GOOD Growth: Strategies for Growing Your Brand + Impact in 2022 and Beyond

Our VP of Marketing, Kay Pancheri, joined Boston Interactive Media Association to share her top three takeaways with marketers looking to grow their brand and impact in 2022.

1.????Your purpose is your North Star

Over the last two years, agility and flexibility were the names of the game. However, it is easy to lose sight of big picture goals in uncertain times. Identifying a consumer-relevant brand purpose and using it to guide your thinking and priorities will help steady your thinking while on unsteady ground.

When faced with the initial lockdown in 2020, it was unclear how we would press on with virtually half of our distribution shut down and a sense of uncertainty hanging over the world. When asking ourselves, “What should we do?” we were guided by our purpose- to spread the power of optimism. We quickly developed graphics that inspired optimism and spoke closely to consumer sentiment at the time. We then shortened a months-long production process to a few days and launched graphic designs tailored to finding optimism within what we were all living through.

The quick-turn production strategy and intersection of our purpose with consumers’ real-time needs proved to be so successful that it will guide how we do business and connect with our customers in 2022 and beyond.

2.????Simplicity is a Superpower

Like many brands, there’s a lot of good going on at Life is Good. New products (Kay is obsessed with the fleece), new graphics each week, new ways we’re spreading optimism through our Kids Foundation- there’s always new good news to share.

Sometimes that can make it difficult to decide what to prioritize, so we’re letting consumers guide the way.

We are using consumer research to deepen our understanding of why brand advocates love us and what prospective customers are looking for. This research has illuminated the most unique and compelling aspects of our brand, which we’ve simplified down to three key reasons-to-believe that will carry us through 2022.

The marketing magic happens when we combine simplicity with consistency, creating an opportunity for the brand to build equity in those key points over time.

3.????Consider Every Action a Brand Touchpoint

Does your purpose radiate throughout your organization? When growing a brand with limited budgets, it is essential to consider every product, message, and behavior from your organization as a brand touchpoint and an opportunity to build and retain a community of loyal brand advocates. Asking questions like these can be a good place to start, regardless of the size of your business or budget:

• How do our products further our brand purpose?
• Is our employee experience a demonstration of our purpose?
• How can our customer service interactions strengthen relationships with our brand?
• What ways we can inspire customers to share their stories and affinity for our brand?
• How are we interacting with consumers through our advertising efforts — are we interrupting a moment or adding value to it?

As we head into 2022, our team at Life is Good is excited about the opportunity to continue doing what we love and being a force for optimism in the world. We know that next year (and the year after that, and the year after that) will inevitably throw curve balls our way. Regardless of the circumstances, keeping these three strategies in mind will allow us to continue taking our brand to new heights while enjoying the ride.