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Tag: Innovation

Fresh Perspectives: Refresh & Energize in 2017

Posted on by Saja Chodosh

2017, A Different Year

Each new year marks a new opportunity for reflection, change, and asserting goals and objectives. 2016, like many years in reflection, was a whirlwind of ups and downs, successes and challenges, learning and progress.

By stepping away from the office and our workflow for the holidays, we gained distance from the happenings of 2016. And at Emotive Brand, we believe this space and time away is critical to gaining the clarity we need to take 2017 by storm.

There is great impact and value in stepping back in order to see things with a fresh perspective. Everything comes into focus and we are able to view our business with increased clarity. And this renewed vision gives us the charge needed to look forward with fresh energy and revived focus.

Stuck in Reflection

Oftentimes, people bring too much of the last year into the new year. And although we believe it’s integral to thoughtfully reflect on 2016 – what worked and what didn’t, and how we can do better – it’s also integral to embrace the new year as just that. New. A fresh start. A different opportunity. A time for change. An opportunity to refresh, positively re-energize, open up to new perspectives and possibilities, and embrace what the future has to offer us.

Hitting Refresh

Stepping away and hitting refresh generates the focus needed to achieve goals in 2017. By asking yourself and your business: What’s most important? What do we care about this year and why? You can strip yourself of excess work and worries that aren’t bringing you closer to your greater aspirations as a brand or business. 

Remembering your purpose and brand promise is integral here. The start of 2017 is a time to remember why your business really matters, and who it really matters to. Return to your purpose, and review your strategy to make sure you are still aligned. What’s no longer relevant? What needs to change?

The new year is a chance to refocus your efforts and kick-start innovation. And in order to do so effectively, organization and prioritization are both key. As is setting specific goals – both personal and business-driven – that clearly map to larger aspirations, dreams, and visions for what this year could hold. Be open to new ways of thinking and fresh perspectives that may shift how you did things in 2016. Embrace different POVs, approaches, frames of reference in order to rev up creativity, innovation, and teamwork from the start of 2017.

This time of the year is also the time to reset expectations. Internally, get aligned on what is expected from your brand and business in 2017 and how this vision dictates what’s expected of each individual and their work in the coming months. For any client-facing business, managing expectations with clients or partners in the new year is also important. Remind people of the timeline and what it’s going to take to create maximum impact. Reinstating feedback loops or building new ones if necessary is also important.

Positivity Moving into 2017

In addition, a fresh start means letting go of any negativity. Embrace new challenges, and let the things that didn’t go your way in 2016 go. Use your renewed energy to channel positivity and change coming into the new year. Strive for balance. Start with an open mind. Embrace new perspectives. Hitting reset can help breathe new life into your business and brand – motivating you to move forward with a clear purpose, straightforward goals, and an inspired, positive mindset.

Keep posted for more insights, news, and thoughts from us in 2017.

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

Why the Best Brands Act Like Tech Companies

Posted on by Paige Lansing Valle

Everyone’s in Tech

Today, it’s not a question of tech vs. non-tech. At the end of the day, every company is a technology company.  This means it’s time to throw away preconceived notions about what tech companies are, what they do, or where they do it. Technology companies don’t only thrive in Silicon Valley. Technology companies aren’t all as big as Google. In fact, you don’t even need to sell technology to be a technology company.

It’s not always about the product. It’s about how you do business, how you compete, and how you offer the most meaningful value to customers. It’s about embracing opportunity and fueling business with disruptive innovation.  And today, this all comes down to tech.

There’s a reason why innovation is at an all-time high, disruptive technologies are more disruptive than ever, and new competitors constantly emerge, enter, and shift the ever-expanding landscape of technology. And companies that don’t act like technology companies are lagging behind. And at the end of the day, in today’s increasingly digitized and hybridized world, everyone needs to act like a tech company in order to compete.

Embracing The Best Qualities of Tech Companies

Ignoring what’s happening at the top tech companies of today is only going to hurt your business. Across the board, all businesses have to work to stand out, gain and keep competitive edge, offer new value to competitors, and agilely compete in and against shifting markets. There’s a lot to learn from the way successful tech companies are approaching their business and their brand. So let’s take some plays from their rulebooks.

Following Suit

Brands that follow the rules of the best tech companies are finding success. So embrace it and own it. Here’s how:

1. Constantly test, learn, and adapt:

Businesses are constantly looking for new ways to understand, reach, and connect with the people important to their success. For many top tech companies this means constant research and testing. But it never stops there. Integrating these findings and insights, learning from them, and tailoring the business and brand towards successful solutions is a constant task. Because customer expectations are evolving at rapid pace, being able to keep up with current needs and adapt accordingly is key to staying competitive in any market today.

2. Be agile and flexible:

Many brands need a new, more agile approach to address the changing dynamics of market and businesses and stay ahead of the competitive curve. Agility is the new norm. Flexibility is a requirement, and fast is the new normal pace, especially in times of growth. People want brands that can anticipate their needs: built for them, catered to the ways they want to connect with and experience the world, and able to move fast with (or often times, ahead of) their shifting desires.

3. Innovate, never imitate:

The top technology companies of today aren’t successful because they accepted the status quo or followed along the path of competitors. Asking questions, challenging long-held assumptions, and focusing on innovation can fuel real, transformative change for businesses. Curiosity, a focus on learning, and collaboration are one of the best ways your brand can power innovation. Look for problem solvers, big thinkers, and people unafraid to ask questions to help build a brand that is more innovative. Innovative brands today stand out and constantly move forward with momentum.

4. Identify needs and create meaningful value:

Top tech companies aren’t at the top simply because of their product or service alone. It’s about how they communicate their value proposition. There are endless businesses that are great at creating new products and services. However, most of these businesses struggle because they are unable to craft a value proposition for their offering that stands out from their competitors. These are the business that quickly fall off and lose competitive edge. This is because products don’t have real value unless the value is fully realized by customers themselves. These means winning brands understand customer needs and know how to communicate their value in a meaningful, impactful, and persuasive way.

5. Look toward the future:

Brand relevance relies on looking towards the future. Top tech companies understand that success today does not guarantee success tomorrow. They build their business for the future and map their brand towards these goals, objectives, and greater visions. Brands that aren’t designed for the future simply cannot compete in an ever-evolving digital landscape. In order to stay relevant, stay forward-thinking.

Maximum Impact

There’s a reason why the best brands are not only embracing technology but acting like tech companies. See how you can apply some of the top practices of thriving tech companies today to the way you approach your business and your brand, no matter what industry you sell in. By moving faster, with agility, and more dynamically, we believe you will be able to offer more meaningful value to the people who matter to your brand – making your brand more impactful and your business more competitive and positioned for success.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy agency.

Sparking Innovation Through a Purpose-Driven Vision

Posted on by Tracy Lloyd

Innovation. Everyone wants it. But what is it? Where does it come from? What’s the best way to shape a culture of innovation? What best aligns, inspires, and motivates people to innovate? What role could a new brand strategy play in transforming your organization into an innovative powerhouse?

Continue reading “Sparking Innovation Through a Purpose-Driven Vision”

The Value of Leadership that Inspires

Posted on by Tracy Lloyd

Leadership Leads to Inspiration

The strength of a company depends heavily on its leaders and their leadership. Successful business leaders have to be smart, hardworking, and able to get things done. But, often, that’s simply not enough to fuel a thriving business. Today’s companies require more than just intelligence and drive. As a result, more and more companies are seeking out and focusing on developing their ability to drive inspiration and motivation. And in modern business, whether a leader can inspire, motivate, and engage employees is what sets one leader apart from the next.

Inspiration not only leads to more engaged employees, but it consistently leads to increased innovation and business achievement. A company that can cultivate the skills that will inspire, motivate, and engage employees across the organization will gain a competitive edge in today’s marketplace. Why? Because motivated employees make things happen.

New Requirements for Leaders

Recent changes in the business world have reshaped the workplace, and therefore reshaped what’s required of leaders. Here are three key shifts that are happening today:

1. Focus on the customer experience

The move from product to customer experience is a major source of competitive advantage for businesses today. While companies will always need to deliver high value goods or services, high customer experience has become just as essential. Thus, customer-facing employees have tremendous influence on the success and future of a business. If employees feel inspired and engaged, they will then amaze and inspire customers.

2. Increased independence

This concerns the nature of the work itself. Today, increasingly more jobs rely on collaboration and independence. It’s become common in the workplace for people to collaborate across departments, do their work remotely, and manage themselves. People are expected to generate their own ideas, and take responsibility more than ever before. Being able to stay motivated and creative, especially with little supervision, requires both dedication to your team and passion for your job.

3. More millennials means = demand for meaning

We can’t forget the millennial generation. While the ways in which we work, and the work itself, have both changed, so have today’s youngest employees. Millennials’ value proposition is not related to traditional motivators. The millennial generation will work hard for a company if they believe in its values and purpose, not necessarily for a larger salary or better title. So creating inspiring and meaningful workplace for this generation is critical to attracting and retaining today’s top talent.

How do you motivate employees in an organization when the classic carrot and stick approach will no longer work?

In order to inspire and engage, leaders must energize those around them and create a climate of trust. Their leadership must extend beyond just their own team and be linked with a company’s strategy and overall workplace culture. While there is no “right” way or one way to be inspirational, these types of leaders tend to have courage and lead with authenticity. They utilize empathy and empowerment. And their leadership style flexes and adapts depending upon what’s required of them in the workplace.

To be a next generation leader, these are the key leadership skills to develop and practice:

1. Individualistic

Leadership is not one size fits all. It takes time to learn and cultivate the abilities, strengths, and motivators of each person. Each person has their own style, motivations, and way of thinking. When you focus on the differences between individuals, you change from trying to build the “perfect” team to building a “great” team — one that will be more productive and engaged.

2. Focus on strengths

Cultivating someone’s inherent talents leaves people feeling authentic, valuable, and empowered. An inspirational leader has a good sense of his or her own self, and therefore, sets a good example by developing their own strengths and offsetting their own weaknesses. When people work in strengths-based environments, creativity and productivity increase. Everyone feels like they can do what they do best.

3. Self-aware

Having a sense of mindfulness promotes better overall health and workplace satisfaction. Being self-aware is the essence of leadership itself – being able to stay calm under pressure, cope with stress, and empathize with others. A leader must be able to reflect on their actions and revise as needed. Remaining open to new ways of thinking and interaction creates a required sense of trust and connection to other people.

4. Optimistic

Remaining resilient and positive in the midst of challenges demonstrates a sense of confidence and level-headedness. Leaders who are optimistic don’t just have a goal in mind, they have a strategy to achieve it, and the motivation to implement their plan. Optimistic leaders are able to inspire people to believe that the future will be better than the present. And furthermore, that they have the power to make it so.

5. Visionary

Orienting people toward an aspirational future creates individual purpose and joy. When people feel relevant, they are more likely to participate and contribute. Proactively developing a culture of “you are part of something larger than yourself” creates a common platform for everyone to make unique contributions towards.

Lead the Employee Experience

In order to deliver a great customer experience, you must deliver a great employee experience. And understanding that employees are looking for more than just a paycheck and a “job well done” is the first step in becoming a successful 21st century leader.

In today’s workplace, the opportunity to be a leader is open to anyone who develops their inspirational skills and combines them with their own unique strengths, enthusiasm for the job, and authenticity. Valuing inspiration throughout an organization teaches everyone to be more aware, reflective, and empathetic. Ultimately, a team that reinforces the core principles of inspiration will have a competitive edge, and a more productive and resilient future.

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

 

How Do You Create a New Brand Category?

Posted on by Tracy Lloyd

All Signs Point to a New Brand Category

Traditional wisdom suggests that creating a new brand category is a massive undertaking. In our recent post on category change, we wrote about when it’s time to consider creating a new category. In that post we were clear: undergoing a category change is not something for the faint of heart. If you’re leading the effort, you’ll need thick skin, an iron will, and if you don’t have deep pockets, you’ll need to be extra resourceful.

Creating a new brand category requires big ideas that literally think outside the box — that’s the whole point. You’ll also need a team of decision makers who are comfortable with risk and ready to execute at a fast pace.

Resources, especially money, are another factor. Creating a new category does require an investment that may be exceed your business-as-usual marketing budget. And with that, comes more risk. It’s inevitable that some new categories flop or are slow to show return on investment.

Moving Forward

Regardless, category change still may be the best move for your brand and business. But, it doesn’t have to be a painful and scarily expensive process.

On the contrary, with a plan in place, tenacity, loads of creativity, and a clear vision, creating a new brand category is completely within reach. If there’s been a shift in your corporate strategy, product offering or the market, or if your category is having its own crisis, it could be time to break out. Creating and branding your own category is a proven way to drive your business forward.

Creating a category is a multi-step process that involves defining the category, naming it, and developing a roll-out strategy. Look to the following steps to define your new brand category:

Defining a New Brand Category

1. Research and analyze:

Have a deep understanding of the category dynamics in the current market. What direction is the market going? What’s the threshold for change amongst your target audience? Track the dynamics of existing category labels to determine when a window of opportunity will open up for a new category and give your company the best shot at succeeding. Use data to understand how customers are categorizing emerging brands to fine-tune your new category development.

2. Establish a budget:

Before getting too far down the road, make sure there’s a budget in place for the work you’re about to take on. Defining a new category also requires marketing the new category which can be a drain on resources. However, it certainly doesn’t have to break the bank. In fact, being able to make the most of a modest budget means you know how to be resourceful, creative, and think about things differently. Once you have a budget in place, the strategy of developing the category becomes easier to determine.

3. Choose a category:

You need to strategically develop a category for Evaluate your business strategy, the competitive set, your own product roadmap, and where your industry is heading. Remember, people need a framework. Your brand needs to fit into the framework of a brand category that people understand and relate to in order to really ‘get’ your brand. To build groundswell around a new category, you’ve got to give people a frame of reference. Until your brand is established as the dominant leader of the category, most people will be reluctant to try something new. It’s human nature to play it safe. The more innovative and disruptive your offering is, the more it needs a frame that people can relate to.

4. Prove your brand is different:

When creating a new brand category, you need to engage your community in a consistent and meaningful way. It’s critical to demonstrate to the people important to your brand why your category matters, and how it offers something better than the existing category. Use the strongest parts of your brand to go beyond basic features and benefits. Prove your brand is poised to be the category leader because its purpose and promise are head and shoulders above the competition (and, there’s always competition). Your proof points will justify the new category and position your brand as the de facto leader, ready to take the stage.

After building the strategy for your new brand category, the hard work can begin: creating the right category name. We’ll identify the key factors to consider when ideating and securing a category name in our upcoming post.

This is the 2nd in a series. Check out When to Create a New Brand Category, Naming a New Brand Category, and Launching a New Brand Category.

Download our White Paper on Brand Category Creation.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco branding agency.