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Realize Your Brand Strategy in 2016
Tuesday, 8 December 2015 2:00 pm ET
• 30 minute webinar + 15 minutes for Q&A
• Ask questions through the Zoom Control Panel
• Tweet during the webinar with #mStonerNow
• Fill out the post-webinar evaluation
• Check your inbox later this week for the webinar recording and slide deck
The Plan
Joel Pattison Director of Strategy [email protected] 434.533.1530 @jwpattison
Mallory Wood Director of Marketing [email protected] 802.457.9234 @mallorywood
Let’s start with some definitions.
What is brand?
What you stand for in the minds of the people you’re trying to reach, influence, and move to action.
brand /brand/
How do you manage something that’s in people’s minds?
Actual perceptions about brand
Model for Brand Management
Model for Brand Management
Desired perceptions about brand
Actual perceptions about brand
(Strategy)
Model for Brand Management
Desired perceptions about brand
Actual perceptions about brand
Influence perceptions about brand Visual Identity & Logos
Tone & Voice Storytelling
Marketing Plan Content Strategy
Website Publications Advertising
Earned Media Actual Experiences
...
(Strategy)
(Tactics)
(Results)
Knowing who you are(and how you’re perceived).
Discern brand perceptions with audience research.
• Understand the perspective of the external audiences
• Inform strategy and bolster credibility for recommendations
• Useful at various points in the brand development process
Who should you talk to?
• Prospective students
• Current students
• Parents - current or prospective
• Guidance counselors
• Alumni
Who should you talk to?
• Higher ed leaders
• Hiring managers
• Civic/government leaders
• Major donors
Who shouldn’t you talk to?
“Everyone”
Qualitative Research• It’s a conversation
• Extremely flexible
• Lays the foundation for quantitative research
Quantitative Research• When it follows qualitative research, it can ensure that you have
the right brand attributes
• Tracks changes in brand awareness and perceptions over time
• Reaches a larger (and more external audience)
Model for Brand Management
Actual perceptions about brand
A continuous process of audience testing and research
Model for Brand Management
Desired perceptions about brand
Brand Strategy
Defining your brand strategy.
Brand strategy is the art and science of discovering, understanding, articulating and evolving your brand.
• Attracts best-fit students
• Creates differentiation from competition
• Allows for premium pricing
• Provides immediate credibility for new offerings / schools / programs
• Engages and leverages alumni
• Attracts and retains the best employees and faculty
Why is brand strategy important?
What are the elements of brand strategy?
Brand Essence The core of your brand experience, distilled.
It’s the glue that holds your brand together, and it’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear a brand name.
1
Disney
Magic
Nike
Performance
Brand Positioning The promise you are making to all of your audiences about what you will be.
Brand positions are aspirational, but grounded in reality. They should feel like a “better version of what we are.”
2
Brand Attributes The main “pillars” or themes of the brand.
Brand attributes are the same across all audiences and include a 1 - 3 word attribute name, plus descriptors to explain it.
3
Historically innovative• Rich history, yet forward-thinking
• Programs recognized for excellence
• Faculty engaged in research
World-class city• Global issues infused in the curriculum
• Diverse student body
• Graduates hired by top employers
All that… and more! Brand strategies may also include:
• Conceptual brand art • Tone words • Brand architecture • Elevator pitches • User journeys / experiences
4
Model for Brand Management
Desired perceptions about brand
Elements of brand strategy:
Brand Essence Brand Positioning Brand Attributes Elevator pitch, architecture, art work, tone words, etc.
1) 2) 3) 4)
Implementing your brand strategy.
Understand the gaps.1
Current Position:Desired Position: Urban, Chicago-based, diverse, connected.
Gap: Very Low
Current Position: Urban, Chicago-based, diverse.
Gap Analysis for World-class City
Current Position: Desired Position: Academically rigorous, prestigious, highly innovative, forward-thinking.
Gap: Medium
Current Position: Academically rigorous, prestigious, traditional, a little bit stuffy.
Gap Analysis for Innovative Research
Think about your content and editorial strategy in the context of brand.
2
Does your content strategy align with your brand and address the gaps in perceptions?
Content strategy includes:
• Content themes and messages
• Voice and tone
• Editorial calendar
• Governance
Develop a marketing plan.3
Your marketing plan is the most concrete execution of your brand strategy.
It has specific goals for your marketing team and includes information about priorities, timeline, budget, and intended audiences.
Tactic Priority Begin Date Complete Date Channel Brand Attribute(s) Budget Req. Audience
Work with local and national media to place eight feature articles about cutting-edge research at our institution.
High January 2016 July 2016 External Media Innovative Research Travel costs ($2,000)
Prospective students; influencers; prospective faculty
Create an Instagram account and a hashtag highlighting the urban nature of the campus. Post 30 pictures.
Medium March 2016 April 2016 Social Media World-class cityGift cards for student volunteers ($500)
Prospective students
Create 15 vignettes (with photos) of recent graduates that highlight Fortune 500 job placement.
Medium February 2016 April 2016 Website World-class cityProfessional photography, ($1,500)
Prospective students; influencers
Sample Marketing Plan
Measure your results.4
Did you actually impact how people think about your brand?
• Regular audience research
• Analysis of inquiries from prospective students
• Event attendance
• Website conversions
• Applications
• Yield
• Giving patterns
Measure your results with:
Evolve your tactics and strategies to reflect changes in culture, markets, and customer expectations and to make them more effective.
Use results to:
Make sure you’re influencing people’s perceptions. (And declare success if you are!)
Model for Brand Management
Desired perceptions about brand
Actual perceptions about brand
Influence perceptions about brand Visual Identity & Logos
Tone & Voice Storytelling
Marketing Plan Content Strategy
Website Publications Advertising
Earned Media Actual Experiences
...
(Strategy)
(Tactics)
(Results)
Questions?Joel Pattison Director of Strategy [email protected] 434.533.1530 @jwpattison
Mallory Wood Director of Marketing [email protected] 802.457.9234 @mallorywood
The Guide to Defining Your Higher Ed Brand: http://mstnr.me/WhatIsYourBrand
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
”“
W. H. Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, 1951
Thank you!