How to Build a Responsive Brand for an Unpredictable World
It’s the time of year where everyone is predicting marketing trends for 2023. We're seeing shrinking budgets, the need to pivot based on trends, increased competition, and global events—all topping the list of challenges marketing and brand leaders are going to face.
Responsiveness is the key to success, especially when things are tight. Because we are operating in a world that keeps throwing companies curve balls, being able to adapt cohesively and quickly is an advantage. And while data-driven strategies accompanied by performance and direct response marketing will strengthen the delivery and impact of communications, they don’t create them. People do.
An efficient way to bring responsiveness into the day-to-day of your communications across the company is to have a consistent and well understood brand that your teams can easily operate. Having a differentiated, unified message allows you to attract new employees, be laser sharp with external communications and stand out in a competitive market where everyone looks and sounds the same.
Because we know no one has any time to clean things up (brand/message) and get people marching to the same beat (communications), here are some efficient ways to start:
Get the organization clear, comfortable and confident on who you are and why it matters. Whatever holds your brand together and differentiates it in the market needs to not only be articulated, but clearly communicated so that the teams who need to integrate it know how. A lot of times people will focus on just marketing when it comes to brand integration. But the reality is – your brand, and why it's competitive – is important to anyone who wants to get something from someone else on behalf of the company (leadership, sales, HR, etc.). How?
Have clear brand pillars that connect to clear content pillars that people know how to use. For those who don’t know or don’t currently have these tools, brand pillars (anchored messaging) support brand storytelling both internally and externally and remain fairly steady and secure over time. Content pillars (campaign messaging) are the themes a brand creates in its communications based on its current business objectives. Not only having both, but having people versed on both, allows you to build a responsive and malleable blueprint that keeps brand building and agile campaign efforts consistent and connected. These two tools give people a better understanding of how to stay on brand AND pivot when necessary. It gives leaders a chance to “try on” trends with a test-and-learn mentality, deciding which bets they want to place. It empowers brand managers to move with speed when a major event occurs that attaches to the brand’s purpose, vision, or values—an important ability for today’s world. After creating these tools, it’s important people understand the expectations around using them.
Make sure people actually get it. Oftentimes, everyone is doing their own thing when it comes to communicating. Sales is using a message that is killing it in pitches, HR is using a message that resonates with younger generations, etc. This results in a lot of different messages in the world which dilutes the power of your brand and how it can compete on what you are up against now. Getting people aligned requires planning and time – something brand and marketing leaders don’t have. But doing the work will strengthen your ability to be responsive to a volatile market, to consumers, and to your teams – giving you the agility you need to succeed.
What we offer that can help:
Gap Analysis: Clear summary of any gaps in brand, comms and content based on an audit of objectives, people, process and tools — this helps circle in on where both inefficiency and opportunity may exist.
Alignment Sprint: Get your siloed teams aligned across objectives, process, tools and collaboration.
Brand Pillars: Messaging that will align your various teams to one marching order on behalf of the long term vision of the brand.
Content Pillars: Messaging that algins your various teams to one marching order on behalf of the long AND short term vision of the brand.
Training: Help get teams clear and educated on what needs to be done to become a collective responsive force in communications on behalf of the company and the brand.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out directly for more information and/or case studies.