Brand Strategy Blueprint: Building a Value-Driven Organization
A dear friend recently turned 50 yesterday and it got me thinking about what we've done and learned over the last 20 years together.
So here’s what I understand about brand at (almost) 42 that I wish I understood back when I was 22...
In any given business…
A group of people aligns to achieve a mission (culture).
Together, they provide value to the market (a service). The more value they give, the more they are rewarded.
They use messages, quality cues, color, and images to influence the perception of value (branding).
And they share that image of the organization with the market in hopes to create sales (marketing).
Then trouble comes. Sales slow, competitors gain share, and talent becomes scarce.
When this happens, most leaders go straight for marketing or branding to change their trajectory. They'll seek to change perceptions (branding) and gain more attention (marketing).
They improve the wrapper, the exterior, without ever questioning if they should improve the service itself. And although it should be clear, they often don't understand why it doesn't work.
But when leaders ask, “How can we provide more value to the market?” their efforts waterfall down…
This strategic decision changes how they hire, train, and reward (culture).
Newly aligned and motivated people provide better value to the market (service).
Which affects how they position that value (branding).
And how they communicate that value to the world (marketing).
This is the power of being a brand-led organization: Start with strategy and let market-driven value cascade into every aspect of your organization.
Building a brand begins at the top.
