To Reset Your Brand, Reset Your Thinking

Since lockdown began, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing over 70 CMOs for our ongoing Siegel+Gale Future of Branding roundtables. My conversations with these marketing leaders have begun to transition from how brands are responding to the crisis to how they are resetting to propel business continuity and, in many cases, transformation.

Listen to all the conversations on the How CMOs Commit podcast Spotify and Apple Podcasts and request an invitation to join our #FutureofBranding live webinar audience here.

One of my abiding premises is that to reset our organizations, we must reset our thinking. In listening to our panelists, I’ve identified useful mental models that support CMOs as they interpret COVID-19 and, ultimately, transform their brands and organizations.

1.  From Pause to Portal. The crisis is not provoking a temporary interruption that must be survived to return to life pre-pandemic. Instead, it’s opening the door to a new future, to begin again, to forge new relationships and unlock new ambitions–now with a longer-term orientation.

2.  From Breakdown to Breakthrough. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to recast the role our brand plays in people’s lives. This reality presents a commensurate opening to engender real relevance.

3.  From Tribe to Community. COVID-19 is uncovering the possibility for a brand to behave as an engaged, empathetic citizen in the broader community. Buoyed by authentic brand purpose, brands need to take into account the community in a very intentional way that goes beyond CSR to public-private partnerships and more.

4.  From Extraneous to Essential. COVID-19 has stripped away old marketing paradigms, models, and budgets to reveal what truly matters. This sharper focus on impact unleashes dramatic clarity and a renewed quest for simplicity.

5.  From Monuments to Movements. This pandemic has affirmed that brand building is no longer about words and pictures; it’s about experiences. A brand’s success is a function of the narrative it creates to inspire people and the summation of all the interactions people have with the brand—on the entire discovery to product/service consumption to advocacy journey.

6.  From Coworkers, constituents, customers, collaborators, clients to people. Humanity is now at the core of our brands and our roles as leaders.

Which mindset shift resonated most with you? What did I miss? Let me know in the comments.

Our next Future of Branding virtual roundtable is on Wednesday, October 21st. I look forward to hosting: Paul Fletcher, Head of Marketing - Coutts, Brian Kenny, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer - Harvard Business School, Peter Jensen, Chief Brand, Innovation & Marketing Officer - Moleskine, K. Patrick Davis, SVP, Head of US Laundry & Home Care - Henkel and Karen Kozak, VP, Global Brand - Cargill.

This is a biweekly series for brand-side senior marketers. To request an invitation, visit events.siegelgale.com