Here's how you can assertively communicate and advocate for brand strategy initiatives.

In my experience, understanding your brand's value proposition isn't just essential; it's foundational. Dive deep into what makes your brand unique and how it aligns with your business's strategic objectives. By mastering this, you'll speak confidently about your initiatives, making it easier for stakeholders to see the big picture and align with your vision. Remember, a brand is more than a logo; it's a gut feeling that you shape and communicate.

It's not just about knowing your value. It's knowing what your CUSTOMERS value. Many companies jump into navel-gazing, and Kool-aid drinking activities to talk about themselves. Stop talking about yourself! Start by knowing what your customers value.

Understanding your value is key to assertively communicating and advocating for brand strategy initiatives. Clearly articulate how your initiatives will contribute to overall business success. Highlight how strategic branding can drive revenue growth, enhance customer loyalty, and improve market positioning. Use data and case studies to show the direct impact on key business metrics like customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, and market share. When you demonstrate that your brand strategy initiatives are essential for achieving business goals, your advocacy becomes compelling and influential.

Honestly, translating creative ideas into business outcomes is key. Link your brand strategy initiatives directly to business goals like growth, customer experience, or market positioning. Use simple, clear language to avoid jargon and make your points resonate with decision-makers. This clarity can bridge the gap between strategy and creativity, showing the tangible benefits of your proposals.

Everything your marketing department does should be linked back to business goals. Think strategically, get crystal clear on your audience, tie the strategic initiatives to goals and what your audience cares about, and you can create buy-in.

Engagement, in my view, is the backbone of successful brand strategy. Involve stakeholders from the get-go, gathering their input and securing their buy-in. This collaborative effort not only brings in diverse perspectives but also fosters a sense of ownership, turning stakeholders into advocates. When people feel part of the process, they're more likely to support and champion your initiatives.

Every part of the organization is a reflection of the brand. Your marketing department or brand manager isn't the company brand. Every single touch point to the customer reflects your image, tone, and experience. Executives should understand this but often don't. Engage your stakeholders to help them see the strategic value of your brand as it is the company they are in charge of growing.

The delivery of your message can make all the difference. Be confident but not aggressive. Practice articulating your points clearly and with conviction, as your body language and tone can significantly impact how your message is received. Being prepared to handle tough questions with poise and solid facts can help you maintain credibility and persuasiveness.

Delivery is important. However, knowing your audience and how s/he behaves, likes to receive information, and engages will be critical in developing your message and delivery. For example, does your audience act impatient? Perhaps a bottom line up front approach. Does s/he only care about the numbers? Perhaps a financial impact takeaway upfront. Producing your message with impact starts with honing the audience, crafting the messaging, and practicing your delivery.

Actually, nothing builds trust like past successes. Share stories of previous brand initiatives that led to positive outcomes. These success stories serve as proof of concept, reducing apprehension and illustrating the potential impact of your new proposals. They help stakeholders see the real-world benefits of supporting your strategies.

In my opinion, advocating for your brand strategy is an ongoing process. Keep stakeholders informed by celebrating milestones and learning from setbacks. Continuous communication not only maintains support but also embeds brand strategy into the organizational culture. This ongoing commitment ensures that your brand remains a central focus and continues to evolve positively.

As with most things, you need empathy to do assertiveness right. If you have to 'assertively advocate' for brand strategy, it means that the team's not already on board, and likely has some opposition or biases against it. You can't push your way through with confident statements and case studies alone. You need to educate people based on where they are on their own journeys. Get audience-centric and treat it like a pitch.