A Brand-First Approach to Digital Marketing

By Swedian Lie, Co-Founder of Zero One Digital

Here at Zero One Digital, we often think of branding as a mindset. How do we see the challenges that companies face as an opportunity to build, develop, and elevate their brand?

We believe in an integrated and holistic approach to digital marketing centered around the concept of a brand DNA. Our work focuses on building the foundations of a strong brand story or narrative, developing each element of the narrative into meaningful campaigns, and elevating every touchpoint of the brand — from offline to online, retail to culture — into a unique and unforgettable experience for your target audience. Let us share with you our brand-first approach to digital marketing.

The Foundation of a Strong Brand is a Strong Story

When we talk about a strong brand story, what we’re really talking about is a brand narrative. What’s the difference between story and narrative? A story can start from anywhere and it doesn’t have to go anywhere — think of all the hours you’ve spent listening to your drunk best friend’s “stories” — but a narrative is designed with a clear strong origin to start. When done right, a strong brand narrative is the roadmap to your brand’s journey towards success. It becomes the compass you and your team use as guidance in making important decisions for your company’s future.

A strong brand narrative will not only work for you, but also your target audience. In today’s noisy digital landscape, you need to tell your brand narrative as efficiently and effectively as possible in order to make an impact. This is when a strong brand identity comes into play — bringing your brand narrative to life. Every part of the identity, be it logos, tone of voice, packaging, interior design, and so forth, will inject creativity and imagination to your narrative and give it the personality it needs to tell your story to your audience. That said, a brand identity should never come before a brand narrative. Even the greatest actor in the world cannot play a role that hasn’t been written yet.

Telling the Brand Narrative Through Unique and Engaging Campaigns

Speaking of playing a role — a brand narrative usually exists as a standalone statement, a manifesto that drives the vision and mission of your company. However, no company exists in a silo, without an audience it needs to speak to (also known as “clients”). At some point, the brand needs to start speaking for itself and connecting with its audience in unique and engaging ways. In digital marketing, we call these moments campaigns, and we plan them out with a very clear and strategic mindset, informed by your brand narrative. How do we flesh out the brand and create meaningful relationships with its audience?

Every marketing class talks about reaching audiences in the shape of a funnel, but at Zero One Digital, we prefer to think about audience engagement in terms of concentric circles and relationship building — how do we develop deeper layers of engagement that will produce meaningful results? Just like real relationships, every segment of your audience will require a unique and tailored way of communicating with them, and we customise our campaigns in order to develop not only memorable but meaningful marketing moments. When guided by a strong brand narrative and identity, the actor can play their role and speak to every audience member in the room as if they’re the only person the actor’s talking to.

Elevating the Brand at Every Touchpoint

After establishing your brand narrative and identity, and developing engaging marketing campaigns to deepen your relationships with your audience, you might think the marketing effort is done — but we don’t. With our branding-as-a-mindset approach, we’re always thinking about the future and how we can elevate your brand for greater success. Informed by our diverse technology and consulting ecosystem within Zero One Group, we understand the value of brand equity and how to increase it by improving and strengthening every part of the brand experience through both offline and online touchpoints.

We observe and analyse your audience’s journey and identify all the unique experiential touchpoints that can be brought to life, using your brand narrative and identity as the DNA. Whether that’s through an interactive website, an app, an offline brand activation event, or a video ad, all of these products are an extension of your brand narrative. Investing in improving them and elevating your brand touchpoints is how you can invest in your brand’s future and make sure it’s built to last.

Most digital agencies don’t see digital marketing in this brand-first way. Their work is driven by and based on easy-to-understand numbers and metrics, such as impressions, likes, views, clicks — the list goes on and on. This data is still important, but at Zero One Digital, we think they’re missing the big picture if that’s the only thing they’re thinking about.

We’re always looking at the big picture — the story of your company or business, the unique values, vision, and mission that drives you forward, and the legacy you wish to leave behind with your work. We consider all of this as part of defining your brand DNA, and our job is to help guide and support you in bringing your story to life.

Want to learn more about our unique branding and marketing approach? Drop us an email at digital@zero-one-group.com or find us on Instagram at @01.zeroonedigital.

Follow Zero One Group at Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Visit our website at www.zero-one-group.com