Please consider downloading this presentation for a crisper looking version - viewers on slideshare can experience font clipping and blurring. As the effects of digital technologies ripple through our culture,the impact can be felt almost everywhere. The implications of these technologies go far beyond the technologies themselves. Unrestricted access to a growing mountain of data is changing attitudes, culture and the rules of success in business and in branding. In the future, the most successful brands will be those that can capture their customers' imaginations, not just with what they say, but with how they behave, and the experiences they provide.

1. Getting your brand
to awesome
A short guide to brand
strategy in the digital age
Created by @simonpearcelive, Founder of fabricbranding.com

2. A strategy is simply a set of actions
and outcomes that have yet to happen

3. The more clearly a strategy tells you What
you need To do Next, the more useful it becomes

4. two common Approaches to brand strategy*:
Claims-Driven approach purpose-Driven approach
The goal is to create a set of The goal is to create a sense of
beliefs and expectations in shared identity with customers.
customers’ minds. “Brand x is the “You should identify with brand x
best y because z”. This approach is becuase of what we are trying to
all about making promises and then accomplish”. In this approach the
looking to provide compelling “evidence” tends to be how the
rational and emotional evidence to brand behaves, through product
back them up. Claims are stated design and experiences.
and emotional outcomes implied.
* In reality, these two concepts are not mutually exclusive: it can often be a question of emphasis

5. Claims are important but they are simply too
limiting to be the focus of your entire brand
So why is a purpose-driven approach superior?

6. You see, it’s not a
question of one
approach being right
& another being wrong
It’s a question
of utility
So brand strategy
based on purpose
is more useful?
tell me how!

7. There are several reasons why thinking in
terms of claims can limit your brand
We can
do
better!
Photo: David Fowler, shutterstock.com

8. people tune out when brands spend too
much time talking about themselves
80% of all display ads reviewed in a
recent survey were rated as “not
relevant to me” by customers,
despite ever-more sophisticated
targeting being employed. (Only
14% could remember who made
the last ad they saw).
Source: Mediapost, March 18th 2013

9. To “break through”, actual and implied claims get
stretched, and advertising credibility decreases
According to a 2011 study by Nielsen, just 47% of people trust
TV and Print advertising, a decline of over 20% from 2009 levels
Photo: CLaffra, shutterstock.com
Source: Nielsen “Global trust in advertising” study, 2011. n=58,000, 56 countries

10. Claims (literal or implied) are vulnerable to being judged
as false or insincere in the court of public opinion
Can that stuff
really melt fat
from your thighs?
*In this case, an unsubstantiated claim was punished by a fine; in reality,
even an implied exaggeration can cause consumers to get turned off

11. the desire to “push” your claim can lead to faux Pas
Claims Focus = Talking about yourself = #socialmediafail
“Hijacking” news stories with inappropriate
or irrelevant content
Overtly asking customers to talk about how
awesome you are and then seeing the
opposite happen
Securing people’s attention under false pretences
only to reveal a celebrity product endorsement
(that backfires)
Katie Price “Twitter Hacking Scandal”
revealed to be Snickers PR stunt
*Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure he
gets out in the end!

12. Three reasons why a brand strategy
grounded in purpose can work
harder for your business

13. Firstly, it’s more human. Brands with a broader purpose come
across as more authentic (because they are more authentic)
Apple’s brand image is an
outgrowth of a design-centric
culture, itself grounded in a
strong sense of purpose at the
company. With such a strong
base to build from, a
minimalist approach to
advertising can work - the
marketing department does
not have to shout in order
to be heard.

14. Secondly, it’s more actionable
A clear statement of purpose gives
employees something to do. It inspires
meaningful and creative contributions. It
allows brands to continue to reinvent
themselves without losing focus.

15. Thirdly, it can guide your whole business.
A purpose is not limited to guiding what a company says, it can guide what that company does:
R&D, customer service, product design, digital experiences and employee training.

16. Three reasons Why this
matters now more than ever

17. #1. In a connected world, what customers say about
your brand matters more than what you say about it
92%
74%
Of people trust word of mouth
above all other sources of information
(that’s up from 74 percent in 2007)
Source: Nielsen “Global trust in advertising” study, 2011. n=58,000, 56 countries

18. #2. When people talk about
brands, it’s usually based on
personal experiences
83%
Of brand mentions involve
a direct experience
Source: Keller Fay Group’s TalkTrack®, July
Photo: Jessica Grenier 2008 through June 2009, N=159,182

19. #3. The world is becoming transparent
Companies can no longer afford to have
a disconnect between what they say
and what they do. The best way
to ensure that your organization’s
words and deeds match is
to better align brand and
business strategy.

20. What next?
A few thoughts to consider:
1. Claims are still useful, but the best brands
use them tactically, to sell products, not as the
basis for the entire brand strategy
2. Purpose-driven branding requires
commitment. It requires leaders’ involvement
across the business
3. Your purpose does not have to be world
changing, but it does need to be an idea worth
Warning: Do not enter into
caring about, at a minimum a brand purpose exercise with
the intention of treating it as
4. Every organization must find balance just another PR stunt or
between what’s realistic, what’s aspirational, marketing campaign. Effects of
and what’s meaningful to customers such an approach include
consumer backlash, social
media flamers or, worse,
absolutely no change atall.

21. We help our clients find their purpose, articulate it internally and
externally and create the management tools and creative assets
they need to bring it to life. It’s exciting work and we feel privileged
to be able to do it. We are cross-disciplinary brand designers. We
design physical and digital experiences, objects and spaces.
simon Pearce, Founder
Fabric Branding
@simonpearcelive
simon.pearce@fabricbranding.com
www.fabricbranding.com