Now, we all know quite a few companies that are big players in the packaged drinking water industry. What really blew my mind was the way this company was selling it and has been able to successfully market just plain water in a can. I think you must have heard the name of the brand Liquid Death.
Its tagline?
"Murder Your Thirst."
This really shows that there are literally no boundaries acknowledged when it comes to marketing. How come a brand with a name Liquid death which has such a provoking tagline make it so big in the market.
Actually, when I think about it now, they are not just selling water, they are selling an identity, they have triggered their audience into buying not just their water but all merchandise like t-shirts, cans, bottles, fridges, watches, neon signs and flasks with the idea of looking cool in public.
Today, I’m writing a blog pointing this out but who am I kidding, I ended up buying a $58 hoodie.
A $58 HOODIE FROM A COMPANY SELLING WATER?
Maybe I should stop going on the internet for a while.
But coming back to our topic, this is the power of branding I want to underline.
Why does it matter to every growing business?
When you have an idea, sooner or later, you will find the right investor, capital and will be able to launch your business. Many entrepreneurs think that just because they have money to spend on marketing they will eventually create a brand for themselves.
A business just sells a product, a brand sells a story.
So tell me, what’s your story?
If you can’t answer this question then it is a clear sign that you need to participate in a brand strategy workshop asap.
A brand strategy workshop is where you rise above corporate jargons, whiteboard meetings, sticky notes, PPTs and Excelsheets. It's a strategic intervention enabling you to find the business’s voice, vision, and vibe. Here is a list of important elements that highlights the significance of brand strategy workshop for every growing business:
1. Brand Personality
You see a yellow M and immediately think of McDonald’s.
You see a blue F and you know its Facebook.
An A with a knot in the middle, yes you guessed it right, it's Airbnb.
A white ghost and yes it's Snapchat. Also a fun fact, did you know that logo has a name called “ghostface Chillah” it signifies the temporary nature of messages being sent. The famous Apple with a bite taken out, I’m not even going to say it now. You know it.
A brand strategy workshop will make you realize all the right elements that are required for creating the best brand personality dish for your business. The reason you were able to picture them and name them instantly is because they have successfully carved a brand personality for themselves. It is a topic we can discuss in volumes. There are so many little details and attributes that go into creating one. Man, that’s just creativity at a different level.
2. Finding the Right Audience
Instead of trying to be everything to everyone. Focus on being the right thing for the right one. Sounds more like a matrimonial tagline but that’s the exact thing you need to identify and attract your audience.
A brand strategy workshop helps you derive a process where you can gather data, research, analyze, create, segment, validate and repeat to identify our target audience.
One of the crucial mistakes young startups make is trying to appeal to everyone.
Most brands strategize on throwing flyers into the wind and hope one lands on your perfect customer's doorstep.
Who knows maybe your product was actually great all along but you were just selling it to the wrong audience?
A brand strategy workshop makes you pause and ask:
Who is this really for?
Define your customers
What do they care about? What keeps them up at night? What makes them say, "Yes, that's exactly what I need?" ?
When you nail that, marketing gets easier. Sales follow. And you stop wasting time trying to please the wrong crowd.
3. Reconnecting With Your "Why"
A common scenario is when a business grows, they become part of the rat race and lose the hindsight. They often connect with a brand strategy agency to manage their campaigns and lose the hindsight.
A brand strategy workshop enables them to discover the why and relegate their focus back on what should be a priority. It guides them to answer questions like:
Why did you start this?
What values do you refuse to compromise on?
What's the bigger picture?
The more the Why’s the better you have it.
As Brand Professor, let me give you a small trick, use the five why technique. A method developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries. Basically, it is a problem solving strategy where you repeatedly ask why to unravel the root cause of a problem.
4. Every Great Brand Has a Story
Post World War II, Steve Jobs in the 1980s went to Japan and was astonished to see that at Sony, every worker was wearing the same clothes, basically a uniform. When he inquired about it, he was told that post WWII, people had very little savings and Sony provided uniforms to all its workers to help them afford basic necessities after the war. The idea got stuck with Jobs and he wanted the same culture at Apple.
Although he was not able to induce it, Walter Isaacson, once revealed that Jobs wanted all Apple employees to wear a uniform representing a brand. Although the idea never worked for everyone, Jobs did follow it and it is the same reason why he only wore Black turtleneck and blue jeans most of the time and especially to all his Apple product launches.
This simple story highlights a lot of elements that go into making Apple the brand it is today. You see Steve Jobs was not only ahead in innovation but linked its story to match with its brand personality.
When a business participates in brand strategy workshops they are able to link everything they have from their background, struggles, achievements to challenges into one unified message resonating with the brand voice.
At brand strategy workshops, you’ll learn to sell your story, the sale will follow.
5. Be Consistent
Whether it is a relationship, a school homework or a business meeting, showing up matters the most. We all talk about how discipline is important in life, but what is discipline, just consistent efforts moving forward.
I have even worked with brands where employees at each level sell and express the product in their own version. Such an inconsistent approach will only bring clutter and not clarity to the product.
If you’re a solopreneur planning to give your brand an identity, it should speak the same and convey the same message across all channels and platforms. In brand strategy workshops, there are brand consultants that will help you derive your own persona, something that cuts through the clutter. It breaks barriers of corporate nonsense and stereotypical campaigns to offer tailored solutions and branding strategy services.
So, Why Should You Care?
Come on now, let me ask you a question, if you won’t then who will care? Or let me rephrase it, if you won't, why will your customers?
You’re in the process of building something big and unique. Something that solves a problem, something that adds value to your customer’s daily routine or lifestyle. Anyone can make a product but that’s not the end goal right?
Let me narrate you another short story from one of my colleagues, he was suffering through hairfall, he tried many global and famous brands, but they weren’t useful until he came across a small hair oil brand, it worked for it but the bottle shape and its cap was rigid and not properly designed with issues to open the seal, my friend found the company’s email address and wrote a very simple email to them explaining the problem.
A month later, the hair oil started coming in a different, more easy to open bottle.
My friend felt heard and acknowledged, this is a simple example of businesses’ caring, care for your customers, the brand reputation will automatically increase.
Brand strategy workshops will help you bridge the gap between you and your customers, letting you connect with them, understand their problems and respond in an active and caring way leading to better and improved customer satisfaction.
Final Take
It’s high time, you leave behind the notion and prejudices you have about what a brand strategy workshop is and let us guide you to unravel your true potential leveraging on the workshop to scale faster and create a hassle free brand strategy for your business.
