From Brand to Grand: Orchestrating Business Excellence

Would a better return, more loyal customers, enhanced risk resilience, the capacity to attract eager investors, and the ability to launch new products to the market faster than others tickle your fancy? For brand-driven companies, this is merely business as usual.

Brand-driven companies usually outshine their less brand-focused competitors. This brings us to the essential discourse on why growth-seeking companies must pivot towards
becoming brand-driven entities. The rationale behind this strategic pivot is multi-faceted, rooted in both empirical evidence and the nuanced understanding of both consumer and
B2B decision maker thinking and behavior.

At the heart of the matter lies the undeniable power of brand recognition. 59% of consumers prefer to buy new products from brands familiar to them, according to a study byNielsen.
Well, I say it’s pretty much the same in the B2B realm, too, since I’ve been both working with and competing against the biggest marketing agencies my whole career.

Your Culture, Your Brand

So, today, your brand is not just created by excellent recognition (what it maybe used to be) alone but by your entire corporate culture: values, responsibility, transparency, and the way you act in problem situations, always in a manner designed for your brand.

The role of a strong brand extends beyond customer acquisition and retention; indeed, it is also a potent tool for attracting talent. LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report highlights that companies with strong brands receive twice as many applications as those with weaker ones. This is a critical advantage in the contemporary talent market, where skilled professionals are in high demand – and they are not seeking just a job.

All this means that branding efforts must be cohesive and consistent across all touchpoints—product quality, customer service, online presence, and even employee behaviour. Needles to point out that brand is all about the experience and the feeling your brand arises between the ears of your customer. Even the best logos and images and designs are nothing but symbols for a subconscious feeling that arises when your customers encounter your brand.

Red Bull is Not a Drink

Moreover, in an era where digital platforms have democratised access to customers, a brand-driven strategy offers a way to cut through the noise. Sometimes it might need pretty tough and rough changes. Content marketing, a tactic used effectively by brands such as Red Bull, demonstrates how creating brand-aligned content can engage audiences in ways that traditional advertising cannot. Red Bull realised years ago that competing traditionally is worthless, so they turned themselves into a media company. Fortunately, most companies do not require such drastic changes in their branding efforts.

What it takes?

Sure, brand personality, tone of voice, key messages and attributes need to be found, evaluated and designed to be competitive enough. But finally strengthening your brand becomes an inseparable and natural part of your company’s everyday operations, indeed.

Here’s a splendid place to kick things off

The brand occupies a distinct position.
The brand generates added value.
Brand strategy steers operations.
Brand attributes guide communication.
Offerings align with the brand promise.
The brand is measured regularly.
Staff receive brand training.

Useful stuff to learn more about strong brands:

Interbrand: How iconic Brands Lead Across arenas

Kantar Brands 2023: Most Valuable Global Brands

Writer: Juha Mikkilä

Juha is a partner at HTGP, as well as CEO & co-founder of the marketing agency Luova Työmaa.