w e b c r e at i o n s

HOW TO BE A SPOTTED ZEBRA

™

IN A LAND OF STRIPES
BRAND WORKBOOK

BR ANDING AND MARKETING INSIGHTS FROM A L ARGE FLYING MAMMAL

© Flying Hippo 2014

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Is It Time to Change Your Stripes?

Exercises to Help Your Brand Stand Out From the Pack
In this world of social media and iPhones (more on this in a moment), we value
emotion and connection over simple products and services. The brands and
products that we buy are purchased as much for what they communicate about
us as people as they are for their utility or convenience. We develop our individual
identities by our collection of brand associations.
ERIC GROVES
This couldn’t be more apparent for brands than in the simple technology that
PRINCIPAL AND
many use every day: An iPhone. CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Is an iPhone the cheapest or most-functional product on the market? Clearly not.

Many phones cost hundreds of dollars less and there are phones that have more
advanced technology. Then, why, I ask, does Apple remain in such a dominant
market position year in and year out?
THE ANSWER IS: THE BR AND.
Apple’s iPhone is a prime example of a product that has moved beyond its
existence as a physical product and rooted itself deep in the heart of its fans.
People don’t use iPhones, they are iPhones. Owning an iPhone becomes not
only a club, but a piece of identity. You can assume certain characteristics
about an iPhone user that separate them—as a person—from Android users.
And, you’ll usually be correct.
The same is true for most of Apple’s other products. Their brand has become
a defining piece of many identities in the 21st century. This special status hasn’t
come lightly. Apple has fought for decades to create and defend this mental
and emotional connection with consumers. And, likewise, you won’t transform
a commodity product into a beloved brand in the blink of an eye. But, as any
journey, this transformation starts with the smallest of steps.
This workbook was created as a way for companies to begin to understand the
brand mentality of this new generation. It’s an introduction to the principles that
we use to help craft brands that rise above the competition.
These exercises are taken from our Spotted Zebra Brand Workshop, where we lead
organizations through a full day of analysis and discovery to develop and define
their brand’s identity, voice, and persona.
Our desire is that these exercises will help move your brand to the head of
the pack.

© Flying Hippo 2014

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1 WHY “IT” MATTERS

Every Zebra Has a Heart
Great brands have meaning. They create an emotional experience for consumers who connect
with that meaning, share the thoughts, and hold the same beliefs as the brand itself. This means
that a brand needs emotion and human drive at its core.

© Flying Hippo 2014

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Filling in Your Spots

Defining Your “IT”
To tell your brand story, you must first figure out what meaning drives your brand. YOU DO
We need to identify your “IT”. “IT” is short for “Why does it matter?” If you can WHAT
answer that question in a way that moves beyond a literal description of what
you do, and into meaning, you are on your way to the foundation of a potentially
powerful brand. DO IT DIFFE
U RE
YO
A computer software company’s “IT” may hinge on their dedication to making W

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things simple for other small businesses, or a fruit vendor’s “IT” may be driven by

Y
the vision of creating a sustainable local food economy. Either way, these brands
WHY YOU DO
are rooted in thoughts, ideas, and opinions that drive everything they do and tell
WHAT YOU DO
a story about who they are, where they come from, and why consumers should
believe in them.

To identify your “IT”, you must dig deep into your brand and understand what
“IT”
emotional, human reasons it has for existence. But, even though we want to
communicate from the inside out (communicating the “why we do”, not the “what
we do”), it’s usually easiest to start simple—the “what”—and work our way inward,
allowing each piece to build off each other.

On the next page, we’ll walk you through some steps to help uncover your
brand’s core — your brand’s “IT”.

What is your “IT”?

© Flying Hippo 2014

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Filling In Your Spots

Getting to “IT”

1
What do you do?

What do you sell?

What is your business?

2
How do you do it?

How is it better, different, or

unique from your competitors?

3
Why does what you do
matter to people?
(This is where we identify the
meaning behind your brand.)

© Flying Hippo 2014

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2 “THE ONE”
Your Spots’ Best Friend
Every brand has an ideal customer. We call this “The One”.
This section will help profile your “One”.

© Flying Hippo 2014

 6

It’s a Jungle Out There

Defining “The One”
What makes a customer “The One”? Everything about them should be perfectly
aligned with your brand’s core ideals, strengths, services, and pricing.

The perfect customer values the kind of work that your organization does best
(and better than your competitors). Their budget matches your pricing and their
personal identity aligns with your brand’s persona.

This is the ideal situation for everyone. It leads to better work, more satisfaction,
and higher margins. So, while every customer can’t be the perfect fit, your brand
should be intentionally crafted in a way that maximizes the number of ideal clients
coming through your door.

On the next page, you’ll have an opportunity to identify which types of

customers would be the best possible.

It’s important that you identify and target “The One”.

© Flying Hippo 2014

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Spotting Your Type

Defining “The One”

BR AINSTORM LIST OF TR AITS REFINED LIST OF TR AITS EX AMPLES OF “THE ONE”

List the traits of an ideal customer Narrow your traits down to no more than seven, List several current or potential real-world
and list them in order of importance people/companies who fit your ideal profile

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

SPOTTED ZEBRA ASSIGNMENT

This week: Reach out to one of the names
on your list of “The One”.
This month: Develop a long-term strategy
to identify and reach out to others that match
your “One” criteria.

© Flying Hippo 2014

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3 BRAND PERSONA
Trading Stripes For Spots
Your brand persona is the bridge that connects your brand’s meaning with those that
identify with that meaning.

© Flying Hippo 2014

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How Does Your Zebra Sound, Look, and Behave?

Building Your Brand Persona
Your Brand Persona is a combination of three important elements:
Brand Voice, Brand Style and Brand Behavior.

Just like a person, your brand persona should exude personality and depth. It
should be inviting and contagious, with a rich mix of human traits such as humor,
charm, warmth and other desirable traits that are irresistibly attractive to those
“THE
“IT”
you are trying to reach — “The One”.

1. Brand Voice: What does your brand sound like? What are your stories?
BRAND ONE!”
What are your key messages? Is your voice attractive or descriptive?
Does it contain personality traits such as charm, wit, and humor? Is anyone
listening? Why should they?
Your Brand is the bridge that
2. Brand Style: What does your brand look like? Is it properly dressed for the connects your “It” with “The One”.
occasion? Does it get noticed? Is it time for style make-over? Would “The One”
be attracted to your style?

3. Brand Behavior: Does the behavior of your brand match what it says it is?
Beyond your voice and style, does your brand behavior say that you are
authentic? How can you not just “say”, but actually “do”?

© Flying Hippo 2014

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Categorize, Filter and Prioritize

Building Your Brand Persona

Use the cards on the next page to help shape and define your brand’s unique persona following these directions:

1 CATEGORIZE 2 FILTER 3 PRIORITIZE 4 PL AN

Notice the three cards at the top
of the page for “Voice”, “Style”, and
“Behavior”. These are the three main
categories that you’ll be placing cards
under.
To start, go through each of the cards
and identify what your brand persona
should be in order to attract “The
One”. Place each card under the
appropriate section. You don’t have to
use all of the cards, only the ones that
make sense.
If there are attributes that you think
of that aren’t on the list, by all means
create your own!
Here’s where we have to start making
the tough choices. Your brand needs
to be authentic.
Are there conflicts? Can you be both
“tactical” and “strategic”? Why did
you choose both “cool” and “hip”?
What do these terms mean for your
brand internally?
Consider each card carefully. Narrow
your focus as much as possible and
resolve any issues that arise between
the cards you’ve chosen.
Anything that you decide is a poor
fit for your business or conflicts with
other messages, remove.
More tough decisions. Now that you’ve
narrowed down your traits, it’s time to
decide which are the most important.
Do you want to emphasize the fact
that you’re “international”? Or,
is it more important that people
understand that you’re “consistent”?
Put all of your cards in a rank order—
no ties!
Now that you have a clear set of
adjectives that define your brand, it’s
time to start changing your stripes.
Take a close look at all three areas
of your brand and determine where
things need to be shored up.
Using the grid on page 12, develop an
action plan to transform your brand
into a Spotted Zebra and move your
brand to the front of the pack.

© Flying Hippo 2014

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VOICE COACHING DIPLOMATIC STYLE SIMPLE RUSTIC PATRIOTIC

COMMUNITY
INSPIRATIONAL CANDID CLEVER NATURAL TRENDY OUTDOORSY
MINDED

CASUAL IRREVERENT HUMOROUS CURRENT MINIMAL BOLD GREEN

SEXY ACADEMIC WITTY FORMAL CLEAN LOUD CONSERVATIVE

PROFESSIONAL WORLDLY AGGRESSIVE CASUAL ELITE RETRO LIBERAL

URBAN SARCASTIC CHILL HIP ORIGINAL BEHAVIOR THOUGHT LEADER

HEART-FELT HONEST LOUD CLASSIC ORNATE HIGH-TOUCH AGGRESSIVE

HEALTH
UNDERSTATED ELITE QUIET TRADITIONAL FUNKY IRONIC
CONSCIOUS

MYSTERIOUS MASCULINE ENERGETIC ELEGANT ECLECTIC AUTHENTIC CHARITABLE

EMPOWERING FEMININE AGGRESSIVE URBAN CHIC SELECTIVE SOURCE LOCAL

FUN CONFIDENT EXCLUSIVE SEXY GRUNGE RESPONSIVE REBEL

FRIENDLY WISE DEFIANT TIMELESS SLEEK CONSCIENTIOUS ADVENTUROUS

APPROACHABLE SMART SLANG PREMIUM PREPPY VISIONARY QUIRKY

COMFORTING COUNTRY HIP MODERN COOL ECO-FRIENDLY CUTTING EDGE

© Flying Hippo 2014

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Crafting Your Brand Persona

Your Action Plan
Now that you know the essence of your brand, take a close look at each area, identify the gaps that need attention, and develop a plan to address them. It’s time to build a
brand persona that will make you stand out from the pack and attract “The One”.

1B
 R AND VOICE
What are your stories? What are your key
messages? Is your voice full of personality
or full of descriptive content? Is anyone
listening? Why should they?
2 BR
 AND ST YLE
What does your brand look like? Is it properly
dressed for the occasion? Does it get noticed?
Is it time for a style make-over? Would “THE ONE”
be attracted to your style?
3B
 R AND BEHAVIOR
Does the behavior of your brand match what it
says it is? What are some new behaviors that
will improve your brand perception and/or the
experience for your customers?

© Flying Hippo 2014

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A Whole New Animal

Your Brand Brief

Use this page to write in the findings from each of the main exercises in one place. This will serve as a miniature brand guide as you move forward.

OUR “IT”

1.
2.
3.
“THE ONE” —
4.
TOP 7 ATTRIBUTES
5.
6.
7.

VOICE:

OUR BAND
ST YLE:
PERSONA
BEHAVIOR:

CONNECTING “IT”
WITH “THE ONE”

© Flying Hippo 2014

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“Spot–On”

E-MAR
KETIN

WEB BANNER ADS

Managing Your Brand Going Forward

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exercises is only the first step to successfully executing a full brand strategy.
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each touchpoint as it becomes relevant, and without being overwhelmed by the

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idea of doing it all at once.

TRA
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Never lose sight of the importance of your brand. Reference the brand elements
Brand Touchpoints
that you’ve outlined in these exercises frequently. Don’t let them sit on a shelf
collecting dust.

Remember, in a land of stripes, it’s critical that your brand is “spot-on”.

Every touchpoint matters: “If there is one, primary reason to
strategically engineer your brand’s personality inside and out—it
is to crystallize the flavor of the customer experience you deliver.”
ALINA WHEELER

© Flying Hippo 2014

 w e b c r e at i o n s

FLYING HIPPO – HIP AND NERDY IN ONE CHUBBY BODY

Flying Hippo is a one-of-a-kind breed of branding and digital agency. We’re most definitely hip — our
branding and creative teams have consistently produced internationally award-winning creative work
for our clients. And, yes, we’re off-the-charts nerds as well — and proud of it. Our nerd team consists
of some of the brightest programmers and strategists around to make sure that all of that exceptional
creative work not only looks great, but functions just as well.

If you’re looking for a unique team of branding experts, award-winning creatives, ultra-savvy digital
strategists, and true-blue nerds to help grow your business, you’ve come to the right place.

Contact us to set up a full-day Spotted Zebra Brand Workshop with our team where we’ll walk through
exercises like these to discover and define your irresistible brand.

2655 86TH STREET

DES MOINES, IOWA 50322
ph: 515.288.5316
INFO@FLYINGHIPPO.COM

FLYINGHIPPO.COM

© Flying Hippo 2014