[0:23] Intro
[1:40] What basic brand premises hold true in both in-house marketing and working as an outside agency?
[2:43] How would you define a brand?
[3:18] What do fashion and luxury brands do well that apply to other industries?
[4:30] How do these brands defend their image?
[6:08] How do new brands break in on established turf?
[12:38] What are some current trends in branding that will continue to grow?
[14:34] How does social media fit into building a brand?
[16:23] Do you see the lines blurring between branding and direct response?
[18:05] Is the focus on “authenticity” in brands today an oxymoron?
[22:30] Final Thoughts.
Chris is joined by Carrie Lannon, public relations leader and chief brand officer at Zapwater Communications. They talk about her experiences in branding from owning her own marketing agency to being in an in-house position overseeing public relations. With topics including how well top fashion brands build and defend their image to what is really important to millennial consumers today.
Branding is everything in business. It’s what defines your company and whether you are appealing or trustworthy to the customer. The first big hurdle is trying to figure out what your brand should look like in the first place? How is it defined? And what exactly does it encompass in your product? Does it capture the essence of who your organization is?
Once you’ve settled on how you want your brand to be perceived, the next step is creating the image and the feel for who you are. If you skip this step you often will find yourself losing out in the long run as you eventually have to go backwards and try to reset your image into what you’ve already become. You need to start with your vision, and the rest of your business can flow more easily from there.
Once you are established you need to learn to protect your image. It needs to be protected, as everything from copy-cat brands to people’s experiences can have a huge impact on how your brand is viewed. Especially in today’s digital society. With recent examples such as United Airlines, the impact of everyone having a video camera on their phone has come into focus. One incident can create a huge backlash against your brand. Which is why you have to vigilant to make sure everyone from the top down understands your brand and models your companies values.
Resources:
–intro and outro music from our friends at Sabers: https://sabersmusic.bandcamp.com/releases