The Strategy Behind Strategy

You’re ready to kick-off your branding or communication project. The project has to start soon (like two weeks ago) and the budget is pretty tight. Do you take the time to develop the brand strategy? Or do you simply dive into the work?

The struggle is real. But before we decide what to do, we need to first define what strategy means to us. We see strategy as being your most powerful tool that serves as the project’s plan of action to achieve a specific goal(s).

How does strategy benefit you? Let’s break it down:

1. It’s all in your head. You have so many hopes and dreams for this baby’s future. You want it to sound like Patagonia but mix in some Tesla vibes. Or maybe you’re not really that sure? Whether your personal brand vision is clear or needs to be refined further, the strategy phase allows you to clear the clutter and organize your vision.
2. Agree. Disagree. Align. As mentioned above, we all have our own vision for the brand. The strategy phase allows the project stakeholders to collaboratively share their ideas and align on a path forward. Not only does this allow us to avoid future conversations that could disrupt the project flow, it allows the stakeholders to make key decisions together and be invested in the project’s success from day one.
3. Learning is fun. The strategy phase includes brand discovery work to outline where the brand currently lives, stakeholder insights, industry trends, and future opportunities. Whether your team is already familiar with some of the findings or learning new information from the research results, these efforts allow the project team to align on the current state of the brand.
4. Create your North Star. When the project develops further, it’s totally normal to feel lost for a moment. Good thing you’ve taken the time to create the brand strategy. Simply refer back to this resource to confirm if you’re still heading in the right direction and keep it movin’, you’ve got this.

5. Brand building never sleeps. Worried that you’re wasting precious time focusing on the research when you could be building something incredible? Have no fear friends, you’re developing this beautiful brand all along. Our strategy process combine both research findings and the initial brand elements, which may include the brand personality traits, vision, mission statement, and story. Phew.

The strategy behind strategy is simply making it happen. No matter what. Whether in life or in project work, we need to understand where we’ve been to see where we’re going next.

How has building a strategy worked for you in the past? Or are you still stuck and need some help? We’d love to hear from you: hello@bruxtongroup.com.