B2B brands are trickier to define than consumer product brands. They often represent far more than a simple, tangible product that we can hold, feel and use for our own enjoyment.

One way to tackle your client’s brand strategy is to think of your client’s company as a person. Focus on their human elements. Who do they look like to an objective observer? Are they a big, mean biker guy riding a Harley? Are they a friendly female librarian in her mid-sixties? Are they a twenty-something programmer with spiky hair and attitude?

Example

Apple has been doing this for a couple of years with their TV ads. We’ve all seen them: The Mac guy is the young, hip dude and PC is the portly guy with wireframe glasses. Microsoft has started fighting back with ads interviewing all different types of people claiming that “they’re a PC,” but the powerful imagery of the first ads succinctly reinforces what many of us think: PCs stodgy and boring; Macs are hip.

Steps

• Imagery is powerful, so use this concept with your clients. When shaping your client’s brand strategy, start by listing the top three things that the brand should mean to their customers. These are typically the reasons why customers buy.
• Now, list 3 to 5 human personality traits that describe the person. Are they trustworthy? Efficient? Knowledgeable? Caring? Creative? Aggressive? Turn their company into a person and use detailed description to bring him/her to life.
• You should have a pretty clear picture of the “person” that represents the brand if your brand “means” and your traits are aligned. If they contradict each other, this will be challenging.
• Finally, boil it down even further to the one word, or one thing that the brand stands for. If you can’t choose a single word, use a phrase instead, but keep it short!
• Make sure to differentiate what the brand aspires to be, and what the brand really is. Complete an independent brand audit to check alignment.  If they’re different, create a long-term plan to shift the brand perception to the desired personality, means and phrase.

Results

The singular focus or phrase is the most powerful way to represent a brand. Southwest Airlines is a great example of the power of a singular band focus.  What business is Southwest in? They’re in the freedom business. That mantra, or mission, has driven the company’s operational and marketing strategy for the last 25 years.

Most importantly, have your client commit to this brand focus. It should drive strategic decisions in pricing, distribution and marketing for years to come. The greater their focus, the more succes they should achieve.

Tags: branding brand strategy

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 at 11:22 am and is filed under Marketing Strategies and Tactics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.