Defining Your Image: Auditing Your Communications & Marketing Strategy

3. Defining Your Image:Auditing Your Communications & Marketing Strategy W.A.C.E. Webinar October 18, 2006

4. Agenda (Part I) • Branding 101: Quick Review of Terms • Importance of the Brand • Benefits Versus Features • Audience Segmentation

5. What we mean by “Brand” • Brand is not your logo, name, tagline, graphic identity, member services or your latest direct mail piece. • Brand is the promise your organization makes to its stakeholders. • Brand is the collection of perceptions that follow you everywhere you go.

6. What we mean by “Brand” • “It is nothing less than everything anyone thinks when they see your logo or hear your name.” -- David D’Alessandro, John Hancock • “A brand is…the product of a thousand small gestures.” -- Michael Eisner, Disney

7. Brands Denote Ownership • Not of cattle, but of mindshare…and of intent to purchase.

8. Brand Promise • Answers one question: “How will your product, service or organization affect your customers’ lives?” • Sometimes called the “brand essence.” • Foundation for everything else you will do, say, write or produce.

9. Brand Identity • The visual representation of your brand: logo, colors, graphic design scheme, etc.

10. Positioning Statement • One or two sentences that convey what you do for whom to uniquely solve an urgent need. • Describes the “mental space” a brand should occupy in the minds of a target audience by focusing on your benefit or promise. • Keeps the competition in mind. • It is an internal document, not a tagline.

11. Sample Positioning • David Letterman is a talk show host who entertains baby boomers so they can feel good before they go to bed. Unlike other talk show hosts, he performs a Top Ten List. • Dento is a toothpaste that helps children fight cavities. Unlike other toothpaste, Dento has X-45g, the most effective ingredient in keeping teeth healthy. (Source: Author Dan Janal, “The Fool-Proof Positioning Statement”)

12. Why brand? • Branding differentiates, communicates compelling reasons to do business. • Great employees want to work for organizations with great brands. • A brand allows competition on more than price; it even allows for premium pricing. • Brands create loyalty.

13. Think About “Pen” • BIC • Paper Mate • Waterman

14. Benefits versus Features • Brand Promises describe a single benefit: How will you positively affect your customer’s life? • Features describe the brand itself: What makes the promise true?

15. The Power of One • It’s important to identify a single benefit to express as your Brand Promise. • Think in terms of emotion, not just your core competencies. • If branding is “applied psychology,” the Promise is the Id.

16. Brand Promises • Relevant • Proprietary (Unique) • Believable • Sustainable (Aspirational)

17. Chamber Benefit Continuum • Tourism? • Business networking? • Economic development? • Advocacy?

18. Benefit or Feature? • Create a strong local economy • Promote the community • Provide networking opportunities • Represent business to government • Political action

19. Audience Segmentation • “(Brand) is a promise…your company can keep…in every marketing activity, every action, every corporate decision, every customer interaction.” -- Kristin Zhivago, author • Brands, therefore, have multiple audiences.

20. Chamber Audiences • Members • Potential members • Government • Media • Volunteers • Employees • Competitive associations

22. Agenda: Part Three • Introducing a hypothetical membership-based organization • A sample “Brand Platform” • Homework Assignments

23. Atlantis Chamber of Commerce • Located at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. • Home to hundreds of independent businesses and a diverse, multi-species community. • Holds “whirlpool” mixers and provides workforce training. • Promotes local shopping. • Sole sponsor of the Swim Team. • Lobbies at the Court of Poseidon.

24. Brand Discovery • Audit of Collateral and Marketing Materials • Member Profile & Audience Analysis • Competitive Strengths and Weaknesses • Compiled a List of Values • Categorized Services • Identified the Brand Promise • Hired Clever Copywriter to Describe the Brand Personality

25. Two Choices • “The Fount of Knowledge” (passive) • “The Wellspring of Life” (active)

26. “The Wellspring of Life” • Innovation • Rejuvenation • Efficiency • Accessibility • Reliability

27. Positioning Statement • For mer-people concerned about the economic vitality of Atlantis, the Chamber of Commerce is the only local membership organization focused exclusively on being a center of new business activity and growth.

28. Brand Personality • The Atlantis Chamber never stops moving; it’s always lively and refreshing to be around. Solid and sturdy, even in tough economic times, there is still something light and magical about it. Admirers and those who want to get their feet wet are equally welcome here.

29. Next Steps in Atlantis • Test the frequency and distribution of our ideas through research • Design a logo and graphic standards • Fine tune our key messages • Apply them consistently, using the Brand Platform as a sort of litmus test • Live the brand internally

30. Next Steps for You • Ask yourself if your Chamber has a single Brand Promise • Ask if it’s unique, relevant, believable and sustainable • Write a positioning statement • Create a Brand Platform • Do some research • Live the brand