What does it take to be a 'disruptive' brand?

If you want to understand just how important brands are, consider this. In blind tests, consumers consistently prefer Pepsi-Cola to Coca-Cola. But when taste tests are performed with branded packaging revealed, consumers suddenly prefer Coca-Cola.

That’s a testament to the fact that a brand can have a powerful influence on the success of a business. A brand can change customer perceptions, enthuse employees, and act as a guide to management’s decision-making. But what is a brand? How can companies develop an effective brand strategy? And then how should they bring that strategy to life?

Brands need to understand the disruptive forces in changing the world.

Did you know that there are more SIM cards on the planet than people? As of 2017, there were 7.8 billion, to be precise. Technology is changing the world; it’s changing where we shop, when we learn, and how we find love. Our world is getting smaller, faster, and better connected. It’s being disrupted.

Today, many brands have to be both global and local.

Take McDonald’s. It’s always been a showcase for the benefits of standardization and a tightly controlled system – that’s what first made it a success in the United States. But its true global success only came when it embraced local variation. Or, to put it another way, success came when it embraced not just globalization, but also localization.

A second key trend is the changing habits of consumers. In the past, if a consumer wanted to give feedback or to express dissatisfaction about a product, they’d need to write or call HQ. Today, social networks allow consumers to interact with brands in a far more immediate and impactful way.

A final disruptive trend is the increased merging of the digital and the physical, brands today face rapid changes that are completely altering the way that consumers engage with them. Brands can’t simply ignore these changes but must adapt to them.

A great brand strategy will provide a blueprint for managerial decision-making.

It’s not enough today to just have a great service or product. To stand out from the pack, you need a clear and powerful narrative about your brand. Your brand’s story will be the lifeblood of your organization, generate trust and engagement from your customers, and motivate your people.

So what exactly should a brand strategy consist of? Well, to create one, you should define in a short narrative what your company does well, how it does it, and why it does it. Overall, your brand strategy will give you, your team, and your customers a clear sense of your purpose in the world. Any business that wants to survive in this age of disruption needs a clear brand strategy.

The Brand must become the organizing principle and driver that directs everything the company do

Companies need to carefully define a brand idea and then commit to living up to it.

Any business owner or marketer can develop and implement a brand strategy fit for the 2020s, There are four basic steps toward defining a brand idea:

• First, take feedback. Ask your team what they most like about being a part of your brand. How would they sell it to potential employees or customers? Ask them, and yourself, why exactly your organization exists.
• Second, listen. Call up some of your customers – old and new. Why are they your customers? What makes you stand out? And what could you do to be even better?
• Third, think. With the information you’ve gathered, start to write out the key insights you’ve gathered. Consider how this could be crafted into a simple but meaningful narrative that can inspire management, employees, and customers.
• Finally, refine and test. Once you’ve developed a brand strategy, put it to the test. Is it relevant to your key audiences? Does it capture your organization’s purpose, in a way that conveys a sense of value to them? Is it authentic? Will your people and your customers feel that it rings true when they hear it?

Once you have a brand strategy, it’s crucial that you live up to it in your actions. Creating a brand strategy is simply the first step. The important thing is to live up to it – day in, day out.

Exceptional customer service is central to branding.

If we consider groundbreaking brands, we tend to think of shiny innovative products, memorable advertising campaigns, or a charismatic leader.

But the reality is there’s also a lot happening behind the scenes that can be just as important to building a great brand. And while building great customer touchpoints is important, no visual design or retail space will keep customers coming back if service is poor. As customers have higher and higher expectations, this creates the opportunity for brands to use customer service as a source of disruption. That’s particularly the case in industries that traditionally offered poor service.

So how can you build great customer service? Well, top quality processes and communication are essential. But something else to consider is your people. The Four Seasons hotel group has a great Golden Rule, which you could consider adopting: treat people the way you would like to be treated, and they will do the same. Taking care of your customer service isn’t easy, or a quick fix. It’s a long-term investment, but one that will pay great dividends for your brand.

In a time of constant and disruptive change, having a strong and authentic brand is more important than ever. A clear brand strategy will help motivate your people, guide your decision making, and keep your customers coming back for more.

A brand is more than even an iconic logo, a tagline or good marketing. It is what you stand for.

Engaging your current and future people in your brand strategy will pay off.

While touring a NASA site, President John F. Kennedy took a moment to introduce himself to a janitor. “What do you do here?” asked the president. Broom in hand, the janitor proudly replied, “I’m helping to put a man on the moon.”

That’s maybe the ultimate example of an employee who fully believed his organization’s brand mission. How can your organization generate something approaching this level of internal buy-in? Defining a clear process that aligns with your brand is a great way to ensure that your people will feel proud of and responsible for your organization.

A clear brand strategy should encourage the right kind of employee behaviours. Google’s stated commitment to excellence under the slogan “great isn’t good enough” is a clear invocation that it expects devotion to the highest possible standard.

• First, develop an employer value proposition, or EVP. That’s a short, snappy, and authentic description of why your organization is a great place to work. A lot of large, traditional companies struggle nowadays to market themselves to graduates and other young potential employees. What used to be regarded as solid, reliable corporate positions are all too often seen as old-fashioned, outdated, and outright boring to millennials.
• Second, develop an employee journey. Every employee goes on a journey with their company, from the first time they hear about the brand, through a number of important touchpoints: their interview, their first day, anniversaries and promotions, and right through to their departure and beyond. Each of these touchpoints tells that employee something about the company and the brand. Wouldn’t you like to define how that should happen?

Actionable advice:

• Set up a mixture of qualitative and quantitative ways to measure your brand impact.
• If you want to truly understand the strength of your brand, you need to measure it. Set up a mixture of qualitative measures – like conducting focus groups, or interviewing customers – and quantitative measures, like running surveys. Doing so can help you identify easy solutions for a stronger brand.

Summary:

• A brand can change customer perceptions, enthuse employees, and act as a guide to management’s decision-making.
• Brands need to understand the disruptive forces in changing the world.
• A great brand strategy will provide a blueprint for managerial decision-making.

Got feedback? I’d love to hear what you think.