Regional Brands Rise in 2015 Harris Reputation Quotient Poll
Harris Interactive, one of the worldwide leaders in polling and research data, recently released its annual Reputation Quotient® study, ranking companies based on how the study’s participants named the brands that stand out as having both the best and worst reputations.
One of the biggest surprises of the study came at the top, with Wegmans Food Markets, a regional supermarket chain with just over 85 stores, taking the No. 1 spot over brand giants such as Amazon and Samsung, who came in at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. The grocery brand surged to the top in its first appearance on the list, which ranks corporate reputation for 100 of the most visible brands, as according to the participants in the study, which can be read in full here.
Within the top 100 brands on the list, the trend of small-business success continued, with brands such as Kroger, Aldi, and Safeway joining Wegmans and Publix. The positive reputation for these brands can be tied back to the connection consumers have with their frequent shopping points, where they draw a strong local connection while also allowing the brands to build trust and equity with the consumer.
“It is really interesting to see that two of the brands in the top are regional supermarkets,” said Lizzy Guterma, Interactive Marketing Manager at Addison Whitney. “These brands only touch a small population compared to the reach of other brands on the list yet the power of their brand and the loyalty their customer's feel is clearly felt through these rankings.”
Some of the biggest fallers from the 2014 list include a trio of automotive manufacturers, which, given the run of recalls and safety concerns, is unsurprising. The reputations of these brands are based on consumer confidence in their products, which has been trending downward recently, having a direct impact on their reputational standing.
The question is, why does brand reputation matter? Why is a positive reputation more valuable than a negative one?
“A brand’s reputation with consumers goes a long way toward their success,” comments Guterma. “Brands that have seen their reputations become more negative almost always have seen their bottom line suffer, or are coming off a difficult moment in their brand life. Building back a positive reputation is one of the first steps in recovering, and can be the driving force in getting back on the right track as a brand.”
Source:
"Regional Grocer Wegmans Unseats Amazon To Claim Top Corporate Reputation Ranking" Feb. 15, 2015
Harris Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Retrieved from: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/NewsRoom/PressReleases/tabid/446/mid/1506/articleId/1550/ctl/ReadCustom%20Default/Default.aspx
One Brand Family, Two Brands, How Many Brand Messages?
As we all know, advertising during the Super Bowl is the biggest decision for a brand’s marketing strategy of the year. It regularly ranks among the most-watched television events in history (this year’s edition actually broke the record for most TV viewers for any program ever), and as such the money and spotlight on the commercials has grown just as big.
Audiences wait all year to see what ideas the participating brands come up with, and these choices are discussed, analyzed and critiqued almost as much as the game.
The pressure is enough for just those who were marketing just one brand at the game. For some, it was doubled, as they had two separate brands, which lived under the same brand umbrella, with advertisements running during this time.
The trick for brand managers in this situation is to decide whether to combine the two brands to support one brand message, or to establish dual messages and ensure that both are well-received and successful in their goals.
Popular opinion seems to fall on the side of dual messaging, in order to provide clarity from a larger brand strategy and brand equity standpoint. A well-defined branding message is some of the most valuable currency for advertisers and marketers, and brand-specific messaging is a shortcut to success in the area.
For instance, the Super Bowl commercials for Budweiser and Bud Light struck almost polar opposite messages from each other. These are two products that share numerous similarities, but when it comes to their brand strategies, they havechosen to take paths that best represent who they are and who they want to become.
Budweiser’s Clydesdales made their annual appearance, and helped to tell a heartwarming story of redemption and coming home with a puppy and his owner. On the other hand, Bug Light continued its “Up for Anything” campaign featuring a group of young partygoers and a life-sized Pac-Man game.
These two spots could not have hit on more different levels emotionally, which was the goal. A consumer will rarely confuse who each brand is, and who their ads were targeting.
One factor that plays into the target of the ad is the audience for the brand. In the Budweiser/Bud Light example, they are targeting different audiences, and therefore the brand strategy 
and messaging reflects this.
It is a foundational aspect of branding – decide who you are, decide who you are speaking to, and adjust accordingly. For Bud Light to attempt and copy Budweiser’s Super Bowl commercial messaging of relationships, emotional connections and loyalty would completely change how the brand is viewed and would have the potential to do more harm than good.
When a consumer decides what a brand’s image is, changing can be a risky endeavor. For two brands that fall in the same family, both should have already carved out their niche and decided who would live where in the brand space. Crossing over would be seen as unauthentic and an attempt to grab an audience with whom the brand has no equity.
When faced with (possibly enviable) problem of having a pair of brands to showcase on branding’s biggest night, band managers and strategists can’t get can’t and forget the brand’s long-term future and direction. Having brand-specific messaging can build to a larger strategy, which will give more weight to the ads themselves, and provide a bigger bang for your buck.
Image Sources:
Addison Whitney Brand Fanatics Put a Twist on Super Bowl Ad Discussion
As brand fanatics, the Monday after the Super Bowl is an event on its own for us here at Addison Whitney. We love branding, and the Super Bowl commercials are the biggest stage for brands to get their message out, and give them an opportunity to make a lasting brand impact.
Since we knew that there would be countless conversations reacting to how well the brands accomplished this feat, we decided to provide a forum for these discussions to take place, as well as give the participants a chance to look at the ads from a branding perspective, something Addison Whitney specializes in.
In the first of what is expected to be many lunchtime discussion sessions, a group of Addison Whitney brand fanatics gathered to discuss how Super Bowl commercials had impact on branding.
Six specific brands were identified as good representatives of the types of brand who have the potential to have the most impact from a Super Bowl ad, and their commercials from this year’s game were used as the ad reference.
Our first step was to identify how we feel about the brands prior to viewing the ads – as in, if we were to be asked about these brands last week, what would we say?
For each brand, five brand characteristics were identified – Target Audience, Functional Benefits, Emotional Benefits, Tone and Brand Elements. Each section gave a deeper picture into who the brands are to us, and where were see them fitting into the brand landscape.
Participants filled out what came to mind for each of the targeted brands when they were asked to identify these characteristics, giving a foundational look at where the brands stood in the minds of most consumers, and where the starting point was for each of their Super Bowl commercials.
Of the characteristics, Target Audience and Emotional Benefits were singled out as the two that seemed to drive most Super Bowl advertising, and the two that had the largest potential brand impact.
Following this pre-ad discussion, the commercials from each of the brands were viewed to provide reference for the next stage of the discussion.
In a new twist to the normal commercial reaction discussion, in addition to discussing the commercial themselves, we looked at how the commercials tied back into the brands and if they effected any of the characteristics that were 
identified pre-viewing.
It is often an overlooked aspect of Super Bowl advertising, where much of the attention is paid to what ads performed the best on that one night in a vacuum where they were only competing against the next 30-second spot, is how the ads are part of a larger branding strategy for the companies.
For instance, our brand discussion examined how the Weight Watchers commercial signaled a new direction in their branding, moving away from the normal and established strategy to a strategy that was more direct and targeted at a new audience set.
Stay tuned in the next couple of weeks for a number of in-depth perspectives and analysis on these questions and more on how brands use such a high-profile platform and how those actions impact brand strategy!
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands. We specialize in verbal and visual branding, brand strategy and market research.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at www.AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
5 Ways to Maximize Your Personal Brand
“All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: "Me, Inc." To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” - Tom Peters
Personal branding. It is a concept summed up perfectly by Tom Peters when he introduced the idea of being the CEO of Me, Inc. Your personal brand is the only brand that is guaranteed to stay with you throughout your entire career, going with you from job to job, company to company, serving as one of the few aspects of your professional attributes that you can control.
Because we are the drivers behind getting our personal brand to where we want it to go, taking ownership should be near the top of any professional’s priority list. However, for some reason, this is often not the case. Often we rely too much on others to shape OUR brand, which is akin to allowing them to choose your hairstyle.
Maximizing your personal brand is ensuring that you are putting your best foot forward with each interaction and maximizing the impact it will have on your day-to-day life. Here are five tips on achieving success in establishing your personal brand:
- Understand the connection between a company’s branding efforts and your own. There are similarities between establishing a personal brand and a company establishing their brand, so why try and reinvent the wheel?
From setting up a strategic direction to brainstorming ideas about how to get the message of their brand to an audience, personal branding can take a page or two out of the company brand playbook to be successful.
- Decide what your brand is, and commit to it. As author Dan Schawbel says, “Don’t try to be all things to all people—that’s like applying for 1,000 jobs, which just doesn’t work.” Commit to what fits you best and what makes your brand the strongest.
There are a lot of people fighting for attention, and one of the worst mistakes you can make is to try and blend in with the group. Find what makes you stand out and center all of your branding around that.
- Look around and take inventory of everything in your life that is a contributing factor. Your personal and professional manner, your online presence, your outward appearance (including your haircut), and your ability to interact with others are all good items to examine.
For instance, in today’s online and digitally-focused world, your presence on social media sites can become an issue if you are careless about what is posted. Coarse and improper messages, “bashing” of former (or current) employers and inappropriate images all make up your digital footprint. A good rule of thumb is that if you don’t want your grandmother or your boss to see what you’re posting, then don’t do it.
- Never underestimate your actions. Just as you should look at your past actions, be sure that once you’ve established your personal brand, you keep in mind what you do each day and how it is impacting that brand, both positively and negatively.
This includes getting out and in front of people who can make a positive impact on your brand – be active and participate in groups, meetings, anything that gets you face-to-face contact with these people and helps grow who you are and what you are capable of doing.
- Don’t just hear – listen. The first part of this is to ask questions – don’t be afraid to ask for advice, for help, or just to pick someone’s brain when it comes to furthering your personal brand. If there is something you don’t know that is preventing you from getting where you want to be, be proactive and search out the answer.
Then, when you have people talking to you, really listen to what they have to say. Don’t just wait for the answer you wanted to hear then tune out. Some of the best advice you’ll ever receive is the advice you get when you least expect it.
Sources:
http://jorgensundberg.net/top-10-personal-branding-quotes-those-who-made-it/
http://www.business2community.com/branding/10-common-personal-branding-mistakes-avoid-01052113
https://www.themuse.com/advice/6-personal-branding-mistakes-that-are-holding-you-back
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands. We specialize in verbal and visual branding, brand strategy and market research.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at www.AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
Four Trends That Will Help Shape Branding in 2015
With each new year comes a wave of trends and ideas that will define that year in branding and will shape how branding evolves. While some of these ideas showcase new ways of thinking about branding, others show the circular nature 
of the industry and how sometimes, you have to look back in order to move forward.
Below is a look at four trends that will drive branding strategy in 2015:
- Cross-Platform Branding Becomes a Must-Have
Gone are the days when branding meant creating a name and a static logo for the brand. In today’s mobile, online, constantly-shifting platform-driven world, your visual needs to be adaptable to all areas in which you will be present.
Logos need to transfer from a magazine ad to a tablet, from a business card to a phone. Small, intricate details or trying to put a lot of information into one logo may look good when rendered on a large scale, but get lost when it is shrunk down for another use. This will contribute to an increase in logos that embrace simplicity, with companies considering eliminating aspects of their logos deemed detrimental to cross-platform adaptability.
Additionally, names need to be easily remembered and stand out in a way that they can be conjured for quick searches. In 2015, this trend will continue to move up the scale of importance, especially for newer brands that don’t have already-established brand equity.
- Brands will Re-Focus on Basics
With such a crowded consumer space and so many brands clamoring for a piece of the attention, brands will begin to look inward at what truly makes them unique. There will be less brand strategy based on reaction and mimicking what other brands are doing and more focus on characteristics that make up the foundation of the brands.
This brand characteristic shift will lend itself to a new wave of branding, getting back to the essential elements that make a strong brand. This is the key – the brands who thrive in 2015 and beyond won’t be the ones who are the most unique all of the time, but the ones who can show the consumer that they are stable and will be around for the long run.
- Brands will See the Positive Impact of Transparency
Today’s consumers can and will learn everything about a brand that they want to. If there is a skeleton hiding in the closet, it will come to light. Brands will shift their thinking to the idea that instead of hiding, their brand perception can be enhanced by being transparent about the not-so-pretty aspects of the brand that may be exposed.
Consumers are much quicker to defend and forgive when they don’t feel as if the brand was hiding something from them. Transparency can go a long way into both crisis management and solid brand management.
- Developing an Internal Brand will Help Retain Talent
Today’s generation of employees is decidedly different than their predecessors when it comes to staying in one job for an extended amount of time. They have a tendency to bounce around repeatedly, especially early in their careers, meaning many times brands must impress their employees as much as the employees need to impress their brands.
This is why more companies are turning their attention to internal branding – ensuring that their inward brand is as strong as their external, giving them a head start in retaining their top talent. Employees gravitate toward brands that have a strong sense of who they are and who treat their employees right, which starts with establishing what kind of brand they present internally.
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Chubbies is a men’s online clothing retailer that I, a female customer, look forward to perusing when shopping for the men in my life. The Chubbies brand has reinvigorated shorts for men.
Their aesthetic is unique - slightly tailored and boldly patterned, complete with their signature short inseam. As my brother famously says, “They don’t call them longs!”
One of the goals of the brand is to outfit men in shorts for every occasion; they have shorts for summer, winter, tailgate and formal occasions. And though the style of the shorts is notable, the lifestyle that Chubbies promotes is really what we’re all really buying into.
Chubbies has clearly defined what it is to be a “bro” in a world filled with nine-to-fivers and squares - and if you fit that description, Chubbies shorts allow you to live a double life. As they promise their customers, “When you put on your Chubbies, you know it's time to relax, crack open an ice cold beer, and have some fun.”
This "bro" 
mentality is promoted through witty website copy that feels more like friendly banter among friends than standard fare copy for a website. Chubbies shorts have names like “The Khakmeisters,” “The Clubmander in Chiefs,” and “The Victory Bells.” Their tagline, “sky’s out, thighs out,” clearly illustrates when they feel is the most appropriate time to wear Chubbies shorts- always.
Not a big reader? Chubbies has you covered on their website, www.chubbiesshorts.com, with humorously epic photos. Picture a shirtless fellow on the ridge of a ski slope: his phy
sique is average, his stance is confident and comically determined, his Chubbies have an 1980s-inspired ski motif. Or, imagine a clean-cut patriotic gent running down the beach, proverbial guns blazing, in American Flag print shorts. A flag in on hand, a beer in the other, ‘Merica.
Customer communications also follow suit. If you decide to give the company a call, a real-live guy picks right up and says “Hey dude, what’s up?” No automatic, robot-voice activated customer service shenanigans. Chubbies email order confirmations flaunt phrases like “You done did it!”
Even their FAQ page is packed with branded gems such as, “Men of genius are admired, men of wealth are envied, men of power are feared; men wearing Chubbies are all of the above.”
The Chubbies brand is a success because they don’t just dabble in this “bro” persona, they embrace if from all angles.
In short (pun intended), the Chubbies experience is unexpectedly inspiring. Though they’re selling men’s clothing, the Chubbies concept is gender-less and timeless - fearlessly seize the day in shorts and a smile. It’s enough to make anyone want to crack open a cold one and set sail on the next schooner to YOLOland.
All images via chubbiesshorts.com
3 Brands Poised for Success in 2015
Every brand wants to go into a new year with momentum, knowing their brand has the strength to make it the best year possible, but some have a brand strategy that is better suited to succeed than others.
Here are three brands who, through their actions in 2014 and the potential they show as the new year approaches, we feel have best set themselves up to be some the best in 2015:
This brand out of El Segundo, California that makes Nabi, a line of children’s tablets, has experienced an astounding 158,957 percent three-year growth, topping out at over $195 million in revenue in 2013. It led the company to the top 
spot on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States for the second year in a row, a feat only achieved once before, in addition to being named America’s Most Promising Company for the year by Forbes.
But what has allowed for such incredible growth and what sets it up for continued success in 2015 is Fuhu’s ability to take a very niche market and expand its offerings to cover all of the potential consumer and market areas. For instance, they offer branded accessories such as sports logo decals and Nabi-brand chargers, along with a partnership to sell special-edition versions of their tablets with brands such as Disney and Nickelodeon.
Whenever a brand can break out of a single-product offering they are more likely to sustain long-term success. When those additional products all tie in to the original and contribute to strengthening the overall brand strategy, well that’s just an added bonus that Fuhu has earned.
Franchises are the next wave of brand growth, with brands seeing this avenue as the best way to expand their reach. And no company has embraced franchising better than Anytime Fitness, which earned the top spot on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 list in 2014.
Not only do their locations have sound business footing, they have capitalized on the nation’s thirst for healthy options and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, their concept of 24/7/365 availability works into the daily life of the person who wants to stay healthy, but needs the flexibility to do it on their own schedule.
They have over 2,500 locations and sport over 1.9 million members, with goals to open 1,500-plus units in the next five years. This growth, along with the strong brand loyalty shown by its members (more than 1,400 have tattooed the company’s logo on themselves to represent a personal accomplishment), point to another outstanding year for the folks at Anytime Fitness.
Amazon is proof that the most successful companies never stop evolving. Already the largest internet-based company in the United States with over $74 billion in revenue for 2013, but they are not willing to sit back and let the brand coast in the coming years.
They too know the benefit of branching out with your brand, with original products, hotel booking site, streaming video services, food delivery services, and more all on deck for potential 2015 launches. They have also entered into the media creation realm, with at least seven new shows set to debut in 2015, go along with the already-successful Kindle, Amazon Prime and recent acquisition of Zappos.
This touches on another branding best practice – Amazon can look to expand its product offering because it is the best at what it was originally created to do. People around the world know Amazon’s brand for its outstanding success in the past, and therefore the brand equity is there already to test the waters, knowing that anything with the Amazon name on it has a built-in brand ambassador network.
Sources:
- http://www.fool.com/premium/supernova2015/disruptor.aspx
- http://www.forbes.com/most-promising-companies/list/
- http://www.inc.com/profile/fuhu
- http://www.inc.com/magazine/201409/lindsay-blakely/inc.500-2014-number-one-fastest-growing-company-fuhu-growth-secrets.html?cid=readmore
- http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230291
- http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/amazon-reveals-2015-pilot-season-lineup-article-1.2006787
Beat the Rush: 5 Ways to Prepare Your Brand for Black Friday
Black Friday has become the most well-known mass shopping day of the year. In addition to the notoriety, the numbers back up the hype: in 2013, consumers spent a whopping $12.3 billion during Black Friday, up 2.3% from 2012. This “holiday” for consumers is filled with brands advertising and looking to grab a piece of their attention. The noise is so loud in the marketing space that it’s easy to get lost, or on the flip side, try so hard to stand out that you negatively impact your brand.
The companies with the most success preparing themselves for Black Friday shopping are the ones who know how to walk the line between not enough and too much. From outrageous discounts to new advancements in technology that benefit those in the stores, these brands know how to make their mark on the day.
This may be a tall task for many companies who have not entered into the fray for Black Friday previously, but there are five ways you can craft your brand marketing strategy to set yourself up for success:
- Use the power of your brand. An often underestimated asset for many companies, there are very few places that a brand marketing strategy is better utilized than Black Friday. In the rush of the early morning sales, consumers are very rarely taking the time to research the pros and cons of each product, and therefore the sale decision comes down to two factors: price and brand. Pricing decisions are a different discussion, but the branding strategies can be put into place ahead of time to ensure that your brand is working as hard as it can for you.
- Don’t limit “Black Friday” to just one day. The decision to open your store on Thanksgiving should be done on a case-by-case basis, factoring in what is best for you and your employees, and whether it can be justified by the expectation of a great increase in your revenue. But all brands should at least take advantage of Cyber Monday, the newly-formed “Online Black Friday.” Consumers aren’t looking only for the sales that last in the early morning hours on Friday, but have come to expect brands to reward them for shopping the days, and sometimes weeks, following.
- Online and mobile are the new drivers of Black Friday shopping. More and more, people are using online sources to either prepare themselves for in-store shopping, or they are avoiding the crowds and doing all of their purchasing online. Don’t miss out on this vital component – your advertising strategy should cover an online component, while some brands find it beneficial to offer online-only discounts and specials to drive traffic to their sites.
Additionally, make sure your website is in the best shape it can be, especially if you plan to offer online shopping options for your customers. Double-check all portals, links, payment processors, and information to keep the machine running smoothly and eliminate additional hassles if something goes wrong.
- Remember to integrate social media strategies into your overall brand preparation.Outside of the potential for additional sales on Cyber Monday, social media is an inexpensive and continuous outlet to inform consumers of what your brand is doing to commemorate Black Friday. This may be a good time to run an audit of your social media accounts, ensuring that everything is in line, including all logos, profile pictures, bio descriptions, manager responsibilities and posting schedules.
With a rush in consumer shopping also comes a rush of consumer attention to your brand, some for the first time, and as they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Make sure yours is perfect in this area of your brand marketing strategy.
- Maximize your visual presence. All brands should have a consistent theme overall, and this should carry over into your branding strategies for Black Friday, especially from a visual branding perspective. As previously mentioned the short attention span of today’s consumers is divided even more by the rush of marketing traffic being thrown at them, so a quick visual recognition is the best way to grab and maintain their interest and successfully convey a branding message.
Whether your brand strategies include these five ideas, or if you add more as you plan, one thing that is crucial is the power of preparation. If you want your brand to be successful this Black Friday (and beyond), you can’t be caught off guard. If your brand is properly prepared and set up to succeed, then this year should see you firmly in black after Black Friday.
Sources:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertpassikoff/2014/11/06/for-retailers-black-friday-has-become-a-season-unto-itself/
http://blog.hootsuite.com/prepare-your-social-media-strategy-for-black-friday-cyber-monday/
http://www.marketsource.com/blog/2014/06/26/plan-now-win-later-preparing-for-black-friday/
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Case Study Wednesday: Carnival Cruise Lines
Case Study Wednesday:
Carnival Cruise Lines
Addison Whitney’s ongoing relationship with Carnival Cruise Lines is a testament to our client-first mentality. We’ve supported the cruise line with projects ranging from bar and restaurant identities to social and recreational brands. These branded experiences can be found on several Carnival ships.
RedFrog Pub and ThirstyFrog Red Lager
Our verbal team named a Carnival restaurant RedFrog Pub to evoke a fun, island feel. Our visual team then created logos for both RedFrog Pub and ThirstyFrog Red Lager, the restaurant’s private label beer. To ensure a consistent look and feel throughout the venue, we also designed the restaurant’s menus.
FunHub
Not only did we create the exciting name FunHub for Carnival’s exclusive state-of-the-art shipboard intranet portal, we also designed its colorful logo. Both were incorporated into the website, netbook rentals and various other collateral materials.
SportSquare
Our verbal team also created the name SportSquare for the energetic, physical and social area of the ship. Our designers created a bright, vivid logo to bring the name to life and reflect the positive atmosphere of the area. Carnival subsequently asked us to brand the elements within the recreational area, resulting in the name and logo for Sky Course and the logo for Sky Fitness.
Teams Involved:
Visual Branding Verbal Branding
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Is Your Brand Prepared to Capitalize on Recent Growth?
Is Your Brand Prepared to Capitalize on Recent Growth?
By Matthew Harris
Congratulations! For your company, 2014 was a banner year. From revenue and profits to number of employees and offerings, growth was the theme. The company is set up for continued success in 2015 and beyond… if you can continue making the right choices, specifically when it comes to your brand.
For companies that are coming off of a year in which they experienced their first true taste of success, the following year’s brand strategy actions and decisions can go a long way to determining how far the company can capitalize and continue to grow. One factor in this is understanding the power of your brand.
This growth has almost certainly increased your brand awareness and impacted your brand positioning. A company on the rise is likely to pique a heightened interest among its target audience compared to a company that has seen a growth plateau. Now, the challenge is to continue to increase your brand awareness and evolve your brand positioning with the goal of building a brand while not forgetting what got it to this point.
Long-lasting, successful brands are built on a foundation of meaningful brand strategy, one that provides a strong framework for what the brand is and what it represents. A successful brand strategy serves as a roadmap for where a brand should go in the future, and how to take it there, without wasting time or money going down the wrong path.
Additionally, strong brands know the benefit of not only focusing on externally-facing touch points, but also putting in the time and resources necessary to build brand awareness and strengthen the brand with internal audiences. For an employee of a growing company, the feeling of ownership and pride for the brand is a valuable asset to have for motivation and self-satisfaction in their role within the company.
Because your company has experienced success, there is a good chance that your brand is in a strong place and has some of the tools in place that can continue its success, so a complete brand strategy overhaul is likely unnecessary. However, the market is constantly evolving, and the risk of complacency for a growing company can quickly halt any momentum gained in the past. A company’s brand positioning needs to evolve as it does, following the growth from where the brand is today to where it wants to be tomorrow.
Before you begin to create your brand strategy, you should take stock of where you are. You will have many questions regarding your business on a number of important topics, including whether you are communicating the right thing to your target audiences, what brands in your portfolio hold the most potential for continued growth, and whether a rebrand would be a successful step to take. When faced with organizing and recognizing where you are as a brand, it is a good idea to bring in a third party to handle the research and analysis, who can provide objective results that cannot be reached when the work is done internally.
There are a few areas where many growing companies can find benefit in setting a strategy of evolution, including product and service lines, social media strategies, and how you position your company to your consumers. The main focus should be on ensuring that your brand can adapt and excel in an ever-changing business environment, without compromising your core characteristics.
Set yourself up for future growth – plan and strategize with the mindset that your past success was just the beginning and soon, your brand equity will carry enough weight to begin driving a portion of your business.
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