Differentiate your brandMike Pounsford, CouravelOctavia Wolton, Hay Group
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 2DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Goals► Learn from collective experience
► Share issues, lessons, experience
► Specifically
– Outline/recap/explore what a strong brand is and the benefits it delivers, especially for Professional Service Firms
– Look at examples of strengthening brands and delivering them, with particular attention to the engagement of key stakeholders and all staff
– Discuss key issues of concern to participants here today
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 3DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
AgendaIntroductions
The benefits of strong branding
Taking our place on the global stage
Living the brand
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 4DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
IntroductionsBrand challenges
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 5DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
What makes a strong brand?
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Ensures efficient and effective marketing which in turn produces more real sales opportunities
Makes the client’s selection process more manageable by providing clarity of offering among the multitude of firms and the services that abound
Acts as a virtual ambassador reaching new clients globally and through many channels
Achieves consistency between external and internal messages. Shapes and drives corporate strategy by defining which initiatives fit and which do not
Is built from the core values of the people who comprise the firm and imparts a shared sense of mission internally
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A strong professional services brand:
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MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 7DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
The benefits of strong branding?
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The benefits of branding
Source: Yankelovich, Clancy & Shulman Corporate Reputation Study
Reputation of Company
Rewards Weak Strong
Very likely to buy company’s products 18% 58%
Very likely to sell your own business to company 19% 61%
Very likely to recommend company for employment 10% 67%
Very likely to turn to company for credible information 22% 61%
Amount would invest in company $10,560 $22,940
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 9DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Systems integration firms Strategy firms Operational firms
Big Four firms Specialist firms HR consulting firms
Source: ‘Overview of the consulting industry in 2011’ sourceforconsulting.com
Oct
-08
Jan-
09
Apr-
09
Jul-0
9
Nov
-09
Feb-
10
May
-10
Sep-
10
Dec
-10
Mar
-11
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
The consulting industry 2011: where does the money go
17%
16%
10%28%
17%
12%
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 10DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Awareness Preference
Impact on business development
Median number of days to close a sale
32% improvement
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Unaided 46
Aided 67
Median number of days to close a sale
40% improvement
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Prefer IBM 34
Prefer Other 56
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 11DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Taking our place on the global stageThe Hay Group story
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Where our journey startedBack in 2004… we had a strategic vision. We wanted to:
► drive consistently profitable revenue growth
► double in size within seven years, increasing our global reach
By doing this we hoped to position ourselves as...
‘the dominant provider of services to the board when it comes to realizing their strategy through their people…’
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 13DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
What was stopping us
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Plotting the path forward► The brand strategy project identified some core values and a distinctive culture which
had driven our past success.
► From these, we developed a brand promise which was based in truth and clarified our aspirations.
► We could then use these to:
– reinforce business and strategic goals
– inspire and unify employees
– emphasize the benefits clients get from our expertise (vs. the expertise itself)
– resonate with our target audiences
– work across all businesses and geographies.
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 15DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Our brand valuesOur core promise
Helping organizations work
Insightful We look for things others don’t
CourageousWe make clear recommendations with a confident voice
CommittedPassionate about people and solutions
A new brand promise and values
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 16DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Insightful
CourageousWe make clear recommendations with a confident voice; we are bold and bright
Insightful
We see things others don’t; we are perceptive and intelligent
We are passionate about people and solutions; we are involved and approachable
Evolving our brand expression
IS IT:
perceptive
intelligent
bold
bright
involved
approachable
If you can tick four out of six boxes you are on brand
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 17DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Photography and fonts
These helped us to define a new brand tool kit
Colours
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The use of ‘expressive typography’ allowed us to add
flair, wit and strong messaging
We introduced distinctive design elements
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We formulated a new tone of voiceOur content: insight and intellectual rigor► Consider your audience, demonstrate that you are aware of their concerns and tune your
message accordingly► Be clear, think about what your reader really wants to know and avoid too much detail► Don’t just list statistics, interpret them
Our stance: we are committed to our customers’ business ► Show some empathy, can you write something more simply without losing meaning?► Accentuate the positive, suggest ways forward, workarounds and solutions► Don’t blind with science, statistics and jargon should be avoided
Our style: conveys our courage as an organization► Draw some conclusions and express and opinion, don’t just list figures or cite examples► Use the active not the passive voice when writing technical documents► Avoid lazy language for example, ‘recently,’ ‘next week’ and ‘last month’
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 20DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
We helped reduce Reuters’ annual expenditure by over £1m through redesigning the upper management tiers within its editorial operations.
© 2008 Hay Group. All rights reserved
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 21DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
We overhauled our thought leadership
Reflects key issues of concern for our clients and their industries
Is communicated in a variety of formats and media: whitepapers, thought pieces, supplements, email and digital newsletters
Is centrally produced and coordinated
Reflects Hay Group’s global themes
Reflected Hay Group’s internal structure
Was largely communicated through whitepapers
Was developed on an ad hoc basis by those consultants who had the time and the inclination
Covered diffuse topics
In 2009 our thought leadership…In 2007 our thought leadership…
Is aligned across our practices and is on brand Was not aligned across the practices
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2007 and 2008: a focused implementation programTools and templatesNew brand guidelines
Global marketing site on global gateway
PPT amnesty (334 legacy presentations)
Information videos, FAQs
New Centre for Learning templates
Revised PowerPoint templates
Hay Group Connected newsletter
Brand posters for offices
Brand engagementBillion dollar behaviors communications program
An all staff brand book
All staff survey
An all staff calendar
Branded wallpapers and screensavers planned for September
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 23DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
2007 and 2008: a focused implementation programPromoting our thought leadershipThree whitepapers
Five issues of ‘The Hay Group Leader’
Our first issue of ‘Viewpoint’
Fortune, Chief Executive and spot surveys
M&A campaign
Promoting Hay GroupThe launch of the new haygroup.com website
Global case studies
Corporate folders for client meetings
Global credentials presentation
Global JE survey report
EMEA-wide PR capability
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 24DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Living the brandWe developed a communications plan and tools to embed the behaviors that will help us become recognized as a global player and consultancy of choice for our target markets
Workshop
Award cards
Brand behaviors booklet
Posters
Microsite
Email campaign
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 25DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Some feedback from stakeholders
“…you can recognise a Hay Group document globally now, no matter the language. This is terrific in terms
of our ability to market ourselves” EMEA
60% feel our new marketing materials help them in their role and effectively promote Hay Group to our key audiences 2008 Global staff survey
Hay Group proposals ‘so professional’Royal Bank of Scotland
100% of the work won used proposals that are on brandThe bids that did not use a branded proposal only had a 60% success rate
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 26DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Lessons and challenges► The role and responsibility of the CMO is to change the mental mindset
► We now need to review our brand and take it on to the next stage
► How that refreshed brand will be expressed online and through our content will be critical
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 27DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Discussion of the Hay Group story
Lessons? Reflections on what would work, would not work where others are?
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 28DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Living the brandThe Threadneedle story
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► Low awareness in competitive market
► Did not stand out
► But solid reputation…
– ‘Does the right things, the right way’
– Not fashion-led and faddy
– Principled approach is at the heart of the business
– The advisor “least likely to work at Enron”
– “Thoughtful, considered, intelligent and measured”
► Inert
► Uninspiring
► Un-dynamic
A bland, not a brand!
Guides how we do everything at Threadneedle - values, behaviour, actions
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Agreed upon a unifying idea and supporting values
Bold action from disciplined minds
Bold action…
Entrepreneurial Imaginative With conviction With integrity
... from disciplined minds Collaborative Rigorous Incisive
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Approach
A two stage cascade process
‘Top 25’Presentation(s)
‘Top 50’ Leadership Meeting(s)
2 x Cross Functional Meetings with Departmental Senior Managers
Functional Brand Action/Planning ‘Training’
30+ team sessions run by facilitator and team leader
MID JULY20 minute presentation with 10+ minutes discussion Strategic alignment to Evian, buy-in, process sign off, commitment
END JULY/EARLY AUGUST 2 x 30 minute presentation with 20+ minutes
discussion Approach, process understanding, feedback and
adaptation, buy-in and sign-up
MID AUGUST – MID OCTOBER2.5 hour+ interactive business planning
sessions Brand and strategy understanding, team areas of influence, ‘on-brand’ activity and new development ideas, personal development, revised team plans
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32The brand workshop
Introduction 10 minutes
The business and brand direction 30 minutes
Customer focus and your area of influence 30 minutes
Team commitments and next steps 60 minutes
Ideas and feedback 20 minutes
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Bold Action …from Disciplined Minds
What we should CONTINUE doing better or are already planning to do? (Table 1)
What is getting in the way and needs to STOP? How will this stop?(Table 2)
What new things should we START doing to deliver the strategy? (Table 3)
Development discussion
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Think about quick fixes in 90 days and next year’s activities…
Think about where the boldness is coming from
Linking reputation/brand and business planning
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Inputs
Brand and business direction
Visual map Brand
workshop feedback
Response to feedback
More detailed plan & commitments
Visual map Detailed
strategy 2008 team
objectives & strategies
Specific measures
Milestones and measures
Team strategies
Visual map Detailed
strategy Functional
strategy and priorities
Outcomes
Buy-in Feedback Commitments Raised
expectations – leadership and business strategy / roadmap
More detail Visual map Team unity Plan
Belief & unity Commitment Buy-in to
process
Senior team buy-in & unity
Understand priorities
Cross functional connections
Review and adapt team commitments
Prepare attendees to deliver team briefings
Understand current status in market and internally
Belief Momentum
Detailed strategy
Leadership buy-in
Functional priorities and milestones
Measures
Clarity & understanding
Belief & commitment
Functional priorities within a wider business context
Milestones and measures
Activities
Brand workshops
Exec planning
Townhall T1&2 Senior Management planning workshop(s)
Quarterly feedback and measurement
QuarterlyTownhall & support activities
Exec Off-site Team briefing and planning meetings
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Alignment
Recruitment
Induction
Development
Performance Management
Leadership role models
Environment
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 36DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Results
Highest ratio of top-rated funds among investment firms in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Sweden and Switzerland (never achieved before)
Over 100 investment awards since the start of 2012, highlighting growing recognition among international investors of its competitive performance across asset classes, over many time periods
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 37DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Discussion of Threadneedle story
Lessons? Reflections on what would work, would not work where others are?
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 38DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Table discussions
How to identify what your clients really value?
How to engage with professionals on brand/behaviour? How make business case?
Social media and brand? Other?
MIKE POUNSFORD, COURAVEL OCTAVIA WOLTON, HAY GROUP | 39DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BRAND
Table feedback
Outcomes from discussion
Lessons from this session