What is Brand Strategy?

The perplexing enigma of brand strategy dances like a shadow in the minds of firefighting entrepreneurs and founders, eliciting curiosity and bewilderment in equal measure. Many founders are lost in a sea of misunderstanding, mistaking brand for nothing more than a logo and a colour scheme.?I would like to illuminate the path and reveal what brand strategy is really about, and how it helps your business, beyond the money.?

As we embark on this journey of discovery, we delve deep into the heart of your business to uncover that one elusive ingredient, the gem of ONLYness that sets you apart, cherished by your customers and causing angst to your competitors, this is what will guide us in crafting a plan that embraces the whole business, to deliver it to your ideal customers, enveloping them in an experience they will never forget. Brand strategy effects every aspect of your business, from your leadership and culture, your employer brand, through to your customer experience, and the ability to continually craft innovation and differentiation in the business and its offerings.?

Transcending the Boundaries of Size

Brand strategy is not just the domain of giants like Apple or Nike, it is a potent force that transcends the boundaries of size. It equally embraces the small, the boutique, and the artisanal. It could be your local hotel, a fish shop, or a handmade cosmetics company – all stand to benefit from the transformative power of brand strategy.

To show you by example, let me paint you a vivid picture of a brand I truly admire, yes it’s a big brand, but remember size doesn’t matter. IKEA is a brand that has perfected the art of understanding its customers' desires, and they know their customers intimately. It tantalises us with visions of a stylish, affordable home, enticing us to explore its wondrous world of flat-packed dreams. From the moment we enter the IKEA world, we are ensnared in an experience that resonates with our deepest longing for a place to call home, and one that reflects each of our aesthetic sensibilities. IKEA has tapped into the archetype of the Citizen, fostering a sense of belonging and approachability for everyone. Their purpose is ‘To create a better everyday for all people’. You can hear it summed up beautifully in their tagline 'The Wonderful Everyday' and in their tone of voice. Everything they do is backed up by the set of actionable values they have created, that define the culture of the business.

Sowing the Seeds

So what about SMEs, why should they care about brand strategy? Every business was once a seed, nurtured in the fertile soil of an SME, maybe in the garage or at the kitchen table. If you yearn to accelerate the achievement of your vision, then brand strategy is your guiding star. It holds the power to breathe life into your purpose (your reason for being), fostering loyalty and trust among your valued customers and employees.

When the flickers of doubt percolate your business, whispering of a missing piece, you may not be aware, but it is time to look at your brand strategy. Some of the scenarios I come across look like the following;

We are Best in Class

Many businesses cling to the idea that they are 'Best in Class' in what they offer. The hard truth is that this isn’t good enough, in fact it is delusional. Under this scenario, customers are more likely to walk away to a competitor when you go against them in some way. In fact, humans respond to feelings and emotions with greater speed, so if you don’t make them feel good, they lose trust. With no real customer loyalty, 80% are more likely to walk across to your competitor. ‘Best in class’ ?will NOT keep your customers engaged and advocating for your business. Of course it is also too easy for your competitors to copy you and potentially do something better again.

We Have a Purpose

Many businesses think they have a purpose, or a great customer experience. They definitely know where they want to be in 5 years time. But, when I dig deeper, and usually when I look at their website, I can see that they don’t have anything substantial enough to call a purpose, and there is no leveraging of advocacy from their clients.

We Are Unique

Founders tend to think they have something unique, and think their competitors have a worse offering then they do, but usually when I question them and ask why, usually there is no plan in place, and no defined reason for doing what they do, which is offering no real value to their customers. They tend to be losing customers, or not gaining new customers. I leave them with more questions than answers.

We Know Our Values

A common confusion I see is where entrepreneurs are not clear on the difference between mission, vision and purpose. All of which are underpinned by the values you hold in the business, again, usually non existent or vague at best. These are vital components that help you to create the culture of your business. The importance of culture ties into your customer and employee experience.

We Know Our Customers

Founders and leaders might say, ‘we keep in touch with our customers all the time, we know what they want’, and that is great, but again this alone is not enough. In all honesty, after I carry out customer research and interviews there are always a few surprises that the founders did not know about, or had not thought about before.

We Have Read the Book

Entrepreneurs have spoken excitedly about their findings after reading the books about Blue Ocean Strategy, and heard all about Red Queens. I agree these books are very good, and differentiation is a key element of brand strategy, but again, on its own it is not enough to call it a brand strategy. Some go off thinking ‘I can do that’, ‘Let’s do it at our next team meeting’. That’s never going to happen, because there are many other pieces of the jigsaw that need to be in place for this to happen.

We Have Great Marketing

Often I hear founders say we already have a website and our marketing is really good. What they don’t know is that there is a whole connecting piece in the middle between their vision and the expression of their business that they have missed. So they find themselves with no clarity, and no real plan when it comes to communicating the business to the customer. This is what I call jumping to short term fixes. In fact the website has been designed based on these short term fixes. It is natural to do this, because we all want solutions to problems, so we tend to jump to the end game of marketing campaigns, PR strategies, content creation and social media posting. By jumping to the short term, this ensures you have no long term plan to define the direction of your campaigns, no definite tone of voice, no real customer understanding or connection, potentially a broken culture, and no guidance on what the visual expression should look like. The result is you are going around in circles and never truly achieving your vision of success.

Before You Jump

• I would urge you to think about this when you see yourself jumping to these short term activities and amplifying your voice through these megaphones;
• Is it the right message or campaign?
• Is it expressing the vision through a long term plan?
• Have you sought the right audience, knowing them intimately?
• Is it feeding into your overall plan that is defined by your ultimate purpose?
• Will people remember this in 6 months, or even next week, when they come to make a purchase?
• Is this really valuable and meaningful to my audience?
• Is this going to fall into a sea of noise with all the other ‘red queens’?

The beauty of strategy, lies in its capacity to leave an indelible imprint in the hearts and minds of those who encounter it. It is not a mere whisper in the wind, forgotten before the sun sets. It must inspire, captivate, and endure. It is also important to say that no two enterprises are identical, nor should they be. The notion of templates is a stifling cage, and not the way to unwrap the soul of your business. True distinction does not lie in conformity, but in the unique strengths and qualities of the business and its people, learning to wield it as a weapon against the mundane, and activate it to achieve your vision of success.

Embracing This Transformation

• By embracing this transformative force, the benefits to your business would be plentiful;
• A roadmap to untold long term growth would unfold?
• Decisions, once fraught with uncertainty, would become clear and purposeful
• You would rise above the clamor of competitors, forging an authentic path that is uniquely your own
• The birth of loyal brand advocates that transcends all obstacles
• Innovation and differentiation would become guiding principles, and easier to continually achieve
• Showing up for customers in ways that offers them authentic value and meaning, by understanding them intimately
• The very fabric of your business, from the people you employ to your physical presence in the world, would emanate a harmonious resonance
• The logo design, packaging, website and communication pieces would speak in volumes, conveying the purpose of the business with clarity?

Every person inside your business knows the value they must bring to the ideal customer, and the behaviours needed to achieve the business purpose. From the outside, every customer knows the value and meaning you bring to them, where they will become advocates for your business.

A big business example of a brand that does this so well is Patagonia. Even as they exited the business they did so while staying true to their purpose, ‘In business to save our home planet’. But even Patagonia started out small, making quality clothing for friends.

Brand Strategy Does Not End

Brand strategy is not something you stick on a wall or on a bookshelf to gather dust. Nor is it academic, or a stylistic veneer. It has to deliver actionable value to the right people. It is an advantage that you hold in the marketplace, an advantage over your competitors, and an advantage to your customers, employees and stakeholders. It takes creative design thinking, alternative viewpoints, everyone’s viewpoint, and plenty of testing and iterations to validate the idea.?

But remember, this journey does not end with the birth of a brand strategy. Brand strategy is the first step in a lifelong dance. Brand strategy is a living, breathing entity. It must be cultivated and nurtured, adapting to the ever changing currents of the marketplace and customers. Let it guide you through the maze of decisions, transforming each obstacle into an opportunity, while staying true to your purpose.

Your investment in brand strategy is repaid a thousandfold. Customers willingly part with their hard earned cash in exchange for the value they perceive, a perception you can control.

True magic awaits those brave enough to embrace it.