People process information by putting ideas into language. Ideas must be shared before they can move into action. Words matter.
Writing is our in-house competency. We have years of experience with technical and business writing, and members of our extended team are published writers of fiction, literary non-fiction, and recorded music. Rob even teaches Business Communication at the University of Guelph.
Excellent written content supports internal communications, human resources, sales collateral, customer service, advertising scripts, and investor/stakeholder relations. We write concise, compelling content that is congruent with your brand assets. We help you to ensure authenticity with the messaging you share.
Understand Your Brand is a proven process for brand development and brand expression.
Marketing is the business of sharing ideas. It is the business of influencing thoughts and behaviours, and like any business, it requires investment. Brand development doesn't burn through cash like marketing does, but it does require an investment of time, research, and creative thinking. Great marketing should be rooted in effective brand development that presents a authentic narrative - an act of storytelling that can benefit companies, churches, nonprofit organizations, political parties, and individuals.
Understanding your brand is fundamental to successful growth. The process is grounded in the premise that a “brand” represents the sum total of all ideas and impressions that an individual has about a person, a product, a company, or an organization. Your brand already exists in every impression it has set prior to this moment. Overall impressions of a brand can shift with changes in packaging, graphic design, staff changes, physical relocation, and customer service. Everything touches and influences impressions, perceptions and expectations. Everything is relevant, but at this moment, understanding your brand as it currently exists will secure its foundation for future development.
Your brand is the platform that all marketing builds upon. You have to understand your brand as it currently exists before you can market it effectively - no other marketing concepts matter if you don’t fully grasp your core brand assets, and use that knowledge to your benefit. Advertising, internal communications, public relations, digital marketing, content marketing - all will be better when you clearly understand your brand identity and the components that define it.
Your brand is so much more than just a logo – every conceivable asset you have contributes to it, and if you believe your logo is your brand, then you are missing uncountable opportunites. Your brand identity communicates expectations and trust. It establishes fundamental, foundational connections that will determine interest, choices, and engagement. It is your core - your personality, your purpose, and a promise of value.
Brand development is the art, science and craft of understanding your brand impressions, and leveraging them into action. Brand development is the foundation of effective communications, and the "Understand Your Brand" process helps you understand the core elements of your brand so that you can accurately define and clearly communicate your brand identity. There may be thousands of elements that you can speak to about your company, your organization, or yourself, but progress (and action) is about choices - it is about eliminating other options to reveal your best and most fundamental truths through an informed, measured process.
Understanding your brand as the sum of your assets and its value as your primary asset is critical to achieving whatever it is you do. Whether you are championing a product, a company, a community benefit organization, or yourself, you need to understand what your brand represents, so you can effectively represent your brand.