That’s a BIG call – 5 secrets that will GUARANTEE your marketing success but it’s a claim I am prepared to make and back!

Why? well, for two reasons that relate to effective branding;

1. If it’s not affective, it’s not effective, and;
2. During my 30 years branding experience I have analysed and defined what has made some organisations so much more successful than others.

And I know it works as I have contributed to making these organisations measureably more successful by following these proven principles. These principles are based on tapping into the human psyche – what humans look for in brands to motivate engagement and belonging. And they are based on my 30 years unique experience – ie; you won’t find these principles in a text book – they are derived from real life examples.

Here they are;

Make what you excel at, visible– determine your strengths and promote them, consistently, constantly and with clarity. Align these strengths with the values of your ‘ideal’ audiences and you will create engagement and loyalty.

Define your purpose and tell an ongoing, compelling story – people love stories and effective organisations continually articulate a compelling story about their purpose.

Create and portray an enthusiastic brand personality – be aware that you are a brand and your organisation or department is a brand – be aware that enthusiasm is desired and contagious. People gravitate toward people and brands that are enthusiastic about what they do and how they can help.

Remove any barriers to engage – know your audiences, consider their worries and fears, their aspirations, and address them in your brand communications.

Make the promise of your experience relevant, resonant and risk free.

Deliver on the promise you make, consistently – you need to deliver on the ‘promise’ your brand makes at least 80% of the time so make sure all who deliver your service are well versed on the promise of your brand experience. And if you f**k it up, fix it up, quickly.

If you follow the above principles consistently and in alignment with the desires of your audiences you will be successful – you cannot fail. Why? – because you are demonstrating shared values and building TRUST by delivering something your audiences desire in a way that they want to receive it.

And that’s why Harley Davidson is the second most popular tattoo in the world – the epitomy of a living brand!

If you want to know more about how applying the above can help your organisation – get in touch. I’d be happy to help, I guarantee it!

As many who have worked with me will well know relevance and resonance are my key mantras. They underpin what I do for clients, that is; build distinctive and relevant brand experiences that resonate with identified audiences.

In my experience relevance always dominates. For instance, a newspaper can have the best editorial team and coverage but if the audience is being converted to other channels for their news feeds then the newspaper’s relevance is diminished.

Relevant brand experiences can be everything from an email communication to a major outdoor event. The underlying principle remains the same – is what we are providing presented in a relevant context and is the messaging aligned to create engagement and resonance?

How do you test this?

The first thing you need to understand is that what got you here won’t necessarily get you there. In order to communicate with relevance into the future you may need to be prepared to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. That is; learn new things – new things about your audience preferences and new things about how they receive information.

Times have changed, the way people receive and engage with information has changed. Expectations have changed. So you need to continually adapt in order to stay relevant and resonant.

But what remains the same is – people want to engage with brands that are relevant, resonant and display alignment – consistently and constantly.

You need to address the following; is our brand promise relevant and resonant with identified audiences? is it a promise we can sustain? and importantly, will it sustain our business?

Circumstances and consequences affect context and subsequently, relevance.

Even a great brand like Mercedes had to learn this the hard way and adapt – and the result is their products are now amongst the most sought after in the car industry.

First know yourself and what you are truly capable of, then know your ‘tribe’, the people who consider you important – know them intimately. Then communicate appropriately.

Get in touch – we can help.

For the first time ever in the history of civilisation we can find the answer to anything we ever wanted to know or ever will want to know from a little piece of smart technology known as our smartphone.

Anything; – for example, I just searched the answers to;

Q. Where was the wheel invented? A. Mesopotamia

Q. What date did man step on the moon? A. July 20 1969

My point is there is a plethora of information and statements of fact easily and readily available to all of us. What’s in short supply is insightful insights derived from the information.

My definition of insights can best be translated as information intuition or reflection; that is; deep understanding and discernment of the facts and distilling and interpreting the best use of the information to derive the end ‘insightful comprehension’ of the knowledge.

To reveal, not state.

So, for example, an ‘insightful insight’ that could be derived and articulated from the following recent newspaper headline –

‘High level Public Servants need to do more about making tough decisions and giving more advice…’

Potential insight and better articulation of above through deep understanding of the subject and context could be;

‘The current Public Service culture needs to do more to encourage and support frank and fearless advice’

Understanding what the information is telling you is much more valuable than just understanding the facts.

Ask yourself, what is the insight derived from the deep understanding and discernment of the information you are imparting?

Address and communicate the insight, not the fact – it is far more compelling, and more importantly, relevant.