The Brandstorm is Coming: Keynote at MacMaster's MARS Mix

YOU CALLED FOR A BRANDSTORM? You’ve got it.

A little INTRODUCTION.

Everybody thinks about marketing, advertising, and branding as creative industries.

Everybody thinks about marketing, advertising, and branding as creative industries. Filled with great artists…

Everybody thinks about marketing, advertising, and branding as creative industries. Filled with great artists, gifted writers…

Everybody thinks about marketing, advertising, and branding as creative industries. Filled with great artists, gifted writers, and lots of and lots of Big Ideas™.

[DON DRAPER 2.0.]

Me? I think that misses one key point.

[AND I CAN’T DRAW A STICK FIGURE TO SAVE MY LIFE.]

My undergrad degree was a Bachelor of Science in Economics.

My undergrad degree was a Bachelor of Science in Economics. (And, yes, I took calculus as an elective… for fun.)

[NERD.]

I have an MBA in Business Strategy.

I have an MBA in Business Strategy. (And, yes, I did it part time… while running a multi-national business.)

[NERD WHO WANTS TO GET PAID.]

I don’t just want to make things look good.

[NO JOKES ABOUT THE HAIR, PLEASE.]

I want to build brands.

I want to build brands. And it’s neither the clever copy nor the gorgeous layouts that make or break brands.

[ALTHOUGH GREAT BUSINESS THINKING IS USELESS WITHOUT GREAT CREATIVE EXECUTION.]

So what’s missing in that common picture?

The research…

The research, the data…

The research, the data, the analysis…

The research, the data, the analysis, the measurement…

The research, the data, the analysis, the measurement, the market understanding…

[AND, IF WE’RE LUCKY, SOME CRAZY NERDY SPREADSHEETS.]

This is the brand strategy.

This is what’s driving the Brandstorm.

The GUTS OF BRANDING TODAY.

Once upon a time, brand strategists built brand frameworks.

Once upon a time, brand strategists built brand frameworks. There were about a bazillion ways to do it and those framework-builders were all pretty smart.

[SMART ENOUGH TO GET FRAMEWORKS NAMED AFTER THEM.]

But for the most part, companies wanted to define three things:

But for the most part, companies wanted to define three things: The what…

But for the most part, companies wanted to define three things: The what, the how…

But for the most part, companies wanted to define three things: The what, the how, and the why.

[YES. IN THIS ORDER.]

These frameworks were successful for a long time.

These frameworks were successful for a long time. They allowed companies to

These frameworks were successful for a long time. They allowed companies to capture attention…

These frameworks were successful for a long time. They allowed companies to capture attention, gain interest…

These frameworks were successful for a long time. They allowed companies to capture attention, gain interest, drive desire…

These frameworks were successful for a long time. They allowed companies to capture attention, gain interest, drive desire, and ensure action.

[YOUR MOM IS GOING TO BUY TIDE FOREVER.]

But things have changed since the days of the Mad Men.

But things have changed since the days of the Mad Men. I won’t bore you with the details. You’ve seen the news.

[AND THE SOCIAL NETWORK.]

The result?

Today’s brand is not defined by the direction of its shareholders.

Today’s brand is not defined by the direction of its shareholders. Today’s brand is a co-creation of its stakeholders.

Today’s brand is not defined by the direction of its shareholders. Today’s brand is a co-creation of its stakeholders. And the lion’s share of today’s stakeholders demand that their preferred brands mean something.

[NOT JUST CLAIM THEY DO IN THEIR SUPERBOWL ADS.]

At Espresso, we practice brand infiltration™.

At Espresso, we practice brand infiltration™. The first phase of brand infiltration™ is called stakeholder pathing™.

[UM. SO THEY’RE GOING TO NAME A FRAMEWORK AFTER US SOON, RIGHT?]

There are a few general things to understand when you talk about stakeholder pathing™.

There are a few general things to understand when you talk about stakeholder pathing™. Who are your stakeholders, anyway?

There are a few general things to understand when you talk about stakeholder pathing™. Who are your stakeholders, anyway? What do these people care about?

There are a few general things to understand when you talk about stakeholder pathing™. Who are your stakeholders, anyway? What do these people care about? What drives them crazy?

There are a few general things to understand when you talk about stakeholder pathing™. Who are your stakeholders, anyway? What do these people care about? What drives them crazy? Why might you matter to them?

[AS IF YOU COULD NOT MATTER! I KNOW!]

Brand discovery: STAKEHOLDER PATHING™

Stakeholder pathing™ will identify the range of communication styles, motivations, challenges, and core needs of all stakeholders tied to your organization.

? ?


? ?

INDUSTRY PARTNERS



? ?

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

SHAREHOLDERS



? ?

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

SHAREHOLDERS

MANAGEMENT



? ?

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

SHAREHOLDERS

MANAGEMENT

EMPLOYEES



? ?

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

SHAREHOLDERS

MANAGEMENT

EMPLOYEES

MEDIA/INFLUENCERS



? ?

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

SHAREHOLDERS

MANAGEMENT

EMPLOYEES

CUSTOMERS

MEDIA/INFLUENCERS



? ?

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

SHAREHOLDERS

MANAGEMENT

EMPLOYEES

CUSTOMERS

PROSPECTS

MEDIA/INFLUENCERS


[HOW MANY STAKEHOLDERS DOES IT TAKE TO SCREW IN A LIGHTBULB?]

Once you’ve clarified who they are, how do you figure out their motivations, challenges, and core needs?

In a perfect world, understanding your stakeholders would be as natural as asking a few questions.

In a perfect world, understanding your stakeholders would be as natural as asking a few questions. In reality, understanding your stakeholders calls for some serious brain power.

One-on-one interviews.

One-on-one interviews. Multi-phased focus groups.

One-on-one interviews. Multi-phased focus groups. Digital ethnography.

One-on-one interviews. Multi-phased focus groups. Digital ethnography. Behavioural monitoring.

One-on-one interviews. Multi-phased focus groups. Digital ethnography. Behavioural monitoring. Data mining.

One-on-one interviews. Multi-phased focus groups. Digital ethnography. Behavioural monitoring. Data mining. Content analysis.

One-on-one interviews. Multi-phased focus groups. Digital ethnography. Behavioural monitoring. Data mining. Content analysis. Sentiment discovery.

One-on-one interviews. Multi-phased focus groups. Digital ethnography. Behavioural monitoring. Data mining. Content analysis. Sentiment discovery. Purchase cycle evaluation.

One-on-one interviews. Multi-phased focus groups. Digital ethnography. Behavioural monitoring. Data mining. Content analysis. Sentiment discovery. Purchase cycle evaluation. Lifetime value exploration.

One-on-one interviews. Multi-phased focus groups. Digital ethnography. Behavioural monitoring. Data mining. Content analysis. Sentiment discovery. Purchase cycle evaluation. Lifetime value exploration. Trend forecasting.

One-on-one interviews. Multi-phased focus groups. Digital ethnography. Behavioural monitoring. Data mining. Content analysis. Sentiment discovery. Purchase cycle evaluation. Lifetime value exploration. Trend forecasting. Industry benchmarking.

One-on-one interviews. Multi-phased focus groups. Digital ethnography. Behavioural monitoring. Data mining. Content analysis. Sentiment discovery. Purchase cycle evaluation. Lifetime value exploration. Trend forecasting. Industry benchmarking. Direct and indirect competitive set building.

One-on-one interviews. Multi-phased focus groups. Digital ethnography. Behavioural monitoring. Data mining. Content analysis. Sentiment discovery. Purchase cycle evaluation. Lifetime value exploration. Trend forecasting. Industry benchmarking. Direct and indirect competitive set building. Ongoing monitoring and refinement.

One-on-one interviews. Multi-phased focus groups. Digital ethnography. Behavioural monitoring. Data mining. Content analysis. Sentiment discovery. Purchase cycle evaluation. Lifetime value exploration. Trend forecasting. Industry benchmarking. Direct and indirect competitive set building. Ongoing monitoring and refinement. And so on…

This is the stuff that hits people where it counts.

This is the stuff that hits people where it counts. And when you start looking at the data, you rarely find your brand in the what.

This is the stuff that hits people where it counts. And when you start looking at the data, you rarely find your brand in the what. You find affection, passion, and – yes – even outrage in the why.

This is what makes you matter.

This is your brand.

And now for YOUR KEY TAKEAWAYS.

At the end of the day, the brand isn’t simply an icon.

At the end of the day, the brand isn’t simply an icon. It isn’t simply a promise.

At the end of the day, the brand isn’t simply an icon. It isn’t simply a promise. It’s the day-to-day legend created by all stakeholders, connected through each interaction in every channel, and lived constantly in public.

At the end of the day, the brand isn’t simply an icon. It isn’t simply a promise. It’s the day-to-day legend created by all stakeholders, connected through each interaction in every channel, and lived constantly in public. And it’s going to keep moving, whether the company is a part of it or not.

[DON’T MAKE YOUR BRAND BE THE ONE WHOSE PARENTS WON’T LET IT GO TO THE MALL.]

So rather than having a company define:

So rather than having a company define: The what…

So rather than having a company define: The what, the how…

So rather than having a company define: The what, the how, and the why…

[FOCUSING ON WHAT’S FOR SALE…]

Great brand builders look to the stakeholders to clarify:

Great brand builders look to the stakeholders to clarify: The why…

Great brand builders look to the stakeholders to clarify: The why, The how…

Great brand builders look to the stakeholders to clarify: The why, the how, and the what.

[FOCUSING ON THE VALUES THAT DRIVE STAKEHOLDER ACTION.]

Because…

Because… Great brands are value-driven.

Because… Great brands are value-driven. Great brands are stakeholder-owned.

And before anything hits the creative part of the job...

And before anything hits the creative part of the job... Great brand-builders need to bring together analytical savvy, listening skills, and business acumen to clarify the heart of the brand storyboard.

[UM. THAT’S WHERE YOU COME IN, PEOPLE.]

Questions?

INFILTRATE NOW!

JACQUELYN CYR, MBA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER + OWNER, ESPRESSO @INFILTRATORS BRANDINFILTRATION.COM [email protected]

The Brandstorm is Coming: Keynote at MacMaster's MARS Mix

Business

Transcript of The Brandstorm is Coming: Keynote at MacMaster's MARS Mix