Here we explore the brand narrative as a key element of brand strategy, by explaining what constitutes a brand narrative, demonstrating how it supports the overall brand strategy, and showing the brand scenarios which call for a strong brand narrative.
Continue reading “Brand Narrative is a Necessary Part of Brand Strategy”
We sat down with Katie Tamony, Chief Communications and Culture Officer at Alluma, a technology non-profit dedicated to making sure those eligible for benefits and services don’t fall through the cracks. Katie talks to us about leading transformation projects: her role, why these kinds of projects excite her, and what’s critical in executing a transformation successfully.
Building something new out of what has been has always excited me. That’s why I’m particularly interested in organizations that have an established track record, but, because of market forces or business demands, haven’t been able to sustain their success. They stop growing. Transformational work is a unique opportunity to think differently, question the sacred cows, and re-see the insights you took for granted. I just love discovering the hidden potential in people and in organizations.
I see brand as the decision-making filter for the organization. It guides who you want to hire, what you offer customers, how you express yourself, how you make business decisions about what to invest in…it touches everything. It’s a roadmap; it’s guardrails. Brand ensures the organization is moving in the right direction. And I’ve found that when done right, brand can create a wonderful shared understanding within an organization of who you are and why you matter.
Any transformation is a journey, it’s a process. Setting goals and objectives at the beginning ensures that the leadership team is aligned around what success looks like from the start. But in my experience at Alluma and in leading past transformation at SFMOMA, Sunset Magazine, and Monrovia Plants, it’s beneficial to not just keep the brand journey within the executive team. For instance, at Alluma, we invited mid-level managers and other subject-matter experts to weigh in and help evaluate market insights when we were at a pivotal point in the process with Emotive Brand. Inviting other people outside of the executive leadership to sit around the table gave us true perspective on how ideas and insights were landing and what felt true to the people closest to the day-to-day work. Having them ideate the opportunities that would emerge if we went a certain direction was exciting and a real pressure test.
As a non-profit, the role of the board is critical. They’re like a senior executive group, but at the same time they bring a lot of external perspective and deep knowledge for our sector that is indispensable. We got their buy-in on the goals and the process early on and involved them at key decision points. Choosing the final name for Alluma actually came down to decisions from the CEO and the Board.
Yes, the launch is exciting. A new name. A new website. A new T-shirt. But then it’s kind of like after a wedding or any climatic event, people are thinking, “okay well, how does this change my day-to-day?” Then begins the most critical phase of the transformation; helping people figure out how they internalize the brand and start to use it to inform their own decision making, their everyday work. From how they show up to a meeting, how they sell, how they talk to our clients—all of these activities are influenced by the brand. It takes education, but I mostly think about using brand as an invitation to talk about things in a new way.
Behavior change drives culture change, and behavior change is challenging. It takes time. And it starts small. So it’s critical that even small behavior changes are recognized and reinforced. You want to encourage people to look for opportunities to reinforce the brand until it just feels natural. I see culture change as the final and most lasting element of transformation. It requires brand education, business focus, and even organizational change management.
Every organization is unique. Alluma was my first time leading a brand transformation at a technology company. I learned that I had to invest time in using more data and visible, specific examples to back up emotional insights to get our engineers and developers (rational thinkers) to see that this was a serious approach to branding. That was a challenge I underestimated. Figuring out a way to define brand and translate it into both rational and emotional terms is key to get diverse stakeholders on board.
We measured success by the objectives we set at the beginning of the project. We conducted a baseline survey with our employees measuring current brand attributes, and then we will assess quarterly to measure alignment with the strategy, understanding of the strategy, how much they believe in it. From a business perspective, we looked at awareness and interest from our target audience. To measure, we looked at website traffic, newsletter subscriptions, social media engagements. We also evaluated brand against our revenue goals and, because we have a long business development process, that measurement is still ongoing. As for culture, I see people organically bringing more visible curiosity and a wider approach to problem-solving to all engagements. It’s just evident that the culture of tenacious problem solving is coming to life.
For one, the process is important. People may discount the process, but the journey is everything. That doesn’t mean it needs to be super long or really expensive. It just has to be thoughtful. And, I’d say again, go beyond your executive team. These kinds of projects can break down silos and barriers within an organization in an incredible way.
Alluma and Emotive Brand partnered to rebrand SIS to Alluma, transforming the brand, business, and culture. Read the case study here.
Emotive Brand is a brand strategy and design agency in Oakland California.
What does it mean to be a sustainable brand? Sustainability measures have become table stakes for Fortune 500 companies. People now expect every reputable business to have a sustainability department and as a result, some level of corporate sustainability reporting is the norm. More and more companies are becoming B Corp because they believe in the inherent value of using business to solve social and environmental problems. A shift is underway to make sustainable business something every department needs to get behind.
Yet even with all the forward momentum, for most companies, sustainability is the second or third tier talking point for the brand. Often times, there’s a disconnect between the business’s sustainability mission and the brand. Sustainability is viewed as a part of the business but not relevant to the brand’s image, story, or reputation. Companies that have invested in becoming B Corp certified often place the B Corp logo on their website like a merit badge but fall short of truly integrating their hard work in sustainability into their core brand message. As a result, these companies are failing to give customers and employees an obvious reason to embrace their brand. Many brands keep sustainability as a brand level message in the shadows, holding minimal influence on the brand’s success.
Your impact on the world matters to both your employees and your customers. People are more interested now than ever before to better understand what good your company is doing in the world. Today your financial, social, and sustainable business practices are a key component to making an honest impact. To really stand apart and make your brand more meaningful in the hearts and minds of all your stakeholders, your brand should integrate your sustainability efforts into your brand communications. The good your business does doesn’t belong buried in a sustainability report. It should be integrated into your brand strategy. We all know it’s exhausting to navigate the infinite number of brands available today. As a result, people are looking for a clear choice in the market, eager to choose brands that mean something to them and are working to make the world better a better place.
Sustainable business practices are complex in nature and can be intimidating to talk about. Do you know what a GRI is, or do you even care? For most people, probably not. But GRI is a measurable tool to determine how sustainable a business is, and it is gaining more traction every day. However, most people don’t want to dig into the details. Instead, they want it top-lined. That’s where your brand comes into play – communicating clearly, and meaningfully as a sustainable brand. The people who are more interested in the details can dig further into your sustainability report. But for most, a sustainable brand is enough. When the brand incorporates the sustainability efforts of the business, the brand resonates more deeply and meaningfully with far more people. And that’s good for your business too.
In today’s world, it is ineffective and inefficient to keep sustainability messages and the brand separate. Your customers are looking for information about what your brand is doing to make a difference. So there’s no reason to keep that message sidelined. However, it’s important that this messages aligns with the brand. If not, it risks being perceived as inauthentic.
Aligning your brand and your business’s sustainability efforts into one unifying story will strengthen the brand and give customers and employees a clear reason to choose you. Businesses who are doing this are finding success. Own and communicate that message everywhere, not just on specific channels for specific audiences. Show all the brand stakeholders and audiences what the brand stands for and why it matters. By fusing your brand with your sustainability mission to create the leading brand story, you’ll inspire employees and customers to be better, too. When we all take a stand to make the world better and choose brands that are doing just that, we all win.
Emotive Brand is a San Francisco branding agency.
