3 and a half qualities for bold brand efficacy
Times are terrible? Times are terrific!
Sure, it's fast, it's unpredictable, it's insecure, it's now.
And it might get even worse now now.
But it doesn‘t really matter. It's like complaining about the weather.
We can't neglect two weeks of rain or summer heat. But we can try not to get absorbed by it.
Closely observe the outside aka economy, industry, society. And know your fields of impact in the inside aka product innovation, organization mission, communication.
Branding is always about the relationship, the conversation between the outside – the clients, the industry – and the inside – people – of an organization. And how we can improve, deepen and strengthen this connection.
Brand Efficacy is nothing less than the accuracy of achievement.
Efficacy doesn't care about your input. But it does care a lot about the boldness in your goals.
1. 20x your destination with a COMPELLING MISSION
Brand Workers need to have an inspiring end in mind: know who they are and what makes them special as a collective. Now is NOT the time to move fast, quick and hectic. Being busy being busy. Too much money and ressources got wasted like this already. Its all about more joyful movements towards the right direction. Less of those „if only the economy would get better soon“-fantasies. More of "#wtf we like it - let's do it".
2. make CALM MOVEMENTS
Efficacious Branding is the collective intelligence of all brand workers. When outer circumstances are getting crazy its not like a cat chasing a birds nest but an incredibly intelligent swarm of birds who know what to do.
Now is the time where precise, strong, clear movements with an inspiring end in mind are those which count more than ever before. No more buzzing around loosing a lot of energy without any effect. Knowing the efforts of preparation for that status and trust into the process of developing such skills together as a team.
3. nurture CURIOUS MINDS
It happens that branding teams get bored after a while and therefor think its time to change creative. And most probably they are right – because when the team is bored the outcome is boring too.
And changing the people on the team or the agency can help. But it also means loosing all the knowledge of the workforce that was built over these sunny and these rainy days (which might be even a more efficacious knowledge than the one only from the bright shiny times).
Happy teams keep their work full of NOVELTY and trying new media, places and add new spins on old favorites. In fact, those new spins with high current relevancy for people yet repeating the good old brand essence is what keeps brands alive and teams happy for a long time.
3.5
No, there are no shortcuts. Look-a-likes and wanna-bes are called like that for a reason. Not because it is admired. Earning a great reputation in your audience's gut feeling is hard work. If it was easy - everybody would do it.
A brand who shows a very good relationship with its ecosystem around is DIA:Beacon.
Not only that they created this amazing place which makes this world a more beautiful place - it clearly shows its mission in every touchpoint, the talks with the nice staff and makes me feel they know exactly where they are going to and whom they want to corporate with in the future. I like their minimalistic sense of humor too:
Stay happy.
jee