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I have a friend who is certainly no branding guru, but she is a savvy business wise PR. The last time we spoke she said to me she was tiring of the constant ‘brand noise’ that comes her way. “I can’t even go for a cup of coffee without the mug shouting different messages at me, and if I look out the window I’m bound to see lorries driving by shouting more!” she said.

Now she just happened to be having a bad day and this piece isn’t about jaded consumers. But in these modern times when we lead very busy lives and are bombarded with communications from many different sources, what makes us naturally sift the good from the bad? And how can your brand be one of the ones that make us smile?

In a recent BusinessWeek survey we get some clues as to the answer. Of the 100 most valuable global brands, the best are creative and adaptable. And it appears that both these traits are key to working with the fragmented media channels of today. Also having the flexibility to offer different consumers different campaigns with varied media, effectively blurring lines between entertainment and ads, help a number of companies to the top of the rankings.

But, how do you go about cutting through the clutter to get your brand messages, your most valuable asset, to your customers?

Here are some thoughts on some steps you might take…

Get your communication agencies to communicate
Host frequent ‘creative forums’ that get your agencies together in one place to share and develop ideas. This increases the chance that your campaigns take on a much more integrated approach and the interpretation of your brand idea is more collective.

Streamline rather than scatter
The more people there are in your organization briefing design agencies the more chance there is of multiple agencies working on the same brief. This can mean key messages become watered down and ideas get reinterpreted. Establishing a rigorous briefing process will help you to cut out your own clutter.

Keep your menu fresh
Avoid turning on ‘auto-pilot’ when you’re thinking of new tools to reach your customers. Keep in touch with your audience groups and be progressive about finding new ways to reach them. And of course, don’t forget to ask them if it worked.

Make one thing clear
A proposition that’s well thought through and clearly explained to a creative agency via a clear and insightful brief, helps to ensure the creative work you get back to use for your brand is the best it can be.

Establish genuine leadership support
Smart and savvy senior leadership to drive and support your brand or campaign is one of the most effective ways of keeping creative work on track. A ‘design committee’ trying to steer creative work can lead to concepts that are full of confusing and mixed ideas. This is the time that support from a business leader can keep your creative work true to its roots.

Set the bar high
Nothing should leave the office unless it supports your brand or proposition and engages your customers. Using quality control methods like ‘sign off’ procedures (and sticking to them) will inspire your agencies and colleagues to maintain your standards.

Get everyone to get it
Bring the people who work in the business with you as you develop concepts. Colleagues seeing artwork 24hrs before it’s due to go on press is likely to lead to last minute changes and bodge your carefully crafted piece. Briefing packs, cascade packs, feedback mechanisms, asset management sites, all sorts of tools (high cost, low cost, innovative, traditional) can help you to keep your ideas on track.

Nominate a guardian angel
An agency that has shared the pain of giving birth to your ideas can be a great friend and ally. Use them to help you deliver the level of quality and understanding you expect from new agencies and colleagues. They can help manage every designer out there who wants to put their spin on your idea.

Show some respect
Believe in good design that you judge to be appropriate and relevant. The really good designers out there are real craftsmen that put heart and soul into their work. Leave the white space alone, it’s there for a reason!

Write good copy
Where would Innocent be without its charming tone of voice or the Economist without its intelligent wit? We all love to read engaging copy and hear charming stories and they have the potential to take brands into another dimension. Plain and simple English isn’t enough anymore.

Whilst researching a few points for this article, something written by Faith Popcorn that stuck with me from Faith Popcorn’s Brain Reserve was, “Like the movement to combat environmental pollution, the next consumer-led reaction will be against the mental pollution caused by marketers. With every corner of the world – both real and virtual - becoming plastered with marketing messages, bombarded consumers are starting to say they’ve had enough...”

Twenty years ago no one could have imagined the scale of the environmental movement, so whilst finding the line between entertaining our customers and intruding on them is difficult, complex and sensitive, it sounds well worth pursuing.

 

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