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Investing in Corporate Narrative During Transition: Essential Tool for CEOs

Posted on by Tracy Lloyd

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Transformations and Transitions

The corporate narrative is an essential tool for CEOs. Persuading them to invest in one is hard sometimes.

Competitive pressures on businesses today are stronger than ever. And as a result, many companies are taking new directions, which are leaving CEOs to reevaluate their position, redirect employees, and build new identities and strategies that are going to fuel business forward amidst important transitions and transformations.

As many businesses today shift and flex to changing market demands, it’s easy for a large transformation or transitional period to leave critical audiences and stakeholders feeling lost. Lack of alignment, disparate value propositions across the organization, mixed information, brand behavior, unclear values, or varied messages from recruiters all add to this feeling. And a lack of clarity and/or mistrust among the people most important to driving your business in a new direction is detrimental to a successful transformation. 

Falling Short

When businesses are in the midst of a large transition, focusing on a corporate narrative is usually one of CEOs last priorities. Execs are more concerned with the changing business at hand, meeting profit goals, or fighting off the newest competition. But what they don’t realize is that a strong corporate narrative is the high-potential solution to these top concerns.

Misconceptions about the impact of a strong corporate narrative may be due to the fact that few companies have actually leveraged their corporate narrative to its greatest potential. In these instances, the narrative is stifled because it is formulaic and limited in its reach, use, and emotional impact.

The Value Received From a Corporate Narrative

When built and leveraged in the right ways, a corporate narrative can help your business stand out and fuel the people who are going to power your business forward.

1. Standing Out

Differentiation is one of the biggest outcomes for businesses who dedicate time and resources to a strong corporate narrative. Because corporate narratives operate as long-term solutions, they can help your business sustainably stand out (as compared to a short-term solution like leading with a new product or service). Successful corporate narratives tap into an unmet desire of the people they are trying to reach, and this is the most powerful differentiator. Meeting important rational and emotional needs for the people who matter to your business is the competitive edge your business needs during a time of transformation.

2. Fuel Business Efforts

A strong corporate narrative can help fuel business efforts and drive innovation forward during a transformation by getting people inside and outside the company on board with the new vision of the business. When people are engaged and excited about what the brand and business can fulfill for them, they start behaving in ways that enrich the purpose and drive business forward. Consider all the app developers who have gotten excited by Apple’s narrative, developed their own apps supported by the platform, and as a result, driven Apple forward.

3. Power Innovation

Narratives have the power of opening up possibilities and opportunities for your business. Often, they help bring new audiences into what’s at play, and as a result, new voices get heard, people engage more, and innovation increases. For instance, having a strong narrative might attract new partners or companies to you that want to be a part of the story. Think of all the cutting-edge collaborations Nike has done. Because narratives encourage action and build a community around your brand, they attract more active people, which leads to more innovation. Giving people a narrative to buy into can help people see new possibilities and become more likely to experiment, explore, and collaborate. 

4. Pull People In

When trying to take a new direction with your business, it’s important that you bring people along on the journey. Investing in a corporate narrative can help build important relationships that will help your business sustain long-term success. Instead of pushing shifts on people, a narrative can help people feel like they are part of it, that they’re role matters. When you have a narrative, even during turbulent times, people are more likely to stand by you because they believe in what you stand for.

Your Corporate Narrative = Your High-Potential Solution

With a simple, flexible corporate narrative that fits the direction you want to take, and clear guidelines on how to use it, your business gets propelled in that direction. You become more differentiated, loyalty and pull increases, and innovation amplifies because everyone takes a more active role.

A strong narrative embodies the long-term opportunity your business offers and represents a sustainable future of meaning. It connects with the right people at the right time – bringing them into your collective culture that is formed around the vision, values, needs, desires, and aspirations that your narrative articulates so simply and so clearly. It is a foundation that can drive business success – a high-potential solution for any CEO looking to transform or transition their business in a new direction needs to be taken seriously.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy and design agency.

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Brand Strategy Trends: What These Shifts Mean for Businesses and Brands

Posted on by Tracy Lloyd

Looking Back, Looking Forward: 2018 B2B Brand Strategy Trends

Any new year brings up the opportunity to reflect on the year that’s been – and what’s to come. As Emotive Brand’s Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, I talk to individuals in different roles, at companies of every size and maturity. I am truly lucky – it puts me on the frontline as B2B brand strategy trends develop in real time.

Here are some of the most interesting trends I observed in 2017 and what’s on my mind as we move into 2018:

1. Messaging That Can Flex

Whether it’s short attention spans or Twitter’s influence, our clients are asking for a new type of messaging. For years, traditional product marketing and brand-level messaging fit in the same schematic box: target audiences, pain points, proof points, key messages, etc. But priorities shift. Now, clients want a brand story in 10 words, 50 words, 100 words, 500 words – and also in a long-format narrative. It’s all about stretching and articulating the brand story while keeping it on strategy, whether in a tweet, on a website, or in a proposal. Businesses want messaging that can flex to all platforms, moments, and media, and still stay on brand.

2. To Create a New Category or Not? Proceed With Caution

In 2017, many clients came to us and said, “We’re creating a new category. Help us define it.” A new category is one path to differentiation. The thing is, few companies have the budget, business strategy, or team to do it properly – and they have no idea what developing a new category entails. In most cases, category creation is the wrong strategy. But we want to cure what ails you so, first, we listen. Then we help clients dig into the real problems that plague the business, look for better ways to address those issues, and then move their business forward.

3. Embracing the Non-Linear

Project timelines compressed this year. Some agencies might see this reality as a total bummer. I don’t. Shorter cycles pushed us to find more agile ways to solve our clients’ most pressing business problems. It’s made us fast. We’ve developed a strong arsenal of tools, frameworks, and workshops that we apply to every business and brand issue. I admit, most of the work we did last year seemed out of sequence compared to our normal brand strategy methodology. But throughout the process, we learned we are great problem solvers. When we deliver a smart solution and solve pressing business problems – quickly – clients come back. And that’s a good business model.

4. Sales-Led Positioning Strategy

More and more, our positioning projects include our clients’ sales leadership teams. It makes sense – when you make a change in positioning, you almost always impact the sales strategy. We’ve created value propositions and messaging for subscription sales, sales kickoff presentations, and training materials, and everything needed for solution selling. We don’t just focus on marketing deliverables. Good positioning aligns marketing and sales and drives sales enablement within sales organizations. These projects produce measurable, and almost immediate, ROI and provide great case examples of our work. It’s a win-win for everyone!

5. Greater Investment in Research

We’ve seen an uptick in tech companies who are willing to pay for research  – and we’re helping them get the information they need. Companies recognize the value in conducting research to benchmark the sentiment of both internal and external audiences before they launch a positioning project. Research helps set the bar. Then, once the positioning work is done, further research helps businesses test both the effectiveness and the efficacy of the brand in meaningful and tangible ways, year after year.

6. Architecture and Taxonomy

Clients are asking us to help build their brand architecture and taxonomy projects. Heavy M&A activity is likely one reason they need this kind of help. Both at the brand and product level, clients want simplification. Well-defined, meaningful brands and product offerings drive customer understanding, accelerate the sales cycle, and create customer loyalty.

7. Focus on Internal Audiences

One of the most exciting trends I’ve seen this past year is growing investment in projects geared towards internal audiences, an area we think companies have neglected. We’re being asked to create employer brand strategies and employee communications campaigns, facilitate shifts in corporate and brand strategy, and share employee benefits offerings in unique ways. We are seeing momentum here – and we like it. Brands are built from the inside out, and those that are investing internally, in their employees, will reap the rewards of their work.

Keep posted for more of our thoughts about B2B brand strategy, 2018 trends, and what they mean for businesses and brands today.

Emotive Brand is a B2B brand strategy and design agency.

 

Machine Learning Is the New, New Thing. But Can It Help CMOs Build Brands?

Posted on by Carol Emert

Can big data build brands better?

A few years ago, Big Data promised to radically transform the marketing landscape. CMOs were warned to master it or watch their brands get left behind. Artificial intelligence was the next new, new thing. Now the hot property is machine learning, the data-crunching tool that can find patterns in big data and make them actionable.

Each of these innovations is truly transformative — and each has limitations. As machine learning gathers steam, let’s look at what it means for brands. Which challenges can machine learning tackle which still depend on human intelligence?

What is machine learning?

Simply put, machine learning is a form of artificial intelligence that uses high-powered algorithms to find patterns in huge datasets. By tracking the (mostly digital) behaviors of thousands or millions of anonymized individuals, machine learning can become predictive. For example, it can identify high net worth individuals and “rewind the tape” of their behaviors as they were climbing the ladder to financial success. It can then identify others who appear to be on the same ladder, so marketers can start nurturing their loyalty on the way up.

CRM platforms are using machine learning to understand the messages that drive engagement, then tailor content to people with statistical similarities. They’re replacing guesswork with statistically sound, automated methods.

So there are exciting ways that machine learning can help CMOs make their marketing organizations work smarter. But what can’t it do?

Don’t leave the human part out of the data part

There are four areas directly impacting brands where we think human intelligence – not machine intelligence — is absolutely required. They are: empathy and other emotions, creativity, insight, and aspiration.

Without these four things, you wouldn’t have a brand; you’d have an incorporated collection of business processes. It will be years, if ever, that a machine can substitute for these functions. Here’s why:

Emotions and empathy

The value of your brand is directly tied to what it means to people – functionally, but also emotionally. Building your brand requires an understanding of how it makes people feel and then a strategy for optimizing that emotional bond. This requires the ability to empathize with your audiences, to feel what they feel.

No machine can empathize with the feelings people have toward your brand. And no machine can develop strategies for optimizing those feelings. Machines can be smart — but they can’t feel.

Creativity

It’s true that software can be used for some limited creative functions. The Associated Press uses a form of artificial intelligence called natural language processing to write quarterly earnings reports, for example. But this only works for content that is templated, with known variables swapping in and out of a rote structure.

Brands by definition are completely unique. Every brand should have a distinctive voice, look and point of view that, combined, create a unique brand experience. Every brand touchpoint should deliver a consistent story. And only a human being can create and curate content that consistently tells and emotes the story of a brand.

Insight

Insight is a human skill that relates to both empathy and creativity. It’s a way of taking information and emotional understanding and evolving them into something greater than the sum of their parts. A machine can compute a fact like 1+1=2. It can’t compute an insight in which 1+1, as interpreted by the human gut, heart and brain, can sometimes magically equal 3.

Brand articulation is built on unique insights about how a brand relates to its target audiences, its competition and its cultural context. No machine can come close.

Aspiration

Every brand means something today and should aspire to mean more tomorrow. Aspirations and new ideas for achieving them aren’t facts that can be predicted by a machine. They’re the product of human emotions and human intelligence, dissatisfaction with the status quo, and yearning to achieve more.

At Emotive Brand, we’re excited about the new efficiencies machine learning can bring to CMOs and their marketing organizations. And we’re gratified to continue using our collective empathy, creativity, insights and aspirations to help our clients build great brands.

Have a peak at a few client case studies to see how we’ve helped CMOs build brands and use big data.

Emotive Brand is a  brand strategy firm working with leaders of high-growth companies to help build stronger brands.

Why Brand/Artist Collaborations Are Taking Center Stage

Posted on by Catrina Morbidelli

Brand/Artist Collaborations In the Spotlight

The rise of brand/artist collaborations in recent years says a lot about where branding is headed. What were once two separate playing fields are now overlapping more than ever before. And for brands and artists alike, it’s a powerful joining of forces.

The list of recent brand/artist collaborations is ongoing. French visual artist, Ludo, collaborated with cutting-edge fashion brand MINOTAUR to create a capsule collection that tied the brand to Ludo’s unique, hybrid style of juxtaposing the natural world with technology – helping MINOTAUR live up to its hi-tech promise. Converse is continually commissioning artists to help keep their brand fresh, young, and pushing the edge of creativity – promoting their shoes as a canvas for artistic exploration. For instance, Damien Hirst’s iconic butterfly artwork was brought to life on the Converse canvas as a PRODUCT(RED) limited edition. This three-prong collaboration helped raise funds to help eliminate HIV/AIDS, adding even further meaning to the Converse purchase.

How Did We Get Here?

For centuries, art has been a way for people to create meaningful, resonant, and engaging experiences — telling stories in new ways, bringing authentic emotions to life, changing the conversation, and drawing people in. Sound familiar? Many smart brands now share those same goals. And the most successful, powerful brands are impacting the way people view and understand the world around us – in the same ways artists have been doing for centuries.

Interestingly, many of the same forces that have influenced the direction of branding today have also influenced the way artists are approaching their work. More and more artists are creating art that isn’t meant to exist in a museum – instead, aiming to make art more democratic, more accessible, and more open in its nature. The digital world has encouraged this shift, and millennials across the world are embracing open-access art. Although in many circles, there is still a stigma surrounding art not tailored for a museum wall, we continue to move farther and farther away from the white box gallery art as the only art concept. And this ongoing shift and expansion of what art is and means, makes it even more accessible for brands today to latch onto and connect with.

The Intersects of Art and Branding

Many well-known artists – and arguably, many parts of the art world itself – are branded. Branding can help drive resonance, emotional connection, and engagement for artists today. Think of names like Picasso, Dali, Warhol, and Kahlo, they are globally known and recognized as artists that have become brands of their own. Many contemporary artists are focused on their own brands, putting time into building strong personal voices through a social presence, and being strategic about the people and organizations they connect themselves with.

Artists today, like brands, hone a visual language that becomes trade-marked by their unique look and feel. Artists today, like brands, work to produce specific emotional reactions from their audiences. Artists today, like brands, shift as forces in the market change. Culture dictates much of what brands and art is saying today and what they will say tomorrow. And what’s uncovered when we examine art and branding of the past aligns, unearthing a cultural, economic, and emotional explanation of what was at play at the time. What mattered to people. What was happening around them. What goals and aspirations filled their lives.

Warhol as Artist and Brand

Andy Warhol is arguably one of the most respected and accepted artists of today. An iconic example of the meshing of art and brand, his art is undeniably tied tightly to his brand. With an advertising background, Warhol created an art style that was so distinct and recognizable, it quickly became branded. Through his Campbell soup series, he fosters his personal brand, but also put Campbell on the map. He did the same for Coca-Cola and Perrier, and even after his death his style has been adopted in product branding today. Absolut Vodka recently launched a Warhol campaign with a limited edition bottle celebrating Warhol and all that he represented for the branding world.

Warhol is known as a master of imagery, and has continued to prove his relevancy despite the continual modernization of art and brands. Although many artists have made their mark in terms of advertising – Barbara Kruger with her powerful text and image work, and Takashi Murakami with his collaboration with Louis Vuitton – many argue there is yet to be an artist other than Warhol that has been so successful in bridging the gap between the two worlds.

Merging Together

Perhaps the reason people struggle to find a contemporary Warhol comparison is that the worlds have already become fully bridged. Art and brand have melded and sometimes, so much so, that it’s difficult to see the line between them. Netflix’s new show, Abstract: The Art of Design, takes a close look at eight innovative designs and examines the way their art – design – impacts our everyday lives.

Hearing from Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield, it becomes clear that his design is truly art. That he is truly an artist. And that that design and artistry has an immense impact on how we perceive, feel about, and behave around the Nike brand. With the current status of cultural evolution and consumer interest, it seems that the brand/artist collaboration, and in many cases, melding of the two worlds, will become more and more commonplace, and arguably, even more powerful. The fact that brands without a strong design team and artistic vision behind them are failing is proof of this.

Art Leads the Way

If we think of artists as pioneers – creating at the frontline of culture and anticipating what will be next, these creative minds lead the conversation in many ways. They are cultural connectors and force multipliers for brands looking to create meaningful and resonant experiences. So for brands that want to stand out in overcrowded landscapes and maintain cultural relevance, looking to artists and art is a sure way to get creative, innovative, and think differently about building a powerful brand today.

Brands that are embracing this kind of collaboration and are offering a whole new level of interaction, emotional connection, and relevance to their key audiences. But it’s not just the brand that wins. For artists struggling to have their work seen and heard, brands can be a great medium to get out there. The space created when these collaborations happen is often highly inventive and receptive. It’s truly a win-win for both teams, giving the artist a high amount of exposure and the brand a fresh visual voice. We, for one, are excited to see what great brand/artist collaborations will be next.

What are your favorite brand and artist collaborations? Let us know in the comments.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy and design agency.

 

Digital Health: A Future With Millennials

Posted on by Saja Chodosh

Digital Health

At Emotive Brand, our work with purpose-led healthcare companies has expanded our vision of how digital health can change people’s relationship with how they manage their health. Today, most patients, across all generations, still depend on long-established ways of connecting with healthcare providers. According to Salesforce’s report, “2015 State of the Connected Patient”, 76% of people call to set up appointments, 62% rely on a doctor to keep track of personal health data, and 40% review the data with their physician in person. However, this is changing rapidly and the future of health looks different.

Infusing technology into healthcare management is revolutionizing the healthcare industry in new and valuable ways. From downloading the latest health-tracking app to taking out loans to get through medical school to going on social media to express their frustration with the state of healthcare as a whole, millennials are deeply engaged in their health management and their needs are center of change in the digital health industry. According to Salesforce’s report, around 70% of millennials want to increase the use of mobile devices, apps, wearables, 3D printing, telehealth, and other cutting edge devices to streamline and improve the way they interact and manage their health.

We’ve learned the phrase “digital health” means different things to different people, and this post focuses on what it means to millennials. As a millennial myself, I am interested in the impact of digital health on doctor-patient relationships. How do, or might, advances in digital health change the relationships we have with our doctors? And, as a result, where do millennials see the future of digital health heading?

I reached out to my peers and what rang true for them was this: Across the U.S., millennials believe that by putting more focus on the individual patient’s needs and feelings, digital healthcare technology can make healthcare more personalized, empathetic, streamlined, and meaningful.

The following are the additional top-line findings I gathered from the responses I received.

1.Millennials value digital health because it helps them better manage their health, making millennials feel more connected to their personal well-being.

Millennials consider digital health to be a system of platforms, devices, and technologies that have become integrated into the way we manage, digest, and interact with our health. Commonly cited examples of digital health include health tracking devices like FitBit, self-diagnosing websites like WebMD, doctor communication platforms likened to , and apps that make it easier to make appointments, order medication, store individual health data, and recommend preventative health measures. It means convenient communication with doctors, streamlined healthcare, personalized information and counsel, and individualized and private health tracking. These technologies help keep us connected with the information and the experts essential to managing our personal health.

2. Millennials have different and sometimes non-existent relationships with their doctors, but they believe digital health has the potential to change that.

Because millennials are switching cities, jobs, and budgets more than any other generation, going to the same doctor year after year is rare and oftentimes unsustainable. In fact, according to Salesforce’s report, millennials are the least likely of the generations to have a permanent physician, and are generally frustrated with filling out repetitive forms, the time wasted waiting in sterile doctor’s offices, and muddling through the murky waters of choosing a suitable health insurance plan. Oftentimes, being busy or not wanting to deal with the hassle of going to a doctor leaves millennials skipping check-ups, self-diagnosing illnesses, frequenting urgent care, or calling their family’s doctor to address their needs.

But digital health offers a potential solution. Millennials are interested in a world where they can text their doctor or Skype with their physical therapist. They wonder why making an appointment isn’t as easy as sending money over Venmo. They marvel at the possibility of swiping a card containing all their health data (like a credit card) at the doctor’s office. They search for apps to help them find the best doctors in the vicinity with reviews from their peers. Millennials ask, “What if, instead of spending that hour waiting to see the doctor,  we went out for a run?” Overall, millennials crave connectivity without having to go through the hassle of trying to connect, and they believe advances in digital health can make such connections  more reliable, accessible, and valuable.

3. Millennials believe that the digital health technologies that focus on personalization hold tremendous value.

Oftentimes, the frustration of health insurance and healthcare providers can leave millennials feeling out of control and discouraged with the system. Conversely, devices that encourage reaching goals and keeping on track make millennials feel like they play an active role in their health. Digital healthcare that gives this sense of control is of great value to millennials. Millennials want digital health to integrate seamlessly into their lives. They want technologies to feel like they were made for them.

As a result, digital health brands that focus on the consumer have a real opportunity to resonate within the millennial market. Millennials are downloading health-tracking apps at rapid rates and searching carefully for the best healthcare suited to their personal needs and lifestyles. In short, millennials care about health. They care about our health and want doctors, insurers, products, and technologies that feel like they care, too. Many also want to be doctors, others work for insurance companies, or aspire to create new technologies that encourage this level of empathy, attention, and care. Because there are so many layers in the healthcare consumer experience, there is a huge opportunity for digital health brands to make an impact by making sure every touchpoint feels focused on the consumer.

4. The future of healthcare hinges on digital technologies, coupled with an empathetic approach.

Millennials see digital health as a way of moving healthcare forward. The industry is full of opportunity and potential. And healthcare technology encourages collaboration amidst the often disparate parts of the healthcare industry. It puts a needed focus on preventative health, enabling individuals to be more proactive about their health. Many millennials believe that the future is a world where all health information will be digitally stored and safely accessible. Data will be in real-time, with constant collection, analysis, and recommendations.

However, some millennials worry that the shift to digital health could mean that personalized healthcare becomes even more dehumanized. This is why so many millennials believe that companies, hospitals, and insurers alike need to restore focus on the person. Empathy is the key here, and millennials believe that successful healthcare is empathetic healthcare. If digital health is used to create, encourage, and manage empathetic healthcare, we will move towards the future in the right way. Brands that innovate with empathy in mind will gain the respect and loyalty of millennials – moving healthcare forward by putting patient care front and center.

This is the sixth installment of “Meaningful Millennials,” our ongoing series where we interview millennials on a variety of subjects that are top of mind for us in the studio.

If you are interested in contributing to next month’s discussion and you are a millennial, please email me at [email protected].

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco branding agency.

2016 San Francisco Branding Agency: A Year in Review

Posted on by Tracy Lloyd

Looking Back

As I look back on this year and reflect on the work we did, the shifts our agency made, the clients we encountered, and everything else in between, I can’t help but share some significant insights and lessons I learned working in a San Francisco brand agency.

Agile Strategy Meets Actual Reality

This year was about meeting clients wherever they were on their brand strategy journey and finding tangible ways to deliver impact to their business and brand. Luckily, we saw this coming. We developed new ways to adapt our more linear brand strategy methodology to the changing needs of business leaders over the past two years.

This year was about honing in on how to deliver the strategic thinking and creative opportunities at a high level on a shorter timeframe. Working in agile ways requires a completely different approach to strategy. So we adjusted our agency at every level from operationally scoping a project to delivering a statement of work (SOW) — fast. Our projects are specific. We work in sprints. We are more collaborative with leadership teams. And we are developing a strong reputation for leading this style of work with high-growth companies.

Investing in Employer Branding and Culture

This year we saw a big shift in both interest and funding for developing employer brands and improving employee engagement and culture. This is an exciting turn for us as an agency as we strongly believe your brand comes from the inside out. We had more inbound calls this year and worked on more employer brand projects than in the last few years combined.

Research by PWC points to CEO’s being concerned about not being able to recruit top talent. And we have seen this ourselves with some of our larger, global enterprise tech companies this year. Recruiting and keeping top talent requires an investment in brand. So we are excited to see employer branding become more of a part of marketing. This will enable a more integrated approach between corporate brands and employer brands. Music to our ears.

The CEO Makes All the Difference

At Emotive Brand, we work in the C-suite. It’s where strategy is developed and executed. It’s where purpose and vision are born. And it’s the only place you can actively drive meaningful change. But, not all CEOs are the same. Their needs and interests around the brand they support vary dramatically.

As a whole, the projects that we worked on that were the most successful stemmed from an actively engaged CEO: someone who understood the full value of brand strategy. Brand strategy projects that do not actively include the CEO as a driver of the project become less strategic and tend to lose momentum and focus.

Sales-led Brand Strategy Resonates

As an agency, we have a very sales-led approach to developing brand strategy. And we’ve started using it in how we market ourselves as an agency and how we develop brand strategy. Executives want to know that you care about driving their business forward in all areas – most especially increasing revenue and profit. When we work closely with the CRO or Head of Sales, we see the impact of our work on the business’ bottom line. We get inside of the sales organization to learn what’s working and what isn’t. What their prospects and clients are looking for. What messages resonate and don’t. It helps us hear what the brand is doing well and what it needs to do to better compete as voiced from the front line. And when we intimately understand the needs of the customers, we’re better positioned to craft a strategy that resonates at an emotional level.

What does that mean for Emotive Brand in 2017? A Return to Brand

I believe we will see a renewed focus and an increased investment in brand strategy across the board.

Businesses that thrive will be those that have a solid brand strategy in place to drive growth, differentiate, and enable more meaningful experiences. In order for marketers to be strategic and successful within their own organizations, they will need the brand to work harder for them than ever before. And in order to meet the needs of marketers, I imagine brand strategy will become even less traditional: more strategic, more purposeful, and more personalized in its approach.

At the same time, clients will have a new opportunity to lean into brand strategy with confidence knowing they don’t necessarily need to buy the whole enchilada. I think we will continue to see clients looking for specialized projects – ones that meet the immediate needs of the business.

What does that mean for us at Emotive Brand?  A continued commitment to be more flexible. We can no longer rely on a one size fits all solution to brand strategy. So we plan on doubling down on our time spent listening to client needs in order to craft the right solutions that meet those needs and create maximum impact. And we will be working even harder to develop the right processes and frameworks to do just that. Here’s to a strong 2017!

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand agency.

Why Investing in Brand Enables Growth for Professional Services

Posted on by Paige Lansing Valle

Professional service companies, categorized as mid-market, might be looking towards 2017 with a bit of trepidation. According to the National Center for the Middle Market 3Q 2016 Indicator, business growth has been identified as a top challenge for these firms. And mid-market or not, business growth is a real challenge for every sector of professional services in today’s hyper-competitive economy.

The Role of Brand in Professional Services

Even when personal brands are strong, as they often are for professional services, an overarching brand is necessary. Your brand is your firm’s most valuable asset. It sets the tone for the behavior of your employees and, most importantly, shapes how customers perceive your business. Consequently, your brand has a strong, direct impact on business growth.

And although it may seem obvious to invest in your brand to drive business growth, creating a solid case for doing so can be a real challenge. If the business is doing well, or even just good enough, people may perceive that any change will confuse customers or diminish the equity your business has established. It’s the common “why fix something that’s not broken?” thinking.

However, if a firm fails to continue to evolve its brand, it risks becoming outdated and irrelevant. The speed of change in today’s market is constant. And professional service businesses need a brand that is perceived as current if they want to attract top clients.

The other common misperception about the value of investing in your brand is that branding is a cost center rather than revenue driver. In fact, a 2015 Economist study indicated that 68% of business owners view marketing as a cost center. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Invest in Your Brand for Clear Returns

Here are 5 reasons why investing in your brand will positively impact your bottom line now as well as down the line:

1. Differentiation

With so many businesses offering similar services at comparable price points, firms start to blend together and have a hard time standing out from the crowd. Well-defined brands that tell a unique narrative and look different from competitors are able to draw attention. A tagline and a logo simply isn’t enough, though. In order to truly make an impact, you need to consider every brand experience and touchpoint.

2. Price

A strong brand commands a premium price. It allows you to justify your worth and create demand. Investing in professional services is a risk and, as a result, can be an emotionally charged decision. Customers will be willing to pay more for your service if they believe the risk is low.

3. Business Development

A steady stream of leads is vital to survival for professional services. Expanding the number of prospects improves the chances of conversion. A strong brand creates awareness across channels and keeps customers knocking at your door – helping you close deals and build confidence inside and outside the organization.

4. Alignment

In order to grow, professional service firm need to be aligned around the brand promise and story in order to create brand ambassadors with employees. The people inside your business are your strongest asset.

5. Endurance

Tough times are inevitable. But a brand with an established emotional connection with its customers and prospects is prepared to weather the storm. In the unfortunate event that your business suffers from reputational damage, a strong brand can help carry the business to the other side with its head held high. And as your industry goes through a period of flux, an investment in your brand now will increase the potential to grow today and into the future, leaving your competitors fall behind.

Thriving companies understand the power of their brands both internally and externally. And as pressure mounts on marketers to deliver growth and prove their ROI, investment in your brand is critical to the success of your firm. Invest in your brand to position your firm for growth.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy and design agency.

Six Secrets of Thriving Brands

Posted on by Tracy Lloyd

This is the second post in our “Brand Strategy 101” series. Last time, we discussed why a brand is so difficult to define. While a brand might mean different things to different people and different businesses, at Emotive Brand, we think of brand as a driver of business. When a brand connects with the people who matter to your business, the business is positioned to thrive.

But, for a brand to connect with people, some important factors come into play. We have identified six of the most powerful attributes that thriving brands and businesses have in common:  

1. Meaning

Every moment a brand has to interact and engage with people is an opportunity to create an emotional impact. Through these moments, a brand can build deep and lasting meaning. Meaningful brands make promises and keep them. And we believe meaningful brands start with purpose.

2. Purpose-led

Brands that focus on building a deeper, more emotionally meaningful connection with their key audiences thrive in today’s world. When people see that a brand stands for a higher purpose, they pay attention. Purpose-led brands mean more to people because they work for something greater than themselves.

3. Empathy

Empathetic brands have a deep and complex understanding of the people they want to reach, touch, and engage with. Brands that connect in an emotional way – understanding the needs and desires of people – make those people feel like the brand was made just for them.

4. Consistent 

Consistency is what makes brands recognizable and seamlessly integrated into people’s lives. Every detail counts. When a brand is consistent, audiences connect more quickly with it and it becomes differentiated from competitors. Brands that aren’t consistent can’t create the maximum impact. Inconsistency leads to dilution of meaning and as a result, decreased loyalty and engagement. Consistent does not mean static. The most impactful brands are flexible and dynamic, yet still remain consistent, coherent, and powerful.

5. Authentic

When a brand rings true to itself, we believe people can not only tell the difference, they can feel it. And in an increasingly staged and media-saturated world, people are seeking this kind of authenticity in every facet of their lives. So brands that are open and trustworthy attract customers who will stand behind the brand’s purpose. Authentic brands deliver on what they promise. They interact with customers with transparency and integrity – committing to purpose, behaving genuinely, leading with heart, and inviting people in.

6. Emotive 

Brands that are thriving today connect not only rationally, but emotionally – reaching a deeper level in people’s minds and hearts. When brands are emotionally infused, employees work with greater purpose and get more satisfaction from their work. Customers become more loyal, spend more money, and are more likely to recommend the brand to peers. These emotionally charged brands convey meaning and evoke emotions that draw the people who matter to their business closer to them – setting them apart from their competition.

Stay tuned for our next installment in Brand Strategy 101.

Brand Campaigns Talk to the Heart During Olympics

Posted on by Sarah Herold

We are an athletic bunch here at Emotive Brand – we are triathletes, marathoners and mountain bikers, just to name a few. So it’s not surprising when we gather round the lunch table each day that we’re talking about the Olympic games. And the inspiring accomplishments of the world’s best athletes. But aside from our passion for sport – and competition – we haven’t lost sight that we are in the branding business. And we’ve been paying close attention to the Olympics-inspired brand campaigns and the emotional themes that are resonating during the Games.

The landscape has changed
Official sponsors like Visa and Proctor and Gamble no longer have a lock on the Olympic Games. This year saw a relaxation of the rules surrounding non-sponsor advertising. Brands who launched marketing campaigns at least four months prior to the games can continue to run their ads through the Olympics … as long as they don’t mention the Olympics by using its marks, terminology and imagery. So that means more brands have gotten in on the action. And are using the Olympics as a way to connect with their customers. While non-sponsors have gotten creative with their brand campaigns, it’s forced all brands to be more thoughtful about their advertising – and all of the potential angles – in order to evoke all the right feelings.

Online, digital and social
This year, brands are using social in a much deeper and more meaningful way. They aren’t just investing in social campaigns but creating ways for people to participate in the games through live experiences and sharing their own stories.

As a massive audience talks about key moments on Facebook or Twitter, brands want to be a part of that energy and excitement. Brands like Ford and Coca-Cola are following social conversations, and figuring out how they can be part of those conversations by developing content on the fly. They are looking to engage spectators beyond what just they see on TV, but by bringing them into the Rio experience. McDonald’s is going even further— as part of its “Friendship” campaign, they brought 100 children from around the world to participate in the Opening Ceremonies.

Human stories trump product
Brands are not only shifting how they tell their stories but also the kind of stories they tell. Where Olympic brand campaigns typically highlight athletes or the fans, advertisers are now more focused on tapping into the human experience rather than their own products’ features.

Procter & Gamble has continued its emotional tribute to mothers this year with a new film “Strong”, following the Olympic journeys of four mothers and their children. And Airbnb released a video campaign, “#StayWithMe” that tells three unique local stories aimed primarily at Olympic visitors.

Leveraging emotion
Campaign trends aside, can you guess which ads grabbed our attention here at Emotive Brand? It’s the ones that create a deep emotional connection that get us excited or make us tear up. These ads leverage happiness, inspiration, and pride — and grab our hearts.

“We’re the Superhumans”
It’s not surprising that the British broadcaster of the Paralympics, Channel 4, has the most shared ad so far in the Olympics with this inspiring spot. Instead of the usual moodiness and grit you get with most Olympic ads, it takes a fresh approach, bringing fun, surprise and creativity to the storyline. Instead of crying along, we were cheering aloud.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IocLkk3aYlk

“Rule Yourself”
Under Armour’s award-winning “Rule Yourself” brand campaign is emotionally powerful and real. Featuring Olympics veteran Michael Phelps as he trains for his last games, the commercial is raw, sentimental and incredibly personal. It shows the quiet struggle and fortitude Phelps has endured to make his comeback to Rio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh9jAD1ofm4

“Thank you, Mom”
Olympic ad themes can start to look pretty similar. But Procter & Gamble found an original approach in reviving its “Thank you, Mom” brand campaign. This uplifting commercial is a series of stories that focuses on the power of mom’s love. It doesn’t shy away from the difficult side of life, but reminds us that success heavily relies on the people who support us along the way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ3k6BFX2uw

In 2016, brands have been working hard to harness the excitement and pride of the Games. By tapping into human emotion, the Olympics are a powerful opportunity to turn a passionate fan base into participants – and ultimately, brand ambassadors. In order to be the gold standard, brand campaigns must be creative, culturally relevant, and embrace the values that are unique to the Olympic experience.

Brand Guidelines: An Interview with Emotive Brand Senior Designer

Posted on by Tracy Lloyd

The Importance of Brand Guidelines

Emotive Brand hinges itself on the ability to transform businesses through brand strategy and strategically informed design. Miguel, a senior designer in the studio, works to bring brands to life by creating clear, inspired, and emotive brand identities. In this interview, Miguel discusses a process of branding that is often overlooked: building brand guidelines. Read to learn more about the importance of having a roadmap for your brand and how it should be used to create maximum impact.

Why might businesses overlook the importance of brand guidelines?

They aren’t easy. No one wants to read a manual. And it can be overwhelming, both to digest and to create. Building a clear guide takes focus, a high attention to detail, and a deep understanding of the brand itself. I think part of the reason why people disregard the importance of guidelines is that they don’t fully grasp all the places their brand touches. It isn’t just a logo. It’s composed of a variety of elements that when used correctly together make your brand recognizable and meaningful to people. You need a roadmap to keep the brand consistent. Brand guidelines are essential to every brand no matter how big or small, local or global, new or old.

How do guidelines help bring a brand to life?

The goal of brand guidelines is to help your people – designers, writers, strategists, new employees, veterans, freelancers, hired agencies, etc. – bring your brand to life. Brand guidelines help those people build a cohesive, clear, and recognizable brand and they are the people enabled to propel your business. Without guidelines, the brand assets have no value – the guidelines bring them to life. They provide a clear and simple toolbox that includes a set of standards for using brand names, logos, typefaces, and other design elements in ads, brochures, newsletters, packaging, digital communications, and any other ways the brand might communicate.

What happens when a brand doesn’t have clear guidelines?

The brand will inevitably become inconsistent. It will be diluted. This means that brand recognition goes down and customers and employees become confused about your brand. With all the pieces and no instructions on how to use them, the brand assets become valueless. Without a roadmap, your brand seems unsure of where it is and where it’s going. Especially during times of growth, those new to your brand need to have a clear understanding of how they can help your brand live. So you need a strong, consistent, and solid brand to stand out. Without a guide, that just isn’t possible.

How do the guidelines help employees?

In the end, having a clear guide helps the whole team become aligned. It doesn’t matter if you’re a strategist or a designer, everyone has the tools to build the brand in the most meaningful way. Everyone has a map and this map makes people feel empowered and able to do their job. Less time is wasted. Less people are frustrated and lost. Even when a business is onboarding someone new, the guidelines get them quickly on board with how the brand lives. And when you’re brand is truly living and all the parts are working altogether, that’s your emotional impact. That’s your brand doing its job.

What are some of the challenges of creating brand guidelines?

For me, as a designer, writing is not my strong suit. But I’ve learned to make sure whatever I’m writing for the guide is detailed, yet still clear and simple, much like a manual. It really has to take people through the process, step by step. It can’t be complicated because at the end of the day, complication will dilute essential brand information. I’ve learned that the simpler the visuals are, the fewer steps you need to communicate. It’s about achieving the right balance between visual and verbal instructions so the guide is the clearest it can be for everyone who might use it.

Another challenge is finding balance between laying out rules and structure, while also allowing for brand flexibility. When I’m working, I’m also thinking, “What’s the next thing for the brand?”. You have to try and imagine possibilities for the future so that the brand can grow. One thing that helps is showing examples of how the brand lives in real life situations. At Emotive Brand, we always outline parameters for print, digital, and environmental signage. These situations might not exist for the brand yet, but we are trying to help build a brand that thinks ahead and work within those parameters while still moving forward.

Do you think brand guidelines can help businesses grow?

At the end of the day, guidelines are what make a brand recognizable. The consistency a guide creates is key to people’s ability to recognize your brand. When people recognize your brand, your brand is able to grow. Strong brand guidelines help steer your business towards growth. Guidelines, in the end, are all about creating maximum impact for your brand.

Read Miguel’s post on Brand Identity: What’s Your Type?

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy firm.