Strategic branding insights and tips
Alas, this will be the final post of the Audacity blog to grace these pages. But worry not, we have relocated the blog to a new (and better!) home – our new Audacity, Inc. website! From now on, you can go here to check out all of the latest Audacity blogs, news, and twitter updates, including our newest set of topical posts dubbed “Branding Profiles”.
Well, what are you waiting for? Check it out!
People often speculate as to what makes the top tier brands so strong. Well, that common thread is simple – they understand the delicate art of appealing to the consumer’s senses. In an effort to strengthen your business’s foothold on the branding battleground, it warrants a similar strategy. Most businesses make the mistake of attempting to associate their product with only one of the five senses, but as brands like Google, GE, and Coca-Cola reveal, we recall those with whom we connect on more than one level the fastest. Your brand should use all five senses to its advantage. If you do, your chances substantially increase of leaving a strong, positive influence on the mind of your target consumers.
Sight – We are creatures naturally drawn to attractive things, be it an autumn sunset, a fluttering butterfly, or a member of the opposite (or same) sex. Sight represents the simplest sense to understand for good reason; it has everything to do with appearance, a.k.a. “Rule #1” when marketing your brand. Pick strong designs to represent your brand from the logo down to your office layout. Remember, you want the consumer to remember your brand fondly, so consider these traits wisely.
Sound – Sounds are powerful. They tap into something primal within us. Audible brands push us in directions that we unconsciously follow. In one case, a wine shop conducted an experiment using music. The study found that customers were more prone to buy German wine when German music was played in the store and French wine when French music was played. The association of a sound with your brand represents one of the best ways to capture the attention of your target audience. Think commercial jingles like Intel’s simple and instantly repeatable, “Bum… ba, bum, ba, BUM!”
Smell – Unless you are in the food industry, smells are probably the last concern on your list. Rethink that position. Your brand can still use aromas to its benefit. Color your office with a unique, but enjoyable fragrance for meetings or even for your employees. You will be surprised just how quickly it creates an aura of positivity at the office. Just watch as a smile slowly strides across these faces when they think about your brand.
Taste – Just as taste and smell are connected scientifically, so too are they connected by the problems they pose here. Again, unless you are in the food industry, you probably are not concerned with marketing your brand’s “taste”. Why rule out a perfectly good category where your business can flourish? Get creative. Consider a unique co-branding strategy by aligning your brand with a popular food item or local restaurant – a giveaway perhaps. Check out our recent blog on “Co-branding tips for SMBs” if you need ideas getting started.
Touch – Touching a brand is about more than being able to hold a product in the palm of your hand; it is about emotional connection. A recent study out of MIT found that when individuals came into physical contact with certain objects that varied by quality, texture, and material, they were left with feelings of deep emotional resonance. If your brand lacks a similar interactive element – something that the consumer can touch or feel – then you already stand to lose a great deal of business.
We leave you with this last bit of advice. Above all, do not neglect the most valuable sense of all, a sixth sense – common sense. Find a balance between the five senses above to maximize your brand’s exposure without causing unwanted damage to its name in the process.
We all knew it, or at least most of us had inklings about it. With the arrival of Adweek’s CMO special issue this week, one could practically hear the collective sound of marketing experts’ jaws hitting the floor across the globe. Rather than marvel at these new insights as though they paint some dreadful picture of the industry – and more specifically of the CMO’s position as unstable – we should, instead, carefully reflect on the realities surrounding this debatably dreadful state-of-affairs to consider just how much validation they deserve.
When this new information is considered alongside previous research on CMO tenure, it suddenly looks less bleak. Research conducted a little over 5 years ago pegged the average company’s retention of CMOs at just under 2 years for those working with one of the top 100 brands. In this respect, Adweek’s freshly cropped data proves quite enlightening. According to their 2010 survey, the overall average CMO tenure has increased to almost 3 years; a very promising number considering retention was nearly half that six years ago. As tempting as it may become to rejoice at such growth, turnover is still high when discussing specific industries. Telecom companies appointed 13 CMOs in the last 3 years. Retail brands like Best Buy have seen 14 CMOs come and go just as quickly with an average staying time of 2.5 years. But perhaps the most troubling piece of data to come from this report concerns those who were hired as of January 2005. Those individuals stayed no longer than 2 years on average. As one can tell, this last statistic falls firmly in line with what the original research uncovered back in 2004. Does that ultimately mean nothing has changed, or, worse yet, that we are moving backwards?
On the contrary, we are merely witnessing snapshot in time. Better that we consider these facts rationally rather than draw hasty, shortsighted conclusions. Consider that social media trends first began booming around 2005. As companies continuously attempted to retool their strategies around these developments – and still do – naturally some individuals would be left in the dust as the steady pace of global media indulgence quickened. Only recently have some CMOs finally caught on, and yet, many still question the full value that these resources can provide to their businesses.
In the fast-paced nature of marketing, can anyone really be so quick to call the turnaround of CMOs shocking? Funny perhaps – fast food companies are practically churning out CMOs with the same speed as they do their own culinary supply – but shocking… hardly. The marketing world itself already functions as a revolving door of sorts. In this age, it comes as no surprise when a company swaps out ad agencies almost yearly, new agencies rise to prominence overnight, and small agencies regularly vie with one another to acquire new clients. Remember, after all, that many companies are only just starting to jump on the CMO bandwagon, and with the position still in its infancy, like most toddlers, the CMO role is going to need some time before it matures into adulthood. Few companies have taken the time and initiative to establish the type of guidelines, powers, and budgets associated this role that would allow a CMO to truly perform their duties at the level they are capable. Once this happens and duties becomes more uniform across a spectrum, maybe then – and only then – can we become more scrutinizing of CMO retention numbers.
Is this the dawn of a new era in co-branding? Over the last few weeks, the marketing world has witnessed the birth of joint business ventures from such powerhouses as Google and Verizon, Yahoo and Microsoft’s “Bing”, and a host of others. While such partnerships may have consumers buzzing with intrigue, these announcements usually send smaller companies shrinking into dismay. Every SMB dreams of obtaining the level of brand exposure that Microsoft or Google enjoys but often remains unsure on how to actually accomplish this feat. Through co-branding, they may find the means to do so.
Strategic moves like these – at times – can prove difficult to justify. What methods will provide the greatest ROI? What type of partners should you seek? Most importantly, can one insure that the sum of two parts will be greater than the whole? Capturing lighting in a bottle is no easy task to say the least. Try these helpful tips to build the foundation for your co-branding initiative:
Being a SMB never means having to limit your options; it simply means using the resources you have available to better place yourself into an advantageous position.
We all understand the importance of design when selecting how to represent one’s brand. Color, shape, layout – these are all among the things that instinctually come to mind. But did you ever stop to consider the role “light” plays on your target consumers? Not many people do. Light is something we often take for granted, whether it involves walking into a fluorescently-lit grocery store, watching mesmerized as an LCD screen illuminates our living rooms, or passing in awe through the luminous neon haven that is Las Vegas. If color and shapes represent the body of a brand, then light must undoubtedly be the heart.
Whenever one comes into contact with a brand, light molds the consumer’s perceptions associated with it. Light is paramount to the completion of a brand experience. We associate light with warmth. And what does warmth do? It brings comfort. Warmth reminds us of safety and security. Perhaps most importantly, it creates the gateway to emotional resonances of love and affection. The creation of this connection at a subtle level is part of what makes other companies that provide a complete brand experience so successful. Sure, Apple’s monster success can be traced to a simple and effective product marketing strategy, but it has just as much to do with their product design. From iPods to iPads, they all have an easy-to-use design that makes them so appealing to the average user. But one of the first things that inevitably draw the consumer’s attention is the cool, off-blue tone of the LCD screen. It makes everything about the product seem fresher, even down to the colors. Like turning on a light switch, this je ne sais quoi immediately “clicks”, and we wonder how we ever lived without this product before.
As any good brand strategist knows, if you cannot convey what your brand stands for in simple, clear terms, then you do not understand where you really want to take your product. What more simple consideration is there than light? It contributes to the atmospheric experience of your brand and works to foster those initial connections between “brand” and “consumer.” Remember that when customizing a brand experience for your target consumers, a little light can go a long way.
Any lifeguard worth their weight in seashells knows the value of CPR. The technique revives victims from near death; thus, granting them a second opportunity at life. By now you must be wondering what any of this has to do with brand strategy. Surprisingly, everything! Restructuring one’s brand is a great deal like going for a light swim in the ocean. The great vastness of those intrepid waters represents the corporate marketing realm. The strong swimmers may prove capable of handling the harsh, changing tide, but it is the struggling swimmers that deserve our attention. They venture out into a vast ocean without the proper skills or resources necessary to ensure that they can bear those tumultuous currents. Naturally, when one does not understand the fundamentals of swimming, the risk of drowning looms inevitable. The same idea proves true for the small or growing businesses that think they can tread water with the big boys of the corporate marketing world. Some businesses may successfully accomplish this feat, but most are not so lucky.
That is where branding agencies come in. They not only throw swimmers a life preserver, they give them a vital lesson in CPR, or Corporate Position Restructuring. They give your brand that surge of life that better enables you to get back into the water and swim with the best of them. But having the right tools at one’s disposal will only go so far unless they are properly utilized. CPR gets a swimmer’s heart beating again, but it does no good if the swimmer refuses to heed the warning of the lifeguard and jump right back in the water without better understanding of how to swim in that sort of environment. Likewise, an organization cannot simply retool their brand identity and unveil it to the world without a genuine belief in the new direction it attempts to blaze forth. The directions must be understood and felt within every level of the organization.
As a brand becomes restructured, the first subject to define is one’s brand identity. Corporations should consider this lesson in CPR as an extension of that definition process. In May, we discussed the importance of “building blocks” toward achieving a full realization of brand identity. This realization included the creation of values for which your brand stands. More importantly, however, is the practice of those values. Simply saying that your company supports green initiatives is not enough. Your employees and your partners hear your company say that, but what proof is there that you believe it?
Take cues from companies like Toyota who announced earlier this week the establishment of the Green Awards to “encourage, acknowledge, and award the Champions of Earth for environmental leadership.” If you are a small business manager, starting your own rewards program might prove too far out of reach. Instead, participation in simple outreach programs and community initiatives work just as well. SCS Realty in New Jersey recently underwent a rebranding process and vowed to “go green” as part of its new corporate partnership with Real Living. To prove it, they recycled all of their old logos, papers, and office equipment to demonstrate their commitment to this initiative. Smaller businesses that lack the vast resources of corporate giants should consider this strategy in the future. It successfully places your brand in public’s direct gaze and allows the consumer to see that your organization truly believes in the values it claims to promote. The last thing you want to do is jump back into the water over and over again, especially in these fiscally hard times, only to need saving every time like a damsel in distress. Clearly define your new brand positioning. Believing in your brand direction is great, but LIVING your brand speaks volumes to your partners.
Branding strategies are changing, and in order for a company to survive, it too must evolve. Today it is more important than ever to effectively manage creative collaborations in order to establish and maintain a strong brand. As Marty Neumeier details in “The Brand Gap,” there are three basic models that organizations are using to manage large-scale creative collaborations: handing over brand management to a one-stop shop, a brand agency, or an integrated marketing team. Experienced branders prefer the third model due to the fact that the more a brand is distributed, the greater the need for centralized management. This need for centralized management of a brand has prompted many companies to hire chief brand officers, or CBOs, who manage the brand at the highest corporate level. These CBOs must be skilled enough to strategize with the CEO as well as trigger creativity among their team in order to align business strategy with customer experience.
Many companies are now discovering the need for CBOs – some companies already have a CBO, while others are on the path to having one. Evidence of this new era of integrated marketing can be seen in 7 large companies that have reorganized their corporate structure:
Ericsson
Ericsson has announced that it will change its business and engagement models. Market units are one of their main operational functions, in addition to coordinating the company’s strategies, operations, and resource allocation. Ericsson has also appointed a Chief Brand Officer, Cesare Avenia, to develop these strategies.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Phil McAveety, Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts has led a reorganization of the brand management group and has integrated various functions to create a sense of a single brand team.
Samsung
Samsung has said that they will start practicing a holistic marketing strategy instead of individual marketing plans as part of their effort to launch a worldwide brand campaign. The Samsung Global Marketing office lies within their Digital Media & Communication Business Unit.
Philips
Gerard Kleisterlee, President and CEO of Philips, has incorporated a marketing model into the corporate structure, leaving behind their previous manufacturing model. Geert van Kuyck, who is the Chief Marketing Officer, acts as the voice of the consumer within the company.
Intel
Deborah S. Conrad is Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Intel and is in charge of brand management and integrated marketing communications. Former Worldwide Creative Director of Intel, Susan Rockrise, helped to establish this integrated marketing team within the company.
Microsoft
Microsoft has reorganized its Central Marketing Group, appointing both a chief strategy officer and a chief creative officer to collaborate on marketing communications. Mich Mathews, Senior Vice President for Microsoft’s Central Marketing Group, oversees this team and leads integrated marketing communications to customers all over the world.
Procter & Gamble
Four pillars form the organizational structure of P&G. One of these pillars is Market Development Organizations (MDOs), which focuses on local understanding for their marketing campaigns. P&G approaches business with the philosophy of thinking globally and acting locally. Marc S. Pritchard of the Global Marketing & Brand Building Office is the head of all global marketing campaigns.
Is your organization joining the new brand era?
This post is about a variation of an old adage: “Do what I say, not what I do!”. In this case, it should read: “Do what I say, and what I do!”.
I know, it sounds like we are bragging, but we really are not…Whenever I hand out my business card people always stop to tell me how much they love the name Audacity. It stands out. It grabs your attention. It intrigues and fascinates. It literally is audacious. The name and brand identity were developed using the most advanced strategic branding techniques available, to generate that “wow effect” we are getting. Same techniques we use for our happy clients.
This is called ultimate brands engineering. “Engineer” is an important word as we are strategically building brands. Our solutions bridge the gap between strategy and creativity, taking our clients where they never thought they would go, in a new truly innovative space.
That can be scary sometimes, but as Seth Goden, author of The Purple Cow, said: “boring is always the riskiest strategy”. The same is true of brands – the more exciting, audacious, and compelling a brand can be, the more engaged the customer base will become. It is crucial that companies take the time to truly evaluate and strategically implement tools to maximize brand potential.
Understanding the current personality of your brand, the ideal personality of your brand, and in turn, the most effective positioning for your brand’s future are just the first few steps for strategic branding. It takes dedicated management, differentiated positioning, consistent communication tools, and true comprehension in order for your brand to become authentic and engaging.
Remember, the most successful brands are not measured by their bottom line, but rather by the experience they deliver and the relationships they have produce. So take the time to strategically cultivate a brand that is exciting, intriguing and memorable.
When you think of some of the world’s most famous brand identities you may think of Coca-Cola’s red, Tiffany’s blue, Starbucks’ green, or McDonald’s yellow arches. All of these colors were strategically chosen and implemented to effectively impact targeted markets.
Color is one of the most important brand identity elements for a company to consider. Not only do colors have a significant impact on people’s (both customers and employees) emotional state, but they can also greatly impact physiological, psychological, and sociological associations.
Yellow represents happiness and cheer. Red increases people’s speed and conveys power. Orange makes an item appear more affordable. White showcases clean, fresh perspectives. And black can be perceived as mysterious, sophisticated, and elegant.
The color blue tends to have a calming effect on people. Blue’s relaxation ability allows for higher reading retention and concentration, making it a favorite among many companies. As a result, a strong majority of companies choose blue to be involved with their brand identity…the only problem is that it is hard to stand out in a crowd of blue when you are also blue!
Some of the most legible colors are red, green, and yellow – which is no surprise considering stoplights! And softer colors have a calmer, relaxed effect and also allows for greater retention levels.
Yet, no matter what type of lasting impression these colors may have on consumers, additional brand elements including shapes, sounds, names, avatars, etc. also play into the brand identity for each company. Understanding how best to showcase your brand elements is a strategic process that takes time, research, and some creative genius.
When was the last time your brand took the time to really listen to your customer voice? With the ease-of-use, accessibility, and continuous availability of social media outlets, branding (and brand management for that matter) has drastically changed. Customers are able to provide input to companies on a 24/7 basis and their word of mouth has never been louder. The voice of the consumer is plastered all over the web in forms of blogs, social networking, and product/service reviews.
Not only are companies able to manage their brand in a personal, customer-centric way, but they are able to provide personality to their messaging. Social Media is a perfect way for smaller businesses to get out there as well. With free sites like Yelp and Twitter, small businesses can listen to the voice of their customer loud and clear. And what a wonderful resource! To hear your customer’s preferences, listen to their praise and respond to their concerns in real time.
eMarketer completed a study recently that predicts a 15.1% growth in online marketing via social media within the next few years. There is no doubt that online presence is essential for any business, large or small. And it’s only growing…
As your company prepares to build brand awareness, increase revenue, and establish brand equity in the marketplace, don’t leave out a strategic social media plan. Dedicating yourself to social media brand management is a win-win situation for any company. Yes it requires time, but so does every aspect of proper brand management. Take the time to know your objective, set your strategies, and implement feasible tactics. Listen to the voice of your social media customer and be sure to manage your positioning with a consistent message. Don’t just talk the talk when it comes to social media. Learn to walk the walk – remember it’s fun, fast, and best of all, free.
