Many agencies tout a special process or formula for building and defining brands. Many of these secret sauce recipes are valid approaches for the simple fact that they provide a roadmap for the process. For years I personally advocated a process I called "W.R.I.T.E." (See what I did there? Novella? Write? Genius.) a clever acronym which stood for the following:
WHITEBOARD - We listen, we concept, we collaborate and identify clear objectives.
RESEARCH - We investigate your industry and learn how to speak authentically to your defined target audience.
INITIATE - We begin written and visual explorations designed to establish the unified brand narrative including your value proposition and positioning.
TACTICS - Based on the goals and brand narrative we determine the best ways to reach your audience where they are. We also set benchmarks to evaluate the effectiveness of each tactic.
EXPRESSION - The combination of project deliverables enables YOU to tell your brand’s story in a consistent and compelling manner.
Sounds familiar if not pretty good, right? Most do. The decision to invest in a branding project is not one to be taken lightly. Any branding process you consider should do these five things:
• Engage key stakeholders in your organization for insight and collaboration
• Identify obtainable and specific goals
• Unify your messaging into a consistent voice
• Target your audience and choose appropriate tactics
• Provide a means for evaluating the effectiveness of your narrative
A complete storytelling approach matches strategy with creative to promote a brand relationship experience that resonates with your audience and inspires them to become advocates.
Your audience. Your brand. Your story.
