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Brand Strategy


The Value of Mapping Business Strategy to Brand Strategy

The Value of Mapping Business Strategy to Brand Strategy

Business strategy and brand strategy should be closely linked There’s a perception among many executives that business strategy is strategic, and brand strategy is a marketing tool – and not a strategic asset. As a result, businesses set ambitious goals, but don’t consider how investing in and developing a brand strategy could help get them there. As a brand strategy agency, we rely heavily on our client’s full disclosure of their business strategy – their goals and objectives, pitch decks, revenue reports, exit strategy – to build a meaningful, emotive brand that will transform their...
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The Power of Creating a Compelling “Brand Vibe”

The Power of Creating a Compelling “Brand Vibe”

We humans are very proud of our ability to think rationally. This cognitive power not only lets us understand and use facts, it also helps us build elaborate creations and fantasies. We use our rational brains to conduct business. Cognition helps us sort stuff out, compare options, and rank priorities. Our rational, conscious brain is so “upfront” in our day-to-day work lives that we begin to believe it is our only way of thinking and acting at work. Yet, as neuroscience is finding, it is now clear that this cognitive ability is not a stand-alone factor in how we perceive, sense,...
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Top 10 Brand Strategy Articles of 2016

Top 10 Brand Strategy Articles of 2016

Top Brand Strategy Articles of 2016 In 2016, we created a lot of content meant to help you position your brand and business to thrive. These are the buzz-worthy posts that resonated the most this year. Enjoy our top 10 brand strategy articles. The Role of Company Culture in Business Success What is a Brand Promise and Why Do You Need One? Brand and Marketing? What’s the Difference? Brand Narrative is a Necessary Part of Brand Strategy Defining What a Brand Is: Why Is It So Hard? HR and Marketing: Building Your Employer Brand Together Investing in Brand Strategy Is Only Step One...
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2016 San Francisco Branding Agency: A Year in Review

2016 San Francisco Branding Agency: A Year in Review

Looking Back As I look back on this year and reflect on the work we did, the shifts our agency made, the clients we encountered, and everything else in between, I can’t help but share some significant insights and lessons I learned working in a San Francisco brand agency. Agile Strategy Meets Actual Reality This year was about meeting clients wherever they were on their brand strategy journey and finding tangible ways to deliver impact to their business and brand. Luckily, we saw this coming. We developed new ways to adapt our more linear brand strategy methodology to the changing needs of...
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VR: Gaining Momentum as We Enter 2017

VR: Gaining Momentum as We Enter 2017

Rising Normalcy in 2016 2016 was a big year for virtual reality. Facebook’s Oculus Rift and Oculus Touch released this week. HTC’s Vive and Sony’s PlayStation VR made a splash. Google’s Cardboard and Samsung’s Gear VR kept progressing in mobile. And although there are bigger years to come, this year indicated a rising normalcy around VR. Deloitte Global predicts VR will reach a billion dollars in profits by the end of the year, and by 2020 the VR industry is expected to have shipped 30 million headsets globally. VR dominated the discussion at SXSW this year – indicating that virtual reality...
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Today’s CMO: What It Takes to Drive Growth

Today’s CMO: What It Takes to Drive Growth

We work with CMOs every day, developing strategy and positioning businesses to enable growth and build brand strength from within their organizations. We have seen a role shift for CMOs over the past few years and have deep empathy for these leaders as they look to keep pace with an ever changing set of skills – more complex and more digital by the day. Because we have a front row seat of today’s CMO, we see more and more of our clients responsible for delivering both top line revenue and profit. CMOs are not only expected to keep pace with the changing digital landscape, but also...
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Brand Strategy: What is the Role of B2B Branding?

Brand Strategy: What is the Role of B2B Branding?

What is the role of B2B branding? How is it different from sales and marketing? Why should B2B enterprises be adopting purpose-driven brand strategies? What benefits will they accrue by adapting themselves to the changing requirements of the Purpose Economy? It’s no longer business-as-usual in the B2B marketplace. Long-held beliefs are giving way to new opportunities. Many of the reliable tools of the past are no longer as effective as they used to be. All of this is prompting more and more B2B leaders to explore the idea of transforming their businesses into purpose-driven enterprises....
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Co-Founders On Brand Strategy Today

Co-Founders On Brand Strategy Today

Co-founders, Bella Banbury and Tracy Lloyd, weigh in on what matters in brand strategy today. It’s important to remember that, in the end, the age-old question is always the same. Client needs all come down to “How do we differentiate our brand?” It’s just the way people ask the question and the way we answer the question that evolves. Here’s what we’ve been seeing more specifically in the market: 1.Heightened attention around data security: Since 2016 was all about using data, now it’s all about safely storing and accessing that data. Gartner predicts that by 2018, 50% of business ethics...
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Why Lack of Internal Alignment May Be Holding Back Your Business

Why Lack of Internal Alignment May Be Holding Back Your Business

When Internal Alignment Is Holding Back Your Business The sky’s the limit. The future is full of opportunities. Until internal alignment becomes a dark cloud that prevents your business aspirations from being realized. What happens when the brand is ready to grow and thrive, but there is no internal alignment from leadership about where the business is going? Nothing. The brand is paralyzed by competing visions and nothing happens. And a lack of decision making due to misaligned leadership is a problem that will hold up your business. Strategy Without Alignment A brand strategy is hard work...
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How Creative Design Brings Strategy to Life for Businesses

How Creative Design Brings Strategy to Life for Businesses

Embarking on a brand strategy project is an investment. We know it takes dedication, time, resources, planning, and a collaborative, open mindset. And in order to get true value from a strategy project, businesses have to be able to clearly explain the strategy, its meaning, and its value to people across their organization. This is where the power of creative design comes into play. Powerful Strategy Isn’t Just a Deck A strategy that simply sits in a presentation deck with a small group of people holds no real value for your business – no matter how smart the strategy is. It needs to come...
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