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Does Your Brand Need To Go To Bootcamp?

 

Written on 08/20/19 1:43 PM

 

The drive to “differentiation” isn’t new, but it is harder than ever.  Unfortunately, the reality is that today’s hypercompetitive markets mean that brands are at parity in virtually every industry.  Whether your product is donuts, cars or if you’re selling an “experience” like a hotel or casino, setting your brand apart is no easy task.  Essentially, products and services are so much the same that it’s hard to stand out – and even harder to create customer loyalty.  That’s why defining what your brand stands for, promoting what makes you different and taking ownership of that is more challenging than ever.
Take the airline industry as an example, JetBlue found their space by capitalizing on what the other major airlines didn’t have (or took away): free snacks and more leg room.  On the other hand, Delta wanted to go after the business traveler so they focused on those consumers.  Both are successful in that they identified who they wanted to be for their customers and set about creating the experience and programs that allowed them to own that position.

Source: https://www.figmints.com/blog/5-companies-that-differentiated-in-crowded-markets-with-brand-strategy/
 
Most people associate brands with what they see – logos, color schemes, design; and those are all very important parts of a brand identity.
But before jumping straight into “what color should our logo be” or “what do we want in our advertising,” successful companies dig deep into their psyche to learn about who they are and more importantly who they want to be for their customers.
So, what’s the first step? It all starts with an immersion. A brand bootcamp, if you will. It’s a deep-dive into your brand to answer some fundamental questions: what makes you different, what are your vulnerabilities, who is your audience, what can you credibly own, what’s your brand personality? Getting at these answers is not always easy but if you don’t work to identify them, it becomes more difficult to communicate with a clear vision to your customers.
A successful brand immersion comes down to a few key ingredients – some tangible and some intangible. But in order to be successful, these three must be in the room:

These 3 simple components will get you diversity of thought, free flowing ideas and someone to guide you, keep you on track (and in check!) and provide insight along the way.
Coming out of the immersion, a brand platform begins to take shape as your positioning is clarified and used as the springboard for every customer touchpoint, from advertising to digital footprint, and retail experience to customer interaction. After all, a brand is the cumulative expression of everything from the tone of the customer service professional answering the phone, to the social media exchanges that take place across multiple platforms.
Are you thinking, but we already have a brand. You’re not alone. Many companies already have an established brand in some way, shape or form. But that doesn’t mean you can’t explore the boot camp exercise to see if it is still relevant to consumers – or at the mercy of a changed marketplace. You could learn how to improve your brand, or maybe it’s time for an evolution. So, whether you’re an emerging brand or one that might need a little time in boot camp, RPM is happy to help you explore. Give us a shout and let’s talk!