Putting strategy first in brand-building

Your brand is one of your enterprise’s most valuable assets. It has the potential to build equity and to influence every facet of your business from sales, to internal culture to reputation. So why would you risk developing or updating your brand without a clear plan?
 
“Brands are complex beasts,” says Jonathan Roberts, DDG’s Managing Director. “There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’. Every brand is unique in terms of the business it represents, the way it engages with its audience, how it builds its equity and longevity.”
 
“Brand’s are part art and part science, but mostly they’re about strategy. Certainly, the end-product combines quality design and technology, but it takes an intelligent strategy to really bring a brand to life so that it achieves its potential.”
 
Experienced brand managers firmly anchor their communications projects within a structured framework that minimises risks and maximises results.
 
The initial step is analysing the “now”- workshopping, reviewing and auditing to understand the business … where it was yesterday and where it is today.
 
“The findings of this process enable us to define both current position and the desired state – where and what we want to be, and why,” explains Jonathan. “You can’t move forward with a brand unless you know where it’s been and where it’s heading.”
 
The “moving forward” is achieved by developing strategic imperatives, objectives, goals, actions and solutions.
 
According to Jonathan, “An implementation plan then specifies budgets, resourcing, tasks and responsibilities, the marketing and communications plan, action plans and measurement criteria. That’s the how, when and who covered off.”
 
The implementation phase puts it all into action in a systematic, mindful roll-out of creative design, strategic web development, PR management, launches and stakeholder engagement.
 
“Finally we evaluate the success of the brand to check that it’s delivering on its promise back to the enterprise,” explains Jonathan. “That helps establish a brand awareness culture within the business, too, of ongoing monitoring and vigilance.”
 
To recap on the above, when developing a strategic brand framework, the focus should be on:

• NOW – The current position (where we are now) 
• NEXT – The desired state (what we want to be)
• WHY – the gap between NOW and NEXT (the reason for the voyage)
• HOW – The strategy (what has to happen to close the gap)
• WHO & WHEN – The implementation plan (plotting, resourcing and measuring the course)

This methodical approach to building brands ranks the strategy first and foremost, as the core process setting the parameters for all the subsequent deliverables (including the art and the science!)
 
As Jonathan sums up, “Some brands are built ‘hit and miss’ style or by retro-fitting template-style deliverables into business types. The best brands are built on strategy first.”
 
To find out how DDG can assist you in developing a brand strategy to bridge the gap between your current brand position and your desired state, contact DDG here.