The Strategic Designer Brand Strategy Development Workshop

theSTRATEGIC DESIGNERDesign for business

DAVID HOLSTON

tools and techniques for managing the design process

the STRATEGIC DESIGNER

Dave Holston The Strategic Designer www.the-strategic-designer.com [email protected]

Strategic Designer Workshop

Brand Strategy Development


Strategic Designer

About me

•  Director of Online Communication at Georgia Institute of Technology •  Director of Strategic Design Management at The University of Texas •  25 years in marketing, public affairs, advertising & design •  Author of The Strategic Designer: Tools and techniques for managing

the design process



What we’ll talk about

This workshop will provide tools for working through strategic brand development questions with clients by using collaborative activities to reach a meaningful brand positioning. •  How to identify the real brand problem to be solved •  How to get the organization to clearly express their goals •  How to focus on audiences to gather brand insights •  How to develop creative and meaningful brand directions •  How to evaluate brand success



What we’ll do Congratulations! You own a wiffle ball company. Each table will work together to develop a brand strategy •  Conduct business analysis •  Conduct audience analysis •  Develop a positioning •  Develop creative messaging and

identity



Why do we brand? •  Provides a competitive advantage •  Provides a stable asset •  Provides an economic value •  Sets expectations •  Creates the experience


Branding is a process



Strategic Brand Development Questions

Understanding the business • What is our core purpose?

• What is our vision? • What is our mission?

• What are our goals?

• What is happening in our environment?

Understanding the audience • What do our audiences experience?

• How do our audiences behave?

Competitive positioning • What is our unique value?

• Where can we add value?

• What is our brand promise?

Creative development • What is our brand name?

• What is our brand tagline?

• What is our visual style?

• What should our logo represent?

Implementation • How do we live the brand?

• How do we launch the brand?

Brand evaluation • How do we measure internal alignment?

• How do we measure audience awareness?

• How do we measure business performance?


Why should designers care about strategy?

Client

“Make it look pretty”



“design skills and business skills are converging… It's time to embrace a new value proposition based on creating – indeed, often co-creating -- new products and services with customers that fill their needs, make them happy, and make companies and shareholders rich.“ Martin goes on to say that the design skills of “understanding, empathy, problem solving” are what business need today.” Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto



Client


The brand is the experience



Sensation transference •  Christian Brothers and E&J brandy



Sensation transference •  Christian Brothers and E&J brandy





These aren’t the droids you’re looking for…


Strategy and brand

Client

Why do you hate your logo?

It’s not “swooshy”

enough


Strategy and brand

Client

What is Strategy?


Strategy and brand

Competitive brand strategies

Cost

•  Achieve a sustainable cost advantage over competitors though market share or access to raw materials

•  EX: Walmart

Focus

•  Focus on a small target audience or provide a limited product line

•  EX: Anthropologie

Differentiation

•  Provide a unique audience value through performance, quality, life style or prestige

•  EX: Harley Davidson


Strategy and brand

Client

Competitive Rivalry

within the Industry

Bargaining Power of Suppliers

Bargaining Power of

Customers Threat of New

Entrants

Threat of Substitutes

Five competitive forces framework


Strategy and brand

Client

Strategy

Environment •  Political •  Environment •  Social •  Technological

Competitive analysis •  Identity •  Performance •  SWOT • Culture

Audience analysis •  Segments • Motivations •  Behaviors • Needs

Business analysis •  Identity •  Performance •  SWOT • Culture

Strategy development framework


Strategy and brand

Client

Strategic Positioning

Environment •  Political •  Environment •  Social •  Technological

Competitive analysis •  Identity •  Performance •  SWOT •  Culture

Audience analysis •  Segments •  Motivations •  Behaviors •  Needs Business analysis

•  Identity •  Performance •  SWOT •  Culture

Creative development •  Positioning •  Messaging •  Naming •  Taglines •  Visual design

Strategic brand development framework


Branding creates alignment


Branding is alignment

The most efficient way to achieve alignment

is through a collaborative process


Branding is collaborative

EXERCISE: Drawing game •  Choose a partner

•  Work silently

•  Take turns drawing parts of a face, one feature at a time

•  When you hesitate, stop drawing

•  Now write the first letter of this characters name

•  Keep going till someone hesitates



Collaboration is key

•  Brands are now co-creators with their audiences •  Cuts down on the disconnect between the

organization and the people they serve



Client

Brand with your ears –  Listening creates trust –  Listening and questioning are our most valuable tools –  Questioning gets you to real motivations –  Understanding motivations can help you influence behaviors



On a side note: HOWARD

ROARK MUST DIE



“People support what they help create”



“Process is more important than outcome. When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we've already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there.” - Bruce Mau



Strategic Brand Development Process

Understanding the business •  Mission &

Vision •  Goals •  Environment

Understanding the audience •  Segments •  Attitudes •  Beliefs •  Values •  Behaviors

Competitive positioning •  Cost •  Focus •  Differentiation

Creative development •  Verbal identity •  Visual Identity

Brand evaluation •  Internal

alignment •  Audience

awareness •  Business

performance


Strategic brand development

Client

Agenda •  Each table will be a fictitious wiffle ball manufacturing company

–  Assign a scribe –  Assign a spokesperson

•  We will go through each step of the brand process to create brand for your company


Strategic brand development

Client

The Competition: Amalgamated Wiffle Ball Corp.

•  The leader in wiffle ball and wiffle ball

related products •  Founded by David J. Mullany in

Shelton Conn. •  Started in 1954 •  Got a contract with Woolworths in 1956 •  Latest innovation -1972 introduced the

plastic bat •  Motto: We strive to make the consumer

happy and give them a solid product.



Strategic Brand Development Process

Understanding the business •  Mission &

Vision •  Goals •  Environment

Understanding the audience •  Segments •  Attitudes •  Beliefs •  Values •  Behaviors

Competitive positioning •  Cost •  Focus •  Differentiation

Creative development •  Verbal identity •  Visual Identity

Brand evaluation •  Internal

alignment •  Audience

awareness •  Business

performance


Understanding the business


Understanding the business: Define the problem



Problem definition tools

Drill Down Technique Ishikawa Diagrams



PROBLEM DEFINITION EXERCISE: Draw the problem The Problem: Amalgamated Wiffle Ball dominates the market and your company has no name recognition with buyers either in-store or online.

How would you solve this problem? Step 1: Create a list of five items that contribute to the problem. Step 2: Draw a picture of how to solve the problem. Consider the who, what, where, when, why and how of the problem.


Understanding the business: Purpose, vision & mission



Vision BHAG Vivid

Description

Mission What do we do?

Who do we support? How do we do it?

Core Ideology Core values

Core Purpose





CORE PURPOSE EXERCISE: The Random Serial Killer Test If someone were to buy the company at a generous price, guarantee that the employees would maintain their salaries albeit in a different industry, and that the buying company would destroy the firm and eliminate all its offerings, causing the company to no longer exist, would you accept the offer? Why, or why not?





VISION EXERCISE: Drawing the future state •  COVER – Time Magazine cover featuring the organization •  HEADLINE – News headline about the organization •  SIDEBAR – Interesting facts about the organization •  QUOTES – What people are saying about the organization •  IMAGES – Images that depict the future state

•  Write a one-sentence vision statement.



MISSION EXERCISE: Mission MadLibs

Organization X serves (constituent groups) by (definition of the business).

Organization X is different from (competitor) because of (point of differentiation).

Or

(Constituent group) need (insight/why). (organization x) provides (differentiated solution)


Understanding the business: Goals



Brand goal framework

Objectives • Why does the

brand exist?

Goals • What strategies

will we use to accomplish our brand objectives?

KPI • What metrics will

help us understand how we are doing?

Target • What numerical

values will we use to measure brand success?





GOAL FOCUS EXERCISE What’s important and achievable This exercise answers the question “Given our resources, what should we do?

Step 1: Brainstorm and list top eight goals Step 2: Rank for importance and feasibility Step 3: Chart points on the grid

0 1 2 3 4 5

5

4

3

2

1

Importance

Feas

ibili

ty

Goal description Feasibility Importance1. Increase brand awareness2. Grow customer base3. Increase repeat customers 3 44. Reduce costs5. Maintain pricing6. Create online store front7. Create a customer loyalty program8. Host a series of eventsTotal 24 24

3. Increase repeat customers

3



GOAL FOCUS EXERCISE What’s important and achievable Step 1: Brainstorm and rank goals

0 1 2 3 4 5

5

4

3

2

1

Importance

Feas

ibili

ty



3



GOAL FOCUS EXERCISE What’s important and achievable Step 2: Chart the goals

0 1 2 3 4 5

5

4

3

2

1

Importance

Feas

ibili

ty



3

0 1 2 3 4 5

5

4

3

2

1

Importance

Feas

ibili

ty



3


Understanding the business: Internal analysis


Understanding the business: Internal analysis

SWOT EXERCISE Internal and external analysis Strengths (tend to be internal) •  What do we do better than our peers? •  What are we known for? •  What resources do we have?

Weaknesses (tend to be internal) •  What problems does the university face? •  What don’t we do well? •  What holds us back from being where we want to be?

Opportunities (tend to be external) •  What trends can we take advantage of? •  What actions can we take that will produce a competitive

advantage?

Threats (tend to be external) •  What unfavorable trends are occurring? •  What’s happening in the state that could have a negative impact

on the university?

Opportunities Threats

Strengths Weaknesses

Internal forces

External forces


Understand the audience

PEST EXERCISE Environmental analysis PEST Analysis is a useful tool for understanding the ‘big picture’ of the environment in which you are operating, and for thinking about the opportunities and threats that lie within it. By understanding your environment, you can take advantage of the opportunities and minimize the threats. PEST analysis consists of four questions. •  POLITICAL: What political considerations do we need to be aware of? •  ENVIRONMENT: What is happening in the environment/industry? •  SOCIAL: What social trends and consumer values do we need to consider? •  TECHNICAL: What technological tools can we take advantage of?





Focus groups

•  Moderator •  Scripted series of questions •  Getting to why, gaining insight •  Neutral locations •  1 - 2 hours long •  3 rounds of test will get you best results •  Good for brainstorming with audiences or to develop a deeper

understanding of their motivations



Dyads and Triads

•  Dyads – Two friends interviewed as a pair –  Used for exploring issues that might be hard to articulate –  Good for getting “honest” responses –  Friends keep each other in check, making them less likely to lie

•  Triads – Three people who are either similar to one another, or different in a specific way

–  The same: The conversation can be generative like a focus group –  Different (but in the same arena, like donors who contribute at different

levels): Their responses can be seen as comparative



Ethnography

•  Looks at audiences in the context of their lives

•  Produces detailed in depth observations in natural environments

•  Observing people in their day to day activities

•  Allows designer to better understand audiences


Understand the audience: Personas

Who is the audience?

Demographics •  Age •  Gender •  Location •  Status

Myers-Briggs •  Extroverts/

Introverts •  Sensors/Feelers •  Judgers/

Perceivers •  Thinkers/Feelers

Keirsey-Bates •  Artisans •  Guardians •  Idealists •  Rationalists

Hippocrates •  Sanguine •  Choleric •  Melancholic •  Phlegmatic



Building a persuasion architecture

•  What personality type are they? Meticulous, humanist, spontaneous, competitive

•  What are their behaviors? •  How do they like to be communicated with? •  What are the points of resolution - What info do they need to

move forward? •  Conversion beacons - The first place the prospect takes action •  Baseline metrics - How do we measure success?


Understand the audience: Brand pyramid

EXERCISE: Building a brand experience pyramid

Answer the following questions •  Presence - How will the audience find out about us? •  Relevance – What is the cost/value to the audience? •  Performance – What unique value do we provide our audiences? •  Advantage – What emotional needs do we provide? •  Bonding – What does the product say about the audience?



EXERCISE: Empathy Maps

Empathy maps act as a simple personas that help get the team thinking about the audience •  What do you feel? •  What do you hear? •  What do you say? •  What do you see?

Image from Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur



Spontaneous Quick/

emotional

Competitive Quick/ logical

Humanist Deliberate/emotional

Methodical Deliberate/

logical

Persona Framework

Quick

Deliberate

Emotional Logical



Competitive Persona Attitude Business like

Use of time Disciplines and fast paced

Requirements Your qualifications

Weaknesses Documented evidence/results

How to present What you can do for them

Problem solving Support their ideas and conclusions

Facilitate decisions Provide option



Spontaneous Persona Attitude Personal and activity oriented

Use of time Undisciplined and fast paced

Requirements Evidence you’re trustworthy and friendly

Weaknesses Personal attention and interest

How to present Why you are the best solution

Problem solving Support their feelings, interests and excitement

Facilitate decisions Provide guarantees and opinions, not options



Humanist Persona Attitude Personal and relationship oriented

Use of time Undisciplined and slow paced

Requirements Who are you, what you think and who you know

Weaknesses Give recognition and approval

How to present Who have provided solutions to

Problem solving Support their ideas, intuitions, your relationship

Facilitate decisions Offer testimony and incentives



Methodical Persona Attitude Business and detail oriented

Use of time Disciplined and slow paced

Requirements Evidence of your experience and knowledge

Weaknesses Documented evidence and preparation

How to present How you can provide a solution

Problem solving Support their principles and rational approach

Facilitate decisions Provide evidence and service





EXERCISE: Building a persuasion architecture

•  Photo: What do they look like •  Name: What do we call them? •  Personality type: Which of the four personality types are they? •  Description: What is the problem they are trying to solve? •  Personality profile:

–  Attitude: Are they emotional or logical –  Use of time: Are they quick, or deliberate? –  Requirements: What do they need from the brand? –  Weaknesses –  How to present: How do they want the brand information presented? –  Problem solving: How can the brand support their decision making? –  Decision making






Brand Positioning


Brand Positioning

Three elements of brand experience

People • Employees need to embody the brand in values and behavior

Processes • The organization

must always be looking for new ways to provide audience value

Offerings • Need to meet

the emotional and functional needs of the

audience


Brand Positioning

Differentiation is about expressing a unique value that is meaningful to the target audience Step 1: Make a list of eight things that are important to the audience in this category

Step 2: Rank yourself and your competitors

Step 3: Chart on a graph

Step 4: Identify points of differentiation

EXERCISE: Competitive analysis

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

Leve

l of p

erfo

rman

ce

Areas of customerexpectation Cost Availability Durability Variety Fun Usability Safety _________

Amalgamated Wi!e Ball


Brand Positioning

Differentiation is about expressing a unique value that is meaningful to the target audience Step 1: Make a list of eight things that are important to the audience in this category

Step 2: Rank yourself and your competitors

Step 3: Chart on a graph

Step 4: Identify points of differentiation

EXERCISE: Competitive analysis

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

Leve

l of p

erfo

rman

ce

Areas of customerexpectation Cost Availability Durability Variety Fun Usability Safety _________

Amalgamated Wi!e Ball

Your Wi!e Ball Company


Brand Positioning

EXERCISE: Competitive differentiation Where to focus the organization and the brand

Eliminate What factors that the industry

takes for granted can be eliminated?

Raise Which factors should be raised

well above the industry’s standard?

Reduce Which factors should be reduced

well below the industry’s standard?

Create Which factors should be created

that the industry has never offered?


Creating the verbal and visual brand



Brand messaging framework

Brand promise

•  Organizations name

•  Unique audience value

•  Category

•  Audience profile

•  Audience point of satisfaction

Brand name

•  Character

•  Value

•  Offering

•  Unique

Brand tagline

•  Short and punchy

•  Memorable

•  Describe the unique audience value

Brand proof points

•  Examples of how you live the brand



EXERCISE: Brand Promise The brand promise is not a tagline. It is a permanent statement about the core value that the organization provides. It is timeless. Taglines on the other hand change depending on trends and the changing audience needs. •  The brand promise can contain some of the following elements:

–  The organizations name –  Unique value audience value –  Category –  Audience profile –  A value that can be consistently achieved



EXERCISE: Brand Name The name of the organization conveys ideas about personality, values and position in the marketplace. Strong brand names express both the character and the offering of the organization, are unique and should reinforce the brand image and brand promise. The brand name contains the following elements: •  Reflects the brands persona •  Describes the offering •  Creates an association to the meaning of the brand •  Is unique and memorable •  Short enough to fit on materials •  Available for trademark



EXERCISE: Brand Tagline A strong tagline implies the point of differentiation by describing the unique value the organization provides its audience. The tagline should be directed at audiences and not internally to the organization. The brand tagline contains the following elements: •  Memorable •  Short and quick to recite •  Expresses the brands points of differentiation •  Reflects the brands personality



Creating visual brand alignment Drawing, keywords, mind maps, word associations



EXERCISE: Conceptual drawing

•  Drawing the experience •  Conceptual •  Fun •  Creates buy-in


Understanding the audience

•  Projective techniques –  Drawing the

experience




experience




experience




experience



EXERCISE: Visual development Totemics •  Developed by Angela Dumas •  How to build a totem

–  Define context –  Build vocabulary –  Refine perceptions –  Distill the totem



Step one •  Build a context. Customers are asked to present ideas or

examples of what they like and don’t like.



Step two: Define the context •  Team members narrow down a customer’s selections and list

ten descriptive valued word from the personas to describe the piece. Next, they draw a depiction of the piece and write words below it to describe it.

Valued Words Quick, new, fun, spontaneous, reliable, clean, accommodating,

flexible, open and friendly



Step three: Build a vocabulary •  Collect images showing furniture, interiors, textiles, consumer

products and industrial products (Each category shows a range of styles and approaches.)



Step four: Select images •  The team selects one image from each category to match the

ten descriptors from step one.



Visually articulating the concept

–  Heinrich Wolfflin - Psychology and comparison (linear-painterly, plane-recession, closed-open, multiplicity-clearness)

–  Rudolph Arnheim - The art of perception (balance, shape, form, growth, light, space, color, movement and dynamics)

–  Dr. Bernd Schmitt - Defining the parameters of style



A tool for aligning collaborators •  Defining the parameters of style

–  Complexity: minimal <> complex –  Representation: realist <> abstract –  Movement: dynamic <> static –  Voice: loud <> understated –  Time: contemporary <> traditional –  Location: city/country/state/nation/international –  Authenticity: authentic <> derivative –  Technology: Hi tech <> handmade –  Sophistication: casual <> sophisticated



•  Complexity: minimal <> complex



•  Representation: realist <> abstract



•  Movement: dynamic <> solid



•  Voice: loud <> understated



•  Time: contemporary <> traditional



•  Location: city/country/state/nation/international



•  Authenticity: authentic <> derivative



•  Technology: Hi tech <> handmade



EXERCISE Parameters of style Defining the parameters of style for your wiffle ball company

–  Complexity: minimal <> complex –  Representation: realist <> abstract –  Movement: dynamic <> static –  Voice: loud <> understated –  Time: contemporary <> traditional –  Location: city/country/state/nation/international –  Authenticity: authentic <> derivative –  Technology: Hi tech <> handmade –  Sophistication: casual <> sophisticated



EXERCISE Logo development with Brain sketching Step 1: Brainstorm. Use a standard brainstorming technique to begin the session, then switch to pictures when ideas begin to dwindle Step 2: Sketching. Participants will have two minutes to draw their solution to the problem. Once the time limit is up, participants then slide their papers to the person on the right. Step 3: Collection and reflection: Once all the images have gone around the table, they are collected and discussed. These images are then used as jumping-off points for new ideas. .


Evaluating brand success



Calculating Brand Value

Employees: How well do they reflect the brand in their behavior? •  Do they personify the brand? •  Do they evangelize the brand? •  Are they committed to audience satisfaction?

Audience: Perceptions and promotion •  Audience perception vs. brand perception •  Does the audience promote the brand to family and friends? •  How loyal are they to the brand? Financial: Future profits, brand name equity •  Revenue and profit growth •  Process improvement •  Brand valuation



Not picking winners •  The best looking designs

are not always the most effective

•  Design must be looked at “in context”

•  How does the proposed design work against the competition?

•  Allows designers to focus on real design issues, not perceived issues

•  Design must ultimately achieve a goal. Looks are secondary.



Review in context •  Don’t vote •  it’s not about

comparing options, it’s about simulating the introduction of new systems

•  Use a monadic approach



Monadic Approach A means for testing multiple design options •  Two groups of people •  Each group reviews one of the design options •  Compare the responses



EXERCISE: Visual Equities

Draw the logos created by the other tables from memory.



EXERCISE: Net Promoter Score

How likely is it that you would recommend this organization to a friend or colleague?

•  Promoters (score 9-10) •  Passives (score 7-8) •  Detractors (score 0-6)


Alignment


Shameless promotion

Published by Available through the HOW bookstore at: MyDesignShop.com Dave Holston The Strategic Designer www.the-strategic-designer.com [email protected]


DAVID HOLSTON

tools and techniques for managing the design process

the STRATEGIC DESIGNER

Dave Holston The Strategic Designer www.the-strategic-designer.com [email protected]

Strategic Designer Workshop
