Trade Shows: 7 Tips to Increase Traffic

Gone are the trade-show-yesteryears of folding tables and chairs, blue draperies, and stale marketing gimmicks...at least we hope so.

As a tactic of a larger branding strategy, today's trade shows offer more substantive, real-time, qualitative information AND purpose with profit. Smart exhibitors are listening to and solving customer needs, not manning a run-of-the-mill-flea-market-offering.

Challenging? You bet. (According to www.stateofinbound.com...)

• 63% of marketers say their top challenge is generating traffic and leads.
• 30% of salespeople say prospecting is the most difficult part of the sales process.
• 38% of salespeople say getting a response from prospects is getting more difficult.
• 63% of prospects are somewhat or not at all knowledgeable about a company before a sales rep makes the first contact.

In light of these stats, how can a your business' trade show presence overcome these issues? The first step in qualifying a prospect is mostly done for you given the fact that he/she is already on premise. It's the perfect opportunity to engage, initiate, and evaluate the buying process and your prospect. It's a natural environment where one-on-one human conversations with immediate responses can take place. These comfortable conversations will provide the forum for education and potential relationship building.

To prepare for these interactions, make sure your trade show marketing strategy is in place beforehand in order to run your victory lap afterwards.

7 tips that will help get you in shape:

1. Review your existing brand targets, strategies, and objectives.
• Who?: Demographics
• What? #1 - Pick the best trade shows to attend. Ones that connect with your demographic.
• What? #2 - Develop your 60-second elevator speech for your company's products/services.
• When? Decide on the best time/season of need to reach your target.
• Where? Chose the right demographic density; the location of your booth in retrospect to foot traffic; travel distance from your company (for logistics); and distance from trade show hubbub.
• Why? The reason you are exhibiting and the goals you hope to accomplish.
• How? Your product/service differs from your competitors and best meets your prospects need.
2. Consider what your content focus for each specific trade show will be. 
• Are you featuring a new products and/or service?
• Will you offer give-aways and/or tie-in events for promotion?
• Are you building your company's brand along with individual products/services?
3. Ensure that all your exhibit touch points echo your company's brand objectives with some added dynamics to draw interest. You have about six seconds to capture the attention of a prospect, so bland won't cut it. Create a multi-sensory experience that will stick in your prospects gut long after they encounter your exhibit. How are your visuals? Can they hold your product or engage kinetically somehow? What's your message? Can they taste or smell something connected with your product or service?
4. Support sales with trade show specific marketing materials. Extend the sales dialog by getting the right materials into the right hands.
5. Tie-in PR. Capitalize on your presence with speaking engagements, special demonstrations, press releases, and news conferences. Ask event organizers for the media list and use it! If you have a new product, grab a reporter at the event and tell them about it.
6. Socialize on social media. Encourage attendees to engage on your company's social media outlets. Post frequently and take photos of interactions.
7. Scope out the competition. Use this opportunity to meet and research your competitors. Gather intel...because you know they'll being returning the favor.

Need trade show expertise? Contact info@hornsbybrandesign.com

Sources:
http://www.stateofinbound.com/?__hstc=20629287.022b99efc655aac954579a9335c1f01b.1524001444472.1524001444472.1524001444472.1&__hssc=20629287.1.1524001444474&__hsfp=1658171268

Three Words that Will Change Your Business Forever: Focus. Focus. Focus.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” —Aristotle

“FOCUS” is a foundational principle of branding. Without it, generalities distract, distort, and discredit your brand. Here are five ways to develop and keep it:

1. A laser focus is simple. 
What most companies lack are not ideas at all, but judgment. Good ideas are everywhere. Good judgment is a relatively scarce commodity. Thoughtfully consider all your options and then make your decision based on that simple “stand-out” idea.
2. A laser focus is memorable. 
You can't make yourself or your company successful. Only your customers can do that. A memorable focus has an element of shock. If James Carville had said, "It's the economy," the media probably would have ignored the message. However, "It's the economy, stupid." got their attention.
3. A laser focus is powerful. 
Does your choice of copy and visuals make an impact on your customers, or do you follow rote industry jargon and visuals? Step out of your box with a creative vengeance.
4. A laser focus needs an enemy. 
For you to be truly successful, others must fail. Know what you’re up against and devise a plan of attack.
5. A laser focus is the future. 
A laser-focused company puts its best people and most of its resources into the products or services that represent the future. In the short term there will be a need to handle yesterday's products in an efficient way. That should not, however, distract management from putting most of their attention on tomorrow's focus. Decide what single product, service, or idea is your best hope for the future and let this become your focus.

Zigging on the "Trump Train." A Brand Case Study.

This article is a brief brand analysis, not a political opinion piece.

We at Hornsby Brand Design are always encouraging our clients to "think outside the box", "stand out in the clutter," "zig when the competition is zagging." The success of that marketing strategy was never more on display than in the 2016 presidential election campaign. In fact, as reported by CBS News, even House Speaker Paul Ryan chimed in, calling Donald Trump's election win "the most incredible political feat I have seen in my lifetime."

To say Trump zigged when others zagged is an understatement of cataclysmic proportions. He positioned himself as a non-politician—proving that point on many levels—to many Americans' chagrin. He garnered negative media attention repeatedly that surprisingly did not seem to have affect, or if it did, it was only temporary. He'd call people names and received some reciprocal name-calling. Members of his own party were disembarking the train in droves at one point. The campaign seemed to be derailing, and near the end Trump was asked to stop tweeting by his own staff. As brand marketers, we would've categorized his PR as being in crisis-mode for much of his campaign. But Trump won, astonishing not only Americans, but the world.

How did he do this? Perhaps his billionaire-business expertise gave him the edge. Maybe...he read our articles on the five disciplines in "Building a Charismatic Brand" (tongue firmly in cheek). Regardless of your political affiliation, Trump succeeded, so we wanted to take this opportunity to briefly analyze his process in light of branding techniques and glean some application for our own business campaigns:

• Market Niche: Trump targeted a forgotten demographic. He differentiated himself from his competitors. He was the "outsider," who built trust among those who considered their political grievances finally heard.
• Market Placement: He knew his target and traveled and communicated where they were, speaking in five states daily up until the last day of campaigning, 133 speeches in just the last week.
• Message Repetition: He was tireless in "hammering on the sore tooth." He spoke his target's language and he did it consistently and with frequency.
• Message Focus: Toward the end of his campaign, especially, he stayed on the message his target wanted and needed to hear in order to get on board. 
• Brand Integrity: He understood his brand as a brawler and "winner." Despite the set-backs that would normally ruin candidates, Trump consistently lived up to his brand, enhancing his brand's authenticity and appeal. This gave supporters the push needed to help move the Trump Train forward even with doubt of the unknown casting a shadow in the distance. In a word, "trust."
• Brand Team: He surrounded himself with a cast of experts who knew the business of politics yet were behind and supported his brand, ensuring that his brand would not be sacrificed or watered down. He executed some team member suggestions and not others, keeping his brand as an "outsider" intact.

Bottom-line: Brand differentiation and authenticity lays the rails to success and strengthens the brand, enabling your brand to overcome even the most difficult obstacles. For help with zigging when others zag, contact us at info@hornsbybrandesign.com.

Brand Identity in the Race for the White House

Wired magazine published an article on presidential logos, stating that "campaign logos—even the clever ones—have yet to play a major role in [the 2016] presidential race." Which concurs with something we continue to espouse and tell our clients: a logo is an element of a brand, not the brand itself. In fact, according to Forbes magazine a brand is "what your prospect thinks of when he or she hears your brand name. It’s everything the public thinks it knows about your name brand offering—both factual...and emotional...."

Visual elements of the brand, including but not limited to the logo, are developed to communicate the brand's message, and this understanding is gaining momentum in the world of politics. In 2004, George W. Bush campaigned with his iconic "W", abandoning the typical name/wordmark application, but it was Obama's campaign logo that raised the bar in presidential branding. The 2016 presidential election embraced the trend and even saw some detour from using Old Glory's colors and attributes. Take a look at these presidential logos and see if you think their brand messages are visually on target and relevant in the ever-changing design...and, oh, political...landscape:

Sources:
https://www.wired.com/2015/12/the-year-in-political-branding/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jerrymclaughlin/2011/12/21/what-is-a-brand-anyway/

Flex your risk muscle

Brands that take bigger risks reap bigger rewards that positively impact their sales. And they say it’s often smaller or lesser-known brands that benefit the most from taking bigger advertising risks. In order to foster innovative thought, ask yourself: Do I allow free research and development (R&D) time? Do I invest in innovation: money, people, resources? And do I celebrate failure and risk taking? Below are a few other thoughts to consider.

First say NO to complacency
You have a choice. Say yes to putting yourself into situations that lead to innovative ideas. Take classes, form a new business partnership, attend a conference or speaking engagement, or read an interesting book that takes you out of your comfort zone. Take great notes and consider the possibilities.

Use your filter
When you have an idea to consider, try looking at it from the perspective of your potential buyers. Then write a detailed target brief based on what you know about them. Then use this brief to justify to yourself whether the project in question is something worth taking a risk on or not.

Realize failure can be your friend
It’s okay to fail as long as you recognize it as a learning experience. Innovation is bred through failure, so be sure to catalog successful results and give yourself a high-five, “nice try,” for the unsuccessful ones. From these experiences harvest the key learnings and remember, never allow an unsuccessful risk to hamper your opportunities or advancement.

Everyone has a risk muscle. You keep in shape by trying new things.

2016: The Year of the Big Three...

As 2015 rounds the last lap, it's time to start building your branding plan for 2016. Here are three prompts to get you started:

1. The Presidential Election: What is its impact on branding? Money and media congestion. If trends hold up, candidate and Super PAC advertising will drive media prices up 7 to 15% this year as well as filling up the airways. This applies to digital and social media as well. Some ways to maneuver your advertising plan during an election year:

• Avoid booking during surge times such as two-weeks around both the primary and presidential elections. 

• Plan ahead and buy early and be flexible and ready for changes.

• Don't rely on just one medium, especially TV. 

2. Foundations: What do I do and why should my customer care? Launch the new year by getting back to these basics, then make a plan to build on them.

• Connect your brand with your customer: What is the relevance of your product or service to a customer's lifestyle? Connect your brand to the prospect's daily activities by selling the benefits instead of the features.

• Review and support your brand promise: Springboard off your company's benefits to develop its brand promises. Then develop sound reasons why your customer should believe them. Then implement a plan on how you are going to follow-through.

• Develop a clear and focused brand message: Strategy requires focus, clarity, and detail. Are your messages in line with what you want to convey about your company, products, and services? In what ways are your products and services more "genuine" than your competitors'? Emphasize those aspects of your brand to leverage your competitive edge.

3. Customer Consent: How can I get my customer to want to interact with me? With ad blocking, digital clutter, increased spamming, and broadcast avoidance (read our article on iTV), brands need to aggressively find ways to cut through to reach their customer. 

• Listen to your customer: Cultivate a dialog with your customer before, during and AFTER the sale. 

• Ad-blocking (see our article on ad-blocking): The invasion of pop-ups, particularly on mobile devices, has invited a deluge of ad-blocking software. Gain permission to advertise and then use the opportunity to give your potential customers something of value. 

• Build trust: "It takes 10 good deeds to undo one bad one." That's how fragile trust is. Be authentic and transparent in all your dealings with your customer; be clear about any changes impacting your product line or service offerings; be prompt, responsive, and thorough. 

The "Rule of Three" states that "Good things come in threes." Implement these points and watch your business grow.

4 Steps to Successful Brand Planning

We believe consistent branding, advertising, and marketing are the keys to enjoying short and long-term, sustainable public awareness and participation. Below are our 4 steps to get you there:

1. Create, gather, and analyze research for strategic meaning. 
2. Select the factors that will most likely influence your marketing. 
3. Make a distinction between goals, strategy, and tactics. Goals are desired results systematically achieved through the implementation of the strategy and tactics. Strategy is a big picture view of the entire forest, not the individual trees, of how a goal should be achieved. Tactics are actions you take to execute the strategy. 
4. Implement these distinctions and heighten your ability to succeed. 

What's A SweetSpot and How Can I Hit It?

In sports, the sweet spot is that one special place on the bat, the golf club, or the tennis racket that pounds the home run or drives the ball farther, faster, and with less effort than when it’s hit any place else. Consumers have sweet spots, too, and when your marketing or advertising idea hits it, your idea is communicated and your sales will go flying. Through Hornsby Brand Design’s Sweet Spot process of focusing (Brand Insight + Consumer Insight = the “SweetSpot”), we find the information necessary to create high-achieving ideas that cut through the mediocrity.

4 Steps to Building a Successful Brand

Branding is a strategic process that involves commitment. It's more than writing new ads or developing a new logo. Your brand is THE expression of your company’s image and beliefs. For it to be successful, and fly high, you'll need to believe in your promise and support it both internally and externally. You need to look at it deeply, closely, and critically to find its best expression. With teamwork, perseverance, honesty, and leadership, your brand can reach its true potential.

1) Everyone on the team needs to be seriously committed to a branding exploration.
Key decision-makers should be involved from the beginning to the end. Branding takes an honest look at who you are, what you are good at AND what you aren’t. The team should be willing to embrace the good, the bad, and the ugly and have the vision to think differently about how they present themselves

2) Your brand promise should be meaningful AND deliverable.
Brand positioning (why you are better or different) is all about finding new opportunities for your product or service. Whether it is a distinct point of difference -- “cleans better than the #1 brand” or an emotional benefit “We bring good things to life” -- every brand has some unique benefit to its customers. That’s why surveying your customers will help you discover new insights into your brand. If you discover a benefit that your customers say you are good at, then it’s worth the effort to deliver on that promise. Your customers are excellent judges of what makes you special. Don’t ignore it

3) Stay the course.
Branding efforts follow a process...first conducting discovery with the internal key players, then auditing the competition, and then surveying the customer. Along the way valuable learning is accumulated that will ultimately help in the development of the brand platform. A consistent, dedicated client team is extremely important in the process of building a competent and competitive brand.

4) Leadership is THE key to any successful branding effort.
The client must rally the team behind a common mission, keep the herd together and designate the ultimate decision-makers. In the end with this kind of effort and a great branding design partner (We have a suggestion on this one!) your brand’s success will be well-heeled for not only talking the talk, but walking the walk.

Hornsby Brand Design Launches Energetic New Website!

We're kicking off the fall season with a bang by launching our new website along with our new Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

After months of hard work and preparation, we are proud to announce the release of our newly redesigned, responsive, parallax website. By updating http://hornsbybrandesign.com with a stylish new creative look and feel, we’ve improved navigation and provided you with an enhanced user experience for the desktop, tablet, and phone.

The site is filled with important information about how Hornsby Brand Design can serve you and helpful branding tips (through our blog) that will make consumer relationships with your brand more successful. Check it out. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Please contact us at info@hornsbybrandesign.com or visit us on our Facebook page or LinkedIn page.

Being Human is a Beautiful Thing: Three Brands that Connect

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg takes on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

The right digital branding campaign has the power to extend your reach and engage your customer on a deeper level than traditional advertising outlets. Below are three examples that are doing it right.

The ALS Association: The Ice Bucket Challenge 

www.alsa.org/fight-als/ice-bucket-challenge.html
An extraordinarily successful social campaign gone viral, individuals across the U.S. are dumping buckets of ice on their heads in support of ALS. Participants range from those in grass roots America to top celebrities such as Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Taylor Swift, and Oprah Winfrey. The ALS Association, a national non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s disease, received $31.5 million in donations between July 29 and August 20 compared to $1.9 million during the same period last year!

TD Canada Trust Bank: “TD Thanks You” Campaign 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUkN7g_bEAI
In July, TD Canada Trust Bank surprised more than 20,000 customers as they distributed envelopes containing a $20 bill to every customer in more than 1,100 bank branches. They also surprised some account holders with a twist to a traditional ATM machine by changing it into an Automated “Thanking” Machine. Whether the gift was plane tickets to Trinidad to visit a cancer-stricken daughter, college fund for a young widowed mother’s two sons, or a trip to Disney World, the ATM delivered real dreams to its customers. Captured on video, this campaign has accumulated more than 10 million video views!

Always: "Like A Girl" Campaign 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs
The Always brand launched this campaign to reclaim and redefine what it means to be a girl and do things such as “run like a girl”, “throw like a girl”, or “fight like a girl.” Their goal is to dispel disparaging stereotypes and increase confidence in girls everywhere going through the difficult teenage years. This campaign has had more than 47 million views!

How can you connect? By providing “fans” with genuine, direct, and authentic tokens of appreciation and entertaining engagement, these three brands promote goodwill and positive feelings and mindsets throughout their respective communities. Surprising active and loyal customers with a sign of gratitude when they least expect it will go a long way to securing their loyalty. Get creative. Try direct links to special content, special advertising and PR, access to VIP events, or rewards that cater to specific needs. Even better: mix this all together for a killer campaign. 

Be a Patron of the Brand Arts

The Good Samaritan, Vincent Van Gogh,
oil on canvas, 1890

"In a picture I want to say something comforting as music is comforting. I want to paint men and women with that something of the eternal which the halo used to symbolize, and which we seek to give by the actual radiance and vibration of our colorings…" –Van Gogh

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Just as consumers connect with the people component of your brand, they connect with the visual “painting” of your brand as well through shared values.

People are emotional intuitive beings who are actually the determinants of what your brand is. It’s not what you say your brand is; it’s what the customer says it is. However, we can influence the way people emotionally respond to an organization through branding. Just as Van Gogh and other masters did with canvas and oils, so it goes with branding. The medium is different. The act of messaging is not.

Your brand requires consistent development. If your brand embraces artistry and cultivates meaning (an authentic message about your organization’s culture), then you’ve increased your odds for connection. You’ve demonstrated the importance of the emotional aspect of your brand, which in turn means you’ve humanized the building process. Treating people as people and less as sales quotas will in turn…not only increase sales figures but, more importantly, create brand evangelists.

If the organization places little to no value with regards to any aspect of the brand, including the visual, then you lose the emotional connection with consumers. Its ho-hum, void-of-value-system comes across loud and clear to the consumer, adversely affecting the consumer’s perception of the brand.

Convey the value of the person within the brand by promoting excellence and authenticity at every turn. Even if you offer a low-cost product or service, the quality of the presentation and service will speak to the value you have for your customer.

Test Your Advertising and Marketing Knowledge

Test your advertising knowledge by answering the following questions. Answers are found below the test.

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QUESTIONS:

1) The purpose of advertising and marketing is to increase sales.

a) True
b) False

Go to the answer.

2) Marketing is the act of targeting specific groups of people based on demographics, i.e. “markets,” prior to and in support of the actual advertising and/or sales program.

a) True
b) False 

Go to the answer.

3) Implementing the “4 Ps” (product, price, promotion, and place) through tactics such as promotions, email campaigns, specials, among others comprise the basic elements of marketing.

a) True
b) False

Go to the answer.

4) Consumers’ perception of quality is the best measurement of good branding efforts.

a) True
b) False 

Go to the answer.

5) Successful ads garner awards such as the coveted Clio Award.

a) True
b) False 

Go to the answer.

6) Defining the various consumers' needs and their product/service usage is the best methodology for market segmentation.

a) True
b) False 

Go to the answer.

7) Defining click-through rates is the best methodology for measuring internet advertising’s effectiveness.

a) True
b) False 

Go to the answer.

8) A collection of brands, products, or services that consumers would consider purchasing is called a “consideration set.”

a) True
b) False 

Go to the answer.

9) Brand extensions allow marketers to enhance brand associations from a brand in one category to a brand in another category.

a) True
b) False 

Go to the answer.

10) Qualifications listed in a disclaimer diminish the brand’s perception.

a) True
b) False 

Go to the answer.

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ANSWERS:

1) False. Marketing and advertising goals are elements of the marketing mix and sales cycle that are better thought of in terms of communication objectives rather than sales objectives. While immediate conversion is possible, it’s primary purpose is to communicate repetitively and frequently through targeted outlets in order to bring the product or service to top-of-mind at the purchase point.

Go to the next question.

2) False. This is actually an archaic definition of marketing. Today, because of the Internet, there are crossovers and blurring of lines between marketing, advertising, and sales departments roles. Marketing is no longer just about demographics and the data accumulated and used prior to the sales and advertising process, but is also now taking on the role of real-time, one-on-one behavioral tracking of an individual’s preferences. For example, if you are shopping online for cars, within days you might receive ads for cars, even if you are visiting an unrelated site.

Go to the next question.

3) False. The 4Ps are the tactical elements of marketing. Before implementing the tactics, you must first have researched the brand’s current position, which includes identifying the brand’s (internal) Strengths and Weaknesses as well as its (external) Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). From there, a marketing plan must be developed, which includes target market, brand positioning statement, goals, objectives, strategies, and tacticals; tacticals being the last item in the plan.

Go to the next question.

4) False. Measuring a consumer’s perception of quality is as varied as the number of people you survey. People have different opinions as well as levels of quality. A more quantitative, and thereby productive, approach would be to learn of specific features and benefits of a brand that consumers like and look for.

Go to the next question.

5) False. An ads success depends on the objectives set prior to implementation, and whether or not those objectives were met. Some goals might include increased brand or company name awareness, increased knowledge, or an increase in positive opinions.

Go to the next question.

6) True. Understanding the various demographics and the psychographics of a market is the best tool for market segmentation as consumers buy according to benefits and needs. Your product may have several benefits that meet different needs in different markets. Market segmentation will allow you to speak the language of a particular demographic without confusing or turning off another demographic.

Go to the next question.

7) False. Internet ads work the same as magazine ads. They provide information and resources to keep your brand top-of-mind when the consumer is ready to purchase. Usually a consumer is online for specific reasons other than viewing advertisements. That's why constant brand awareness--staying in front of the prospect--by implementing Internet advertising can go a long way when the prospect IS online looking for your specific product line or service.

Go to the next question.

8) True. When a consumer is considering a purchase, they first narrow the field to a certain number of brands… the consideration set. This is the first step towards a purchase, and if you want to be the chosen one in the end, you need to be in the consideration set from the beginning.

Go to the next question.

9) True. Brand names evoke certain benefit associations such as reliability, safety, ease, or convenience. Extending the brand to other product categories gives opportunity to infuse those categories with the same brand benefits.

Go to the next question.

10) False. Disclaimers only affect the brand’s perception to the degree of the consumer’s motivation to think about the disclaimer, how explicit the disclaimer is, and the time the consumer invests in thinking about the disclaimer.

We're Hiring!

Hornsby Brand Design is looking for exceptional people to join our team! If you have passion about your skills and talents, are energetic, and ready to flex your muscles in an exciting and growing environment, then Hornsby Brand Design might be the place for you! 

Our current openings are for web developer/designer and designer. If you are interested in either position please go here* for more details and information on getting in contact with us.

*(Go here for a Flash/mobile alternative.) 

Bricolage - Pulling a large rabbit out of a small hat by the power of branding

"Just Do It." Chances are, you know the company behind this statement. Images of sports shoes and apparel, swooshes, and athletes fill your mind. More importantly, though, you know what the tagline implies. "Just Do It" is now a cultural idea, a way of life, a representation of athletic effort, of competition, of sweat and grit and determination to push one's body to its limits.

Stephen Nachmanovitch, famed author, lecturer, and improvisational violinist, discusses the French word bricolage in his book, Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art, and equates it to what engineers call elegance, or a system in which something with a very complicated nature is diluted into a simpler representation. Bricolage may produce "a single line of thought [that] has a great many implications and outcomes."*

Nachmanovitch would label the creators of Nike's famous tagline as "creative chemists." He writes that through the process of bricolage, "we take the ordinary materials in our hands [in this case three small words and a period] and turn them into new living matter - the 'green gold' of the alchemists."**

Just as Nike's brand image is elegantly found in "Just Do It," all great brands are birthed from, bathed in, and interwoven with bricolage (e.g. the Rolex crown, Apple's bitten apple, Ferrari's red.) The goal of the master brand strategist is leveraging simple tools to attain complex feelings - i.e. gut reactions to a company that is forever etched in the consumer's mind. Just as "Beethoven crafted his own music, to an amazing extent, of nothing but scales,"* so the medium of our art, whether a logo, tagline, brochure, or website, works within the whole—through the process of bricolage—to create something far more powerful, the "green gold" of all commerce and industry: the memorable brand.

*p. 86, Nachmanovitch, Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art 

**p.87, Nachmanovitch, Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art

Letter from the Editor: Tell Your Story

Dear Friends,

In previous SweetSpot newsletters, we featured the five branding disciplines…differentiation, collaboration, innovation, validation, and cultivation. While we could expound on each of these very important aspects of branding more, the bottom-line is always about storytelling.

From birth, children of every culture hear stories told by parents, grandparents, teachers, pastors, books, and more. Why? Because stories connect us together. Sharing them bridges generations, all the while teaching, entertaining, and bonding. It's even been said that the importance of stories in our lives ranks somewhere between nourishment and shelter. 1

Because stories are easy to remember and illustrative, they build stronger emotional bonds between people and parties. This is true of branding stories as well, which is a viable marketing method, proven to build customer loyalty.

An authentic brand story...

• makes the brand memorable,
• differentiates it as desirable,
• breathes life into it,
• creates a distinctive competitive advantage,
• motivates the target market, and
• positions the company as visionary.

So, the question we always ask our clients is, "What is your brand story?" (Take a look at our article "Brand Legend: Do you have it?" for inspiration and successful brand lores.) Ultimately, our goal is to help them emotionally connect with their customers and provide a memorable experience that will build loyalty. 

Here's to telling great stories!

Bridget Hornsby
Principal
Hornsby Brand Design

1: Price, Reynolds (1978). A Palpable God, New York:Atheneum, p.3.