How do we set about developing a brand?
These are four phases that any project needs to go through.
Phase 1. Immersion
You know the stuff. What research do you have? What research do we need? Who are your clients? Why do they like you? Why don’t they like you? Which clients should we talk to? Who are your potential customers? Who are your competitors? SWAT analyses, perceptual mapping, all that good stuff. The more we have, the better. You never know when something will come in handy.
Phase 2. Your brand positioning and essence
Questions which are not easy to answer. What makes your business (1) unique (2) important (3) inspiring? What high-ground can you occupy in the mental landscape? Where should your brand be located in people’s perceptions so that you increase loyalty and demand? What positioning will command better margins and sustained revenues?
Phase 3. Your brand idea
“Big ideas solve everything.” How true. And how easier said than done. While the principles of brand development are straightforward, the execution can be difficult: all you have to do is sit staring at a blank piece of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.
Big ideas require that leap across the chasm. The best thing to do is walk away from the problem. Don’t try to solve it. Go browsing. The brain will work its magic. Until you have a big idea, you don’t have anything.
Phase 4. Brand articulation
Where the big idea is the 1% inspiration, this is the 99% perspiration. Your logo and identity – website – brand campaign – blog – experiential marketing – media planning. Everything that you will use to build an Unfair Competitive Advantage. Your brand articulation can happen in a number of ways.
- We can do the work with our partners – website developers, app builders, media specialists…
- We can work in partnership with your existing agencies.
- We can hand the articulation of your brand over to your marketing department.