The Most Important Consideration in Building a Well-Distilled Brand

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05/22/20 • 41 min

Hi, and thanks for checking out episode three of Kill the Ad Man. Quick question for you: What is the most important consideration in building a well-distilled brand? Is it a logo? A vision statement? Maybe the brand story?

All of these are important considerations in the big picture that makes up a brand. But the most important component of building a well-distilled brand is... People! Seems really obvious, right? Brands are a function of communication, and communication is always about people. And this is why the term P2P marketing, or person-to-person marketing, has gained traction in the last few years.

So what is different about P2P marketing and communication? How can it be effectively translated for both B2C and B2B brands? How can brands win the minds AND hearts of people to not only win business, but build loyalty? And which companies are doing this successfully?

In this episode, we examine what P2P branding is, why it’s important for B2C and B2B marketers and brand owners, what some strategies are to implement it in marketing and communications plans and we’ll have a look at some examples of who’s doing it really, REALLY well. Because big or small, brands of all sizes are embracing P2P and winning.

Have feedback or a comment to make? Visit http://killtheadman.com and drop us a note on our contact page. Think we’re full of it? Completely agree? Fall somewhere in between? We’d be happy to hear from you.

If you want to learn more about what we do at Rebox – a B2B Brand Distillery, visit us at http://wearerebox.com

Thanks for listening!

Cheers,

Kevin M. and Mr. Rob

This Episode’s Takeaways

· P2P isn’t going away anytime soon.

· P2P is about winning the minds AND hearts of the customer.

· You need to understand your brand story and why it matters to the customer.

· TELL YOUR STORY TO THE WORLD in a way that connects with people.

Sources:

Apple, "Misunderstood": https://youtu.be/v76f6KPSJ2w

HP “The Wolf”: https://youtu.be/ZUP4ib5FzGs

Caterpillar “Stack”: https://youtu.be/DWc8dUl7Xfo

GE “Apollo 11 Story” https://youtu.be/D9fsQkjUNrQ

GE “What’s the Matter with Owen” https://youtu.be/wJZHXfcNZBU

GE “The Boy Who Beeps” https://youtu.be/MG2cMVch48k

GE “One More Giant Leap” https://youtu.be/mpi0NaNcUeY

Quickthree Case Study http://wearerebox.com/portfolio/making-a-stand-up-product-stand-out/

Sitar & Milczarek Case Study http://wearerebox.com/portfolio/like-part-of-the-family/

Blendtec “Will it Blend” https://youtu.be/bFkYKKVuGbk

Google “From Promotion to Emotion: Connecting B2B Customers to Brands” https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/promotion-emotion-b2b/

Harvard Study “The B2B Elements of Vale” https://hbr.org/2018/03/the-b2b-elements-of-value

If you want to learn more about what we do at Rebox – a B2B Brand Distillery, visit us at http://wearerebox.com

Thanks for listening!

Cheers,

Kevin M. and Mr. Rob

This Episode’s Takeaways

· P2P isn’t going away anytime soon.

· P2P is about winning the minds AND hearts of the customer.

· You need to understand your brand story and why it matters to the customer.

· TELL YOUR STORY TO THE WORLD in a way that connects with people.

Sources:

Apple, "Misunderstood": https://youtu.be/v76f6KPSJ2w

HP “The Wolf”: https://youtu.be/ZUP4ib5FzGs

Caterpillar “Stack”: https://youtu.be/DWc8dUl7Xfo

GE “Apollo 11 Story” https://youtu.be/D9fsQkjUNrQ

GE “What’s the Matter with Owen” https://youtu.be/wJZHXfcNZBU

GE “The Boy Who Beeps” https://youtu.be/MG2cMVch48k

GE “One More Giant Leap” https://youtu.be/mpi0NaNcUeY

Quickthree Case Study http://wearerebox.com/portfolio/making-a-stand-up-product-stand-out/

Sitar & Milczarek Case Study http://wearerebox.com/portfolio/like-part-of-the-family/

Blendtec “Will it Blend” https://youtu.be/bFkYKKVuGbk

Google “From Promotion to Emotion: Connecting B2B Customers to Brands” https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/promotion-emotion-b2b/

Harvard Study “The B2B Elements of Vale” https://hbr.org/2018/03/the-b2b-elements-of-value

Previous Episode

It's the End of the World As We Know It Again… Again.

Hi. Welcome to episode 2 of Kill the Ad Man. It’s kind of a 2nd part to our first episode “It’s the End of the World as We Know It... Again”. We’re going to look into the recent past to see how other brands have handled the kinds of crisis that are thrust upon them... and ones of their own making. This isn’t an episode about crisis management or public relations. But it is instructive for marketers and brand owners to pick up a couple examples of what to do, and what not to do.

Rob starts by discussing how a recent Rebox client needed to change their name after an unknown terrorist group in the Middle East gained a lot more notoriety using the same name. This demonstrates the value of perception of brands in the world, no matter how big they are.

Kevin talks about the recent (and so far, alleged) revelations that Johnson & Johnson baby powder may have been contaminated with asbestos, and how long the company has known about it. How they’ve responded to it resembles another industries response to adverse health claims. How does this response reflect on the brand in the eye of the consumer?

Rob notes the difference between Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder response to another crisis one of their brands faced in the early 1980s. The Tylenol cyanide poisoning crisis in Chicago is cited as a textbook example of how a brand can respond to a crisis. The short-term pain of their actions was paid with enormous benefits in the future.

BP and Deepwater Horizon are discussed, 10 years after the accident. BP’s brand change from British Petroleum to Beyond Petroleum is noted and we talk about how that idea is destroyed by what happens in 2010. We talk about how B2B actions resolve in consumer response.

We close with Big Chief Beef Jerky, a Rebox client who underwent a rebranding with the associated visual identity change to respond to changing consumer perception of their brand. What was acceptable 40 years ago isn’t culturally appropriate today, and Big Chief engaged with the public and First Nations group, investing the time and money into rebranding.

This episode’s lessons: being true to your brand and who you are is going to inform the steps you’re going to take. Your brand needs to work with deliberate intention to work to control its perception in the marketplace.

Rob gives us our first Rebox Rant, telling brands to put their money where their mouth is.

Thanks for checking out the second episode of Kill the Ad Man. Have feedback or a comment to make? Visit http://killtheadman.com and drop us a note on our contact page. Think we’re full of it? Completely agree? Fall somewhere in between? We’d be happy to hear from you.

If you want to learn more about what we do at Rebox – a B2B Brand Distillery, visit us at http://wearerebox.com

Thanks for listening! We look forward to getting Episode 3 out very soon.

Cheers,

Kevin M. and Mr. Rob

If you want to read a bit more about some of the brands in today’s episode, please check out the Episode 2 page at http://killtheadman.com/episode-002/

Next Episode

Keeping it Clean and Clear: Maintaining Consistency Across the Brand

Hi, and thanks for checking out episode four of Kill the Ad Man. When we hear the words ‘brand consistency,’ it’s pretty easy to think of proper use of logos and fonts, colours and images. But brand consistency extends to every touchpoint a company has. And we mean EVERY touchpoint. From answering the phone to your business card to your website to your thank you cards, your brand and everyone who has ownership of it (ie. everyone in your company) must speak the same language, the same voice.

The Tower of Babel myth holds a pretty instructive lesson for brand owners and marketers: when everyone speaks the same language, incredible things are possible—think of what heights can be reached when everything is pulling in the same direction! But the flip side of the myth is also relevant: disaster looms when that unity of voice is broken.

It’s also important that a brand is presented consistently to create recognition in the marketplace. Brands need to own a space in the minds and hearts of their audience. With a well-distilled and consistently delivered brand, companies are able to generate enormous value, growth and loyalty. And yes, there’s data that supports this!

We share some big picture things that brand owners and marketers can do to help ensure a brand is delivered consistently, and we have some really great examples of companies that have owned their markets by adhering to the Four Commandments of Brand Consistency.

Still think brand consistency is about just the visuals? We hope you’ll see it’s about a whole lot more.

Have feedback or a comment to make? Drop us a note! Think we're full of it? Completely agree? Fall somewhere in between? We'd be happy to hear from you.

If you've got some value from this episode, share it with one person in your network. We are really passionate about building well-distilled and consistently delivered brands, and we can't do it alone.

If you want to learn more about what we do at Rebox - a B2B Brand Distillery, visit us at WeAreRebox.com.

Thanks for listening and cheers!
Kevin M. & Mr. Rob
This Episode's Takeaways

Know Thy Brand
For companies of any size: Be Consistent. It's easy to do and may feel boring at times, but it's critical to building a presence in the market.
A brand standard isn't just a visual identity guide, it's a reference tool for your people to go to whenever there's a question. It includes the visual parts, but it holds the bigger picture as well.
Make it easy to be "on brand." Empower your people to live the brand as well, and take the guesswork out of delivery on your brand.

This Episode's Sources and Resources