Said a tiger to a lion as they drank beside a pool,
“Tell me, why do you roar like a fool?”
“That’s not foolish,” replied the lion with a twinkle in his eyes.
“They call me king of all the beasts because I advertise.”
A rabbit heard them talking and ran home like a streak.
He thought he would try the lion’s plan, but his roar was a squeak.
A fox came to investigate – and had his lunch in the woods.
The moral: When you advertise, be sure you’ve got the goods!

Fable

When advertising a brand to a market; creativity without purpose, substance or honesty has the effect exactly opposite to that which is desired. Branding is about the relationships between organisations and their markets (internal and external). Brands need to work harder than ever before to make sure these relationships demonstrate its values and realities.. Owning space in a big world.

Effective branding is a promise made and kept; if you are going to make a noise, make sure that what you have is a roar and not a squeak. Learning to roar takes skills, strength and substance. Strategy is the “how to” of branding and is imperative before you enter the jungle.

Brand internalisation

Staff are invested in and relied upon to demonstrate the brand promise every day. They live the brand. Synchronising brand personality, values and corporate culture turns brand values into brand behaviour. The idea is to create loyal, productive and happy people who, perhaps without even realising it, are the best, most informed and enthusiastic brand ambassadors.

Therefore an organisation needs to be internally aligned to demonstrate what the brand stands for, as communicated.. Brand internalisation campaigns do just that. Strategically and creatively in tune with the brand values, these campaigns experientially entrench what it takes to deliver on the promises made.

Brand environment

A brand lives and breathes in a greater environment that is vibrant and ever-changing. Strategic thinking must consider the environment as a whole and be sensitive to trends and what’s happening in the world.

How does this impact the brand and the target market? Can they be leveraged to enhance image and/or sales? However formalised the strategy, flexibility must exist. The agility to react to and benefit from current trends or affairs helps to keep the brand fresh, vibrant and relevant.

The following diagram illustrates Power of 9’s approach to the dynamic , never-ending cycle of brand-building, maintenance and renewal necessary to sustain a great brand.

In tough economic times cracks often appear in companies and fear prevails. We know this can be prevented or turned around with strong strategic thinking and implementation. Strategy is at the heart of Power of 9. Carefully considered, thoughtfully created and dynamically developed strategies drive our agency and pump renewed vibrancy into our clients’ brands.