Let's talk branding

In this solo episode I take a deep, therapeutic dive into the fears we have as strategists. I discuss things like the imposter syndrome, niching, T-shaped profiles, and how to cross the valley of despair.  Here are the 7 fears:I'm not good enoughIn over my headImposter syndromeJust be a designerCounter: CLients are happy - Creative recognitionI don't really understandThere are other strategists out there, the big boys, that really do itEvery day new knowledge, frameworks, rebatesTotaly different opinionsBranding and marketing folkI have an inquisitive nature, so I want to get the full thingCounter: Crossing the Mount stupid - Valley of despair - Slope of enlightened - Dunning kruger effectI'm in the wrong marketI work with small brandsThe big brands aren't really my cup of teaFMCG space - vs B2B space?Counter: Seeing what works across markets is really interesting, ads breadthI'm a jack of all tradesCan you really be a strategist and designerCan you really understand the full scope of marketing branding?Counter: T-shapedIt doesn't really matterIn execution, things happen the way they happenLot's of research just floating around in space, no trajectoryIt's the excessive stuff that gets you thereI'm doing this for meI want to sound smart, ego talkingJust get down to workTaking the time to take a step back has valueI'm learning from the wrong peopleMaybe my heroes are wrong? This episode is sponsored by Latana, the AI-powered brand tracking tool.If you are interested in the brand strategy research course mentioned in the show, go check out the course here and get a free chapter.  Subscribe to the newsletter here to stay updated on new courses and products. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode, I talk with a personal hero, Paul Feldwick. Paul is the author of game-changing books 'The anatomy of Humbug' and 'Why does the pedlar sing?'. His views on advertising and brand-building are truly unique. The power of 'fame' and entertainment is something that is often ignored in a world where we want to do 'serious' stuff. Paul brings us back to the true origins of branding, the circus. Paul's websiteThis episode is sponsored by Latana, the AI-powered brand tracking tool.If you are interested in the brand strategy research course mentioned in the show, go check out the course here and get a free chapter.  Subscribe to the newsletter here to stay updated on new courses and products. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode, we talk about brand tracking & research with Brandon Shockley, Vice President Market Research at 160over90. We take a deep dive into brand tracking and the metrics that matter. As a little bonus, I also have a mini-interview with Angelay Mullins, CMO at Latana, a brand-tracking tool.Brandon on LinkedIn or Twitter160over90This episode is sponsored by Latana, the AI-powered brand tracking tool.If you're interested in learning more about brand strategy research, check out my latest course here. Use PODCASTLTB and get a 20% discount.    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode, I talk with author and market researcher Jon Cohen. We take a deep dive into the world of 'asking'. What can we learn from talking to consumers? What are the dangers? When is a good time to ask and what makes for a good question? Find out in this interview! Show notesJon on TwitterJon's book 'Asking for trouble'If you are interested in the brand strategy research course mentioned in the show, go check out the course here and get a free chapter.  Subscribe to the newsletter here to stay updated on new courses and products. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode, I talk with Margaret Kerr-Jarrett. Margaret is a writer and strategist. We talk about verbal identity, what it is, how to create it and how to make sure it matches with visual identity. Margaret Kerr-Jarrett is a writer and strategist who partners with companies and brand & design studios to craft verbal identity, brand voice, and messaging for global clients.Her commercial and personal work has been featured in Its Nice That!, Communication Arts, Bezalel School of Arts & Design, HEAPS Magazine, Apricity Press, and elsewhere.Connect with Margaret on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretkerrjarrett/) or on her website www.margaretkj.comIf you're interested in the new course on brand strategy, visit letstalkbranding.com and sign up to the newsletter. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode, I talk about the brand audit. What it is, why it's valuable and how I approach it.  Show notesThe Twitter thread that started itVisit letstalkbranding.com to subscribe to the newsletterAssess the brand both internally and externally, which means:InternallyLooking at the current brand strategy, if one existsUnderstanding how the brand management team works, if there is any, where does the brand live in the organization? Who is responsible? What are the KPIs related to the brand?Looking at the current insights around consumer and category: what do they know about their customers? About the perception and reputation? About the competitorsLooking at the marketing funnel: how does the organization structure its marketing efforts? What channels are used? What channels aren't? Why? How does that affect brand awareness?Legal protectionExternallyActually looking at competitive space and seeing how the brand is positioned, but also visually distinctiveHere's the Notion template I was talking about Share of searchLooking at the consumer and trying to understand their specific views of the category, of the company, etc...Looking at the visual identity both internally and externally, how consistent is the style applied? What are the main distinctive assets? How do they hold up against competitors? What are the current brand guidelines and how do they hold up against the actual living brand?Looking at the verbal identity, the messaging: what is the tone-of-voice? Is it consistent? What are the key messages? Do they match the underlying business strategy and brand strategy?After a thorough analysis of all these aspects, I usually also include a bunch of recommendations, very often these can very specific but also top-levelfor example in a lot of organizations, marketing is mostly focussed on in-market buyers, on conversion. This is an evolution we have seen in a lot of organizations. Digital is more easily measurable so very often a lot more popular. In this case, recommendations around 'brand-building and the KPI's involved such as salience, fame, etc... can be very valuable to the organizationThe work of Les Binet & Field is very interesting in this area, but also a lot of the work from the EB institute is crucial to show a different perspective on marketingit's also very often about giving the brand team some solid, externally validated fuel they can use to get more resources internally to build the brandso work with the team - don't be opposed, make sure you truly understand their frustrations. I usually do a bunch of interviews with different people involved on the brand levelobviously, very often, there can be a follow-up project if the conclusion is that the brand is not distinctive enough, the messaging is not aligned, etc... BUT. In the brand audit phase, it's not about lining up a sale, I try to detach myself from any pure execution ideas and give recommendations that can be solved in different waysSo no: 'your brand sucks - let me fix it' conclusionsthe service and value is in the assessment - if you take this seriousAnother interesting follow-up can be setting up a baseline measurement for things like awareness, distinctive assets uniqueness (the grid) - so the brand team can keep working and measure those KPIs along the way.Five questions from JWTWhere are we today?Why are we here?Where might we be?How do we get there?Are we getting there? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode, I talk with Ian Barnard, a marketer from Canada that specializes in SMEs and non-profit organizations. We take a deep dive into measuring awareness and salience. What tools and techniques to use, what to be mindful of, and a lot more. It's a great hands-on episode so I think you'll enjoy it! Ian on Twitter If you're interested in the brand strategy research course, please subscribe here.     This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode, I have a chat with Haris Spahic, founder of Constellate strategy, a strategy consultant focused on startups. We have a conversation about differentiation, loyalty, complexity, and how to apply all of that for startups. It's a slightly new type of format, where I and the guest are challenging each other instead of me just 'interviewing' the guest.  Connect with Haris on Twitter and InstagramIf you're interested in having a conversation like this; shoot me an email at hello@letstalkbranding.be with your specific question and I'll get back to you. Subscribe to the newsletter here: https://www.letstalkbranding.be/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode, I talk with James Hankins, Consulting Strategist, and Founder @ Vizer Consulting. James has had a busy year, coining (together with Les Binet) concepts like Share of search and the Hankins Hexagon. We get into the weeds of Share of search and how to apply it to your brand. Some interesting links:James on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jcphankinsOn share of search: https://www.contagious.com/news-and-views/share-of-search-the-new-most-important-metric-for-brands-googleFree tool to measure: Google trendsPaid tool to measure more exactly: https://mytelescope.io/Hankins Hexagon: https://www.marketingweek.com/forget-funnels-new-model-path-to-purchase/Hankins Hexagon by Dan White: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danwhite1000_marketing-media-advertising-activity-6783297596300505088-CQkR/That's it! If you'd like to watch the Youtube version, go here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPKxzVyOVf_KxS2Ep1LcJogSubscribe to the newsletter here: https://www.letstalkbranding.be/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode, we're talking with Samuel Brealey, a marketing consultant based in the UK. We talk about how to help small businesses make more money with marketing. How to build a brand on a budget and a lot more. Samuel has a very pragmatic and 'real' approach to marketing that I really admire. Check out Samuel on Twitter, we're he is always sharing his knowledgeSamuel's website This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com