BRAND IT LIKE BECKHAM

Profit from Big Brand Disciplines

in your Small Business

Copyright © Stark Reality

Discover why How to Design a
branding is even Brand that
more important connects with
for small your audience.
business.
Why is being
Creative
important?

How to Promote
your Brand
Delivering a without having
great brand to beg your
experience from Bank Manager.
the Webber to
the Web!

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

“In order to be irreplaceable

one must always be different.”
- Coco Chanel

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BRANDING - MORE IMPORTANT FOR SMALL BUSINESS
THAN BIG BUSINESS

SME’s have a greater need to differentiate in a more

competitive market.

Why, then are so few small businesses “branded?

Because most:
– do not understand basic marketing principles and
– believe that branding is expensive and for the big boys

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BRANDS ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY
DELIVER
An emotional connection to products & services!

Feelings affect rational thought. Most purchase decisions

are emotional, justified with rational thought later.

"Brand will become the most

powerful strategic tool since
the spreadsheet.”
Marty Neumeier,
author - "The Brand Gap"

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YOUR BRAND

is a collection of perceptions in the mind of your consumer.

IS HOW THEY SEE YOU

HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT YOU

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT YOU

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THE REAL THING - EMOTION

Pepsi consistently wins blind taste tests, but no-one drinks Coke with a blindfold!

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IMAGE IS EVERYTHING

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HOW TO DESIGN A BRAND?
It will affect every part of
- SIMPLE NOT EASY your business.
SME Strategy Timeline
4 weeks – 3 months

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WHO “DESIGNS” THE BRAND?

OWNER IS THE PRODUCER

IT THE

Entrepreneurs
tap into the customer need and design the vision.

IS Marketers
make the vision come alive focusing on Brand Communication to manage Perceptions.

Industrial Designers
design the product.

LIKE Graphic Designers

interpret brand attributes in visual media.

Copywriters
give the brand a voice.
MAKING
Film Producers, Directors, Animators, Etc
put brand on our screens, from the very big to the very small…

Customer Service
MOVIES deliver the “brand experience.

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BRANDING IS HOW WE COMMUNICATE

What is your Brand

• Name?
• Personality?
• Story?
• Promise? (Do you deliver?)
• Positioning
• Positioning Statement

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BRAND NAMES ARE A POWERFUL FORCE

Does your Brand Name:

• Differentiate you from your competitors?
• Reinforce a unique positioning?
• Create positive and lasting engagement with your
audience?
• Make you unforgettable?
• Propel itself through the world on its own by being a PR
generating vehicle?
• Provide a deep well of marketing and advertising images?
Is it easily promotable?

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NAMING PROCESS

1. Competitive Analysis
2. Positioning
3. Name/Brand Development
4. Trademark / Domain Name
5. Creative/Testing
6. Name and Tagline

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 Brand name was too descriptive and
limiting in the first place and now
RADIO RENTALS makes no sense at all, showing the
ageing nature of the business!

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SHAVER SHOP

•Expanding product range

beyond the initially focused
concept.
•Only time will tell if the brand
extension will be successful.
•Brand name was too descriptive
and limiting in the first place!

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PROTECT YOUR NAME

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THE PERSONALITY IS THE BRAND

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MR. MUTUAL FUND

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MS MEGABYTE

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GADGET GUY

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BOUNCEBACKFAST

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THE PRODUCTIVITY QUEEN

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POWERFUL POINTS

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GEEK SQUAD

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WHAT DO THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON?

1. They are specialists…the only…in their market (some have a

wider area of influence than others!)
2. They are easy to remember
3. They have names that are easy to promote – they have
PERSONALITY and a STORY to tell.
4. They are “famous” amongst their intended target audience –
AWARENESS and RECOGNITION.

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BRAND STORY

People love stories from children’s fairytales to books and

movies.

Good advertisements are nothing more than very short

stories:
– A story is more memorable than a straightforward message.
– A story is easy to re-tell and pass on to other consumers

A brand story needs to be:

– Real and authentic
– Colorful and interesting

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TELL YOUR STORY AND SELL
Real Stories that developed through the
decades.

Est. 1967

A brand legend is born, a heritage created with a tie. He did not attend
fashion school, but worked for Brooks Brothers as a salesman. In 1967,
with the financial backing of Norman Hilton, Lauren opened a necktie store
Est. 1932 Est. 1924 where he also sold ties of his own design, under the label "Polo".

Rebrand
2003 Website “Before” Website “After”
2006

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LEGENDS ARE MADE

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BRAND NAME & CORPORATE IDENTITY

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MOST SME’S SELL FEATURES INSTEAD OF BENEFITS

Drill
v
Picture on the Wall

Make Up v Hope To Women

Mousetraps
v
Absence of Mice

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BUILDING A BRAND - POSITIONING
How can we “own” a place in the
consumer mind?

By focusing on the things that

“The way to
matter.
become rich is to
Focus demands Sacrifice - To own
something you need to give up put all your eggs
something else.
in one basket
and then watch
that basket.”
– Andrew Carnegie 1835-1919

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POWER OF FOCUS
“The men who have succeeded are men who have
chosen one line and stuck to it.”
- Andrew Carnegie

“This is the day of dramatization. Merely stating a truth isn’t

enough. The truth has to be made vivid, interesting dramatic.
You have to use showmanship. The movies do it. Television does
it. And you will have to do it if you want attention”

- “How to Win Friends and Influence People” – Updated version, Dale Carnegie

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SIMPLICITY ADDS VALUE

“An expert is someone who has succeeded in making

decisions and judgments simpler through knowing what to
pay attention to and what to ignore”
- Simplicity - Edward de Bono, 1998

The specialist has a chance to use their field of expertise

as a point of differentiation - “I believe that the true road to
pre-eminent success in any line is to make yourself master
of that line”
- Andrew Carnegie 1835-1919

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SIMPLICITY REQUIRES CREATIVITY

“Simplicity is easy to use but can be hard to design. You may

need some creativity”
- Simplicity - Edward de Bono, 1998

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so

that the necessary may speak”
- Hans Hoffman – Artist

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BRAND POSITIONING

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 REAL ESTATE

Position against the leader.

Same Principle as Pepsi v Coke.
Use competitor strength and turn it into a
weakness.
Original = Old.
“Pepsi the Choice of a New Generation”

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 SEGMENTATION

-
Y ou
s
for tion
e rs! ie s e s
riv
o lic Qu
dd P re
oo red M o
fo rg ilo sk
s Ta e A
ving W
Sa

s
Car
d
ifie
Mod
d
an
rs
rive
gD
un
Yo

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38
MAJOR (RESIDENTIAL) BUILDING CATEGORY

Meaningful

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NEW CATEGORY

The law of the category - if

you can't be first in a
category, set up a new
category you can be first in. –
Al Reis

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SEGMENT EVEN FURTHER
The law of the category - if you can't be first in a category, set up a new
category you can be first in.
– Al Reis

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GENERAL HOME SERVICES - ESTABLISHED

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SPECIALIST HOME SERVICES – E.G.: CLEANING, STILL
DEVELOPING

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BRAND RECOGNITION
“… alone is useless. Today every plumber has a brand and a slogan on
the side of his truck. The world is drowning in brands and slogans”
Robert Bloom author and ex – Chairman of Publicis Worldwide

Although we are not there yet in either

the USA or Australia, the sentiment is
right – recognition alone is not
enough!

Virtually every category of consumer

product and service is now crowded
with – in some cases overcrowded –
with brands, however this is not the
case in the SME space which presents
a tremendous opportunity.

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BRAND EXPERIENCE – “BRANDTERTAINMENT”

Communication alone
does not create brand
feelings.

Experience with the

brand creates brand
feelings.

Today customers
expect to be vowed and
entertained.

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HOW DO YOU CREATE WOW?

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CREATIVE STRATEGY IS MORE IMPORTANT FOR THE SME

A consistent THEME that uses the name of the brand or its positioning or
ultimately both will always get better results.

MORE CREATIVE
MORE MEMORABLE
LESS FREQUENCY
LESS $$$

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CREATIVITY = ORIGINALITY

The first objective of any communication is to get noticed – to

grab attention. Without it you can not begin to PERSUADE.

Human beings are hard-wired to look for “the new.”

“What was effective one day, for that very reason, will not be
effective the next, because it has lost the maximum impact of
originality.”
- advertising great Bill Bernbach, way back in the 1960s.

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CAMPAIGNS = CONSISTENCY = FAMILIARITY

Every advertisement should be thought of as a

contribution to the complex symbol which is the
brand image.
- David Ogilvy, regarded as the Father of Modern Advertising

A Brand is a Personality. Personalities like people

don’t really change, neither should your brand,
which is why having a consistent creative THEME is
important.

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CHAMPION COMPRESSORS - WEBSITE

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CHAMPION COMPRESSORS - TRADE ADVERTISING
- VEHICLES
Before After

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BAYVIEW REALESTATE - POSTCARD CAMPAIGN

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GUYS DOMAIN – Direct Mail Postcard Templates
CREATIVELY CUTTING COSTS

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PROMOTING YOUR BRAND
MEDIA EFFECTIVENESS - SME TOP 10
Media Effectiveness – SME Top 10
Only 10 years ago –
1. Networking 1b, 2, 3, 4, 5 did not
a) Physical – Industry Associations, Expos, BNI, etc
b) Virtual (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc)
exist as a way of
reaching the
2. Website / Blog, Online Video consumer
3. Search Engine Marketing
4. Email
5. PR - Traditional and Online
6. Direct Mail
7. Point of Sale (for Retailers)
8. Packaging
9. Trade Press / Local Paper / Niche Magazines
10. Outdoor and Out Of Home / Ambient
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IMPORTANCE OF FREQUENCY
1. The first time a man looks at an advertisement, he does not see it.
Thomas Smith of London
2. The second time, he does not notice it. wrote this back in 1885 when
3. The third time, he is conscious of its existence. the Newspaper was the only
4. The fourth time, he faintly remembers having seen it before.
5. The fifth time, he reads it. medium!
6. The sixth time, he turns up his nose at it.
7. The seventh time, he reads it through and says, "Oh brother!"
8. The eighth time, he says, "Here's that confounded thing again!"
9. The ninth time, he wonders if it amounts to anything.
Today the estimates are that
10. The tenth time, he asks his neighbor if he has tried it. the average consumer is
11. The eleventh time, he wonders how the advertiser makes it pay.
12. The twelfth time, he thinks it must be a good thing.
exposed to between 500 to
13. The thirteenth time, he thinks perhaps it might be worth something. 5000 brand messages per
14. The fourteenth time, he remembers wanting such a thing a long time.
15. The fifteenth time, he is tantalized because he cannot afford to buy it.
day.
16. The sixteenth time, he thinks he will buy it some day.
17. The seventeenth time, he makes a memorandum to buy it.
18. The eighteenth time, he swears at his poverty. Reach 1,000 x 10
19. The nineteenth time, he counts his money carefully.
20. The twentieth time he sees the ad, he buys what it is offering. v
Reach 10,000 x 1

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 H av
e yo
The u
bes made
t tim you
e in r s?
the
his
tory
of t
he
w orld
to b
e an
SM
E

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WEB - MOST FLEXIBLE & ACCOUNTABLE MARKETING
WEAPON

It is a interactive medium and a distribution channel

– Tell visitors why they should buy from you and not your competitors
– Collect information about your customers
– Customize customer experience
– Improve customer service
– Provide a vehicle for feedback
– Generate sales leads

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WHY ARE MOST SME’S WEBSITES (COMMUNICATION)
TERRIBLE? THEY REFLECT THEIR MARKETING EFFORTS!

Common Professional Services and B2B Industrials issues:

• Internal Company v External Customer Focus (WE v YOU), e.g.: “leading”
• No Point of Difference
• Features instead of Benefits
• Copywriting
• Rules of Design

We have looked at and can provide examples in the following markets:

• B2B Industrials (Manufacturer’s Monthly)
• Top Tier Law Firms (Accounting)
• Top Tier Architects
• BRW Fast 100 IT Firms
• Financial Planning - Follows

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Missing:
1.USP – Positioning Statement
2.WIFM
3.Call to Action

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NO USP
Internal focus – “WE”

Blah, blah
Service is an
empty promise

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 Why should I call?
What will I get?

Name?
Positioning?

We, we, we,

look how good we are

Can the imagery

get any more typical?

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Your name is?
What business are we in?
Property? Finance? Planning?
Too many messages

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What does the logo mean?
Where is the USP?
Where is the benefit in the USP?

Good “Point of Difference”

However Price is easy to copy!

Better use of space?

Simpler Menu structure?
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Home baked?
Trust?
Credibility?

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Simple & Focused
Messages
Own “friendly”
Clear benefits

Creative
Pleasant
Easy to read
Campaignable Focused
- Targeted

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STARK REALITY CHECK
30 minutes of FREE,
No Obligation Advice
to
Turn Your Customer Perceptions
into a more
Profitable Reality

e: info@starkreality.com.au

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