Refreshing Your Brand In Style with Khashan Poitier

Is it only us, or is 2024 leaving faster than it came? Now that we're at the tail end of the year, we imagine that you will be taking the break to reflect on how to improve your company's performance for 2025.

One of the best ways to approach improving one's performance is improving your customer's perception of the business. Like sales and operations, your brand should always be assessed for its responsiveness to your target audience. Would it require improved customer service? A logo update? A brand survey? This month, we spoke to Marketing & PR Strategist, Khashan Culmer from The Poitier Group to understand how we can refresh our brands for the next half of the 2020s.

SI: Let's break the ice! What are you most excited about this Thanksgiving season?

KC: The holidays is like the Super Bowl for marketers and publicists. It’s what we’re been leading up to all year. It’s an exciting (and exhausting) time to promote our clients and their brands. It’s also is a time to reflect on the year and prepare for the year ahead.

SI: Couldn't have said it better! Is there a misunderstanding about branding that you'd like to clarify?

KC: That consistency really matters. From color schemes and brand voice, to engaging with your customers.

SI: What are the main areas of branding a company should look at when making updates?

KC: If a company is thinking of revamping their brand identity, we encourage them to poll

their employees & loyal customer base on how they view the company as a brand. Each vantage point is important. Ask questions like: What words come to mind when you see the company's logo? How do you want people to perceive the company? What's the company's mission? What problem does the company solve in your life/business?

SI: How often would you recommend a company refresh their brand?

KC: When considering refreshing your brand, you should aim for a brand identity that you can love for at least 10 - 15 years. So, every decade or so you should be evolving; making slight enhancements. Take for example the evolution of some of your favorite soft drink or soda brands. In the 1980’s and ’90’s, their marketing was heavily focused on children, but over the years, we’ve seen a change to their logos, like Sunny Delight is now known as Sunny-D, and their target audience has expanded.

SI: What's one lesson that you've learned about brand representation online?

KC: A lot of brands struggle with balancing entertainment and educational content. I see corporate brands doing dance challenges on TikTok. I know, it’s tempting to jump on every social media trend. We want to go viral, get a ton of likes & followers, but last time I checked, you can't pay your bills with 'likes.' The tax collectors don’t care that you have 30K followers. Don’t fall into the trap. Position yourself or your brand as a reputable expert in your field by showing how your company solves a problem. Build trust & brand loyalty by offering some tips on how to do something faster or better. Before you upload content to social media ask yourself: Am I posting this for likes or revenue? If you can entertain and educate, you'll master the digital space.

SI: Who are some of your favorite brands and why?

KC: I'm not a girlie girl, who spends hours in the mirror but... I love hair & beauty brands, like The Lip Bar. They're a great example of how to use social media to build community & in turn brand loyalty. I’ve been a customer of their matte lipstick and eyebrow liners for a while now. I also love individual brands, like Issa Rae. All hail the Queen of Content Creation! I follow her P.R. team, AM P.R. Group, as well. I've been doing this thing called Marketing & P.R. for a long time, but I'm a student in their classroom.

To know about Khashan Culmer and The Poitier Group, follow their agency on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn at Poitier Group or @poitiergroup. Also visit poitiergroup.com for contact.