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Hello! I so enjoyed being at Rock the World with all of you and decided to share notes and ideas of what we discussed about Branding and especially how PixInk's BrandSpark(TM) Process is manifesting itself the branding project that PixInk is working on for Savor the Success!
A BIG Thank you to all of you who participated at my expert roundtable and asked great questions and especially Eva Thomas & Oni-Bodi who allowed me to share a great packaging case-study with all of you!
So first, very simply - What is Brand/Branding?
A brand is an idea about your product or service that lives in the heart & mind of your customer. All of you entrepreneurs I know have the start of a strong brand..but what do you do to differentiate/ make it truly yours? What you want to be is a charismatic brand... that’s one that people believe have NO substitute. What's Branding? Branding is the art and science of bringing a brand into the world and helping it thrive..its the sum total of your offering, your visual identity, your communication & packaging and your customer relationships. eg: Brands that gets branding right? Virgin. Apple. Oprah. Madonna and I’m going to add Savor the Success to this list :)
Top 3 things to remember while branding your company?
1. Have an AWESOME product that delivers high value:
Savor the Success got a a lot of things right right from the get go - they came into the the social network market at the time when it was the big trend..but took it a step further by making it a Niche Social Network - focused towards boosting visibility for women entrepreneurs combining the best of web 2.0 tools to make connecting with the right people easier, efficient and a lot more fun! Then they pack real punch into the network’s core offering... Premium Membership - by using smart technology to generate OneSheets, Electronic Press Kits, allow members to advertise using Profile Banners & by making things like media lists, high-perfomance coaching sessions, publicity training super affordable thru economies of scale with all of us women entrepreneurs banding together...
2. Build on your CORE VALUES:
As a brand you need to establish trust with your customer. So the first thing I did with Marc & Angela is to put together a list of words that describes Savor’s core values...what the brand stands for in your minds..some of the values we wanted reflected in the branding were Genuine, Creative, Business Focused, Inviting & Classy.
Who is your audience? Savor ladies are spunky, sassy and smart.
What’s the price point at which your brand is entering the market place? Are you priced at $30, $300, $3000? I’m constantly amazed at how brands enter the marketplace with a $300 price point but a really crappy website or bad packaging..how do they expect the customer to believe their product is worth it? How do you compete in a noisy marketplace?Investing in your brand right up front will give you the most payoff long term (and the ability to increase prices w/o losing your customers)
Then we the played a Brand association game..if Savor was a car, Angela says it would be a:red hybrid Lamborghini..if Savor was a TV channel it would be:Bravo. if Savor was a music genre, it would be: Classical Jazz..Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald. And this one was fun (we asked the audience) - if Savor was a beverage..the Rock the World-ers said t would be : Champagne, Martini, Cosmo, Tea...a Cocktail!!
We then compiled a Moodboard from all these influences to create a brand language for Savor - the PM brochure is a great example of how PixInk translated those core values into a brand identity - Genuine, (with black and white photographs of premium members who share their savor experience), Creative ( use of the watercolor motifs, use of icons that tell a story), Business Focused & Inviting (content and copy writing)..
3. Now that we’ve identified what your brand stands for we focus on creating an ENGAGING BRANDED EXPERIENCE for the customer at every touch point - Engage them - right from the time you hand over your biz card or welcome someone at your website or on a shelf at retail: Virgin & Apple are great examples of this. Infact, I’ve never paid attn to the InFlight Safety Procedure Video till Virgin America came out with its version! It important to cultivate and nurture your brand as it grows and that's why I say branding your business is like raising your kids.. you cannot start paying attention to them suddenly when they turn 20! And I give Angela & Marc, as founders the credit for constantly wanting to improve and nurture the Savor the Success brand from its infancy. I'm thrilled about the opportunity to partner with Savor to build a charismatic brand!
Want to know how to make your business a charismatic brand? PixInk offers Brand & Design packages for every step of your business cycle. For $79 book your 40 min BRAND-AID SESSION with me: ayesha@pixink.info
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Ayesha Mathews~Wadhwa
Chapter Lead, Savor the Success
San Franciso Bay Area
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Chief Pixel Bender, PixInk
Design | Web & Print
ayesha@pixink.info
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