The Heavy Chef’s Guide to Branding: Point 4
by Fred Roed on 28/09/09 at 10:40 am
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This is a follow on from Heavy Chef Guide to Branding Point 1, Point 2 and Point 3 in a series on branding that stemmed from the Heavy Chef Digital Marketing Course. The points are not directed at online branding, but at brand building as a whole.
Point 4: Execution is everything!
The best laid plans are laid to waste by poor execution. This is becoming more relevant in the Attention Economy where we’re bombarded by so much junk out there. If your brand strategy is not executed effectively, your audience will reject your message. I repeat. Your audience will reject your message.
There is a tech-start-up school of thought that says: “Get it out there as quick as possible. If you’re not embarrassed by version 1.0, you’re too late with your launch.” While I agree with this if you’re first in your category, I don’t think it applies when you’re competing against established players. If your message comes across as clunky and unappealing, it will be held up to the light against the incumbent.
Two key aspects to execution are:
1. Creativity:
When you’re jostling for position against all the competing messages out there, it helps to have a compelling, creative message. This will ensure you stand out in the crowd.
2. Functionality:
Think “user-centred” – as in step 1, when choosing your message, it’s important you understand that your customer comes first. Keep the message meaningful to your customer and ensure that it’s functional, legible, and quick to understand.
Point 5 coming shortly “Keep your promises!”
Fred Roed is the marketing guy in the Ideate crew. Fred is the CEO of web marketing company World Wide Creative and the co-founder of online learning portal Heavy Chef. Fred loves writing about people out there doing marketing right. Follow Fred on Twitter here. View more articles by Fred Roed.
Tags: Brand, branding, Communication design, Graphic design, Heavy Chef, Marketing, online branding, Technology/Internet
