Article No. 002

IS YOUR BRAND SICK?

I’m currently working on positioning and brand strategy for a company in the fitness industry and am taking a deep dive into uncovering what true health actually means.

In doing so, it’s got me thinking about the overall health and wellness of a brand, and the daily upkeep needed to stay happy, healthy and thriving. So, I thought I would share some key learnings that can positively impact your brand’s health to help drive business value and growth.

To help determine whether your brand might be sick, let's chat about what a healthy brand is. In my opinion, a healthy brand stems from a place of consistency and harmony and remains rooted in its foundational beliefs, mission, and values. A brand is only as good as the people that nurture it, trust the brand’s true purpose, and take the necessary steps that ensure it's always moving towards the company's vision and aspirations.

This takes an ecosystem. 1. The operators of the business (The Founder, the Partners, the CEO, the Chef, the Potter, and even the Receptionist), each play a pivotal role in nurturing the brand's core foundation. By staying focused on the internal alignment, it ensures everyone (and by default, the brand) is moving in the same direction. 2. The brand/creative/marketing support team (internal or external). These are the players who pull the beliefs and purpose out of the business to establish a strong brand foundation for it to grow from. 3. The people (customers or consumers) that believe in your purpose and other intangibles that keep them coming back, staying in touch, and sharing their experiences with other like minded people. This creates a natural connection and passionate community around your brand.

If all three parts of this  ecosystem work in harmony, it will ensure your brand is happy and healthy for years to come. Here are a few additional takeaways that can have a massive impact on your brand’s health, and in turn, your business.

1. Be Consistent

This may seem straightforward, but there are several areas within a brand that can benefit from more discipline in this area.  Far too often I see brands lower the quality and value of their business by not looking through the consumer lens. 

The first thing you need to understand is that your audience sees you differently than you see yourself. As mentioned, the best way to stay consistent and on track is by trusting your established brand foundation and identity, rather than hopping on some trend to create a cool Instagram post. Another way to harm your brand is by developing a campaign that aligns with something personal to you, but falls outside your brand values. You must always put your brand first. This leads to clear and consistent communication and a harmonized journey that reaches your community in a manner they have come to expect and understand. By ensuring all touchpoints (advertising, social media, internal communication) and look and feel (design aesthetic, etc.) you’re establishing trust in the eyes of your audience as they experience the ethos of your brand. This ultimately Increases the value of your business while establishing a lifetime connection to your brand within your community.

When businesses fleetingly leap from one trend or idea to another, over time it diminishes your brand’s overall impact within your community, in turn, hurting your products, services and business as a whole.

2. Don’t Sell, Create Emotion

All too often, we get caught up in what we do or how we do it, rather than the experiences we offer and the emotions they build. In other words, businesses tend to forget that their customer is a person (and not some data-fueled demographic). Instead, they sell to them and talk at them, rather than engage them in a two-way conversation. People want to feel included and part of your brand, not some sales target. 

This is most evident with car companies and their great lease prices. While the bottom line keeps getting higher, the true value of the vehicle diminishes, turning it into a commodity. Eventually we’ll probably see VW or Honda try to hit the lowest possible number, by leasing cars for $10 a day. Picture a bright orange, oversized $10/day on the side of a white civic the next time you drive by the dealership. Got your attention? Sure, but does it build loyalty with your audience or affinity with the brand? Does it make the customer feel special? Or does it just tell them Honda sells cheap cars and nothing matters to you except how cheap they are. I’m not saying it doesn’t work - because for some, price is the only driving force - I’m just pointing out that there are other ways to communicate with people that can help you establish a community (rather than customers).

On the sunnier side, you can put the customer in the middle. This approach speaks to them about the experiences they’ll receive from your product, and invites them to share an emotional connection with your brand. There is a segment in the car market that speaks to people differently, that "you should buy a car based on how it makes you feel". This tugs at our heart, rather than pulling at wallets. It starts a conversation, not a negotiation. It's rooted in the experience and emotion the brand offers, making the product the vessel to get you there. This is the key to putting people first: sell the experience, create emotion, and establish a lifetime value around your brand and business.

I have daily/weekly chats with all my clients and they always run their social/advertising messages by me for advice and guidance. My answer is always the same. They are already engaged or they wouldn’t be following you, so sell the experience and impact that creates excitement around your offering, not the what around the product you offer. This will create an emotional connection and spark conversation with your community.

3. There's We in Team

We've all heard the saying "Never be the smartest person in the room". I live by this. I'm a brand-focused creative director and designer. I am not an illustrator, or a copywriter (no surprise there!), or a Photographer, or a digital media specialist. I know my strengths and truly believe I would not be where I am today if I thought I was anything but. That’s why I continue to build my network and surround myself with people who I can learn from - people who will contribute to my personal and professional growth.

A lot of the time, business owners feel they can do everything; they can write, they can design, they can execute new marketing tactics, and they create new advertisements. They can understand and engage with their audiences succinctly. They can organize their staff at an optimum level. And they can help their business reach it’s maximum potential. Unfortunately, this isn’t usually the case and by stretching themselves too thin, they’re only putting out a mediocre offering, which lowers their brand value and harms business growth. Some people may disagree with me, and feel that “good enough” is, well, good enough. The point is, you only know what you know (and you don’t know what you don’t know), so you’re only as strong as your weakest link.

To increase the health of your brand and strengthen the growth curve of your business, you need to build a unique team of advisors, social influencers, fans, and strategic partners. Simply put, focus on what you do, and connect with the right support for your brand to help your business reach its maximum potential.

As a creative partner and resource,  we offer brand guidance, identity support and growth stability to all of our retained clients. We strive to help each and everyone keep their brand and business strong, healthy and on track for years to come.

Author

Kyle McDonald Owner/Creative Director

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