Steve Yastrow Creating a compelling brand story to drive business results Herning Erhvervsråd © Steve Yastrow, 2004

Everything is Marketing

Intentions vs. Perceptions

Do you ever do this?

What’s the real cost?

This is marketing: $$$$ Brand Impression All experiences the customer has with your product Customer Thought Customer Action

The Traditional Way … “Brute Force Branding” Powerful Message Many Exposures

Brute force is not enough …

The Noise! The average worker receives more than 200 incoming messages per day.

The Noise! The average American sees advertising/ promotional messages per day. How much in Denmark? The average American sees advertising/ promotional messages per day. How much in Denmark?

The Noise! The average American will watch hours of TV this year. The average American will watch hours of TV this year.

The irreversible tectonic shift in power from sellers to buyers Power Seller Buyer Customer Power!

Power Seller Buyer The irreversible tectonic shift in power from sellers to buyers Customer Power!

Power Seller Buyer The irreversible tectonic shift in power from sellers to buyers Customer Power!

Power Seller Buyer The irreversible tectonic shift in power from sellers to buyers Customer Power!

Power Seller Buyer The irreversible tectonic shift in power from sellers to buyers Customer Power!

Sources of Customer Power 1.Product proliferation 2.Access to plentiful, objective information 3.The new mindset: self-reliant, savvy, skeptical 1.Product proliferation 2.Access to plentiful, objective information 3.The new mindset: self-reliant, savvy, skeptical

Consumer Attitudes Confidence & Trust Great confidence in:1987 (%) 2003 (%) My own abilities 80% 86% News reports on TV News reports in newspapers 49 25* News reports in magazines 37 14* Recommendations of doctors Recommendations of travel agents 34 26* Advice from religious leaders N/A 37 Salespeople in clothing stores 23 7 Federal government N/A 12 Advertising 8 3* Used car salesman 15 2 Great confidence in:1987 (%) 2003 (%) My own abilities 80% 86% News reports on TV News reports in newspapers 49 25* News reports in magazines 37 14* Recommendations of doctors Recommendations of travel agents 34 26* Advice from religious leaders N/A 37 Salespeople in clothing stores 23 7 Federal government N/A 12 Advertising 8 3* Used car salesman 15 2 Source: Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell/Yankelovich Partners 2003 National Travel Monitor * 2002 data

Our Starting Point: The Empowered Customer Scrutiny is high Tolerance is low Scrutiny is high Tolerance is low

Brute Force Branding

Brochures Advertising Comments in the press Sales pitches Word of mouth Proposal Purchase process Receiving and paying invoices Interactions with people from the company Claims process Website Referral Where the customer meets the brand

If it all goes well … Customer says: “I get it … I completely understand what this product can do for me … and I want to be more involved with them.”

Think of all the experiences a customer has with your product …

How do all these experiences blend together? Harmony? Dissonance?

Are these experiences mutually reinforcing? How do all these experiences blend together? Harmony? Dissonance?

Are these experiences mutually reinforcing? Is there a cumulative story here? Harmony? Dissonance?

Are these experiences mutually reinforcing? Or a jumbled mess? Harmony? Dissonance?

Harmony? Dissonance? Brand Harmony

Blending, not brute force! Brand Harmony

What does it “sound” like to be your customer? Brand Harmony

Georges Seurat, A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte,

“Brand” Image Logo Tagline/Slogan Reputation Becoming a household name Image Logo Tagline/Slogan Reputation Becoming a household name X X X X X

“Brand” A brand is a thought a customer has about a product … … that makes her want to be more (or less) involved with that product. A brand is a thought a customer has about a product … … that makes her want to be more (or less) involved with that product.

“Brand” A brand is a thought … that is created by Brand Harmony … that is created by Brand Harmony

Your brand is not what you say you are … Your brand is what your customer thinks you are.

180 degree flip Companies don’t brand their customers Customers brand companies and their products Companies don’t brand their customers Customers brand companies and their products

Branding isn’t about “getting your name out” in the marketplace Branding is about getting individual customers to believe they want to do business with you

Branding One customer at a time … through Brand Harmony

Strong Brand = Higher Profits

The Brand Harmony Results Model $$$$ Brand Impression All experiences the customer has with your product Customer Thought Customer Action Strong Brand Harmony

Key Idea Your business has much untapped “latent profit.” Customer action can unleash this profit. Challenge: Orchestrate all customer experiences in a way that encourages customers to do what you want them to do. Your business has much untapped “latent profit.” Customer action can unleash this profit. Challenge: Orchestrate all customer experiences in a way that encourages customers to do what you want them to do.

What creates a “page turner?”

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 The Story Unfolds Scene by scene, chapter by chapter

time Customer Lifecycle: Learning about you Becoming your customer (purchasing) Being your customer Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 The Unfolding Story of Your Brand

Customer Touchpoints Telling the story of your brand Telling the story of your brand

Customer Touchpoints What you need to do: Map all of the touchpoints Determine which touchpoints … Most influence customer brand impressions Have the most “opportunity for improvement” Prioritize! What you need to do: Map all of the touchpoints Determine which touchpoints … Most influence customer brand impressions Have the most “opportunity for improvement” Prioritize!

Discovering the “Desired Brand Impression”

What is your story?

The memorable, motivating brand story “I get it … “I want it … “I can’t get it anywhere else.”

Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead “We didn’t want to be the best at what we did … We wanted to be the only ones doing what we did.” “We didn’t want to be the best at what we did … We wanted to be the only ones doing what we did.”

The memorable, motivating brand story “I get it … “I want it … “I can’t get it anywhere else.”

Customer Thought $$$$ Customer Action Brand Impression All experiences the customer has with your product “I get it, I want it, I can’t get it anywhere else.” Customer = Anyone whose actions affect your results

So … what can you do about all of this?

“Marketing” isn’t a department in your company Everybody in the company is in the “marketing department” Everybody in the company is in the “marketing department” Be the Brand!

Be the Brand When everybody in the organization understands what they do to contribute to the creation of Brand Harmony.

Be the Brand Internal Marketing: It must be as deliberate, strategic and serious as any marketing effort directed at external customers Internal Marketing: It must be as deliberate, strategic and serious as any marketing effort directed at external customers

Be the Brand Is “Be the Brand” the same as “Service with a Smile?”

Be the Brand Do employees want to “Be the Brand?”

Three Secrets of Successful Be the Brand Efforts 1.Make sure everyone understands how to Be the Brand 2.Make sure everyone can Be the Brand 3.Stick with it! 1.Make sure everyone understands how to Be the Brand 2.Make sure everyone can Be the Brand 3.Stick with it!

Ask an employee this question: “What is your job?”

Brand Harmony - how your customers evaluate you Your customers are using Brand Harmony right now Your customers are using Brand Harmony right now

Steve Yastrow Creating a compelling brand story to drive business results Herning Erhvervsråd © Steve Yastrow, 2004