Turning the Telescope
A brand is not a logo. A brand is a “Claim of Distinction.” It’s whatever separates the business or organization from its competitors, makes it stand out as extraordinary or, better yet, more valuable to the customer. It’s not just a promise, however. It’s also the compelling evidence that makes your claim credible – your evidence of distinction. Communicated effectively, it instills confidence in the purchase decision. It’s the sum total of all the perceptions you want the marketplace to have about your company at the moment of purchase decision. We “turn the telescope” to look inside your company or organization to discover your Claim of Distinction. A brand is all about differentiation – why someone should choose your brand over another. That person must see, understand and feel the difference in such a compelling way that he or she will choose you when presented with a choice.
To uncover this Claim of Distinction and its supporting evidence, we bring together your key people, usually 5 to10 leaders of different areas of your operation. The typical session lasts 4 to 6 hours in which of our brand strategists serves as a facilitator – employing our proven process to bring forward facts and intelligence about the company or organization, perceptions, opinions and ideas. Then we distill this information into a few Unique Selling Points that are your core differentiation – your Claim of Distinction.
We examine your company or organization’s history, products, services, people and culture. We search to find the essence of the brand. We search for evidence. We search for insight.
Participants find the process illuminating, and almost always surprising in what comes out at the end. The results can reinforce the path you’re on, or, as happens most frequently, mandate a new, fresh look at your direction. Only by involving all your key players in the process can you get the buy-in needed to make success achievable.
Once 3 to 5 Unique Selling Points are established and agreed upon, this information is used to create a Brand Strategy from which all communications flow – both internally and externally.
This session is the ideal opportunity for top management, marketing and operations to discover the company or organization’s Brand Essence and play a role in the establishment of their brand’s communication strategy. In the end, when someone says “Tell me about your brand,” everyone will have a clear, definitive and consistent answer.
