<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11cb671dc3a8c986fcc5_651d3d3099e35ce9aa388ff3_63528f60a02a50b2707dbca0_Event%252520Headers%252520-%252520August%252520and%252520September%252520(17).png" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>News</span> <h1 class="gn-title">Brand Strategy A-Z - Updating Your Strategy for a New Landscape</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>21 October 2022</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>9 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">In response to <a href="https://www.bynder.com/en/state-of-branding/2021/" target="_blank"><strong>Bynder's 'The State of Branding' survey</strong></a>, 85% of marketers said there was more demand for brand content than ever before.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Couple this with scientific support that <strong>it takes only 7 seconds for consumers to decide on whether they trust your brand</strong>, the importance of updating your brand strategy to engage with your audience has undoubtedly risen.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">In the recent GO Network workshop, '<strong>Updating Your Brand Strategy for a New Landscape'</strong>, we asked 3 experts to share their knowledge on current challenges that may impact your brand strategy, how to assess your brand, and how to execute the right routes to refresh for your business.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/events" target="_blank"><strong><em>View our upcoming events calendar</em></strong></a></p> <div class="gn-stats gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">85<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">of marketers said there was more demand for brand content than ever before.</span></div> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">7<em>sec</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">is all it takes for consumers to decide on whether they trust your brand.</span></div> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">306<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">higher lifetime value for consumers who connect with a brand emotionally.</span></div> </div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">01</span>Brand Strategy: An introduction</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">A Brand Strategy outlines <strong>how a company will build a rapport and ultimately gain a competitive edge within the market</strong>.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Whilst the end goal of a brand strategy is <strong>to become memorable in the eyes of the consumer</strong>, your brand is built up of countless elements, from your values to your advertising.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">So, if you're not sure where to start, let's divide this into 3 core areas:</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Brand Identity.</strong> From values to positioning, your brand identity is <strong>everything at the heart of your brand.</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Brand Creative.</strong> <strong>Everything that goes into the way that you express your brand</strong>, beyond logos and colours, this can include your creative collateral, brand guidelines, and more.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Brand Activation.</strong> Beyond the brand itself is your activation strategy, <strong>the channels, campaigns, and process of making a brand known, increasing awareness and audience engagement.</strong></p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="'It's about creating something that is coherent, not consistent'" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11cb671dc3a8c986fc76_635284d135e03c5feeab10a4_Favourite%2520Quotes%2520-%2520%2520bgn%2520(1).png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption><em>'It's about creating something that is coherent, not consistent'</em></figcaption> </figure> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">02</span>Updating your Brand Identity: Laying the Foundation</h2> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexa-arrowsmith-76704912/" target="_blank"><strong>Alexa Arrowsmith</strong></a>, Founding Partner of brand research agency, <a href="https://monkey-see.co.uk/" target="_blank"><strong>Monkey See</strong></a>, spoke to us about the changes, trends, and challenges that might be impacting your brand strategy in the new year, and what this means for the core of your brand.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">What's Changing in Approaches to Brand Identity?</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">For <strong>Alexa</strong>, the largest change in how businesses approach their identity in recent times comes down to priorities.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"At the forefront of people's conversations now is trying to <strong>find a kind of commonality between the brand and the consumer</strong>."<cite>Alexa Arrowsmith · Founding Partner, Monkey See</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">She adds that there is scientific proof that "consumers relate to brands in an emotional way the same way they relate to people."</p> <p class="gn-reveal">This is supported by a recent retail study, that showed consumers who connect with a brand emotionally have <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-retail-study-shows-marketers-under-leverage-emotional-connection-300720049.html" target="_blank"><strong>306% higher lifetime value</strong></a>.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Examples of Brand Identity Projects</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Brand research and identity projects can take many forms:</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">Brand identity project types</div> <h4>Common formats for brand identity research</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Focus groups.</strong></li> <li><strong>Research surveys.</strong></li> <li><strong>Consumer research.</strong></li> <li><strong>Industry insights and data.</strong></li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal">However, the type of project you undertake is going to depend on your unique needs.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Energy suppliers have an increasing need to stand for something different which has resulted in a brand identity refresh across organisations. Their consumer hasn't changed, <strong>but their whole category has</strong>, so they need to rethink that. Ultimately there's quite a few different angles to what's your change, what's your disruption, and some of them have been created by world circumstances. But some of them are just because your brand's growing up."<cite>Alexa Arrowsmith · Founding Partner, Monkey See</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">When Should you Prioritise your Brand Identity?</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Explore new ideas with a small budget, and then if you decide your ambition is massive, you can build that in and do more thorough research to quantify and validate your next steps. At the start of any research project, we ask 4 key questions: <strong>Where are the people you want to target? What do they want? What your brand is? Where it could be?</strong> Once you determine the answers to these questions, you can <strong>find areas you need to build on as well as recognising the 'golden nuggets' of your brand strategy</strong>."<cite>Alexa Arrowsmith · Founding Partner, Monkey See</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/resources/the-go-networ-re-brand-workbook-a-guide-to-branding-and-brand-identity" target="_blank"><strong><em>View our comprehensive guide to analysing your brand</em></strong></a></p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Common Challenges: and How to Solve Them</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>Don't just say it – behave it</strong>. Too often we go through these massive projects, transform the brand, and then nobody notices, because you didn't tell them. After creating a brand strategy, <strong>portray it at every possible touch point</strong>! Every part of your brand that the consumer views should tell them what your strategy is."<cite>Alexa Arrowsmith · Founding Partner, Monkey See</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Measuring the Impact of your Brand Identity</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>Check how that audience is doing on a regular basis</strong>, see how things are moving. They'd look at your brand, and your competitors, and they'd see whether things are shifting in the way that you wanted them to. If your strategy relies on an insight, for instance, cost of living, you also need to track that insight, because that insight may be getting more prevalent."<cite>Alexa Arrowsmith · Founding Partner, Monkey See</cite></blockquote> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="'Understand what it is you want your creative to do'" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11cb671dc3a8c986fc73_635285a1738b375fd190177b_Favourite%2520Quotes%2520-%2520%2520d19%2520(1).png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption><em>'Understand what it is you want your creative to do'</em></figcaption> </figure> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">03</span>Constructing your Brand Creative: Refreshing Collateral</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">So you know what you stand for, and what resonates with your audience. How are you bringing it to life?</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-newton-60700917/" target="_blank"><strong>David Newton</strong></a>, Founder &amp; Creative Director at <a href="https://bgn.agency/" target="_blank">BGN</a>, shares his knowledge of building a brand creative strategy that hits all the right notes below.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">What's Changing in Creative Strategies?</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">For <strong>David</strong>, when it comes to creative activation of your brand, "organisations are more open to embracing strategy change. Across the board, we're seeing more marketing leaders be open to working from the end goal backwards, whether it's requiring a new website, or wanting a new visual identity."</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Brand strategy isn't seen as something that is just for highly funded businesses</strong>. <strong>David</strong> found that "consumers want to invest in that side of things, and are appreciating that it has big outcome on that end goal."</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Examples of Creative Branding Projects</h3> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Creative branding projects cover far more than just visual refreshes</strong>, what you choose to undertake relies massively on the challenges you're facing.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">As <strong>David</strong> shares, the variety of projects under the creative branding 'banner' can differ in scope, audience, and delivery depending on your final objectives. These can include:</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">Creative branding project types</div> <h4>Routes to creative brand refresh</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Visual brand creative refreshes.</strong></li> <li><strong>Brand guidelines development.</strong></li> <li><strong>Brand consolidation and internal rollouts.</strong></li> <li><strong>Brand communication strategy.</strong></li> <li><strong>Brand delivery, online or offline.</strong></li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>David</strong> flags the importance of focusing on the strategy before deciding the exact nature of the creative project you want to take on.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"It's important to <strong>see the reality of what you're working with</strong>. For example, thinking about a creative project, the traditional approach is to start with the consumer, but in truth, some <strong>businesses are not going to be able to change their whole brand to reflect their audience</strong>. If you're a huge B2B business, and you can't change your values, the creative projects aren't necessarily going to focus on what the consumer wants. Instead, the focus shifts to ensuring that you promote the values of your business in the right way and target the audiences that fit those values."<cite>David Newton · Founder &amp; Creative Director, BGN</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">When should you Prioritise your Creative Brand?</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"You need to know how to use data gathered from your strategy research, read between the lines! <strong>It's not necessarily thinking about what the consumer wants and then how can we change this business, but rather understanding who the business is and promoting it</strong>. As mentioned, there are now a variety of different channels out there, so the next step is prioritising which channels will work best to bring your strategy to life."<cite>David Newton · Founder &amp; Creative Director, BGN</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Common Challenges: and How to Solve Them</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"It's all about <strong>Collaboration</strong>. I think the biggest pitfall is when people don't work together and don't have that openness across the whole process. <strong>Stakeholders should be involved at every stage, whether that's at the top of the business, or right at the very entry level of the business</strong>, rather than the brand creative being delegated solely to a team of marketers."<cite>David Newton · Founder &amp; Creative Director, BGN</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Measuring the Impact of your Brand Creative</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">"It's much more about understanding what's happening now, and how that might be impacting on your activity."</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">04</span>Re-establishing your Brand Activation Strategy: Planning and Executing</h2> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyclarkson/" target="_blank"><strong>Katy Clarkson</strong></a>, Head of Planning at brand activation and audience engagement media agency <a href="https://www.december19.co.uk/" target="_blank">December19</a> assess ways to update your brand activation strategy.</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">What's Changing in Brand Awareness, Engagement, and Activation?</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Consumers are interacting with brands on a variety of platforms with the pandemic accelerating a lot of behaviours from audiences. <strong>There's a lot more opportunities to connect consumers with brands, and it's hard for brands to stand out within all this</strong>."<cite>Katy Clarkson · Head of Planning, December19</cite></blockquote> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="'Don't just say it, behave it'" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11cb671dc3a8c986fc79_635286423b477f9d90f8ff91_Favourite%2520Quotes%2520-%2520%2520monkey%2520see%2520(1).png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption><em>'Don't just say it, behave it'</em></figcaption> </figure> <p class="gn-reveal">She adds, "it has become even more important to have a brand identity and a strong creative, enabling you to have those distinctive assets that people can recognise across different channels."</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Examples of Brand Activation Projects</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">So, what can brand activation projects look like? As <strong>Katy</strong> shares, there are plenty of routes to activation, and what works for you is going to depend on two things: the <strong>ambition</strong>, and <strong>the data</strong>.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Brand activation efforts can be broken into several key stages:</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">Brand activation project stages</div> <h4>Key stages of a brand activation effort</h4> <ul> <li><strong>First-party data research.</strong></li> <li><strong>Audience targeting and demographic analysis.</strong></li> <li><strong>Audience-channel matching.</strong></li> <li><strong>Media planning and buying.</strong></li> <li><strong>Creative activation.</strong></li> <li><strong>Brand perception and awareness tracking.</strong></li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal">Starting with the first-party research, <strong>Katy</strong> shares that actually, "a lot of this information is already in businesses. It's just about how you interpret it, and that's where agencies can help to build on that data."</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">When should you Prioritise your Brand Activation?</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"We've done quite a lot of third-party data research to dissect information such as high value customers, low value customers, times of booking, <strong>once you unpick this you can start to identify where the growth areas are</strong>. <strong>It starts with ambition, it requires bigger budgets.</strong> Don't just think about the next campaign or building brand but think about how that plays out over two to three years, and what investments and what tests you need to build now."<cite>Katy Clarkson · Head of Planning, December19</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Common Challenges: and How to Solve Them</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"I think <strong>the biggest pitfall is expectations</strong>. That's why it's so important to have clear measurement frameworks upfront, because <strong>different metrics come in at different times</strong>, there'll be points within a campaign where you will out big lumps of information, which will help plan for the next. I'm quite surprised that people are willing to spend a large sum of money but not pre-test their creative, to make sure it does what you're expecting it to do and make necessary changes."<cite>Katy Clarkson · Head of Planning, December19</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Measuring the Impact of your Brand Activation</h3> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>Brand awareness tends to work on the longer term, it's one of the better predictors for future growth, but it's also much harder to measure.</q><cite>Katy Clarkson · Head of Planning, December19</cite></aside> <p class="gn-reveal">You can measure across three different elements to get a better idea for success in the campaign:</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Three elements for measuring brand activation success</h4> <ul> <li><strong>What people think and feel.</strong> Consumer demand.</li> <li><strong>What people do.</strong> Where they go to view your brand.</li> <li><strong>What people buy.</strong> Business and profit outcome.</li> </ul> </aside> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">05</span>Looking ahead: How to future-proof your brand</h2> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>The brand is not just a logo</strong>, it's about putting something together that can stay updated, fresh and can keep moving. The logo shouldn't change, instead other elements of the brand strategy can <strong>be updated to keep up with trends</strong>. Be more open minded to the fact that some things can stay the same and some things can change completely, <strong>your brand strategy should be coherent, not consistent</strong>."<cite>David Newton · Founder &amp; Creative Director, BGN</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><em>If you're investing in a Brand Strategy refresh this year, make sure you're getting the most from your time. The GO Network offer cost-free agency recommendations, pitch management, and more, </em><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/get-in-touch" target="_blank"><em>get started here.</em></a></p> </div></div> <aside class="gn-related gn-reveal" data-auto="related-reading"> <div class="gn-related__label">Related reading</div> <ul class="gn-related__list"> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/updating-your-brand-strategy-for-a-new-landscape" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Updating your Brand Strategy for a New Landscape</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Audience behaviour has shifted, and your brand strategy may need to catch up. 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