Turning Challengers into Empowered Challengers Through Brand Articulation
Becoming an empowered challenger brand requires...a brand.
Yeah, yeah, sounds obvious. But you’d be shocked how many people come to us for marketing thinking they already have a brand.
“We just need a tagline and we’ll start moving product.”
Branding is critical to internal alignment too. If you ask three different employees about where they work – your company — you’d think they work in three different industries.
YOU NEED A NORTH STAR.
When asked, “What’s your key differentiator?” people list features and benefits. “Brown thingies that keep doors ajar.” Guess what? The guy down the street is selling the same thing.
So, “What’s your why?”
And don’t say, “We’re passionate about doorstops.” Or “It’s all about relationships.” Barf.
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> We make doorstops to inspire companies to lead with an ‘open-door’ policy.
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> We make biodegradable doorstops so you don’t have to worry about the carbon footprint police.
WIN HEARTS & MINDS.
It’s the intangible reason that your doorstops blow your hair back – an emotional lever that fortifies the important-but-rational levers and will resonate with consumers.
And when you win hearts and minds, you win wallets. Or Likes. Or whatever your conversion metric may be.
So, until you’re positioned, you can forget about advocates that ‘get you’, that can represent or refer you – that can articulate why they’d choose your doorstop, every time.
The best brands have loyalists, but loyalty is a mercurial and fleeting attribute. Great brand positioning wins loyalty.
Let’s build yours together.
Door No. 3's client, Cirrus Logic. Named Best Place to Work too many times to count.
PROCESS:
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> 3rd Party POV
Unearthing, comparing, contrasting, analyzing. We’ll talk to key stakeholders, employees, investors, clients – happy and not-so-happy. We prepare a discussion guide and interview questions to make sure we’re hitting the high points but allow conversations to be organic as the veering off is where we typically get the good stuff.
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> Competitive Analysis
We’ll size up the competition – secret shopping if we have to. We look at how the competition is messaging – where and to whom, their look and feel, what technology they're using. We compare and contrast key branding elements and marketing tactics to rank competitors, and see who we need to take out.
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> Audience, Industry and Market Analyses
We’ll glean insights from those who are in your trenches and on your front lines. From focus groups to segmentation studies, online surveys and website coding statistics, we go Thoreau and lead an examined life.
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> SWOT Analysis
We’ll pull back the kimono and reveal the good, the bad and the unexpected. We’ll help you see your company, product and people from all angles. The research will help us derive to your best essence; your best narrative.
“Door No. 3 changed the trajectory of our company. We originally came to them for a new campaign. What we got was the perfect mix of creative storytelling and brand positioning. The brand mantra that they created for Mighty Swell has completely reenergized our company.”
— Jason Bronstad, Mighty Swell President
Deliverables
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> Positioning Statement
Simply put (but not so simple to uncover and craft) your brand positioning answers: What does company X offer, that its competition does not, that its customers want and need?
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> Belief Statements
Back it up. Your positioning statement is your true north: foundational to all messaging and creative. It’s the lead vocalist, but it needs backup singers. These reasons to believe offer context and perspectives to reinforce the brand.
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> Elevator Speech
If your staff can’t say what you do before the doors open on the 5th floor, you’re screwed. These are your brand ambassadors and they must be aligned, and armed with your what - and your why.
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> Brand Mantra
If the elevator speech is the conversational first impression, the mantra is a rallying cry. It’s a flag in the ground that awakens and invigorates both internal and external audiences.
Rolling your eyes or nodding your head?
If rolling eyes, invite three staff members to each write their elevator speech on a scrap of paper. Three different answers? Our Brand Positioning exercise is for you. Nodding your head? Same thing.
Good news. You have everything you need to get started. Stakeholders, competition, employees, a product or service - and Door No. 3. We can take what you’ve got, and in 8-10 weeks, prepare you to become an Empowered Challenger.
