It isn't a red-headed stepchild...

So you have a brand already, but it's in need of updating right? I mean what's old is, well... old. Perhaps it doesn't feel like it's really a relevant brand any more, perhaps it simply doesn't seem to have moved in the directions you feel it should...

This doesn't always happen from neglect—though that's probably the most likely reason. It doesn't have to be a red-headed step-child issue....


From the Urban Dictionary:

With red hair being rare, a child born to non red headed parents was often assumed to be the child of an affair. Thus was treated badly, usually in the form of beatings.

No, sometimes a brand will get "old" because the culture around it will change. Or sometimes the ambassadors of a brand want it to change....

Of the two, the only thing that should dictate your brand changing is the relevance to the culture it interacts with. Personal preference isn't always relevant. HELLO?? Did you actually hear that? What you prefer may not matter to the larger culture that the brand lives in!

That said, it usually happens that personal preference will begin to change as the culture has significantly changed around a brand, thereby causing pressure on the individuals maintaining the brand to update.

Sometimes that pressure is blatant but sometimes the pressure is subtle and takes place as a by-product of cultural shift.

So how does a company or organization or individual shift their brand?  Let's take the topic of diversity. It's not new but it's not old either... It may be that your business has yet to really deal with this topic.

For those of you who have yet to deal with this, I will try to put some ideas out here for you to start thinking about. I'm sure it's not exhaustive enough and I'm sure you're own situation will have some hurdles that I can't know BUT ignoring it won't help. It's NOT a red-headed stepchild.

Okay, here we go....

You want a corporate culture that is diverse. On the surface that seems easy enough. So you start committees and meetings and work at your policies to make the environment ready for "diversity."
 

POW!  

You're ready right?

Not exactly.

The reality is, that unless your staff reflects diversity you aren't diverse. Sure, but you have to create the environment to get the staff right? Yes, but it's not all that simple...

First, you must prepare the culture of your business/org/company. To prepare the culture, you must begin a marketing campaign internally that shifts your brand. Let's say that your an all white, predominately male business. Having discussions at the leadership level are important but moving those discussions into the realm of the "common folk" in a progressive manner is necessary.

Additionally, only employing or recruiting positions within your corporate structure that don't reflect diversity at leadership levels is not being diverse. Let's call it for what it isn't—it's not diversity.

Likewise, appointing someone to a leadership level simply because they are female or from another race, and not based on their actual training and skills will be immediately seen as a token hire. A lie.

You must be willing to change at every level, for the right reasons, and make progressive attempts to do so from within, marketing to yourselves and employing divserity at every level.

I feel pretty confident in saying that by the time you are ACTUALLY diverse, talking about diversity won't be a topic. It will just be.

It's a bit of a catch-22 to be sure but it can and must be done. Brands change. Brands should. They need to be consistent in their message and when changing the need to shift subtley. Don't do the Gap thing....

Look be talkin' 'bout brand

Pidgin is a form of language that is typically made up of two majority languages for purposes of trade. At least that's how the dictionary defines it.

pidg·in
n.

A simplified form of speech that is usually a mixture of two or more languages, has a rudimentary grammar and vocabulary, is used for communication between groups speaking different languages, and is not spoken as a first or native language. Also called contact language.

For fun I decided to look up the definition of brand. There are many, and a few that relate contextually. I've listed some of them for reference.

brand

n.

1. (Business / Marketing) a particular product or a characteristic that serves to identify a particular product

2. (Business / Marketing) a trade name or trademark

4. an identifying mark made, usually by burning, on the skin of animals or (formerly) slaves or criminals, esp as a proof of ownership

Okay.... maybe not number four.

So in essence brand is "wat we goin say to be represen" and pidgin is a cross language boundary bridge primarily for purposes of trade.

In essence your CORPORATE brand needs to COMMUNICATE to the AUDIENCE. Brand then is a form of pidgin marketing. We need to communicate the ideas of our corporate/organizational culture and it's value into a language that the audience can understand, that's honest and shows the value. If we do this well enough, our pidgin communication will grow.

How do we do that? First, you have to understand the language and forms of communication that your audience like. Do they like video, texting, emails, print media, sound bytes, etc. Then you need to understand what forms of communication your capable of delivering. Then pick the common ground to formulate your brand communication platforms.

This can include all aspects of visual brand such as fonts, logos, colors. Additionally, all forms of written brand such as voice, topic, and style. And, depending on your language of communication it could include other sensorty aspects of the brand such as sound, touch, smell, and taste.

How well we communicate on every level or "brand language" will ultimately determine how well our communication is received and how well the trade language of pidgin becomes established.

Can't touch this! Brand Behavior

Brand has at least four, count them, four primary considerations. Each of those has sub-considerations. To re-cap, a brands primary considerations are:

• Product
• Environment
• Behavior
• Communication

ALL have to be consistent to build trust with your audience. Trust is the goal of Brand Development.

We've talked a little about product and environment in past posts but behavior hasn't made the cut yet—that is—until today!

The thing is, it's sometimes hard to think of a THING as having a behavior right? Well, assuming your product is a "thing" (which we're going to ass•ume for simplicities sake). However, what DOES have a behavior is everyone who touches your "thing"....I'm sorry, that just doesn't sound right....

What I mean is, every person who represents, delivers, builds, or speaks for your company, product, idea—your brand—represents the "behavior" of your brand.

Let's take, for instance, an unnamed huge-ish oil company that may or may not have been largely irresponsible and caused a ginormous oil spill in a certain body of large water, rendering people's livelihoods in danger, killing tons of critters, and generally wreaking havoc.

Then, let's take the fact that they were largely evasive in their approach to admittance of said responsibility for irresponsibility, and add to it that they are making it difficult for people whose livelihood has been destroyed to be compensated. I mean, ass•uming something like that actually would happen....

I'm thinking that it's probably going to hurt their brand. Sure, they could invest millions into ad campaigns talking about how they care, if said company did actually exist, and did do something irresponsible that destroyed more of our planet, but it will take much more to repair, than it would have to just do what's right to begin with.

In the end, it's not the product that has a behavior, it's how everyone involved acts. If you say you are delivering honesty as you unload the lead-based paint toys form China, that's a brand integrity issue. It's a behavior issue. It hurts your brand.

Now let's say that you own a large egg production facility.....

One Step Closer,
Sean Stark
Brand Developer

Use It—Before It Uses You!

Know, do, and be the environment of your brand!

You cannot separate a brand from where your "product" is used, created, or distributed.
It's also not very distinct from its users or representatives.

So... if you want to have a flowery smelling grease and grime remover, specifically made for bikers to use in a "chop shop," you're probably in for a big disappointment.

How then, do you figure it out? Well some things are just obvious...but other things may not be. Following are some ideas to help you start figuring it out.

Ask yourself:
Is your product local or global?

In other words, is what you do or sell taking place here are someplace else? Wherever it’s taking place, that place is important. What or where is that place? Is it consistent with the audiences expectations?

As an example, in a mission organization, can you balance the idea that your work may take place in villages in Central Africa while maintaining a corporate or business like appearance here in the U.S.? Does that make sense to your audience?

Is it obvious to local audiences that what you do or sell is done someplace else?

Does your audience care about that “other place”?

Does the audience have a preconceived notion about what that other place is like?

What are some examples of the environment your product works in? The mail? The Mall? A farm? A house?

Whatever you decide, your brand must reflect honestly, where your product works, as well as the expectations your audience has on where that product works. If you can align them, your brand environment will make sense.

Any questions?


One Step Closer,
Sean
Brand Manager