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White paper written by Angus Paterson
Hi! So, we’ve got some news for you.
Do you know who owns that brand you’ve been manicuring for years, tirelessly working with a communication agency, your marketing team, and the leadership? They do, not you.
That’s right, companies don’t own brands. People do.
Don’t let that get you down, though. It isn’t necessarily bad – if you’ve managed it effectively, that ownership is a compliment.
It’s a compliment because for people to feel connected to a brand, they believe in what it stands for. You’ve managed something many marketers and brand managers try but fail to do. You’ve united people with a belief.
If you think there is room for improvement, don’t take it personally, but do call us. We’re a creative branding agency that activates brands, and we can help you.
So, who are these people that own your brand? – Well, there are a lot of them. It’s your brand’s devoted employees, shareholders, and consumers (and their families). It’s the people who work for the competition, the folks over at the supplier, and the good people who deliver that cool thing you ordered from that brand you love.
We’re all exposed to brands, and whether conscious of it or not, we form our own opinions. Its tone of voice, what it says, believes in, looks, and how it inspires us (or not). But, let’s be honest, no brand can convince everyone to believe in it – and that’s fine; we love that different brands speak to other people.
In fact, when we speak to a group of people and a bunch say, “we don’t like ‘Brand Banana’ because it believes in yellow – boo to yellow”. Well, that can actually be good news for Brand Banana!
Love it or hate it, the critical point is those people were all united by disliking yellow. The message that ‘Brand Banana’ believes in yellow was clear to them.
If we can find people that believe yellow is fantastic, we can unite them too – they’ll be the biggest fan of Brand Banana!
And that’s what we do best. We unite people with yellow Banana Brands…(Joking)
We actually unite people behind a shared belief (purpose is the buzzword) no matter the colour – we call it a MagicMovement. It helps us activate and build brands, empowering them to connect with clarity to those that matter.
So, down to business, how do we do it?
Well, it isn’t easy, which is why many companies out there think they have a brand, but they don’t (sorry to be the bearer of bad news 😬). Often we see companies telling people how to feel. Still, we know all directives aren’t particularly effective (look at how many Governments struggled to tell people what to do during Covid).
What is easy is understanding our branding system. It’s called BrandStacks, and it exists to bring clarity and unite people behind your brand.
The four pillars of BrandStacks are Immersion, Strategy, Creative, and Activation – each a vital component of an effective brand. When brands have a full stack, you can be assured it’s an influential brand.
Immersion:
When researching, if we stay on the surface, that’s all we’ll see. So that’s the first step to effective brand building, immersing ourselves in its industry, consulting internally and externally to those that know to find out what matters. Without the deep human insights from this process, how can we know where the opportunity lies?
Strategy:
With insight, we bring clarity to brand strategy – and not just for the sake of a strategy document that sits in the CMO’s drawer (we’ve all seen them before🤦♂️). The clarity in brand strategy catalyses the bonds between people, unites them with purpose, offers a compelling value proposition, and ultimately makes a brand’s existence (and profit) meaningful.
Creative:
It isn’t that shiny new logo that unites people. It is the ongoing conversation that allows brands to connect to the right people. It must be fresh, compelling, and sustainable to bring people together.
Activation:
What good is all of this without action? The final pillar activates all that work by creating meaningful experiences at every touchpoint. Activation is what delivers your brand purpose and connects it with people.
When all those people are united with a shared belief, you have a MagicMovement. Do you know the really cool thing about a MagicMovement? It SuperPowers your brand.
Want help SuperPowering your brand?
Give us a call.
+41 21 811 37 37
New business enquiries:
contact us here
UX, BX, CX opportunities:
magic@magicpencil.swiss
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