Nowadays, in an ocean of Marketing gurus, Brand evangelists and Digital influencers, it is getting increasingly difficult for businesses to get past the noise and make their own music. A music built on reiterations of notes such as comprehensive research, reasoned debate, SMART objectives, suitable strategies, adapted tactics, timely implementation, measurable results and continuous improvement.

Dazzled by numbers, pressured by investors and key stakeholders or increasingly worried not to lose track of the market trends, brands often feel compelled to minimize risk by taking the same action path as their competitors and expect a similar outcome from these efforts, if not more. All this, unfortunately, with little reflection on whether this course of action brings added value to their clients or helps the brand get ahead of the game on the long run. Such “trends mimicking” comes at a hefty price: a rapid budget expenditure (as opposed to investment), frustration from not being able to perform as well as the “industry benchmarks” and a high likelihood of general disappointment and disengagement within the teams involved in the operationalization phase.

Surely, at some point, all brands want to be at least followers, if not market leaders, and it’s only natural to pursue this and adapt the Marketing, Communications and Branding efforts accordingly. But, most of the times, the true long term growth recipe lies with the competitive advantage a brand brings, as well as its ability to stand out from the plethora of competitors and deliver a unique and relevant Value Proposition to its clients.

So, before jumping into this game of high bidders and chasing results on various channels just because “everybody does it”, there are a few points every brand needs to reflect upon. What is your DNA? What are your values? What is your brand proposal? What do you do differently than you competitors that makes you stand out? Who are your customers? What’s in it for them? Do you have the resources to reach, inform or educate, and convince them? What does the Customer Experience you have shaped look like? And, most importantly, will this (strategy, tactics, channel, campaign) bring you any closer to capturing your brand essence or delivering your brand promise?

We, at BRANDITIZE, encourage brands to be different and unique, whether it’s start-ups just entering the market, or established brands interested in reinventing their growth formula. Because we truly believe a brand’s power comes from within, we prioritize the brand optimization process for which we assess, focus on and leverage its existing resources, experience and know-how. We then start building on these foundations, by using our expertise and creativity, to deliver results that support sustainable business growth, without cutting corners.

In this highly competitive world of glittering promises and lookalike approaches, dare to be the ugly duckling and let everyone know it.

The BRANDITIZERS