What does this picture have to do with brand strategy? At the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, Bob Dylan went electric. He plugged his guitar into an amp and proceeded to play his first all-electric set. The chords were the same as before, but the arrangements were new—a new sound for a new age. A lot of traditionalists hated it. But Dylan was never afraid to try something new, and it’s safe to say he was onto something when he went electric.
Sometimes the word “branding” can be intimidating. You may be thinking, “What’s my brand? How should I know?” Well, your brand encompasses how you are different than your competitors, but it doesn’t stop there. It involves your approach, your aesthetic, your value, your core. So if you’re stuck thinking about your brand, first of all consider hiring someone who has helped others develop their brand and represent it visually. Second, start a dialogue with yourself that starts with, “How do I stand out? What makes me different? What’s my value add?”And always keep in mind what you’re trying to achieve. It’s the core of everything you do.
To appeal to millennials, brands need to prioritize their status and make them feel special in every step of the purchase journey. This cohort stands out the most from the average internet user in wanting brands to improve their image and reputation. They’re a status-seeking bunch and are unlikely to be intrigued by brands that don’t make them stand out from the crowd.
Consider a red can of cola; blue striped capital letters, a black apple, and yellow arches –what brands come to mind? In each instance, color is the predominate element of identification and association with a brand. Color enables us to instantly recognize and draw emotional associations to a brand.
A name is basically a first impression. It’s important to make a good one
Conscious Brands are: Empathetic, Multisensory, Habitual, Reformist, Collective and Moral.
This new ‘Conscious Brand’ is capable of being more responsive (to desires, moods and culture) and more responsible (helping people, partners and the planet grow).
To be ‘conscious’ means to be aware of and respond to your surroundings. So by calling for more conscious brands, we are calling for businesses to stop ignoring – consciously or not – the world around them.
And there’s a lot that brands often choose to ignore. For example, debates surrounding race, privilege, inequality, fake news, automation and climate change that all make for front page news are often uncomfortable arenas for brands – especially those which lack a genuine sense of purpose.
Motivate and resonate
You are the answer to a need – make sure you know what it is!
Personify
Your brand should reflect who you are as a company and as a product/service and communicate who you are (or who you want to be) to your target
Form an emotional connection
You want them to think you understand them in a way even their mother doesn’t.
Build loyalty
Build a brand that inspires confidence in your target market and defines how they view themselves.
We believe that the future will be Generation Co. Generation Co will be con-scious, con-nected, col-laborative, com-munal and co-creative. Generation Co are co-producers of brands in their choices of who they support, and they will demand that governments, businesses and brands will show the com-pass that guides Generation Co. Unlike the previous Generation thinking, Generation Co is not defined by age, but a common set of values: whether one is 80 or 20, one is part of this Generation if one shares its conscience. With enough members of this generation, it will generate huge power to change how brands, businesses and societies operate.
While none of us had 2020 vision for what this year would bring, there’s no denying that – even in the face of a global crisis – creativity always prevails.
In lockdown, all we had to distract and entertain ourselves with our social media, streaming xservices, online shopping, gaming and video conferences. Our US Election campaign was forced online, movies were released straight to iTunes, and Amazon reported North American sales were up 29%.
So what are the trends that are emerging as of mid-year?
