Are You Branded?

No, this is not a flash back to slap bracelets and NKOTB (New Kids on The Block, for the uncouth), but popularity, image, and reputation are the key factors to score in this game. So if this isn’t high school, then what gives, you ask?

Well, this game is a lot like high school actually, it’s the game of winning the customer. Tom Gable, a PRSA Fellow, gives insight into the eight key areas that any company can use to incorporate image as a part of their corporate strategy to win the customer.

Gable suggests the first step is to “analyze the competition”. What’s there, what’s not, and more importantly, how can you differentiate your business? Next, Gable suggests establishing your core values and positioning. Most of you are thinking, “Well isn’t that what our mission statement is for?” Yes and no.

One must focus specifically on whether you are truly providing supporting evidence of these values and positioning. Furthermore, it is suggested in the article by Gable, that one must target multiple external audiences. He states that, “Building a reputation with multiple audiences is mandatory since no audience operates in isolation.” Also, it is important to create a compelling vision and evocative messages. One must do this however while bearing in mind the importance of building relationships in the process, Gable purveys.

More over, one must draw a strategic road map. Taking a broad spectrum picture into consideration can be difficult especially when a company is struggling to stay afloat, but it is necessary for long term success and vitality. Just as no solider would go into battle without his appropriate weapons; no business must attempt to wage a branding war without the proper ‘tactical tool kit,’ as the phrase is coined by Gable. One must adequately prepare themselves to reach each goal and segment.

Metrics are the quintessence of all successful campaigns. Hard, fast numbers make your efforts a reality. A more difficult endeavor however is to perform a qualitative analysis at regular intervals, allowing insurance that the desired reputation is penetrating the appropriate markets.

Finally, businesses must conduct ongoing reality checks states Gable. These checks allow the company to ensure that they are reaching their constituents, and not just themselves, he says.

Unlike high school, the grown-up world is one that requires taking a look at the big picture often, as well as the visible things around you. Do you have a branded reputation, and how did you get it, and is it your ‘kind’? If not, it’s time to start “ThinkingStrategic" !

Check out Gable’s article from the PRSA website