I’ve worked with brands all over the world, helping companies both big and small – and in most industries. But if you should require a brand consultant, remember that industry experience is overrated. In fact, deep industry experience often leads to the same messaging as your competitors.
Choose a consultant based on his/her ability to examine human behavior so the right emotional message is delivered. One that’s different and better than your competition so you present yourself as a true choice.
Here’s a smattering of clients for which I have led branding efforts.
eDesign Interactive
I serve as the Senior Brand Strategist for this web design firm as a consultant, bringing brand strategy to the sites eDesign creates. Website strategy isn’t all the different than brand strategy. It’s still about creating preference. And telling a compelling story that produces greater engagement and action.
How it’s done is explained in this piece I wrote for eDesign. But here are just few of their projects that started with my brand strategy:
Fastmail is an alternative email provider to the big tech companies such as Gmail. The central idea came from understanding the emotional triggers of audiences. In the context of email, the most intensive emotional trigger was simply, “Why should I care about my email?’
To overcome that inertia, we made it personal. It’s email that you own. It’s yours. You can customize it the way you want, get more productivity out of it and prevent providers from selling your information. “Make Email Yours” became the brand theme, with the story told throughout the website.
Sekure Merchants is a payments solutions provider for small to middle-sized businesses, such as restaurants, retailers and many others. It needed a complete rebrand because, like most companies, they were lost in a competitive field where all the players have similar products and benefits.
The competitors go deep into the little advantages and technology of their products. Yet, those business owners don’t even want to think about their POS systems and back office. They just want it to work.
The story and rebrand of Sekure was that, with us, there’s “No Worries Here.” eDesign created the look and feel of the site – and were guided by the idea of optimism, represented by its brand equity of the hummingbird. As I wrote for the site:
“In legend, many believed the hummingbird was the sun in disguise. Its arrival signifies that stressful times are over, bringing news of light, optimism and a joyful future.”
And here is a snapshot of my rebranding efforts, leading teams that created brand positioning, messaging and, often, a new look and feel.
ProAssurance
A medical malpractice insurance company where the highest emotional intensity among medical professionals was fairness. It wasn’t about whether to settle or not – which is what the competition promises. It was about ensuring they were treated fairly because that’s the goal for medical professionals too.
GlenGuard
A division of Glen Raven, GlenGuard manufactures protective garments for the oil & gas, utilities and manufacturing industries. We found that competitors were addressing the wrong audience (the end user) instead of safety managers, who are the decision makers. Those safety managers were most concerned with compliance. Making sure workers wore them. We could then tell the story about how GlenGuard’s garments will be the ones your workers will want to wear.
State Bank of India California
A subsidiary of one of the world’s largest banks, SBIC used our services to address an Indian population that was ignoring the bank. Based on quantitative research, he developed brand messaging that gave credit to that audience for using its experience as Indians to make the right choice.
Integra LifeSciences
The medical devices manufacturer became a larger player once we found that its audiences were looking for tools that limit uncertainty. Because limiting uncertainty is what surgeons do every day.
Biscuitville
The fast food chain relied on our expertise to position itself as offering true Southern food, making it stand out as something different – and coveted – when living or visiting the South. Or when you’re tired of the usual.
