Why Aligning Branding Strategy with Business Strategy is a Must
The general impression among executives remains that business strategy is strategic while branding is a marketing tool that is a supporting role not a strategic one. That in fact, is one of the first challenges many CMO's encounter when pitching for a branding process.
Businesses draw a business plan with targets, goals, go-to-market plans and numbers that define the overall strategy. But how often do you hear of branding being considered at that stage as well? Yes, along with the numbers and not as a supportive package?
As a global brand agency, we rely on so much information and data that we get from our clients such as: investors decks, market research, exit strategy, SWOT Analysis, competitors research (which we conduct ourselves) and much more. We often find ourselves asking our clients questions that had they asked them in the beginning, their overall strategy would have been more precise. Based on all this we build a brand strategy designed to drive revenue, create awareness, re-defined the market depending on the business's targets and goals.
This is why it's important to align business strategy with branding strategy.
Simply put, a brand that is aligned with the company's business strategy helps ensuring that these goals will be implemented. Consider these different scenarios and how the different brand strategies where specifically tailored to push specific targets and goals of each company:
- Goal: Raise Above My Competition.
Company: Blue-I Water Here is how together with TitanBrandWise, Oren Blonder, CEO of Blue-I Water tackled the challenge:
"We compiled a unique approach and strategy where we spoke in B2C and not B2B like everyone ells. Talking to our client's clients even though we are not selling to them directly. They are the end-user of our product. This enabled us to talk directly about the end user's needs".
Addressing the end-user's direct needs, versus pitching to the "middle man" made all the difference and stroke a cord in the industry. Creating this direct connection with the end-user and not just partners, distributers and resellers positioned Blue-I Water as a distinguished player in the market and created that direct connection with the end-users.
- Goal: Make My Customers Get What I Do and Love It?
Company X-Jet
Dror Danai, Chief Business Officer, from X-Jet
Explains their process with TitanBrandWise:
"'Redefining Metal AM' is not just a slogan but it comes after a long process of strategic thinking and encapsulates everything we wanted to tell about our breakthrough technology. The understanding of the message was beyond our expectation".
Creating a line of a few leading messages that encapsulate the company's added values is not enough! Messages need to be created in such a way that will assure the understanding of the messages from your customers. As the old saying goas "just because you say you are something doesn't mean the customers sees you that way". Creating a message that would speak to your customers as well as uniquely position your company above the saturated market makes the difference between a leading player and just another option.
So the next time your company roll up its business strategy sleeves, make sure branding strategy is part of it. Make sure you fine tune your business strategy with a complimentary branding strategy to create a complete overview and plan for your company.
