by Brian H Meredith
Our mum’s told us to look after the pennies and the pounds would take care of themselves. I think they were wrong, actually, but they were undoubtedly well intentioned. However, in a truly market oriented business, this general principle should lead to a much more significant spin off – yes, DO sweat the small stuff. And here’s why.
Every one of us is a Brand. And every business, organisation or any other kind of entity is a Brand.
And a Brand is nothing more complex than that place where the relationship exists with our stakeholders – customers, prospects, staff, suppliers, competitors and the rest.
That relationship, as with all relationships in life, has just one raw material – behaviours. A relationship is the sum total of every tiny behaviour in which the Brand engages. And the outcome of each of those behaviours on the brand is positive or negative. Never neutral.
So, imagine that you have just spent a significant sum of money on developing a new visual identity for your Brand which you have based on an extensive Brand Development Strategy that defines who and what you want your Brand and its values, characteristics and personality to be and what you want it to mean to your targets.
Now, have you also developed a programme to ensure that every tiny behaviour in which your newly refreshed and re-launched brand engages is totally consistent with those values? Those characteristics? That personality?
Or are you just looking fab in your new gear at the front door whilst everything else beyond the door is largely left to chance?
Do you know what you want your brand to sound like? And does it?
Do you know what you want your Brand to feel like? And does it?
Do you know how you want your Brand to behave at every touchpoint with customers? And does it?
Is your customer’s total brand experience absolutely consistent with your expensively developed Strategy? And do you even know?
If the answer to these questions is “yes” you are on the road to fame & fortune.
And if it’s “no” you need to address that issue right now as failure to do so will take bricks out of your Brand wall until, eventually, the wall will fracture and then collapse.
And that’s not a good look, now is it?
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