Strategic Brand Management: How to Get and Hold Attention
No matter the business, you’re in the business of people. As a branding agency, we’re in the business of people’s desires. Before we get there, we need to get their attention. Enter: marketing. The cynical and less ambitious may say that is manipulative. But it’s how we survive. According to the University of Oxford, babies’ big, round eyes squishy bodies trigger a call to action of care that’s embedded within our DNA. The rest of the animal kingdom is no different. Peacocks did it so well that displaying efforts made to stand out is called “peacocking.” Since we are not blessed with feathers, we need another means of attracting – and holding – attention.
Made You Look
The master branding process in marketing is more evolved and, therefore, more involved. In the business of desire (or as most know it, advertising), tapping into empathy separates us from the animals.
We’re not inherently logical, or even predictable. Treating your target audience like a data set won’t get you far with them. You must care enough about the motives driving their wants and needs to connect with them on a human level. To make them feel seen, you must show parts of
themselves in your work. Your audience is intelligent, insightful. You need more than impressive plumage to stick out in their minds.
They say you should only write what you know, and they’re right. At RUSSO, we talk a lot about forming strong emotional connections with your target audience. And while having a solid brand identity is important, a great logo without targeted messaging is, well, just a great logo. When you are able to dig deeper and connect your touchpoints, you will end up with a stronger more effective brand.
Winning the Long Game
Cultivating a brand begins with an intimate understanding of your audience’s status; emotional, financial, aspirational – you name it. The sort of things a single survey or marketing gimmick won’t get you. You can churn out whatever flashy ads you want, but your audience will recognize that for what it is: jingling the keys above the camera to get your one shot.
And while you might end up selling some product, a one-off deal is not the goal of strategic brand management. Strategic brand management is a long game, and you win by forming the type of emotional connections that build loyalty and eventual advocacy.
In the same way it takes time and effort to truly get to know someone, it takes intensive research and genuine interest in marketing to your target audience to understand how that messaging can make the biggest impact. You don’t need gimmicks when you have a plan. Click here to see how we can craft one for you.
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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 about Razor Branding visit brandrusso.com, or CLICK HERE to schedule a meeting with one of our Business Development Managers.
