Almost every business leader we've worked with at Gameplan came to us with this request - often verbatim. They usually had a pretty good idea of what they wanted their brand to represent, but were frustrated by how many different directions it was being pulled, often by their own team. Throw into the mix partner agencies, creative designers, vendors, suppliers and 3rd-party execution teams, each trying to add value by putting their unique creative stamp on the brand, and you've got a recipe for marketplace confusion.
And yet, the alternative often seemed just as bad: months of detailed research, trapping the senior team in a multi-day offsite (if you can co-ordinate schedules), endless brainstorms, expanding menus of options and a giant, confusing 'brand report' at the end of it. Within a couple of weeks, no one even knows where the deck is, beyond a vague sense of 'it's on the server somewhere'. The harsh reality: if your team can't even access your strategy, you don't have a strategy.
We created 3D Brand Strategy to make brand thinking more useful for the business.
1. It's incredibly user-friendly
A quick interview with each stakeholder. A review of your current research. A fast, focussed decision-making workshop (usually half a day). And out comes a Brand Strategy on a page. that's correct: A. Single. Page. Designed up, nice and clear and colourful like an infographic poster (we call it a Brand Roadmap) that everyone in the business can access, understand and put to work.
2. It's collaborative. And drives collaboration.
We ensure everyone gets to advocate for their point of view (in the interviews) and the team works together to make decisions (in the workshop). The Brand Roadmap contains ideas and instructions - rather than verbatim, mandated copy & content - to encourage your team to take the core of the Brand Message and express it in the way they feel is most appropriate. The Brand becomes everyone's responsibility, and everyone's opportunity. The Roadmap becomes their spirit guide and permission slip. For leaders with motivated, high-performance teams, this is pretty much Nirvana.
3. It's focussed on the commercials.
Every aspect of the 3D Brand Strategy is tied to the business goals and focussed on what the brand can deliver for the organisation. By insisting on clarity and hierarchy, the Brand Strategy makes decision-making more obvious, more intuitive. Allocating resources, delegating the work and setting clear expectations all become easier with the Roadmap to guide the process. You can focus on leadership, rather than brand policing.
An outside perspective that offers deeper insights.
We've worked with some of Australia's largest companies - as well as a few of the newest - to help get everyone on the same page, literally, with their Branding and Messaging strategy. Rather than focus on particular industries, Gameplan considers the particular ‘life stage’ of the businesses, such as restructuring, M&A activity, product extension, geographic expansion, capital injection or preparation for an exit. These are the moments when Brand Equity becomes a very real thing.
There's a fascinating story behind each of our clients' challenges. Get in touch and we can unpack the relevant case studies for you in greater detail.