Building the Bridge to Brand Value
The Brief
The creative team enters a room filled with the account team and agency leaders—sometimes even the client—to hear all about the upcoming campaign. The account team fills the sky with grand opportunities, objectives, possible approaches, channels, venues, et al. But perhaps not the critical context—the Client’s Brand Positioning and Identity Strategies. Now everyone looks to the creatives to have the Big Ideas. This is not the best route to delivering valuable promotion…or “the Numbers”.
Without the focus of succinct strategy, creatives are shooting in the dark. They might strike upon a great idea, seize the moment, and help drive value. Maybe not. The best creative teams will hold back until they have had time to rough out a framework to guide their work. We can do a better job setting the stage for creative development.
On-target, brand-enhancing creative springs first from an understanding of the brand’s Go-To-Market Positioning Strategy. Not often from uninformed brainstorming.
Where does that strategy come from? How is it built?
As with any important discipline, building a foundation for the successful promotion of products, people and organizations comes from adhering to a process. Following clear models makes sticking to a process a lot easier. There are many models for building brand strategies. Practitioners can think according to the process in the best ones.
Some of the branding models out there are incomplete. In others, standard terminology has been replaced by an agency to appear different to impress prospective clients. This does not mean the system being proposed is singular or even solid. That is something to consider when you are meeting with agencies. If the language of a proposed approach remains vague after its presentation—that should be a red flag.
There may be other branding systems of real merit out there. I know the methods and models delineated here work. They have been vetted, improved, and proven in situations across many industries. One of the most interesting things about this system is how well it teaches. I’ve trained dozens of teams and individuals—run dozens of programs—with the models you will find here. Each has been built via the painstaking assembly of important discovery and planning initiatives.*
Accuracy Drives Engagement and Conversion
We here do not just follow this methodology. We think according to it. I am eager to bring forward a proven approach to seekers of the ways and means of building truly effective Brand Strategy. Over time we will detail an entire system for those who seek to deliver the most accurate messaging, vibrant on-target creative, greater income, and real growth.
Here you can learn a proven brand-building process because that is your goal, or to support your hiring of the right team to meet your organization’s needs—or just to hold your own in pivotal meetings. Here are insights, clarity, and training in affordable, bite-sized bits. That and more are available through the:
Brand Identity TurbineTM Series.
From Brand Opportunity AnalysisTM to Integrated MarCom Planning, You will be able to find a branding topic, consider our thinking, learn, and train here. Please Join Us.
Thank you.
David W. Langston
*Footnote: As always, special acknowledgment and appreciation to Bernie Mogelever, my mentor, whose thinking and approaches have so guided my own—especially via his skill in establishing unique Positioning Strategy.
