The Building Blocks: How We Create a Winning Brand Strategy
In today’s crowded market, creating a strong brand identity is more important than ever. But how do you rise above the noise and stand out in a sea of competition? The answer lies in a comprehensive brand strategy. Every design, image, communication, or activation Honey creates is informed by strategy, and building a brand is no exception.
A comprehensive brand strategy is essential as it provides a clear roadmap for how a brand will communicate its message and differentiate itself in the market. It’s made up of many components and is informed by extensive market research and analysis of a brand’s existing presence (for established brands) and the market landscape (for established and new brands).
A winning brand strategy allows a brand to establish a unique identity and connect with its target audience on a deeper level. It creates an emotional connection with customers and ensures consistency across all touchpoints that reinforces the brand’s identity and message in the minds of consumers, both equally important for fostering brand loyalty and advocacy. Without a strong brand strategy, a brand risks being lost in a crowded market or becoming disconnected from its target audience.
A question we hear all the time from prospective clients is, “But, where do I begin?” Well, by working with Honey of course. However, this isn’t the only question we hear when brands identify they need a strong brand strategy to achieve their goals. Read on to learn how Honey solves some fundamental questions we hear when it comes to brand strategy:
How do I gain a better understanding of how my brand is perceived by consumers, retailers, accounts, etc.?
Successful brand strategies need to be built on a foundation of extensive research—it’s the only way to ensure you understand the market you’re looking to sell to. This combined with an analysis of your brand and products by experienced strategists is the recipe for a firm groundwork to build a brand strategy from.
There are some key building blocks we determine that are greatly informed by Honey’s discovery process. These include identifying a brand’s strengths & challenges, a simple yet powerful tool that creates a clear view of the values to lean into (strengths) and the obstacles (challenges) to solve through the new brand strategy and identity. Other tools, such as brand perception charts, help give our clients and us a visual of how a brand exists in the marketplace, and brand differentiators help identify key aspects we want to bring to the forefront of visuals and messaging.
I want to take my brand in a new direction, how do I do this effectively?
Once we have a thorough understanding of where we are, we next determine where we’re going. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of an impactful brand strategy is getting very clear on who your target audience is. A brand’s target audience identifies the people who we want to create a community with and who will embrace the brand. Market research and analysis of a brand’s existing audience are critical in identifying and defining the target audience and tools like brand personas help create a greater understanding of these people. By defining these audiences, we ensure the brand has focused marketing, messaging, and creative* that will encourage engagement.
I love the direction, but how do I bring this to life?
Perhaps the most nuanced aspects of a brand strategy are the building blocks that shape how a brand will appear in the world and connect with its target audience. We create this picture through the use of brand tone words, moodboards, crafting a strong brand promise, and more tools that guide our brands on how to use this new brand direction in real applications, such as messaging, content, website, and packaging.
All of these components come together to create a roadmap for not only brand identity development if that’s the path for a certain brand, but throughout its launch and marketing efforts. A brand strategy serves as a north star that creates the consistency, trust, and connection needed between consumers and brands in today’s ever-changing market. Working with a team with expertise across marketing strategy, brand positioning, and brand development ensures a strong start to any new brand effort.
Ready to take your brand to the next level? Reach out to us to chat about your brand’s strategy.