Two Questions At The Heart Of Every Great Brand Strategy
[Update: This article has been updated here, along with a 5-minute video covering the major principles discussed in this piece, here.]
I like to start every brand strategy for a new client with two simple questions. They may seem easy enough, but they actually reveal a tremendous amount of information about the mindset of a company’s leadership team while posing a much more difficult challenge than most people realize.
1. How is your brand perceived today?
2. How do you want it to be perceived in the future?
Before you write those off as simple questions, consider the fact that your answers can literally change the course of your business. Taken together, I like to call them the Perception Queries, and everyone can benefit from answering them.
Take a moment to answer them for yourself. Without expectation or marketing jargon, write down your own responses as sincerely as possible.
These are actually loaded questions that you can use to get laser focus on the direction of your brand strategy from the point you’re at today to where you need to be in 1, 3 and 5 years from now. They will prove valuable at every juncture in your company’s trajectory, especially when easy short term growth opportunities gently nudge you away…
