the 7 essential ingredients Building a Brand

the 7 essential ingredients to Building a Brand, not a business workshoppresented by

7 essential ingredientsfor Building a Brand,not a business

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the 7 essential ingredients to Building a Brand, not a business workshop

Introduction

Introduction

Content Strategies

My Brand Foundations

LUNCH 1.45pm - 2.30pm

LUNCH

Driving Traffic to your BrandPresented by James Hammon & Co

DAY 2 Itinerary

2.45pm - 4.15pm

Differentiation Strategies

Contents

1. Define your purpose

2. Focus on making the right person happy

4. Stand by your brand pillars

5. Make a promise and keep it

6. Have a vision and be guided by it

7. Create a personality

p 1

p 3 11.30am - 12.30am

10.00am - 11.30am

9.30am - 10.30am

p 8 12.30am - 2.00pm

p 21

4.15pm - 5.00pm

10.30am - 11.15am

p 27 11.15am - 12.15pm

p 31 12.15pm - 1.45pm

p 37 2.30pm - 3.30pm

p 47

p 43 3.30pm - 4.30/5.00pm

p 45

DAY 1 Itinerary

3. Position yourself for success p 13

2.00pm - 2.45pm

Core Brand Messaging p 45

the 7 essential ingredients to Building a Brand, not a business workshop1

Introduction

NO SWEAT MODERATE CHALLENGING

Key – throughout the document will see the following symbols to guide you:

Exercises

Information

Difficulty

Your brand strategy is the key to growing your brand by positively influencing how your customers perceive you, how you make them feel emotionally and how you build their desire, trust and loyalty. A brand strategy is a long term growth plan that:

• identifies the reasons why your customers should buy from you

• brings a brand to life through visual and verbal communication

• guides the day-to-day and long term decision making of your business

Brand Strategy WorkshopIn this workshop we will take you through the 7 steps designed to empower you to create the most powerful of brands; a differentiated brand.

The steps we have designed do take time to refine so you may or may not get to the knub of your brand by the end of the workshop, however you will be well on the way to building the necessary foundations for creating your brand.

Once you have a properly thought-through brand strategy, only then can you use it to inform your marketing’s direction, helping you to position and express the value you offer at every touch-point. Without a brand strategy, you cannot brief a designer, copywriter or web builder and expect a successful outcome.

the 7 essential ingredients to Building a Brand, not a business workshop 2

Introduction

Which choice is easier to make?

Think about it, because the same decisions occur in branding. If you’re asking the consumer to choose between shades of grey, not only is the decision harder to make, but the consumer feels less committed to the decision. The more polarized you make the choice, the better chance you have that a customer will commit to your brand.

The desired outcome of this program is to change your existing business into a compelling brand based on differentiation. This relies more on heuristic thinking than algorithmic thinking – meaning that there is no set path or mathematical formula to follow, but you still need rigor and process otherwise you’ll drift from one thought to another.

In the following exercises read through each checkpoint and makes notes on the ones that resonate with you (it’s not necessary to labour over every question), then complete the exercise at the end of each chapter.

or orVERSUS

EXTERNAL FOCUS

INTERNAL FOCUS

Personality

Vision

Brand Promise

Brand Pillars

Positioning

Customer Pains & Gains

Purpose

7

6

5

4

3

2

1


1 Define your purpose

Have you ever asked yourself why your company is in business? Great companies have a purpose that people can feel passionate about. It’s the difference you want to make on the planet through your business.

The first exercise is to define your Purpose; a written statement that represents why your company matters.

You will use your Purpose to;

• create the underlying rationale for company activity and decision making

• motivate employees and keep your team focused on achieving success

• attract customers who are ready to reward businesses that put their skills and resources to work for a common good that they also believe in

When you have a Purpose, and every member of your team believes what you believe, your plans, ambition and efforts stand a much better chance of hitting your target.

Purpose = Why Pillars = How Vision = What

The reason why you do what you do and why your organisation exists.

The guiding principles that define what you stand for.

The picture of the future you wish to create.

Firstly lets define the difference between Purpose, Vision and Pillars as they often get mixed up or swapped around. Below are the 3 governing ideas that form the backbone of this workshop and serve to position, direct and guide a company forward along its path.


Define your purpose


Define your purpose

Example – Purpose statements:3M Our purpose is to solve unsolved problems innovatively.

Merck Our purpose is to preserve and improve human life.

Walt Disney Our purpose is to make people happy.

SETI Institute Our purpose is to explore, understand, and explain the origin, nature, prevalence and distribution of life in the universe.

Hewlett-Packard Our purpose is to make technical contributions for the advancement and welfare of humanity.

Sony Our purpose is to experience the joy of advancing and applying technology for the benefit of the public.

Walmart Our purpose is to give ordinary folk the chance to buy the same things as rich people.


Define your purpose

Exercise 1 - The first step in building your brand is to find out where your raw energy is coming from. Growth and change won’t eventuate without the passion, credibility and experience needed to fuel success day after day, year after year, under the pressure of competition.

MODERATE

- What are you passionate about?

- Who are you and why do you do what you do?

- What is your purpose beyond business?

Consider these questions and brainstorm your answers below:


Ask yourself why?

WL: Can you tell me about your purpose?

SE: I want to create a school.

WL: This is not a particularly inspiring purpose, and what will happen when the school has been created? Why do you want to build a school?

SE: Because none of the existing schools in the area are any good.

WL: Why is that important to you?

SE: I want the children in the area to get a better education.

WL: Why?

SE: Because we are never going to get out of the cycle of deprivation, poor health, unemployment that plagues this area until we do.

WL: Why is that important?

SE: Because I want all the children in this area to have the best chance to improve their lives.

Aha! This last sentence is the key to the purpose:

I want all children to have the best chance to improve their lives.

A process to help if you are stuck.Here is an example of a ficticious discussion between a workshop leader (WL) and a social entrepreneur (SE) where a common method is to ask the question “why?” until the purpose behind the delivery mechanism is realised. This method is great to help with your thought process as you brainstorm your purpose statement.

Define your purpose


MODERATE

Exercise 2

• To uncover your purpose, ask yourself: Where does your company’s passion lie?

• What are your greatest strengths and what do you have to offer?

• What need do you see in the world that you are ideally placed to address?

Successful companies can define their purpose in one of four key ways. Here are the four key categories that will help you define your Purpose. A Purpose is predominantly influenced by;

Your passion for Discovery. You want to innovate and discover new products, services or techniques. (3M, Seti, Google, Sony, IBM)

Your passion for Excellence. You want to offer the best products and services. (Harvard University, BMW, Apple)

Your passion for Heroism. You want to change the world by making your product available to the masses. (Walmart, Ford, Microsoft, Kodak)

Your passion for Altruism. You want to improve things for others – employees, the environment, the community. (Merck, Walt Disney, Fannie Mae, HP, The Co-op, Bodyshop, Flexicar)

Define your Purpose

Define your purpose


2 Focus on making the right person happy

For your marketing to appeal to your prospects, one of the most important factors, is your ability to put yourself into their shoes and truly understand what makes them tick. Creating your own buyer persona (or personas) can help you do a better job at addressing specific problems faced by people or companies, and therefore improve your sales by creating more customer-centric messages. The personas you create can be as basic or complicated as you’d like, but at the end of the day, their utility lies in how effective they are at creating a clear picture of what drives the different types of buyers of your products or services.

It’s likely you won’t have any research on your target customer, so be careful that your perceptions don’t cloud the reality!

In order to be successful at attracting and converting prospects into customers, you must be able to understand their drivers. For instance, an 18yo with enough cash to buy a $420,000 Ferrari is considering the purchase for completely different reasons that a 55yo happily married man is!


Focus on making the right person happy



Exercise 1 - Consider your ideal customer, and fill out the table opposite with the information detailed below.

MODERATE

Often times business people, and marketers even more, think about customers in terms of segments: young entrepreneurs, mums at home, single professionals, you name it. It can be useful to think broadly about who you’re hoping to serve in the long run, but offers little value to plan and execute on your next move.

The person that you’re hoping to serve with your product/service is much more than a bunch of demographics: they are a human being with problems, needs, goals and habits, that live and work in certain environments. It’s only when you truly understand that, that you can hope to be effective at serving them well, which goes from reaching out to them through messages via social media, to creating a great experience for them.

There are several frameworks to develop a persona and we believe this is the simplest and most effective:

Give him/her a face and basic informationThis box is all about visualizing your customer. There are four components to this:

- a name- a face- a place (where the product will be used)- a bubble speech (is the finishing touch, externalizing the problem you’re trying to solve.)

FactsThink of facts as added information to identify your customer. They often take the form of demographics, but feel free to add other relevant pieces of information. Classic examples are age, yearly income, where they live, marital status etc. This may be more important for some products than others.

For example if your service is very expensive, lower income individuals might not be customers, especially early adopters. If you are targeting certain locations instead, where they live or work may be of particular relevance.

BehaviorsStart with an active verb and actions that you can observe.

For example, she likes to read is not a valid behavior. Rather write that as she reads a book while sitting at the park on Sundays.

One very important thing to point out about behaviors is that they will often map to channels you can use to reach your customers. For example in the case above it’s obvious you should be able to find your persona in a park on Sunday mornings holding a book and reading.

Needs & GoalsIn the context of your problem space, what does your persona want to accomplish? What does he/she need?

It’s important to avoid being too generic and adding things in here that anybody would want and a lot of products would provide like more money or more time.

Try to get specific.

Ok, over to you



Give it a face and basic information

Facts

Behaviors

Needs & Goals



Buyer Persona

What are their Gains

Describe the outcomes and benefits they want. Ideally some should go above and beyond their

expectations and surprise them.

They include functional utility, social gains, positive emotions and cost savings.

What are their Pains

Describe anything that annoys them before, during, and after engaging in your product or services, or

simply prevents them from engaging at all.

They also describe risks and potentially bad outcomes.

Exercise 2 – Now you have a persona in mind, the purpose of this exercise is to get into their head, and to try to identify what their needs and wants are.

CHALLENGING

e.g. Unable to be productive during a flight.

Name



What are their Gain Creators

These outline how you intend to produce outcomes and benefits that they would be surprised and

impressed by.

Focus on their gains that are relevant and can make a real difference.

What are their Pain Relievers

Describe exactly how your products and services alleviate their specific pains.

No value proposition can come up with pain relievers for every pain, so focus on the ones that matter most to

the customer and that you can substantially alleviate.

Exercise 3 – Now, using your Buyer Persona as a reference point, list ways in which you can alleviate their pains, and offer them gains that go above and beyond their expectations.

CHALLENGING

Value Proposition

e.g. Ability to use laptops and mobile phones during flights.


3 Position yourself for success

Your brands position in the market describes how you are different from your competitors and where, or how, you sit in a particular market.

In order to create a distinctive place in the market, a niche market has to be carefully chosen and a differential advantage must be created in your prospect’s minds. Brand positioning is a medium through which an organisation can portray to its customers what it wants to achieve for them and what it wants to mean to them.

Superior brand positioning will;

• create a positive perception in the minds of target customers (and staff)

• position and differentiate you in relation to your competitors

• relate to and positively influence your customer buying decisions

• build the value of your brand

• make it difficult for competitors to match your professionalism or positioning

• position you as employers of choice

In order for your business to set new standards and proactively address the competitive landscape, you need to look for fundamentally new market spaces for which there are no direct competitors. It is a different approach, but one that will pay off with big dividends.


Position yourself for success



Exercise 1 - Jot down anything that you believe you are, or can be, best at. What can you hang your hat on, that would be of interest to your potential customers?

CHALLENGING


Here are some examples of 3 companies in the competitive industry of air travel, who have all managed to position themselves based on 3 distinct target markets, with very different motives.

Air New Zealand uses the quality of their food to position itself.

United Airlines focuses on seat space and legroom.

Southwest Airlines promotes the ability to use a laptop and a cellphone during the flight.




Exercise 2 - Now let’s see how you stack up against your competitors. Using your list of things you think you can be best at, fill in the axes on the opposite page and plot yourself and your competitors along them in order to find some uncontested areas.

High quality

Prestige

Friendly

Strong ‘taste’

Broad choice

Stylish

Full flavor

High sugar

Healthy

Modern

Youthful

Lots of variety

International

Exciting

For adults

Good value

Convenient

Full service

Flexible

Colorful

Gentle

Durable

Luxury

Complex

Responsive

Mature

Fun

Open

For everyone

Large

Specialist

Innovative

General

Outgoing

Masculine

Advanced

/ Low quality

/ Budget

/ Corporate

/ Weak ‘taste’

/ Narrow choice

/ Functional

/ No flavor

/ No sugar

/ Unhealthy

/ Traditional

/ Older

/ Limited variety

/ Local

/ Down to Earth

/ For children

/ Poor value

/ Awkward

/ Self service

/ Restricted

/ Monotone

/ Assertive

/ Weak

/ Basic

/ Simple

/ Slow

/ Childish

/ Serious

/ Closed

/ Selective

/ Small

/ General

/ Conservative

/ Niche

/ Reserved

/ Feminine

/ Beginner

Here are some examples of what you could use at the top and bottom of your axes...

CHALLENGING



Here is an example for the air travel industry.

Most business orientated

- Southwest Airlines

- United Airlines

- Air New Zealand

Least business orientated



Exercise 3 - If you are still struggling to find an opening, try and combine some of your axes to give you a more comprehensive look at where you sit against your competitors.

CHALLENGING



Exercise 4 - If you’re feeling brave, now try to list what you are going to add or increase, and what you are going to remove or reduce in your business in order to set it in its new position.

CHALLENGING

Add / Increase Remove / Reduce

e.g. Southwest Airlines added the ability for their business customers to be more productive during a flight.


4 Stand by your brand pillars

Your Pillars are like the rules your business operates under. They are non-negotiable attributes or beliefs that you stand for and that fit with who you are and what you do to serve the un-met, or under-met needs in your market.

Your Brand Pillars act as a cross-check for everything your brand does. When you’re creating your website or a banner advertisement, or even having a conversation with prospective staff, they guide and help to keep your brand experience consistent.

When choosing your brand Pillars think about:• The customer experience that you want to create.

• What role will your brand play in the lives of others.

• What values and characteristics do you want to be associated with your brand?

Once you establish your Brand Pillars, they should be reflected in your corporate messaging and ongoing marketing efforts.

Your Brand Pillars act as the foundations on which to build your Brand Promise which will be discussed in the next section.

Brand Pillars are 3 (no more than 5) attributes, written as words or short statements that should convey the emotion of your customers reasonto buy from you. These attributes and principles should be communicated through your brand messaging and communications.






Stand by your brand pillars


People Service Innovation

We value our people and promote diversity in our workforce and in our thinking.

Our absolutely, positively spirit puts our customers at the heart of everything we do.

We invent and inspire the services and technologies that improve the way the world works and lives.

Integrity Responsibility Loyalty

We manage our operations, finances and services with honesty, efficiency and reliability.

We champion safe and healthy environments for the communities in which we live and work.

We earn the respect and confidence of our FedEx people, customers and investors every day, in everything we do.

Customer Focus Frugality Innovation

“We start with the customer and work backward.“

Following a bottom-up approach, every decision at Amazon is driven by the customers needs.

“Amazon is spending money on things that matter to customers.”

Frugality is part of the companies DNA: Amazon is continually looking for ways to do things cost-effectively.

“I think frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do.“

Amazon is always looking for the simple solutions in order to provide lower prices to its customers.

Here are some notable brand pillars examples. Note how these words could be used by any brand, but in there particular combination they become unique to each brand.


Brand Pillars

What they mean to the brand

Brand Pillars




Customer centricity Innovation Unique vibe

Virgin, no matter what category, will be known for understanding, caring about, fighting for, and delighting the customer. We take customer service very seriously. It’s a central brand function, not a side operational function, although it is quite operationalised.

No matter what category we enter—and this takes a bit of discipline because we get opportunities all the time to go into lots of different things—we never want to go in as a “me too” product. We want to go in and shake things up.

We are cheeky and playful. We constantly innovate, but not at the cost of approachability. We’re sort of the CEO in jeans, not taking ourselves too seriously.

Customer Focus Frugality Innovation

“We start with the customer and work backward.“

Following a bottom-up approach, every decision at Amazon is driven by the customers needs.

“Amazon is spending money on things that matter to customers.”

Frugality is part of the companies DNA: Amazon is continually looking for ways to do things cost-effectively.

“I think frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do.“

Amazon is always looking for the simple solutions in order to provide lower prices to its customers.

Respect Ethical Sustainability

Dilmah is respectful of the traditions of an industry that is centuries old, and of a beverage with a 5,000 year history. The teas we offer are traditional and orthodox, made using a process perfected over generations.

Dilmah is an ethical brand, born a pioneer in seeking fairness in the world of tea, and benefiting the workers and others in the Ceylon Tea industry through its success.

With the 2010 Declaration of a Core Commitment to Sustainability, Dilmah Conservation is now working towards a more sustainable use of the environment by encouraging a harmonious co-existence between man and nature.

Brand Pillars


Brand Pillars




Brand Pillars reflect your company’s internal character and what you stand for. This internal identity – defined by the Pillars that your company considers integral to its existence – is the source from which all other aspects of your brand will flow.

Here are a few questions to keep in the back of your head when you’re looking at potential core Pillars (it may help to think of Pillars as your company values):

• Which Pillars are so inherent in your company that if they disappeared, your company would cease to exist as it is?

• Which Pillars does your company consistently adhere to in the face of all obstacles?

• Does the word passionate come to mind when you look at a Pillar and apply it to your company?

• Which core Pillars do you live by?

We’ll go into more detail later, but the preceding questions should give you a pretty good idea of what you’re looking for when deciding which of the following core Pillars/values best represent your company.

Exercise 1 - To begin developing your core Pillars look at the following list and check off which Pillars could represent your company. The list is compiled from a number of the world’s greatest brands. If none of them are quite right, feel free to add some of your own. At the end of this exercise, we’ll be narrowing this list down to three or four core Pillars. Most companies that initially go through this exercise end up with about seven or eight that feel right. That’s OK. You can narrow down the list later.

Community

Nurturing

Innovation

Value

Diversity

Reliability

Trust

Positive outlook

Irreverence

Underpromise, overdeliver

Teamwork

Family

Competitiveness

Entertainment

Connection

Authenticity

Commitment

Transparency

Fun

Performance

Simplicity

Comfort

The Golden Rule

Health

Responsiveness

Education

Pragmatism

People

Sense of urgency

Precision

Safety

Affordability

Integrity

Knowledge

Quality

Cleanliness

Fairness

Security

Honesty

Advanced technology

Growth

Customer focus

Creativity

Accountability

Pick your own

MODERATE

Some common Brand Pillars



List 6 to 8 potential brand Pillars using the list at the bottom of the opposite page.

Use the following questions to make sure that the Pillars you end up with are core Pillars.

Now write down 3 Pillars that you believe are core to your company, and write a 1 or 2 sentence explanation of what that Pillar means to you and your business.

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

7. 8.

1. Which Pillars are so part of your DNA, that if they disappeared, your company would cease to exist as it is?

2. Are these the Pillars that you believe your company can adhere to in the face of all obstacles?

3. Does the word passionate come to mind when you list a Pillar?

4. Which Pillars do you feel are inherently part of you and reflect the way you naturally approach things?

Pillar 1:

Pillar 2:

Pillar 3:


5 Make a promise and keep it

Businesses are often unaware of the concept or benefits of having a Brand Promise, but as a differentiator it is a must.

One of the key things to do to accelerate market success is to develop a brand promise for your company and/or products and services. The strongest brand promises convey the value you offer your target market. Think of your brand promise as your core selling idea – the shortest and simplest way to explain what your product/service represents over your competitors.

As your company or products change over time so can your Brand Promise. So, take both today’s reality and the reality of where you’ll be in 12 months into consideration. This is primarily an internal statement, intended to create focus, priority, and clarity.


Make a promise and keep it


Opposite are two brand promise / positioning statement examples from well known companies.

They use a formula consisting of 4 key elements;

Target Market Frame of Reference

Differentiation Justification


1. Your Target Market needs to be:

3. Your point of difference needs to be:

• Large enough to justify why you’re in business.

• Focused enough that you can specifically address customer pains.

• Meaningful to the customer – the more strongly customers feel about being part of this group, the better. The more precisely you define the target market, the more members will feel a part of it.

• Fact based – You need to support it with undeniable facts.

• Desirable – It must promise to meet the needs of the customer.

• Preemptive – The stronger and longer customers associate your company, and only your company, with this point of difference, the better.

• Include all the options to satisfy a specific, identifiable need.

• Take into account that when your company is positioned as a member of a certain frame of reference, you automatically accrue its benefits as well as its baggage.

• Include unique features, functions, characteristics, or delivery methods

• Be unique and defendable – in other words, bulletproof!

2. Your frame of reference needs to:

4. The justification needs to:



PillarsPeople Service Innovation

Integrity Responsibility Loyalty

PromiseTo deadline-oriented business people, Federal Express is the overnight package delivery service that is the most reliable because of its sophisticated package tracking system.

Breaking this down into the four elements of a brand promise / positioning statement, you see:

Target market: “Deadline-oriented business people”

Frame of reference: “Overnight package delivery service”

Differentiation: “The most reliable”

Justification: “Its sophisticated package tracking system”

PillarsCustomer Focus Frugality Innovation

Promise Amazon.com strives to be Earth’s most customer-centric company where people can find and discover virtually anything they want to buy online. By giving customers more of what they want - low prices, vast selection, and convenience - Amazon.com continues to grow and evolve as a world-class e-commerce platform.

Breaking this down into the four elements of a brand promise / positioning statement, you see:

Target market: “People who want to buy online”

Frame of reference: “E-commerce platform”

Differentiation: “Most customer-centric company”

Justification: “Low prices, vast selection, convenience”

Typically, companies often have the most difficulties in the areas of differentiation and justification. Often businesses find that what they think is their differentiation is often a justification for an even more powerful differentiation.



1. Your target market

2. Your frame of reference (or category)

3. Your point of difference

Exercise 1 – Before you begin, look at the details for each element of your promise (1, 2, 3 & 4 on the previous page) and then begin to craft it below.

MODERATE

This needs to be large enough to justify why you’re in business, and meaningful to the customer.

Remember, where your company is positioned as a member of a certain frame of reference, will determine what benefits and baggage it will automatcally accrue.

This needs to be fact based, desirable and the stronger and longer customers associate your company, with this point of difference, the better.



4. The justification for your point of difference

Put it all together and brainstorm your Brand Promise here

This has to include unique features, functions, characteristics, or delivery methods.


6 Have a Vision and be guided by it

Your Vision Statement outlines where you want to be. It lists where you see yourself some years from now. Understanding your goals and being able to state them clearly is the first step toward making them happen.

Your vision will inspire you and your team to give their best.

The reason most businesses don’t achieve their goals or desires is the lack of a clear vision. When asked, many business owners are only half clear on their vision, which means one thing: limited growth and success...






Have a Vision and be guided by it



What would happen if your company ceased to exist?

Would journalists write headlines heralding your past achievements, or would their stories simply add you to a list of bygones? Would analysts express disappointment or would they point to indicators that made your death predictable? Would employees wonder how it could have ended, or would they have known it was inevitable? Would customers mourn your passing, or would the demise of your brand go unnoticed?

Exercise 1 - Write an obituary for your company. In this exercise, it helps to think of your brand as though it were a person. Pretend that you are a reporter for a local newspaper who must write the obituary for this person (your brand) who just passed away. This invented scenario can help you uncover the true nature of your brand. Personify your company as if it were a live person. Think of that person on its best days when it is executing on its brand at peak levels.

Why was your business important to your customers, what void is left by the “death”?

- What was the brand’s biggest accomplishment in life?

- What will your brand be remembered for?

- Who will mourn or miss the brand, and why?

- What can be learned in the wake of its death?

- What will people say about your brand at the funeral?

- Now that the brand is gone, what will take its place?

Answer these questions:

MODERATE



Imagine you and your business in the future. What do you see?

What do you want to achieve in the next 1, 5 or 10 years?

Exercise 2 - Building a brand requires a long-term goal orientated vision that supports your purpose. Think about it, how can anything meaningful happen without a plan for the future? MODERATE



A Vision Statement can be as simple as one line or complex enough to fill an entire page.

Example Vision Statements

Shorter onesAvon: To be the company that best understands and satisfies the product, service and self-fulfillment needs of women—globally.

Ford: To become the world’s leading Consumer Company for automotive products and services.

Sony: Become the company most known for changing the worldwide poor-quality image of Japanese products.

Amazon: Our vision is to be earth’s most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.

Nike: To be the number one athletic company in the world.

Ikea: To create a better every day life for the many people.

Microsoft: A computer on every desk and in every home; all running Microsoft software.

Giro Sport: To become the Nike of the cycling industry.

Longer onesCitigroup: Our goal for Citigroup is to be the most respected global financial services company. Like any other public company, we’re obligated to deliver profits and growth to our shareholders. Of equal importance is to deliver those profits and generate growth responsibly.

Heinz: “The World’s Premier Food Company, Offering Nutritious, Superior Tasting Foods To People Everywhere.” Being the premier food company does not mean being the biggest, but it does mean being the best in terms of consumer value, customer service, employee talent, and consistent and predictable growth.

– The moral/ethical position of the company

– Your desired public image

– The key strategic influence for the company

– A description of your target market

– A description of your products/services

– A quantitative or qualitative statement

– A role model statement

It can incorporate:



Exercise 3 - Now it’s time to create your Vision statement. Use this formula to help you begin crafting your Vision Statement. It will force you to choose what you consider to be the most important accomplishment of your business and give you a time frame to accomplish it.

Five years from now, (my company name) will .......................by .....................

For instance, here’s a sample vision statement:

Five years from now, Tiny Tots Nappy Service will be the top grossing nappy service in the Australia by consistently providing a reliable, affordable service for Mums and Dads with small children.

State your Vision - where do you want to be?

MODERATE


7 Create a personality

When we speak of a brand’s personality, we are describing the way a brand expresses and represents itself in that market place.Standing out and differentiating your business by displaying appropriate human traits for example fun, honesty, loyalty or creativity will help you get remembered, so it’s an important component of your brand arsenal.

As you work through this section consider;

• What are your stories?

• What are your key messages?

• Is your voice full of personality?

• What does your brand look like?

• Is it properly dressed for the occasion?

• How can the behaviour of your brand match what it says?

• What are some of the new behaviours that will improve your brand perception?

If we meet someone with no personality it’s highly unlikely we become a close friend, and it’s no different when it comes to doing business.


Create a personality



Exercise 1 - Your company will broadly fall under one of the 5 categories below. Put a tick next to which best describes your brand.

Exercise 2 - From your chosen category, circle 3 personality traits that you feel clearly reflect you business.

MODERATE

MODERATE

Sincerity

Sincerity

GenuineConsiderateThoughtful

Well-manneredReal

SincereDown-to-earth

WarmKind

Family orientedHonest

WholesomeCheerfulDomesticHeartfeltSeriousCredible

FrankEarnest

ImpassionedPurposeful

Fair

YoungModernCheerfulFriendlyHappy

OutgoingFun

DaringSpiritedUnique

ImaginativeIndependent

TalkativeOptimistic

PositiveFree

EnergeticTrendy

CoolContemporary

CarefreeUp-to-date

AccomplishedInfluentialEfficientReliable

DeterminedSharp

DignifiedSecure

HardworkingIn ControlIntelligent

LeaderConfident

ResponsibleDependable

ProficientSkilled

InnovativeComfortable

GiftedDiscerning

Simple

IntellectualPrestigious

GlamourousStylishRegal

Upper-classCharmingSmoothElegant

RomanticExtravagantPretentious

MatureRefinedWorldly

ExperiencedSmooth

SeasonedSuave

ExceptionalDesirableCivilised

RoughAthletic

OutdoorsyMasculine

ToughStrongRuggedActive

EnterprisingFreshHardy

IndustriousTireless

VigorousPowerful

PotentArduousInvolvedEnduringDynamic

OpenDefinite

Excitement

Excitement

Competence

Competence

Sophistication

Sophistication

Ruggedness

Ruggedness

e.g. e.g. e.g. e.g. e.g.



Here is an example of Apple’s personality traits, and what they mean to them.

Innovative Simple In Control

e.g. SimpleDoes mean that they produce products that are simple and intuitive to use.Doesn’t mean that they oversimplify at the expense of functionality.

Trait 1:

Trait 2:

Trait 3:

Does mean

Does mean

Does mean

Doesn’t mean

Doesn’t mean

Doesn’t mean

Exercise 3 - Expand on these traits further with ‘Does mean‘ and ‘Doesn’t mean‘ statements. Words alone are subjective, so you need to flesh out your characteristics further by defining what they do mean and don’t mean.

CHALLENGING



Exercise 4 - Identify your brand tone. What you say and how you say it needs to reflect your personality. Given that we can dial up and down certain traits, it’s essential that our tone remains consistent. Plot an X on along the lines below to demonstrate how you will sound.

NO SWEAT

Volume

Whispered Softly Spoken Conversational Loud In Ya Face!

Attitude

Safe Conventional Politely Opinionated Provocative Polarising

Sociability

1 on 1 Inclusive Club Colleagues & Friends Community Universal

Energy

Chilled Relaxed & Easy Going Switched-On Effervescent Manic

This is where the rubber meets the road.

Use the template on the next page to write your final Brand Foundations.


My Brand Foundations

Brand Purpose

Brand Promise

Company Vision

Brand Pillars

Position

Customer Persona

Brand Personality

Does mean:

Doesn’t mean:

Gain Creators

Add / Increase Remove / Reduce

Pain Relievers

Does mean:

Doesn’t mean:

Does mean:

Doesn’t mean:

Trait 1 Trait 2 Trait 3


Paypal Brand Foundations

Company VisionDelivering the future of money today: Anytime, anywhere, any way.

Brand PromiseMaking it simpler to get more of what you want from your money.

Below are PayPal’s actual ‘Brand Foundations’.Can you see how your business now has the foundation of a great brand?

Brand PersonalityTo capitalise on the future, we must stay true to who we are:

Brand Voice Our tone and manner comes from a customer-first perspective, making sure it’s simple, clear, helpful and easy to understand.

• Sounds like a human being, not a robotic script• Is clever, but not snobby or cynical• Uses humour to create engagement, to share a knowing

smile• When we have to deliver a tough message, a respectful

tone can make all the difference

• Avoids jargon and overly technical language• Avoids acronyms that mean nothing to the people

outside of Paypal• Gets to the point quickly.

“Get paid faster with PayPal’s free

and easy invoicing”

“PayPal is the one way to pay that’s any way

you want to pay.”

“When this is how you work, here is how you

get paid.”

“Buy into being safer: No matter where you shop, we’ll keep your

financial information private and protected.”

Secure. AlwaysWe keep your money and personal information safe and secure at all times, no matter where, how or when you use it.

SimpleWe create intuitive, fast and easy experiences that we, ourselves, would find delightful.

Fierce advocate for youWe do business honestly and transparently, and we’re always innovating to give you more control and greater value.

HelpfulNever step out of the customer’s shoes. Generously share your talent, time and knowledge with customers, coworkers

and partners

HumanCreate the experiences we ourselves would want to use. Work from a place of understanding that there’s a real person with real needs and wants at both ends of any transaction

InnovativeFind new ways of doing things, shape change, leverage technology to simplify everything we do.

VigilantShoulder the responsibility of trust, protect what matters most to our customers.

CourageousBe brave, remove barriers, acknowledge and correct mistakes, have a point of view, and do what’s right.

Brand PillarsOur Brand Promise is founded on these 3 pillars


Now that you have a set of core Pillars and a Brand Promise, you can begin to create a core Brand Message that communicates the essence of your brand. This is the key message that your company will be communicating to all of it’s audiences. All other messages will be off shoots of this message. If you don’t have a differentiated position you will need to work a little harder at crafting a core message.

Here are some examples of the worlds most famous Brand messages;

‘Made True.’ Jacobs Creek

‘Let it fly.’ Virgin Atlantic

‘Inspiration. Engineered.’ Hyundai i20

‘A surprise inside.’ Suzuki Celerio

‘Give a Kleenex Kiss.’ Kleenex

‘As advanced as you are.’ VW Volkswagen

‘Impossible is nothing.’ Adidas

‘Don´t leave home without it.’ American Express

‘Reach out and touch someone.’ AT&T

‘We try harder.’ Avis Rent A Car

‘The ultimate driving machine.’ BMW

‘Probably the best lager in the world.’ Carlsberg

‘When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.’ Federal Express

‘When you care enough to send the very best.’ Hallmark

‘Nothing runs like a Deere.’ John Deere

‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers.’ Specsavers

Our subconscious puts messages into one of 2 baskets, either short-term or long-term . The aim here is to create a Brand message that will live in the longterm memory of your customers, not their short term memory.

Messages that ask for immediate action such as “get 50% off today”are discarded quickly because we don’t need to hang onto them. Messages or information that contributes to a person’s physical and emotional well-being get stored in our long-term memory. This is where you want your brand to live.

Core Brand Messaging


Core Brand Messaging

Exercise 1 - The questions below will guide you through the steps to creating a powerful and differentiating core brand message.

CHALLENGING

Brainstorm some ideas.

What is your core brand message (in 15 words or less)?

1) Why does your Brand exist - (write down one or two sentences)

2) How is your brand perceived in the market place?

3) What impression do you want your core message to leave?

4) Should your message be people or product orientated?

Exercise 2 - Great - now to test your core message. Can you give an unqualified yes to the following questions about your core brand message?

1) Is the message as simple and clear as you can make it?

2) Does it differentiate you in the marketplace?

3) Is it true?

4) Is it relevant?

5) Is it consistent with your core pillars?

6) Does it appeal to your target market?


While you’re working through your brand strategy and developing your point of difference it’s understandable to be thinking “this no easy task.” You’re right, B2B firms and professional services haven’t had to think this way in the past and that’s why it’s such a struggle.

If you’re asking yourself “how can generic sectors and industries such as business coaches, lawyers, naturopaths or accountants differentiate” ? - the great news is there will be a way and the effort it takes you will make it worth while.

A completely new business is at a distinct advantage when it comes to finding differentiators, but for those already up and running it may require some good old retro-fitting.

A successful differentiator must meet four important criteria:

• It must be unique to your industry

• It must be true and provable

• It must be important enough to be memorable

• It must be something your prospects desire

Here are 22 strategies to think about adopting or even combining to create a strong point of difference.

1. Specialization. Narrowing your focus and specializing in fewer, or even one industry is not only one of the easiest ways to differentiate, it is potentially the most effective. Building and demonstrating expertise in a smaller niche is highly valued by clients.

2. Leverage a major achievement. Many brands have been built on high-profile achievements. Can you claim you invented a process, or a popular App? Preferably something that solved a problem in your industry or solved a problem for a notable client or business.

3. Look or act differently than all of your competitors. A quick look at any industry and the majority of companies look and present themselves in almost identical ways. Combine some of you other differentiators with a new look and feel to stand apart.

4. Specialize in offering a specific service. Unique service offerings, especially uncommon or rare and hard to find is a winning formula. Be conscious of the fact that others might jump on your bandwagon and suddenly your services is not differentiated unless you can claim you were first to market.

5. Provide a unique process or truly different way of solving an old problem. Inventing and owning a process that is truly a completely different way of solving an existing problem is a game changer.

6. Target a unique audience. A key differentiator for some firms is their in-depth understanding of a particular audience. Your firm might specialize in marketing to Baby Boomer women. Your clients might be retirement planners, insurance companies, or clothing retailers, for example.

7. Provide services to businesses of a certain size. This may not appear to be a sound differentiator however it is very common. Solo practitioners have a totally different set of needs to multi-nationals. An Accountancy firm that specializes in one area is at a distinct advantage to somebody who serves clients of all sizes.

8. Specialize in solving specific business problems. The client or the industry is not relevant here, its the business challenge they are facing. Often it’s something they don’t face every day or week and usually always challenges them such as providing a Tender writing and formatting service for B2B’s.



9. Develop the skills to be a visible expert in your field or employ one. Having an industry expert leading your team is a great strategy that can be leveraged in a multitude of ways.

10. Create a different business model. Consider moving from billing by the hour to fixed fee or fixed fee by installments. Or offer better credit terms or easy, long-term payment options. This potentially saves time for both your client and yourself. As a differentiator a different business model can be easy to prove and attractive to customers.

11. Offer a guarantee. This is often overlooked, but online it can be very powerful as it reduces the perceived risk to the buyer. There are many ways to offer a guarantee. Consider reducing restrictions or conditions, money back, price matching or guaranteeing results. To find a guarantee unique to your business think about what good things happen when customers use your products? Better relationships? More money? Reduced stress? Write down the answer in specific detail, and then guarantee that outcome.

12. Have an unbeatable range. While common in B2C, it’s not so common in B2B. Is your selection the broadest? Do you carry more stock or inventory? Is a wide product selection instantly available?

13. Specialize in providing a service or role within a sector or industry. By combining your expertise with an industry focus you’re perceived as different and more qualified. For instance if you design websites you specialise in developing websites for doctors, builders, schools or photographers. The list is endless.

14. Offer a specialized set of resources no-one else provides. There is money in intelligence and data, and access to certain information can be a valuable differentiator. Can you create reports, industry trends or statistics that are valuable?

15. Provide access to unique contacts, people or groups. Instead of data or information, offer access to people your prospects want to work or network with. For instance business networking hubs sometimes offer access to leading entrepreneurs.

16. Provide an outstanding level of service. Most people claim to offer good service yet many fail to deliver it. So to rely on your service level to be a clear differentiator it will have to be outstanding.

17. Differentiate yourself by associating with the best. There are a number of ways to do this. Showcase the fact that you have a great client list. Only work with premium suppliers. Only use the best ingredients.

18. Differentiate through size. Sometimes large does not have to me huge or bigger than you will ever be. It’s all relative. Size sends a positive signal and as long as you’re big in your industry you can create the impression you’re also the best.

19. Build a team with a unique combination of expertise. Like a great recipe, a group of employees with a unique set of talents makes an unbeatable team. As a differentiator you’re capable of defining a new niche within you’re industry if you communicate it and position yourself that way.

20. Develop partners or strategic relationships. There are may ways to leverage official or semi official partnerships as a point of difference. Demonstrating that you work closely with respected leaders adds to your credibility.

21. Differentiate by developing the ability to produce a measurable result. This can be easier for an SEO firm who can demonstrate a measurable result, but in practice it can be tricky for many B2Bs. The brand promise exercise can help here.

22. Work only with firms that share a common trait. By focusing on a client’s trait or characteristic instead of their industry or role you create a competitive advantage. For example, you could provide expatriates with immigration advice. It won’t matter what country, industry or role they are in.


So there you are 22 strategies all capable of meeting the four criteria that underpin great differentiation. Work on a few that can apply to your business and then review your brand promise.


Content Strategies

Creating the right content is the foundation of your lead generation efforts.

These are the 4 stages of customer interaction.

1) AttractionThis is the stage of initial contact with the customer, when they first learn about your company.

2) EvaluationOnce the customer is aware of your company, they might become interested in you. The customer could reach a point where they start to think that your products and services are what they want/need.

3) PurchaseThey decide your product/service is the one they want. They muster up the money, time and effort required and buy from you.

4) TrustIf the new customer experiences great after-sales service and becomes brand loyal you should consider ways to encourage their advocacy.

Content

Website

Social Media

Blog

SEO

Ad Banners

e-Books

Educational Webinar

Endorsements

How to Video

Product Webinar

Product Specs/Sample

FAQs

Testimonials

Live Demos

Free Trials

Case Study

Consultation

Email Newsletters

Attraction Evaluation Purchase Trust


Content Strategies

Content

Website

Social Media

Blog

SEO

Ad Banners

e-Books

Educational Webinar

Endorsements

How to Video

Product Webinar

Product Specs/Sample

FAQs

Testimonials

Live Demos

Free Trials

Case Study

Consultation

Email Newsletters

Attraction

Cost

Evaluation

Time

Purchase

Benefits

Hub of info. Can form primary point of contact.

Reach large yet targeted audience. Constant exposure.

Demonstrate knowledge. Difficult to generate content.

Can be outsourced. Requires monitoring.

Reach large, yet somewhat targeted audience.

Demonstrate knowledge, gain contact info through sign-up.

Develop reputation as authority / market leader.

Executed well can engage new markets.

Promote products. Offer additional value / service.

Address customer pains, demonstrate potential of product.

Try before you buy without risk. Build trust.

Answer customer pains directly.

Build trust and validate claims.

Address customer gains & pains. Demonstrate full potential.

Try before you buy without risk. Build trust.

Demonstrate full potential & range of benefits. Builds trust.

Address customer pains. Demonstrate benefits.

Constant exposure. Answer customer pains. Build trust.

Trust

Exercise 1 – Using the information available, work out your own Content Strategy to address each stage of customer interaction.

MODERATE

Interested? Jump onto

www.creativebrew.com.auand leave your name on our alerts list and we’lllet you know when our next workshop iscoming to your city.

We would love to help you;get attention, lower your marketing spend, close more sales and command larger margins

by differentiating your brand.

7 essential ingredientsfor Building a Brand,not a business

the

workshopNothing is more important to your business’s success than differentiating your brand.

If you found our workbook helpful and you want further assistance to take your “brand” to the next level, Creative Brew conduct regular one and two day workshops based on the content of this workbook.

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