How to assess + improve the clarity
+ appeal of your brand/message

Ready to hook
some customers?


Ready = eager + prepared

‣ Which do we want + why?
‣ Where are they?
‣ What are they looking for + when?
‣ Who else is ﬁshing?
‣ How do we leverage our best attributes + tools
to lure/secure the ones we want?

“
...You see these absolutely
beautiful, well-programmed sites
that are missing that key piece
of saying the right things to the
right people...

“

“...that key piece...” is a
compelling
brand message


“
Brand:
A collection of images, ideas +
descriptive symbols that convey
the essence of a company,
product, or service

“

“ brandabout a product,
A
feeling
is a person’s gut
service, or company.

Marty Neumeier
from The Brand Gap “

The rising tide

‣ Brands inject focus, ﬂavor + purpose—
producing a lifting effect on business
performance + value
‣ All marketing touch points, efforts + dollars
‣ Key functions company-wide
‣ Deeper, human connections


Missing the boat

‣ Trying to be all things to all people
‣ Tactics before (or instead of) strategy
‣ Easier + cheaper at ﬁrst...but costly in the end
– Communications are bland, unclear, or both
– One-off results tend to disappoint
– Hard to redo; harder to undo


Really?!?

‣ “Our primary goal is to make every transaction a
positive experience for our customers.”

‣ “We take seriously our obligations to our clients. We
have the will and the resources to meet their needs.”

‣ “From service implementation to ongoing support,
we make customer care a top priority.”


“
Digital technology has not
changed the basic principles of
brand building...the digital world,
if anything, has served to redeﬁne
the scale of power...

Allen P. Adamson
from BrandDigital “

Building a brand

Discover Deﬁne Develop Deploy


The missing “D”

Discover Distill Deﬁne Develop Deploy


“ be interesting, but
Creativity without focus
may
it’s not motivating.

Allen P. Adamson
from BrandSimple “

What makes brands so
powerful?


“
Brand:
Serves to create associations +
expectations; key objective is to
create a relationship of trust

“

Products sell on features + beneﬁts

Brands sell on promises,
expectations + emotions


Products compete on price

Brands take price out of the equation
(or command premiums)


Products invite side-by-side
comparisons

Brands establish true competitive
differentiation


Products can earn loyal users

Brands inspire trust, passion +
evangelism


MYTH:

Branding is a logo or company name

TRUTH:

Branding is about an identity—built
on personality, principles
+ a promise to customers


MYTH:

Branding is making an email or
brochure look pretty

TRUTH:

Branding is delivering compelling,
memorable stories


MYTH:

Branding is told to audiences

TRUTH:

Branding is two-way conversations
with people


MYTH:

Branding is an occasional marketing
program

TRUTH:

Branding is a consistent + ongoing
company initiative


MYTH:

Branding is just tactical, like websites
+ campaigns

TRUTH:

Branding is strategic, incorporating
positioning, messaging +
behavior


MYTH:

Branding is a fabrication or “ﬂuff”

TRUTH:

Branding is built on truths


MYTH:

Branding is only for big companies

TRUTH:

Branding is attainable + powerful for
any entity


MYTH:

Branding is an expense

TRUTH:

Branding is an investment toward a
valuable business asset


Your target customers are drowning
in a sea of mindless marketing.
They’re bored, confused, tired...
and indifferent.
Problem?


Or
opportunity?


“ isout, not to
Success related
standing
ﬁtting in.

Creative Director Don Draper
of AMC’s ad agency drama “Mad Men” “

Brand Strategy
‣ Who you’re talking to
‣ Audiences + their motivations
‣ What you say
‣ Unique, meaningful message points
‣ What they gain
‣ How you’re different + credible

‣ How you convey it
‣ Creative expression + style
‣ Delivery + experience

4 key questions
to help you attract more
of the customers you want


What qualities do my most
desirable customers share?

‣ Prioritize what’s most valuable to you
‣ High revenue

1
‣ High margins
‣ Low maintenance
‣ Close proximity
‣ Optimal product mix


What’s most important
to my target customers?

‣ It’s not you...it’s them!
‣ Too many companies fixate on themselves

2
‣ You have to first tell them how they’ll be
better off
‣ Promise specific + relevant benefits


Does my business
stand out or blend in?

‣ You can’t afford to be typical
‣ Pinpoint what your best customers value

3
about your company/product
‣ Tell your story (make sure it’s authentic!)
‣ Appeal to targets’ emotions
‣ Be informative at the same time


How do I establish
the right foundation?

‣ Planning, discipline, imagination,
courage...+ balance!

4
‣ Ask tons of questions
‣ Mine for important themes + insights
‣ Boil it down so it’s easy to grasp
‣ Let your company’s personality shine



The input...

Offerings
Personality,
values + culture
Markets
Touch points +
feedback channels
DISCOVERY
Customers
Powerful brands within
+ outside your ﬁeld
Competition
Marketing +
business objectives



The output...

BALANCE

Practicality Personality
Description: Literal explanation of the business Tone: Evocative voice, style, metaphor/themes

Credibility Character
Facts: Performance track record + recognition Philosophy: Cultural values + uniqueness

Function Form
Structure/Navigation: Framework for Aesthetics: Visual design + impact as
organizing + presenting content they relate to experience

SUBSTANCE STYLE



The lift...

Clarity Alignment
Uniﬁed, focused + substantive Marketing efforts + investment
identity + competitive positioning tied to business objectives

Distinction Inspiration
Uniquely expressive + A shared sense of pride, purpose
recognizable communications + excitement for the company’s
capabilities, values + future



The ships...

MOBILE SOCIAL
WEBSITES SEARCH NEWSLETTERS TRAINING
APPS MEDIA

LEAD POINT-OF-
LITERATURE BLOGS PRESENTATIONS
GENERATION SALE

MEDIA WOM/ INVESTOR CUSTOMER
ADVERTISING EVENTS
RELATIONS REFERRALS RELATIONS CARE


The payoff...

Employee Prospect Sales Customer Market
pride + awareness + efﬁciency + loyalty + conﬁdence +
engagement interest production revenue valuation

BRAND

Quick recap—then questions

‣ A brand is the essence of a company,
product, or service
‣ People form emotional connections
with brands


Recap...

‣ Brands lift marketing effort + investment
‣ Brand strategy provides an
indispensable framework that
guides all communications + behavior
‣ Digital technology magniﬁes brands’
impact + effectiveness (or lack thereof)

Recap...

‣ The principles of brand building
are constant
‣ The best brands balance substance +
style (“logic + magic”) to create a
powerful business asset


Recap...

‣ Pursuing tactics before (or instead of)
strategy is a costly mistake many
companies make
‣ Invest in your brand foundation—
take advantage of your opportunity
to achieve true competitive separation


Insights + inspiration

Allen P. Adamson Marty Neumeier


Thanks!

Questions / feedback?
Andy Goldenberg
andy@brand-lift.com

Or let’s talk now...


Brand Strategy:
The Rising Tide That Lifts All Ships

“You see these absolutely beautiful, well-programmed We’ll explain the essence of strong, unique, and
sites that are missing that key piece of saying the right engaging brand communications (the tide) and how a
things to the right people.” well crafted platform will raise the effectiveness of the
many digital tactics attendees will learn about in other
That opinion was published in BtoB Magazine’s
Interactive Marketing Guide for 2008. While we believe Podcamp sessions: blogs, pay-per-click ads, SEO,
the underlying sentiment still rings true today, the point social media, email marketing, and so on (the ships).
extends beyond web sites to many facets of digital (as Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of:
well as ofﬂine) marketing. Branding myths; The impact of brands versus
products; Key components + characteristics of
Having attended Podcamp Philly a few years ago, we
were impressed by the substance and impartiality of the persuasive brands/messages; Messaging pitfalls
many sessions. Yet the focus tended to be on the to avoid; Self-assessment questions to evaluate
tactical (and often technical) levels of presenting and their own organization’s marketing assets +
readiness
delivering messages.
A campaign is only as good as its ability to reach—and
What about the message itself?
motivate—its target audience(s). Join us and make sure
your digital marketing efforts have the substance and
style to move your market.


2011 Speaker:
Andy Goldenberg

Andy Goldenberg challenges growth-oriented companies to stand out—positioning
them to attract more of the customers they want, and to pursue opportunities with
more focus, more tools, and more conﬁdence. In 2008, he formed Brandlift, a boutique
brand strategy and communications agency, to ﬁll the void created by businesses’
widespread failure to differentiate themselves. (Is “We Love Our Customers” really
unique? Or motivating?) Andy’s known for delivering “creative capital”—purposeful
communications programs that balance strategic thinking with imaginative and artistic
expression. Prior to Brandlift, he spent 14 years leading the marketing of a fast-growing
telecom company, taking on the industry’s “big three” and guiding the corporate brand
through no less than four mergers and a Chapter 11 reorganization. His work has
earned recognition on local and national levels, including the American Business
Awards and Sales Excellence Awards.


Brandlift podcamp 2011 'rising tide' presentation

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