BrandBuzz

The world has changed.  How do you position your company change with it, and then prepare for the changes that will be happening in the future weeks/months once the “shelter in place” orders are rescinded?  That’s a lot of change, so how should your advertising and messaging be adapted to work for you?

One thing is for sure: do not keep running the same old ads promoting your business and products while you are closed.  I’ve seen a number of these ads, especially on tv, and wondered how a business could be wasting money like that right now.  Shockingly, these companies have called TV stations to cancel their advertising schedules and were told ‘no’.  Wow.  That defies all logic, good business practices, and compassionate human kindness. Karma…

1. If you are still open, especially in an altered state like delivery and curbside only, online-specific, or working from home, then you must immediately change your messaging to let people know what your new (temporary) normal operating looks like.
2. Update your online listings (Google My Business), social media, and website to reflect your new hours and ways of operation.
3. Update your marketing messages to let your customers know how you are able to help.  Change your message to reflect this moment in history.

Need inspiration on what that looks like?  Check out this ad from Budweiser:

See how Walmart is telling a story that connects with the crisis we are all going through:

Netflix has taken their marketing messages and found a great way to encourage people to stay home.  Spoiler alerts ahead.

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Take this time to connect your company with the good in the world.  Use your marketing budget to help others.  Get ready to grow.

For everyday branding tips, subscribe to our Razor Branding blog and podcast  

RUSSO is a strategic branding agency that uses consumer insight to change the conversation; forming emotional connections with the target audience. To learn more, click HERE to learn more about our process, RAZOR BRANDING.

When we sat down to proactively create strategic brand plans for 2020, I did not include global pandemic that would grind the world economy to a halt.  I also did not have a line item for watching Tiger King on Netflix.  So I realize that it is not possible to prepare for everything, but you do want to be as prepared as possible for any crisis that might come your way.

“Prepare for a crisis”.  Ha.  How could you possibly have prepared for a global event of this magnitude?  Sure, some people might have realized when the news started coming out of China in January that the sh*t was about to hit the fan.  But I don’t think most companies planned for Covid-19.  Usually, crisis communications plans are prepared for when your product has to be recalled or an employee posts something scandalous on social media, or maybe there is a safety accident that affects the lives of your employees or neighboring citizens.  But a global pandemic?  Nope, that’s a first.

But there is no time like the present to get your plan prepared for the next crisis that might be heading towards us.

PRE-CRISIS

1. Assemble a crisis team

Determine who should be on your crisis team.  This would be a small group of senior executives that represent the areas of the company that need to be most prepared. Ideally, the organization’s CEO will lead the team, with the firm’s top public relations executive and legal counsel as his or her chief advisers. If your in-house PR executive does not have sufficient crisis communications expertise, you should retain an agency or independent consultant with that specialty. Other team members are typically the heads of your major organizational divisions, as any situation that rises to the level of being a crisis will affect your entire organization. And sometimes, the team also needs to include those with special knowledge related to the current crisis, e.g., subject-specific experts.

2. What’s your Crisis?

To be proactive and prepare for any and all crises, you should gather your Crisis Communications Team for intensive brainstorming sessions on all the potential crises that could occur at your organization.  By doing this, you may realize that some of the situations are preventable by simply modifying existing methods of operation.  Look at it from every angle.  What are your best-case/worst-case scenarios, etc? Better now than when under the pressure of an actual crisis.  In some cases, of course, you know a crisis will occur because you’re planning to create it — e.g., to lay off employees, or to make a major acquisition.

3.  Crisis Response Plan

This assessment process should lead to creating a Crisis Response Plan that is an exact fit for your organization, one that includes both operational and communications components. Identify every possible crisis and outline a step by step process for what could happen, what the fallout could be, who should be notified, and what systems will be activated accordingly.

4. Identify and Train Spokespeople

No matter how great someone is at public speaking, they need to really be prepared for being a spokesperson during a crisis.  Message training, appropriate responses, utilizing proactive PR tactics, promoting the organization, and preserving the organization are all very difficult today when standing behind a podium with lots of angry reporters shouting questions and demanding answers.  Even pro athletes continue to practice, train, and workout once they get to the big leagues.  All stakeholders, internal and external, are just as capable of misunderstanding or misinterpreting information about your organization as the media. It’s your responsibility to minimize the chance of that happening.

5. Establish Monitoring and Notification Systems

At the very least, you need to set up Google Alerts for your company, products, services, and stakeholders to know when there is a mention online.  A paid monitoring service would be even better to make sure you know, before the media, about what has just happened.  Once there is an incident, you need to be able to quickly contact everyone involved. It might be so basic as a contact list with every stakeholder’s email and cell, or it could be as robust as group Instant Messenger.  When it comes down to it, you need to know in advance how to reach everyone on the crisis team because most situations don’t occur at noon on a Wednesday. 

6. Identify and Know Your Stakeholders

Who are the internal and external stakeholders that matter to your organization? I consider employees to be your most important audience, because every employee is a PR representative and crisis manager for your organization whether you want them to be or not! But, ultimately, all stakeholders will be talking about you to others not on your contact list, so it’s up to you to ensure that they receive the messages you would like them to repeat elsewhere.

7. Develop Holding Statements

While full message development must await the outbreak of an actual crisis, “holding statements,” messages designed for use immediately after a crisis breaks, can be developed in advance to be used for a wide variety of scenarios to which the organization is perceived to be vulnerable, based on the assessment you conducted in Step 1 of this process. An example of holding statements by a hotel chain with properties hit by a natural disaster, before the organization’s headquarters has any hard factual information, might be:

“We have implemented our crisis response plan, which places the highest priority on the health and safety of our guests and staff.”

“Our thoughts are with those who were in harm’s way, and we hope that they are well.”

“We will be supplying additional information when it is available and posting it on our website.”

The organization’s Crisis Communications Team should regularly review holding statements to determine if they require revision and/or whether statements for other scenarios should be developed.

8. Assess the Crisis Situation

Reacting without adequate information is a classic “shoot first and ask questions afterwards” situation in which you could be the primary victim. However, if you’ve done all of the above first, it’s a “simple” matter of having the Crisis Communications Team on the receiving end of information coming in from your team members, ensuring the right type of information is being provided so you can proceed with determining the appropriate response.

9. Finalize and Adapt Key Messages

With holding statements available as a starting point, the Crisis Communications Team must continue developing the crisis-specific messages required for any given situation. The team already knows, categorically, what type of information its stakeholders are looking for. What should those stakeholders know about this crisis? Keep it simple. Have no more than three main messages that go to all stakeholders and, as necessary, some audience-specific messages for individual groups of stakeholders. You’ll need to adapt your messaging to different forms of media as well. For example, crisis messaging on Twitter often relies on sharing links to an outside page where a longer message is displayed, a must because of the platform’s 140 character limit.

10. Post-Crisis Analysis

A formal analysis of what was done right, what was done wrong, what could be done better next time, and how to improve various elements of crisis preparedness is another must-do activity for any Crisis Communications Team. I have developed a formal process for accomplishing this, but even a solid in-house brainstorming session can do the job.

“It Can’t Happen To Us”

The inclination is to think that your organization is special and won’t be affected by a crisis, but take a look at the Global Pandemic that is Covid-19.  No one is exempt.  It’s better to be prepared to make sure you can weather the storm.

For everyday branding tips, subscribe to our Razor Branding blog and podcast  

RUSSO is a strategic branding agency that uses consumer insight to change the conversation; forming emotional connections with the target audience. To learn more, click HERE to learn more about our process, RAZOR BRANDING.

I think we are all watching the numbers of cases of Covid-19 spread and the impact it has on the economy and our own businesses and wondering:“What’s next?”. 

The short answer is – none of us really know what will happen next, nor do we know when this will end or when we can get back to whatever our new normal is.  I do know that in talking to business owners, our clients, my CEO roundtable, and the Goldman Sachs 10k Small Business school is that we are all going through this together.  Everyone is fighting the urge to panic – fear of the unknown and loss of control are very scary for business owners.  Keep the Faith.

Everyone is scared.  Scared for the health and safety of their employees and their families.  Scared about how long this will last.  Scared about what kind of economic impact this will have to their business.  Scared that they will not be able to pay their employees or keep their doors open.

Everyone is looking for answers.  If you don’t have your CPA on speed dial and haven’t hit their inbox with a million and one questions, it’s never too late to start.  With so many different proposals, SBA (Small Business Association) solutions, and legislation coming out of Congress, we might not have all of the answers we need right now, but these resources can guide you on furlough v layoff, grappling with paid vacation and family medical leave, and all of the other options to consider. And if your CPA isn’t giving you solution-based advice, let me know, and I can recommend a firm that will take care of you.

There are a ton of resources out there for you to consider:

SBA Disaster Recovery Loan

US Chamber of Commerce info

Small Business Guidance

Peer Group – get on a video conference call with your peers and advisors so that you can get the feedback you need to make decisions on what your next steps need to be.

If you are having trouble transitioning to a work-from-home model for your business and need technical support or equipment, talk to your IT company for the logistics. If you need some strategic brainstorming and want to get ideas for how to prepare your business now for how you can grow after this is over, let’s jump into a virtual meeting and focus on something positive.

It would be great if there was a specific end date so we would know exactly how long this will last.  Although I don’t know when it will end, I think I do know what this will look like after it ends.  Think back to how our country rebounded after 9/11.  Baseball stadiums were packed.  Flags were in every yard.  Football games were standing-room-only.  People were kind and patient with each other.  Patriotism was at an all-time high.  

The difference now is that all humans are in this together.  This isn’t a Southern hurricane crisis or an American terrorist attack.  This is a global pandemic that has affected every human being on the planet. 

• I believe that our kindness and generosity will win. 
• I believe there will be a ridiculous amount of hugging when we can again. 
• I believe this time of forced slowdown might stick and cause us to not be as ‘busy’ in the future. 
• I believe that the businesses that survive will be stronger and better because they had to adapt.
• I believe we are all in this together, and our connection is our strength, and our strength is our connection.

For everyday branding tips, subscribe to our Razor Branding blog and podcast  

RUSSO is a strategic branding agency that uses consumer insight to change the conversation; forming emotional connections with the target audience. To learn more, click HERE to learn more about our process, RAZOR BRANDING.

These are unprecedented, strange, and unsettling times.  There is no guidebook for what we are facing in our communities, businesses, and the world.  

Obviously, the first priority is to make sure that everyone who is at-risk is kept safe by following healthcare recommendations. Wash your hands, don’t touch your face, and if you are showing any symptoms, stay home and away from others.

After the impact to an individual’s physical health as well as the healthcare system, the next biggest impact will be on our economy and our businesses.  

How does a business manage in this time of pandemic and panic?

Most businesses don’t have a crisis communication plan for a situation like this, but the standard rules apply. 

  1-Be transparent.  Businesses need to be honest, clear, and transparent about what is going on.  If you are a restaurant, be clear about your cleaning procedures, new hours, and transition to curbside service.

  2-Be Understanding.  People are scared.  Employees will need to work from home to handle childcare with schools closing.  Your customers are suffering.  Find ways to help out and be a part of the solution.

  3-Be Prepared. The one thing we know for sure is that this will impact us for a while, so we need to adjust accordingly.  

Personally, one of the first things I recommend will be to limit your exposure to uninformed sources.  The panic is even more contagious than the virus.  Only research scientific, fact-based information, and only repeat scientific, fact-based information.  There has been a run on toilet paper because people thought there was going to be a run on toilet paper.  

When it comes to social media, we all need to focus on the positive, not the political.  There has been quite a bit of politicizing from both sides – as there often is.  Rather than getting sucked into the politics, focus your posts and your responses on positive messages.  The human spirit is innately loving, supportive, and caring.  Let that be what we all focus on during this very trying time.  Fewer judgments.  Less “what ifs”.  Less “doom and gloom”.

We can all get through this together if we all work together.

For everyday branding tips, subscribe to our Razor Branding blog and podcast  

RUSSO is a strategic branding agency that uses consumer insight to change the conversation; forming emotional connections with the target audience. To learn more, click HERE to learn more about our process, RAZOR BRANDING.

We’ve all heard the stories, and you might have even experienced it yourself, of seeing an ad online for a product that you were just talking about.  It feels like these ads are practically reading your mind, or at the very least, listening to your conversations.

Well, Friday night I was at a dinner party and one of my friends was explaining that she has started receiving ads on instagram with products that correct bowleggedness.  Now, my friend is often on stage in front of thousands of people.  She is tall, slender, talented, confident, attractive, and without any hint of bowleggedness or the need for a product to correct bowleggedness. 

Well, Friday night I was at a dinner party where one of my friends was explaining that she has started receiving ads onInstagram with products that correct bowleggedness.  Now, my friend is often on stage in front of thousands of people.  She is tall, slender, talented, confident, attractive, and without any hint of bowleggedness or the need for a product to correct bowleggedness. 

I asked her if she had been doing research on the topic.  Nope.
Had she recently had a conversation with someone about the condition?  Nope.
Perhaps she had watched a show or read a book with a character…nope.

But here’s the interesting thing.  She had seen the ads so many times, and usually online ads are so well targeted, that she assumed she must actually be bowlegged and not realized it.

So she did exactly what any reasonable, confident, successful, accomplished person would do: immediately worried it might be true. So she took full-length photos of herself and texted them to her sister and best friends to see if she had perhaps developed bowleggedness without realizing it. She took and texted photos to her tribe. Every day. For a week.

See, we have become so conditioned to believe the ads know our innermost thoughts, wants, and needs, that just because she received the ads she believed they must know more about her than she knew about herself.

Recently I decided to upgrade the light switches and plugs in our house to the kind that are Bluetooth-enabled and activated by app or voice command.  One member of our household, and I’m not naming names (Michael), often leaves the lights on when he exits a room so I want the ability to turn the lights off without having to get up and do it myself.  We have a Saints Streets house that was built long before all of this fancy tech so I had to do lots of research on the topic to find the right ones to work with old wiring. I appreciated the ads and articles that popped up in my feed.  All of that extra information was really helpful.  

So “big brother” knowing what you are in the market for isn’t always a bad thing.  Don’t you want the people that are in need of your products to see your ads?  You definitely don’t want to spend money reaching people who aren’t in the market and don’t need your products.

Luckily we have the ability to be very specific and targeted with the desired audience for your ads.  As long as you serve up your ads in a helpful way – and not stalker – then it should be all good.

If you want to work on your branding and marketing to make it even more proactive and stronger, then be sure to check out our Brand Builders Workshops.  These are small group, interactive sessions that are specific to your needs.  Sign up today.

For everyday branding tips, subscribe to our Razor Branding blog and podcast  

RUSSO is a strategic branding agency that uses consumer insight to change the conversation; forming emotional connections with the target audience. To learn more, click HERE to learn more about our process, RAZOR BRANDING.

Each week we are working our way through the 7 ways to build your brand, and this week is #7: Thought Leadership.  You can click here for the overview, click here for #1: Target Audience, #2 Specific Messaging, #3 Points of Differentiation, #4 Touchpoints, #5 Strategic Brand Plan and #6 Content Creation.

You are an expert at what you do.  Your company is different (and better) than the other organizations in your space.  You know more about your industry, and your services provide better solutions than the other options.  Everyone would pick your company if they just knew more about you.

Does any of that sound familiar?

If you have found yourself saying things like this, then you need a thought leadership plan.

Take the knowledge that is in your head from your years of vast experience and find a way to share that information with your target audience.  Whether it is through ebooks, white papers, website landing pages, webinars, tradeshows and conferences, or even lunch & learns, find a way to share what you know.

Your first thought might be that if you publish what you know and put it all out there, then your competitors will copy you, and your customers will just learn how to do it for themselves.  

Well, there are ways you can share your knowledge without giving away your secret sauce.  Besides, your competition will always try to duplicate you, but you can still stay two steps ahead of them.

These are the basic first steps to a Thought Leadership campaign:

1. Determine the target audience to whom you are going to focus your efforts
2. Develop the messaging that addresses their pain points as well as your specific advantages in solving their problem
3. Create audience/message-specific website landing pages 
4. Provide downloadable ebook/vlog/white paper that requires email address to access
5. Connect your website to your database.
6. Follow up with these leads and turn them into customers

The more you can create processes to automate this system, the less time it will take to implement and the more effective it will be.  If you want to learn more about how to develop a system like this for your company, be sure to sign up for our Trust Based Selling workshop. Get more info here.

For everyday branding tips, subscribe to our Razor Branding blog and podcast  

RUSSO is a strategic branding agency that uses consumer insight to change the conversation; forming emotional connections with the target audience. To learn more, click HERE to learn more about our process, RAZOR BRANDING.

Each week we are working our way through the 7 Ways to build your brand, and this week is #6: Content Creation.  You can click here for the overview, click here for #1: Target Audience, #2 Specific Messaging, #3 Points of Differentiation, #4 Touchpoints, and click here for #5 Strategic Brand Plan.

Once you know who you are talking to, wat the message should be, and where that message should go (all of the elements of a strategic brand plan), then you get to create the actual content.  See, the tools (radio, tv, billboards, Facebook, Instagram, etc) are all just megaphones.  What message you put into that megaphone is your content.  These are the stories that you are going to tell – and how you tell them.

You can use videos (tv or youtube), audio (radio spots), ebooks, white papers, posts, ads (newspaper, magazines) and so much more.  Depending on which stories you are telling will help you determine which mediums are best suited.

If you have the budget to do it right and need to reach a large audience then tv (broadcast or cable) would be the best fit.  You can take utilize all of the bells and whistles to ensure great production values and tell a powerfully connecting story that will engage your audience emotionally and change their behavior.

If you don’t have as large a budget for great production but still need to reach a large audience then radio might be the perfect fit for you.  When you tell a story, you can engage the listener’s mind to really “see” what you are talking about. 

If you are focused on social media, then the quantity of your posts will be much higher than the number of ads you would utilize during a traditional ad campaign.  Look to rotate your content through questions your customers ask, sharing the culture of your company, highlighting specific products/services, telling the stories of your satisfied customers, and acknowledging outstanding employees.  

No matter what content you utilize to tell your story, make sure that it looks professional (videos are oriented properly – graphics are sized correctly), is emotionally connecting, and doesn’t focus too much on features instead of benefits.

If you want more info, or you are ready to put your own strategic brand plan together, check out our Brand Builders Workshops.  Go to brandrusso.com/brandbuilders to learn more.  The next workshop is for nonprofit organizations on Feb 28th.  Click here to read more and sign up while the early bird discount is still available.

For everyday branding tips, subscribe to our Razor Branding blog and podcast  

RUSSO is a strategic branding agency that uses consumer insight to change the conversation; forming emotional connections with the target audience. To learn more, click HERE to learn more about our process, RAZOR BRANDING.

Each week we are working our way through the 7 Ways to build your brand, and this week is #4: Touchpoints.  You can click here for the Overview, click here for #1 Target Audience, click here for #2 Specific Messaging, and click here for #3 Points of Differentiation.

First, what is a touchpoint?  This is everywhere that your brand identity or logo appears, everything that contains your message, and every place that your target audience can come in contact with your organization.  So, that’s basically everything.  

With so many options, how do you decide what to use and how to use it?

Start with the basics and consider all of your touchpoint options:  traditional, new, digital, and social media.  By the way, this exercise was a whole lot easier when traditional was the only option available.  Even then, though, there were thousands of options with all of the television, radio, newspaper, magazines, billboards, direct mail, and more options. Now that new media, digital media, and social media are also available, it’s harder than ever before.

Twenty years ago, we each saw an average of about 1500 advertising messages per day.  Now that number is well over 5,000 ads per day.  So, how do you put your ads in all of the right places?  How do you cut through the clutter?

Rather than trying to be everywhere – that old theory of reaching 100% of the people and convincing them 25% of the way – you should pick the least number of options possible and use them thoroughly.  Basically, aim to reach 25% of the audience and convince them 100% of the way.

Where do you start?  Your target audience.  Where do they spend their time?  What are they watching?  Listening to?  Reading?  Knowing which mediums have their attention will go a long way to knowing where you want to invest your time and budget.  

If you are interested in digging into this more – be sure to sign up for one of our Brand Builders workshops.  The next workshop is for Small Business and Startups on 2/12.  Click here to read more and sign up today (early bird discount pricing ends 2/10).  Go to brandrusso.com/brandbuilders to see all of the workshops and sign up asap.

For everyday branding tips, subscribe to our Razor Branding blog and podcast  

RUSSO is a strategic branding agency that uses consumer insight to change the conversation; forming emotional connections with the target audience. To learn more, click HERE to learn more about our process, RAZOR BRANDING.

As I sat in my den, wearing my favorite Saints jersey (FYI, I’m still ticked off about that one), I take comfort in knowing that even if the right team wasn’t in the big game, at least the ads were pretty good this year.

A recap of my selections for the Hits and Misses of the Super Bowl ads (obviously as a Saints fan I was thrilled with the Chiefs win – no self-respecting Who Dat could support the 49ers):

Hits (Great 8 spots):  The biggest winners are the NFL and Fox for selling so many ads at $6M per 30-second spot. There were also 10 really great ads this year, and I don’t remember a previous game with this many awesome ads – so in a sense, we all win.

Smaht Pahk by Hyundai:  So great!  So funny!  Gathering 4 famous Bostonians to talk about the parking assist feature in the new Hyundai.  Funny, on target, memorable, and really smart…I mean smaht.

Cheetos “Can’t Touch This”:  Genius.  We’ve all had Cheetos orange dust on our fingers.  The spot takes this very relatable situation, couples it with MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This”, and a perfect way to get out of undesirable chores.  Great way to turn that negative into such a positive.

New York Life “Agape”:  Telling the story of the 4 kinds of love in life was well done and just emotional enough without being too sappy.  Really well done.

Google “Loretta”:  This spot reminds me of the Google spot from a few years ago with the dad writing emails to his daughter with the plan to give her access when she is 18.  This year it is a husband sharing decades of love for his wife with Google and asking to be reminded of the details of their love.  Beautiful!

Amazon “Before Alexa”:  Ellen and Portia remember a time when we didn’t have Alexa to do things for us.  Funny, full of references, and well done.

Jeep “Groundhog Day”:  Definitely one of my all-time faves.  Bill Murray referencing two of his most famous movies is an instant classic.

Facebook “Groups: Rock”:  Great way to promote the groups feature on Facebook and excellent use of a double entendre around the word ‘rock’.

Budweiser “Typical Americans”:  Taking all of the negative stereotypes about Americans and flipping them to illustrate the positive side.  Patriotic and uplifting.

Misses:

NFL “100 years”:  Ordinarily this is exactly the kind of spot that I would love, but I’m a Saints fan, and they aren’t in the Super Bowl, so I can’t like anything that the NFL does.

Quibi “Bank Heist”:  I get the concept.  Quibi shows short videos so they are trying to turn their name into a measure of time. 

Snickers “Fixes the World”: Odd choice to go after an ad classic that is 50 years old. 

Porsche “The Heist” & Hummer “A Quiet Revolution” & Audi “Let it Go”:  All three car companies are pushing their Electric Vehicles but their stories didn’t really support their agenda and none of them are anywhere near as awesome as Tesla.

Walmart “Famous Visitors”:  Good continuation of the story and some great move references, but nothing new to really capture the hearts of viewers or build their brand.

Hulu “Tom Brady”:  Don’t tease me like that.  If it has really been Tom Brady’s retirement announcement, that would have been one of the best ads of all time (and best kept secrets).  But then it was just an ad for Hulu. 

Olay “Make Space for Women”:  I am pro-women.  I mean, I am one, and I’m raising three of them, but I felt like this one missed the mark.

Squarespace “Welcome to Winona”:  It could have been great, but it was too reliant on people wondering what it was about and going to the website to see more. 

T-Mobile“5G”:  I love Etta James and their use of “Tell Mama” was the highlight of this spot. Otherwise, it was just a comedian and his mom as she calls him from everywhere.  Seems like we’ve seen it before.

Avocados “Mexico Shopping Network”:  Don’t use Molly Ringwald like that.  She is too awesome to be treated this way.

Planters “Tribute”:  Maybe it would have been better if they hadn’t pulled some of the promotion after the tragic helicopter crash last week.  It just didn’t seem to pull it all together.

Hard Rock “The Hype”:  I like J.Lo and a good action sequence as much as the next guy, but this really seemed to miss the mark.

Quicken “Jason Mamoa”:  I liked it. I laughed.  But it’s a thin connection from dismantling Mamoa to using QuickBooks.  Plus the visual effects were a little weird.

Michelob “Jimmy Works Out”:  I liked it.  It was funny.  And we can all relate to hating working out, but it wasn’t special enough to be a Super Bowl ad and make the Great 8 list. 

Tide “Stains Can Wait”:  I was torn on this one. It was a cute carryover from their message all season, and extending it throughout the game was well done.  I liked the idea of tying it all together with the P&G combo ad at the end, but it just didn’t quite land.

Procter & Gamble “When We Come Together”:  I’ve always believed that P&G should cross-market their products together. So many of them have the same target audience and the potential to work together, but this just wasn’t the best way to execute. I hope they do it again, but better, in the future.

Biggest ad losers of the night were the local advertisers that had a chance with the biggest audience of the year and they just reran the same spots they’ve been using all season.  Opportunity missed.

For everyday branding tips, subscribe to our Razor Branding blog and podcast  

RUSSO is a strategic branding agency that uses consumer insight to change the conversation; forming emotional connections with the target audience. To learn more, click HERE to learn more about our process, RAZOR BRANDING.

Each week we are working our way through the 7 ways you can build your brand, and this week is #3:  Points of Differentiation.  You can click here for the Overview, click here for #1 Target Audience, and click here for #2 Specific Messaging. 

This week we are talking about Points of Differentiation.  When I work with companies, this is the topic we spend a lot of time really digging into because it is so important.  If you look and sound just like everyone else, and if your products appear to be just like everyone else, and if your organization is just like everyone else – then people are going to choose everyone else.  If you don’t have a specific thing that makes you different and that makes you better, then why in the world would anyone choose you?

Depending on your category of business and the type of organization you have, it might be really hard to identify and explain your points of differentiation, but it is crucial that you not only identify those differences but also find a way to turn those differences into benefits for your target audience.

Where should you start?

1. Detail each of the ways your organization, culture, process, products, services, pricing, and people are different than your competition. 
2. Dig deep into your competition and determine if your differences are actually different.  Look at their website, social media, products, pricing, people, process and overall culture to see what they do well and, most importantly, what you do better.
3. Have conversations with your customers (past and present) to see what they think are your differences and your benefits.  Find out what they think about your competition.  Determine what mental real estate is yours to own.  Where is your niche?

Now take all of this information and put it into a benefits statement that will really connect with your target audience.  Develop the messaging that will cut through the clutter and get their attention.

If you are still unsure of how to do all of this, be sure to check out our Brand Builders Workshops for a date and topic that works for you.  The full list of classes can be found at brandrusso.com/BrandBuilders

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RUSSO is a strategic branding agency that uses consumer insight to change the conversation; forming emotional connections with the target audience. To learn more, click HERE to learn more about our process, RAZOR BRANDING.