Copyright 2005 Parker LePla – Integrated Branding and Communicationswww.parkerlepla.com 206.285.5280

Start-up BrandingHow to create a customer-resonating

brand—without the customers!January 23, 2007

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• Currently working with more than 25 clients throughout the U.S.

• Average 10+ years of experience per employee with technology, healthcare, business-to-business and not-for-profits

• Authors of the books Integrated Branding and Brand Driven

About Parker LePla

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A strong brand…

• Gives customers clear emotional and logical reasons to choose you

• Delivers on the brand promise with every customer interaction, including service, marketing, sales, facility design, product design, etc.

• Results in unbreakable customer loyalty

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What are your favorite brands? Why?

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Let’s put these brands to the test

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• It is “the promise you keep” in all customer experiences

• Integrated branding includes

– Messages

– Visual branding

– Tone and manner

– Employee and management actions (across the organization)

What is integrated brand?

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The integrated brand process

Brand discovery

Brand tool agreement

Brand implementation

1

2

3 Customer experience

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The customer experience

The goal of integrated branding is to create a

• consistent

• compelling

• differentiated

. . . customer experience.

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Discovering an organization’s brand

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What customers value—define what’s relevant

Differentiation

Relevance

-

+Antes

Requirements:

The Minimum Expectation

Drivers

Elements that build differentiation

Distinct

Unique with little relevance

Neutrals

Neither relevant or distinctive

Liabilities

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Start-up branding issues

• No customers to interview for what they value

• Often, no product to demo to prospects for feedback

• Branding dependent more on founder vision and market situation, less on customer value

– You decide what unique customer experience to offer

– Still need to conduct market and competitive research

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Launch, test, refine

• Engage all current stakeholders in the initial development of the brand

• Bring in the customer voice as soon as possible

• Build in feedback mechanisms from the very start

• Brand benchmark via report cards

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Delivering the customer experience

Brand tools help your employees deliver this unique customer experience

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Brand tools

• The actionable way you define your promise

• Include: mission, strategic role, principle, personality, values

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Brand tools Tool Used as

Mission Your big goal Ben and Jerry’s operate the company in a way that actively recognizes the central role that business plays in society

Strategic Role Category + ValueHome Depot organizes store around do-it-yourself projects

Principle CompassVolvo introduces safety features before required by law

Personality FaceTarget features sophisticated clothing designers

Values BoundariesTom’s of Maine doesn’t test on animals

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Brand implementation

• Start-up marketing communications

– Company naming

– Product naming

– Taglines

– Logo

• Additional marketing

• Living the brand

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Company naming

• The best is the enemy of good

• The bland is the enemy of the memorable

• The descriptive is the enemy of differentiation

--A good name is memorable and differentiated

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Company naming

• Brand meaning is built into names over time

– No one liked Amazon, Starbucks or Expedia the first time they heard it

• URL availability is now driving naming decisions

• Start from your brand tools, brainstorm options, vet via the internet

• Base selection upon how well it meets your criteria and brand tools, not how well you like it

• The trademark lawyer is your friend

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Some Parker LePla examples

• Talyst

• Sotto

• Whistling Rabbits

• Carbonated Studios

• Zoka Coffee

• Alluvion

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Product naming

• The rules are different for products

• Don’t make the customer confused, have to decode, or work too hard

– Descriptive is often fine

• Don’t name company and product same thing

– Eliminates growth options

– No brand equity transfer route for future products

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Taglines

• Memorable is good• Avoid “ing” taglines; corporate-speak,

too long• Don’t speak from your point of view, but

from your customers• Don’t generalize, but be specific• Great examples:

– You are now free to move about the country

– Don’t leave home without it– Got milk?

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Logos

• Use a professional to create your logo

• Give them your brand concepts to work from

• Expect several directions for you to pick one to refine

• Different is good

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Finally…

• Put a stake in the ground—you can’t be anything to anyone if you’re everything to everybody

• Don’t fear being different—our favorite brands are ones with personality

• Use your brand as a filter for decisions—discipline and dedication will get you far

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Your turn

Q&A