House of Brands, Branded House or Both

What story does the architecture of a brand convey? Is it only corporate brand experts losing sleep over it? Why does it feel like everything hinges on it or it won't change much at all relative to the cost of rebranding in the same thought?

I've felt all these things. In an imperfect world where brand acquisition, legacy brands, and brand affiliations are established over time the question of brand architecture can be 'tricky.'

With the focus of digital branding bringing story telling, content sharing and peer to peer endorsement into the offline world a brand voice matters. It matters more than a presence, as communication travels fast and wide oblivious to distribution or target market constraints. A voice provides insight into a purpose, an intent, acquired knowledge, even a perspective.

Branding branches into a number of expressions to convey its story: corporate
brand, product brands, employee brand, social brands, personal brands, retail brand, business to business brand, internal branding...etc.

So what does this all mean for brand architecture models? Does this mean that a branded house is a more authentic approach? Is it important for a house of brands to clearly associate itself with the corporate master brand?

What I believe it means is that corporate branding needs to be integrated across all branding, so the portfolio has meaning, a voice when required, and credentials when entering into new markets or extensions.

Brand architecture is a critical strategy in conveying authenticity. Brand portfolios may be eclectic or designed as a tight family, in either case strong branding is driven by a core philosophy that is consistently delivered internally and externally. This vision lives across an organisation and by definition filters into every brand touch point.

The architecture applied comes down to market relevance in how stakeholders engage and relate to existing and new brands. This is the role that I see brand architecture playing:

•   Corporate branding is playing a critical role in stakeholder influence and therefore in brand architecture frameworks.

•   Authenticity requires stakeholders to know who you are, what you stand for and why you care about what you do and the way you operate.  Brand architecture models provide a clear understanding of what the corporate brand image, values and positioning is.

•   A house of brands is a strong model, especially when there are well established heritage product brands; in this case the corporate brand plays a subtle role.  The connection can bring a 'brand voice' when required to build, advocate or protect.

•   A One Brand approach is as much about shared values and relevance, as it is about a shared visual identity. Brand architecture models that highlight why brands exist in the portfolio, the role  they play relative to the master brand add great value to brand marketers.

•   A branded house is powerful when there is a single minded focus and innovation that can be consistently associated back to the company.

•   Visual cues are powerful. Brand architecture can integrate branding through unifying brands through colour palettes, clever ways to visually use master and product banding together, and  shared design elements.

•   Both brand architecture models can exist in companies successfully if the roles of brands are clear. The watch point being brand dilution through lack of standards and/or a lack of affiliation with the corporate brand impacting on overall equity and advocacy.

•   Don't be envious of other companies well designed and integrated brand architectures, as the bigger the organisation is the greater the chance is that there  is a complex branding matrix and hierarchy.

•   You know your brand architecture model works when it provides a solid framework for story telling, content sharing, and derives benefits from peer to peer endorsement. In other words when the corporate brand voice can be activated vertically and horizontally in a meaning way.

•   Regardless of the brand architecture model it should never be the corporate (master) brand vs product brands; to build business value they must work together, share common values, and most importantly understand the position they are working together to enhance.

Pleasant dreams about brand builders and architects creating sustainable houses :)

Retail Stores Can Differentiate Through Humanizing Interactions

 

Retail shopping and on-line shopping may offer similar products, however the experience that shoppers are wanting is very different. The creation of a retail destination needs to tap into an experience beyond the products on offer. Even though the way we shop has evolved our need for social interaction and face to face service remains as strong. The question is can traditional retailing tap into these latent needs to revolutionise the shopping experience in the same way as on-line retailers have.

Product design and displays are the 'hero' when browsing through stores.  Clever product innovation and promotion is abundant. Customers look for

product brands with distinct benefits. Even supermarkets have increased their branded line of products. Product seeking has become a key choice driver for shoppers.

It seems that the focus on the customer experience and service excellence at many retail outlets has given way to product promotion. The retailer customer value proposition is determined by the products on offer. With products being widely available or easily substituted across competing distribution outlets, including on-line shopping sites, loyalty to a retail store brand seems pointless.

In many retail stores it feels as if the customer is an annoyance and self service is expected. This is not a complaint, rather an observation. This had contributed to the growth in on-line shopping as customers have little emotional reason to stay loyal to traditional retailers. The on-line shopping phenomenon highlights the importance of creating a compelling customer value proposition for shoppers.

Virtual retailers have stepped up to deliver reliable service, intuitive on-line user experiences, customised communications, as well as, value for money. They have built a clear customer value proposition and most importantly delivered consistently on their promises.

The successful on-line shopping sites have realised that exceptional user experience offers benefits for shoppers. Quality products attract customers, however it's the shopping experience that converts to sales. Tapping into how 'we want to shop' and delivering this has driven their success.

A great example of how this philosophy has been successfully implemented is the Apple store vs on-line proposition. The on-line experience is about user intuition, access to information, superior functionality and customised on-line communications. The store environment is about customer interaction, knowledge, expertise and training. There are lots of staff and people. To put it simply it's all about 'technology interaction' vs 'human interaction.' As shoppers we desire the benefits of both, and seek them out for different reasons.

Creating a retail destination is the aim of shopping centres and stores. The customer value proposition therefore revolves around 'human interactions.'  It is this focus that differentiates the traditional shopping experience from the on-line one.

It seems that on-line providers have embraced user experience and follow up, where as retailers have lost their focus on their key differentiator. Beyond product and convenience, there is the value proposition of assistance, care and socialisation.

A refocus on human interactions would differentiate retail shop brands. Ways for traditional retail brands to "hero" the experience.

Customer recognition: We all like to be treated like an individual and valued as a customer. Greeting regular customers has a "huge" impact and builds affinity. It does not even have to be by name, just being recognised is enough eg. welcome back. On-line sites create the perception of personalisation with friendly greetings and constant name usage.

Product knowledge: Engaging with staff who do not know anything about the products on offer is frustrating for customers. Potential customers are driven on-line because they feel it is the only way to get information. Having knowledgable staff available for customers to ask questions too or get advice from secures sales.

Engage the senses: Sensory impressions are benefits that on-line shopping  can not provide. Captivating shoppers in an experience beyond the products on offer reinforces the retailer benefits. Even simple hygiene factors such as cleanliness and presentation create an impression.

Customer care and support: Create an environment where staff support each other and customers to create positive experiences. A friendly and welcoming atmosphere is always remembered and positively perceived. It needs to be conveyed in all interactions, including the way staff treat each other. On-line shopping services have the advantage of customers being removed from staff appearances and attitudes impacting on service perceptions.

Unique quality and/or belief: Defining a quality or belief that is unique to the retail brand helps frame the proposition in customers minds. With retailers all offering similar products demonstrating a rational and/or emotional reason for choice can be the most effective way to attract customers.

Is your marketing plan sitting on a shelf?

Great marketing plans come to nothing if the business is not ready to deliver the actions.

Seems like an obvious statement. The simplest of considerations to take into account. 

Consider these scenarios which you may have seen in play:

- Creative executions with limited media investment

- Communications channel activation with limited resources to drive content and dialogue

- Marketing initiative roll-out without sales engagement/support

- Customer events with no follow up or database building

- Technology not aligned to planned activities/communications objectives

- Marketing planning teams misaligned with product/branding 'go to market' groups

- High production costs, low promotional funds

- Great idea without the internal 'know how' to execute

- An articulate and well thought out plan that sits on the shelf collecting dust

The list could go on. In large companies planning and strategy are often separate groups to the teams that execute initiatives. In small companies, business owners are often 'minute managers' and employees multi-taskers. These two dynamics often mean there is a misalignment on strategy intent and how ready the business is to deliver the actions required to achieve the outcomes. 

Below is a template that incorporates a business ready assessment phase. It requires thought about the changes needed within the business to deliver the marketing plan. It is a process that can therefore be used to prioritise short term tactics or to identify longer term changes needed to achieve goals which can be built into a phased approach.

Put Fireworks into Your Communications

How you communicate = How people react to you. Communication style is a continuous learning skill. So make it a priority in your New Years Resolution list :) 

Watch for the fireworks!

* "You had me at hello"

* The room was owned by you

* Likes, Retweets and Comments

* Your words are quoted by others

* Started a positive Chinese whisper and watched it motivate others

* Listened intently, found a new way of looking at an old problem

* You didn't avoid the conversation 

* Those few small words you choose to share had a big impact 

* You've found peace with those public speaking butterflies

* Think before speaking, emailing, tweeting and texting

* Expressed a true reflection of Brand You

Business Artists: Brand engagement through creativity

The focus on design innovation and the influence of digital communication has  placed a new emphasis on creativity. Creative disciplines such as graphic design, creative writing, video production,  copy writing, product design and art have risen to new heights of strategic importance. Even in the most conservative of corporations these disciplines can add business value.

Pure creativity has never been so important or valuable to businesses. The frequency of content generation, customer dialogue, product and service enhancements in creating a competitive advantage has increased significantly

Still more often then not in larger organisations creative roles are stifled by internal processes, rounds of internal stakeholder changes, and opinion led feedback. To the extent that often the person producing the creative concepts has little input into the process or the result.

The issue with creativity as I see it is that everyone envies it, everyone wants to contribute to it, and a lot of us are afraid of it because it is has high visibility. Yet we all know a great creative idea when we see it, so our nature is to try and copy these ideas rather than let the creative process unfold. Hence, the phenomenon of copying an ad style, fashion trend or digital content style until it becomes unoriginal.

A challenge for business process models is fostering creativity, simply because even when it is scoped, framed and time-lined it takes many unexpected directions. This makes it difficult to replicate, impossible to micromanage and inconsistently executed.

The on-line environment is paradise for creative types. It has no boundaries and perpetuates continuous learning and improvement. It enables creativity to be the 'hero" and appreciation to be fed back  immediately; with a simple like or favourite button share. Creativity flourishes because it is devised, presented and shared by the owner without constant change for change sake. 

Creativity even in simple forms, such as eye catching graphic design, can be a competitive advantage. In the on-line world where story telling, display and content rule this is particularly the case. In a world full of clutter, it can lift the profile of a brand and captivate audiences. A simple clever product feature, attractive package design or captivating 

copy can achieve cut through and drive brand choice.

Imagine if this same principle was applied to corporate business structures. A division of BUSINESS ARTISTS rather than MARKETING SERVICES. Respected for their unique skills and ability it engage internal and external audiences.

Creative skills and services are mainly grouped into corporate design or marketing functional responsibilities. In many organisations these roles are viewed as business services that respond to requests to produce desired outcomes. I have found when this is the case individuals in pure creative roles are less likely to be part of brainstorming sessions or initial solutions framing. They respond to briefs rather then being able to contribute to them. Yet in my experience these individuals are well trained in creative process methods and have a lot of suggestions/ ideas to offer.

In the same way that mathematical genius has made algorithms 'king' and 'geek' the new cool, I am sensing a shift in the esteem and profile of creative thinkers and professionals in conservative cultures. I think of these roles as Business Artists. Professionals charged with creating content, copy, visual design, smart features to delight, impress and inspire current and new customers.

Brands that achieve engagement will have a competitive advantage. Business Artists will ensure that brands can frequently communicate in a compelling way, stand out in a cluttered market, and engage with audiences through 'cleverness'. It is not many brands that can launch first to market, widely acclaimed product and/or service innovation. However, brands can connect with us like never before, if they take the time to 'create' with the aim to delight their customers.

Here's to Business Artists making the everyday less predictable in surprising ways.

Intrinsic Drives & Random Buys

"It can attend to more information, react more quickly to emergencies, and keep track of more complicated routes. It never gets angry. It never even blinks. In short, it is better than human in just about every way."  Taken from Wired Magazine; "Let the Robot Drive - The autonomous car of the future is here," February 2012 by Tom Vanderbilt

We make decisions on a 'hunch,' and often buy something that we didn't start out to get. Trying to understand this behaviour in a rational way has been the endeavor of many studies into human decision making behaviour. Understanding why customers make the purchase decisions they do is the 'holy grail' of marketing.

The quote relates to self-driving cars and why they are safer on the road.
It’s a rational reason for embracing this new technology, less human error resulting in safer conditions for driving. The idea played in my mind because it highlights how limited our access to information is when making decisions, and the seemingly random; even careless; behaviours we demonstrate.

In marketing we provide information, brand cues, service and offers to influence purchasing behaviour.  We have a range of mediums and tactics to utilise. Breaking through the clutter in a human mind is a challenge, given the high degree of audio and visual stimulation in the market.

Disregarding irrelevant inputs and distractions is impossible. They influence us in ways we often don't recognise or understand.  Measuring perceptions, subconscious choice drivers, innate preferences and underlying anxieties influencing buying behaviour is difficult.

I was reading on Brandchannel.com an article entitled 'NASCAR Drivers and Fans Juggle Sponsor Logos” posted by Mark J.Miller about the high brand loyalty fans have to team sponsors. Fans indicate that they are 54% more likely to purchase a sponsor product if prices are equal and 11% if the price was higher.  This is not a surprise given the passion these fans have for the sport, resulting in an emotional connection to sponsor products by association.

We process data that has an emotive impact more deeply and faster. It is our way of filtering out some of the clutter. In my experience this includes rational statements, as often this provides an emotional benefit e.g. makes me feel safer, smarter, frugal, responsible, less gullible, less pressured. 

Tapping into these subconscious decision making factors is the biggest challenge for marketers, yet yields the highest returns because it influences behaviour.
After all we are human. Our rational responses often don't calibrate with what we say we will do or even think we will do a lot of the time. When working on the convenience category, stated behaviours did not calibrate to shop item sales data. This was because customers did not remember or did not like to reveal that they had purchased treats such as chocolate bars or a soft drink ‘on a whim.’

Like driving a car, this makes marketing to humans a hazardous and potentially risky endeavour without having some predictive data to assist in strategy development. Always keep in mind that stated behaviours are often different to what people actually do.

Let's face it. This is what also makes marketing interesting the intrinsic drives...the human factor. This is what makes shopping interesting....our random buys.

What are your thoughts?

Managing Marketing Projects to Achieve Big Outcomes

This is not an article about project management. To successfully deliver a big project competence in these skills is essential.

My experience has been in managing marketing and brand projects, including brand identity launches, national fundraising initiatives, global research and branding activations. Therefore the insights I share come from this perspective.

This is an article about what lays behind the process charts. What to expect when managing competing agendas, ambiguity and multiple considerations.

1) Know what the project is: Sounds obvious however most marketing projects start as a concept. Often the project is not defined or even clearly understood. Take the initiative to articulate the scope, set objectives and identify outcomes. It creates alignment upfront and provides an opportunity to communicate in a meaningful way with decision makers.

Remember scope and objectives can be amended along the way. Don't be afraid to take the initiative and suggest what they should be.

2) Control what you can: A day, a week, a month in a project can change everything. Control what you can and do this well. Flexibility is key when managing projects. There are a lot of variables, stakeholders and tasks. Not everything will go to plan and schedule.

When you control what you can, you create momentum. Identify what you can control and keep this moving.

3) Allow time, momentum or a 'drop dead' decision date to overcome the ambiguity: This relates to the points outlined above. There is always more than one direction or action that can be taken when it comes to marketing tactics. It can lead to work teams and stakeholders wanting to brainstorm more rather than agreeing on actions and next steps.

Keep the project moving by being vigilant to flag decision points and putting forward recommendations. Inevitably a stand will be taken or a direction agreed.

Be bold about recommending next steps and brave in pursuing a cause of action.

4) Put a stake in the ground and call timings and budgets: Work ahead. Good project management requires forward thinking. The ideal is to have information ready for feedback.

Timings are a good example of this philosophy. Don't wait for every piece of information available to map out timings. Start with the projected project implementation date and work back. Not only does it clarify a schedule of milestones, it provides insight on resource
requirements. Besides this analysis is totally objective providing instant reassurance that you know where you're going.

5) Be honest about the issues: While you don't want to be viewed as the road blocker I have seen many people position themselves poorly by being associated with a project that had no chance of coming to fruition.

Be honest about the issues. Offer solutions or modify the scope when possible. It can difficult to 'call a project' however as is the case in most business relationships 'early warnings' are better then late notice.

If you are expected to keep going on a project that has high risks and internal cynics, go back to the principal of 'control what you can and do this well'. Just remember the higher the risk, the greater the reward when things go better than expected.


6) Accept that others may not see the project as a priority or even care: Stakeholder analysis is the project management process for this. The reality is that a big project sits outside of usual business and this means that resources being pulled in at various stages will see this as extra work. If there is no recognition for small contributions individuals can derail or block progress.

Making the contribution of others as easy as possible by being clear about requirements and not taking too much of their time is critical. Over managing tasks, creating long meetings and over engaging these individuals is a sure way of getting them offside.

Think about what you are requesting and your interaction style with these individuals. Be specific and don't enter into an over laboured process for a small request. Respect others expertise by not directing and controlling their contribution.

7) Be positive, don't allow a minor set back to railroad the bigger picture: Some people over react to the smallest set back. Some individuals love drama, loudly and boldly sharing any minor issue. Be positive, remain strong and be the voice of reason, keep focussed on the end goal.

Remember there is usually a solution for every problem if you search hard enough. You may need to remind others of this.

8) Call it! Often a project is to identify what's possible. If the resourcing, systems and support aren't forthcoming it may be best to call it off until these areas are addressed. Some talented people have stalled their careers by being associated with projects that had no chance of being delivered and not being brave enough to call it as it is.

9) Get ready to be judged - a project by it's very nature is exclusive. A project is set up to ensure there is a concentrated focus by a select group of people. Therefore it is an exclusive - not inclusive process. This means that the majority of people will not be across the details, challenges and wins. They will judge the project on the outcome only.

All projects offer look back opportunities. There will always be things that can be done better. Be willing to share the positives and negatives. Know that some people will feel alienated from the process and this is OK. After all a good project is designed to exclude others and bring them in when required.

10) Don't get derailed by individuals wanting to contribute ideas: One of the biggest challenges in delivering marketing projects is moving stakeholders from contributing ideas to decision making, and having work teams complete tasks to plan rather then expand the scope.

Be clear about being in execution phase and insist that individuals with expertise in this are available. There comes a time when it just needs to happen. People wanting to contribute ideas rather than a means to implement are a distraction. Beware of this as a project progresses. Ideas without substance do not add value when implementation plans are in progress.

Managing big projects for big outcomes goes beyond process excellence. It requires flexibility, tenacity and positivity to keep moving forward. An ability to shake off small set backs to achieve a bigger goal.

Good luck with implementing your big marketing projects.