by Miriam Hara | Jun 7, 2010 | Business Success
There is a lot to be said for positive thinking these days. Keeping your vision for your marketing plan, your brand – and most of all, your phenomenal success AFTER you have safely weathered this recession, is paramount! You must plan for your success, and maximize all possible opportunities to market yourself. Don’t stop the long-term vision!
Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography available under a creative commons license
Long term planning is a must regardless of the short term issues. It is necessary to keep your eye on the horizon, while making the decisions of today. Tactics are great as long as they assist in reaching the longer-term goal. The strategic brand decisions made today, in order to survive the recession, will yield long term benefits!
by Miriam Hara | May 19, 2010 | Branding, Business Success
Hold it. Maintain it. Sustain it.
When an athlete is weary, run down or even a little discouraged… is it realistic for him or her to go and run a race, without much training in hopes of coming in first? No.
Original photo by d_vdm available under a creative commons license
Likewise, it’s not very realistic to aim to come out of a recession thinking you’re going to be in first place without having put the time into training your consumers. Branding is critical to create an educated consumer, a consumer who knows your product is front-of-the line. There’s no need to push the envelope of your marketing budget and to go for glory in these tough times, but keeping the momentum is key. Maintain the brand energy, and nurture your brand investment. You’ll make sure the long-term brand fitness by keeping it fit on a daily basis!
What is brand fitness?
A fit brand is a brand that lives a long healthy life, one of profitable longevity.Hold it. Maintain your existing budget to sustain your market share.
by Miriam Hara | May 19, 2010 | Branding, Business Success
Brand Tactics need to be re-evaluated on an ongoing basis.
To often, brand managers feel that once they have used a brand tactic, and it hasn’t worked, it will never work. That’s just not so. As time marches on, it is increasingly important for brands to stay in shape, (sound familiar?). Keeping pace with market shifts and trends is key to brand survival. When market conditions are tough, as they are today, it’s time to take the time to get fit. It is also the precise time to plan for the future. There is an old adage, “time stops for no one”… there is another wise saying: “this too shall pass”. Consequently, your brand tactics need to be timely, in top shape and ready to go!
Photo by basheertome available under a creative commons license
How do you evaluate brand tactics? Suffice to say, in every type of market condition there exist three fundamental pillars: The right approach. The right offer. The right time.
The approach and the offer must be in sync with the timing of any marketing initiative in order for it to be successful. Failure of a vehicle in the past, may have been the result of the wrong offer or, of “off” timing. When reviewing how to get your brand to lift off in time for the next full market up swing… keep an open mind and review and assess with a 360 degree scope. Make time work for your brand.
