by Miriam Hara | Oct 27, 2014 | Branding, Latest, Marketing
Brand shapers and makers would like to believe that they own brand perception. However, that simply is not true. Any brand’s perception by definition does not belong to the marketing teams in the offices or the manufactures. Brands are created by consumers. Many brands have been propelled to brand status by providing consumers with a better mouse trap. Think “Kleenex” or “Post-It Notes”. By developing and building new categories with breakthrough, innovative products, these brands had not only developed the category, but ultimately had to defend their market position. But not before they became brands, rather not before consumers defined them as brands. If the consumer says it’s a brand, well, it’s a brand.
At the risk of stating the obvious, brand perception belongs to the consumer.
Yet time and time again, we as marketers and brand makers forget that basic premise. Marketers forget that the brand, more specifically the perception of the brand, is something that we cannot fully dictate or control. We can gently nudge it, define the core premise, accentuate and emphasize its features, build a story, maintain its tone, style and approach – but how consumers respond to all this stimuli is not ours to control.
There is a misconception that the brands we manage, create and advertise are viewed by consumers in the same way that we view them. And that is not necessarily true. We place labels on our brands and assume that just because we see things in a certain way, consumers will as well. That is where we are mistaken. At the core of it all, we are too close to the brands that we are responsible for. Our brand perception is not that of the consumer.
As marketers we create a brand vision and apply a lot of effort to develop that vision into an entity that we believe consumers will connect with. Sometimes they do, but often they don’t and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Once a brand vision is developed, it becomes its own persona. The brand develops its own relationship with consumers. Each consumer has their own brand relationship and as a result creates a unique brand reality. Essentially, that’s what brand perception is all about.
by Miriam Hara | Oct 20, 2014 | Branding, Latest, Social Media
What are Brand friendships?
Okay, I admit it, I’ve coined that term. But if you think about all that is being talked about in Social Media, brand friendship is really where it’s at. All the articles and blogs speak to the elements of engagement and ultimately it all adds up to viewers becoming friends with their brands. So what are the elements that brands need to implement in social media that make viewers want to become their friends? Here are a few basics in the development of brand friendships:
1) No one wants to be friends with someone who always wants something from you… the same applies for a brand friendship. Building a relationship with niche audiences isn’t going to go very well, if all your content speaks to brand only. You need to be helpful and a brand needs to speak to the concerns of it niche market, and yes sometimes it has to go “off” scope to provide some context. No one wants to be friends with someone who always wants something from you….the same applies toward brand friendships.
2) Not many people appreciate unpredictability in their friends, or at least someone they can’t really read… so why would they want to have that with their brand friendships? Develop a tone. Be engaging. Be social. Keep your voice to your content, whether it’s a Facebook post, a video on YouTube, an Instagram picture, tweet of a blog post, your message must be carried in the same way. Think of the brand as a person. A person may have many ways of expressing themselves…sometimes happy, upbeat or at times serious or sad…regardless of tone the content should remain consistent.
3) Being a good friend takes effort… from both parties. The premise here is that brand lives within a market, an environment. It shares that environment with its niche market and therefore, must be sensitive to their values, attitudes and viewpoints. So if there is a concern or a public outcry that has relevancy to the niche market, the brand must participate. Communication must be authentic, engaging and ring true. No one wants to be friends with someone that doesn’t evolve and makes no effort to take the relationship to a new level.
4) Don’t be a wallflower. If you’re only going to show up at the party and not engage…well then you provide no value… and really you aren’t working on developing friendships. Whether it’s enjoyment, knowledge or just simply inspiration, make sure that there is value in what you are bringing up. Brands need to offer up entertainment, information and value. There are many ways to do this, so just don’t pick one way, always. Variety is necessary to keep your friendships constantly growing.
5) No shows… are a no-no! You know how some friends are there and then they are not. Well that’s not cool. From a person or from a brand. Being present, being timely and being mindful is a must. Viewers that have decided to let you in their circle must be respected in kind.
These are only a few tips on developing brand relationships. I’d like to hear on how you’ve cultivated brand relationships here.
by Miriam Hara | Sep 30, 2014 | Branding, Latest
When is it time to tear down your brand foundation and build a new one? Maybe the question should be: Is it time to build a new brand foundation? With this challenging and opportunistic economy, the changes and turnover within a brand’s marketing team are increasingly in flux. Gone are days when brand owners would be around to nurse and cajole their brands for 5 years or more. This is a key shift in brand marketing.
Brand foundation is at the cornerstone of brand building.
It’s important to realize that just because there’s something new and exciting out there, or that you’re what’s new and exciting to the brand, it doesn’t mean that you need to make a clean sweep and tear down everything that was previously built.
Like a house, brand needs a good solid foundation to build upon. And, it doesn’t mean that once the concrete is poured, the work is done. All of us have seen good additions and facelifts to existing homes. And, all of us have also seen poor executions of the same. The difference is in the planning and the respect given to the original structure when upgrading.
Here is a list of what should be considered when assessing the need to change the brand foundation:
Change for the sake of “new” is generally costly for a brand.
Be sure that the change implemented is one that can carry the brand for more than a promotion, a cycle or a year.
Changing the playing field, but not the expectation is unfair to a brand.
Too often programs are set in place and then changed or cancelled, while the objectives originally set don’t get revisited. The result is an unfair assessment and evaluation of the current brand foundation and what it represents.
Timing is everything.
When building a brand foundation all the key elements must come together exactly when they need to come together. Brand advertising must be met with the brand product on shelf.
Allowing short term tactics to dictate your brand position is risky.
It’s a very competitive world out there. The need to get instant results shouldn’t override the need to build for the future. Price is never a brand builder on its own.
The building and growth of any brand foundation must be handled with care and due diligence. So be sure to take care of it!
by Miriam Hara | Mar 29, 2014 | Branding, Latest
Brand value is based upon the sum of all its parts. Those parts are: a brand name, its marketing, the relationship the brand has with its target base, its intent and its history. Additionally, to a large degree brand value or brand equity is based on its level of endurance. A brand’s stamina and staying power are as important as its ability to stay true to its original intention.
In short, brand value is tied to its originality.
At the risk of sounding a tad too “mature”, I remember when marketing meant not only advertising the benefits of a brand, but communicating those benefits to the consumer in an original way. This allowed the brand to own its entire messaging, from the logo to the colour and tone used and of course, the imagery.
Today, I feel that some creative has become lazy – reaching for the low hanging fruit. This may be the result of less time and lower budgets, however the drawbacks to brand value by creating “me too” creative are significant.
Brand creative should be a significant contributor to brand value. Here are a few tips to flexing creative to become more original for your brand creative:
1. Start your brainstorming session with a brief. It should outline what the objectives are, who the competition is and what they have done in the market place.
2. Don’t build your creative around a royalty free stock image. It’s important that you completely own your visual identity. Have you ever seen an ad for a technology brand with the exact photo as an ad for an insurance service provider? It’s quite alarming. Today, many print ads and digital creative ads are based on the use of stock imagery – ugh!
3. Go for substance, not flash, unless you can achieve both without alienating your target group. The use of flash and pop up mechanisms on websites intrude rather than captivate attention.
4. Always be clever with the creative for your concept and your approach to copy and headlines. Often headlines are too tactile and lack playfulness and originality.
If the strategy is on point and implemented properly, creative will add considerably to brand value. Brand creative should be based on brand persona. And brand persona should be based on a unique set of characteristics that give it… well a personality. How else will a brand resonate with its consumers? It needs to be attractive and speak to consumers in a way that forms a true connection.
In today’s environment, the brand persona has taken on an even more prominent role. There is another dimension to develop brand personality: its voice and tone. Like every person is an original, to be a successful brand and create brand value, originality is essential.
by Camille McClane | Mar 19, 2014 | Branding, Latest
Who you are and how other people see you are sometimes two completely different things. Have you ever been surprised by seeing a celebrity behave differently than you had them pegged? Their personal brand, the self they sell to the public, was convincing enough that it become more real than their genuine self.
You have your own personal brand, whether you like it or not, a way that you present yourself to the world, even unintentionally.
If you aren’t paying special attention to it then there is a good chance it’s floundering. Here are some tell-tale signs that your personal brand is in trouble.
You Don’t Network to Get Work – Networking events are a terrific way to meet new contacts and potential clients, in fact, that’s the entire point of these events. If you already know people and choose to give them the majority of your time, then you’re missing the point. If you don’t have a clear enough brand to sell and aren’t sure how to approach new people, you can rest assured you won’t learn about it by spending all your time talking to your current friends. Reach out and attach your face to a positive idea in another’s mind.
You Can’t Summarize Yourself – Quick: What is your personal brand? If you’re struggling to think of an immediate answer, you don’t have one. What is George Clooney’s brand? What is Donald Trump’s brand? Hillary Clinton? Even if you would describe these people differently than they would themselves, you almost certainly know what they’re about. They have a strong, specific personal brand. You need to know your own brand clearly if you ever expect anyone else to do the same. Find your skills, find your goals and bind them together into a plan of action centered around yourself and your public image.
You Don’t Take Care of Yourself – Nobody is suggesting that you have to live your life by other people’s standards to be found worthy. If you aren’t concerned with fashion, you don’t have to pretend in order to “take care of yourself’. Though spending any time at all each day considering your appearance is hardly the same as selling out to public opinion. If you put in little effort, it reflects the value you give to yourself, and to some degree the rest of your life, both business and pleasure. Treat yourself, and your brand, with the respect you deserve as valuable part of society.
You Aren’t Promoting Yourself Properly – Whether you’re over-eager in your self promotion, or too docile to grab any attention, you’ll be able to judge the success of your social media impact by the size of your following. Now, if you’re just starting out, you need to give it some time before you measure your success. However, if you’ve been at it for awhile and are still struggling, it might be time to revisit your self promotion strategy. Do you have your own website in your name? Do you post too much on twitter or not enough? Is your LinkedIn profile up to date or outdated? Your self-promotional efforts are your only voice to the public. If you want people to know who you are and what you can offer, it starts with communicating with them in a way they can hear.
Your Business Cards Aren’t Up To Snuff – When you make a new contact in person, they are often left with only a fading memory of who you are, a conversation you had, and a business card with your contact info. This card ought to reflect not only your personality, but also your brand. If you got a bit lazy and picked whatever was easiest or cheapest, then you’re unlikely to leave a lasting impression on the recipients. If you spend some creative time to really come up with a design that screams your brand’s name, you won’t have to rely on that fading memory of a good conversation. They’ll be able to remember exactly who you are because of the card in their hand.
by Miriam Hara | Mar 17, 2014 | Branding, Latest
The year is 2014 and the way brand character is now defined is quite different from 5 years ago. Brand value on an emotive and creative level has always been about brand character, or as some often call it, brand persona.
In days gone by, the shaping of brand character was hugely dependent on many one way conversations. The visibility of a brand’s logo, its design, its choice of colour and the font usage was as visual as the “brand” got. Needless to say, today it’s just not the case. That’s right, gone are the good old days of building brand character. Some may look at these good old days as simple, even juvenile. With YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram, the number of visual channels has exploded.
[dt_sc_pullquote type=”pullquote3″ icon=”yes” align=”center”]The building blocks of creating a solid brand character today have significantly changed over the last few years.[/dt_sc_pullquote]
Increasingly the tone and voice are as important if not more important than the one way conversations that we often found brands in. We can all say goodbye to believing that single or traditional channels can be responsible in building a brand character.
Be careful, I am not saying that building brand awareness and launching a brand persona with the use of TV, radio or print is bad, but to only do this, would be a waste of effort and lack of efficiency. Social Media integration provides a 3D approach to brand character. This multi-channel approach is necessary to create awareness, buzz, style and therefore, brand character. But Social media isn’t the only integration that is required for a brand to reach its full potential of its persona. The development of a brand character involves a holistic approach, where external branding and internal branding meet and co-existent happily. That’s from customer service answering the phone to the handling of complaints.
The various social media channels(mentioned previously) and internal branding initiatives provide the forums for brands to articulate their true voice and tone. If a brand is portrayed as approachable and fun-loving in the a “one way” conversation, say on TV campaign or radio, then that brand needs to demonstrate it in terms of its overall strategy – in the brand tone, brand creative and brand voice.
