This blog post explores fresh ideas and innovative approaches to brand strategy that go beyond the basics. We’ll explore concepts like reframing problems, tapping into emotions, and creating communities. These insights aren’t just theoretical—they’re practical strategies that can help businesses of all sizes create more impactful, resonant brands.
Whether you’re a seasoned marketing professional, a startup founder, or simply curious about the power of branding, you’ll find valuable takeaways here. We’ll look at how these strategies can influence your marketing, product development, customer experience, and even company culture.
Don’t rebrand when you can rebrand the problem.
Sometimes, the best way to make your brand stand out is to change how people think about the problem you’re solving. Instead of saying, “Let’s rebrand our organization,” you can say, “Hey, let’s keep our brand, but look at this whole thing differently!”
For example, let’s look at how Dove, the personal care brand, approached selling beauty products. Instead of saying their soaps and lotions were good quality (which is true but not very exciting), they did something clever. They noticed many people, especially women, felt bad about their appearance because of unrealistic beauty standards in ads and magazines.
So, Dove focused on a bigger idea: helping people feel good about themselves and celebrating beauty. They launched their “Real Beauty” campaign, featuring women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and skin colors in their ads. They weren’t just selling soap anymore—they were promoting self-esteem and changing how people think about beauty.
This approach was much more powerful than just discussing how well their products work. It connected with people emotionally and made Dove stand out from other beauty brands. By reframing the problem from “How do we sell more soap?” to “How do we help people feel beautiful with our products?” Dove created a brand message that resonates with people rather than rebranding their entire business’s look and feel.
Emotions Matter More Than You Think
Here’s a remarkable fact: people with damage to the emotional parts of their brains have trouble making decisions. That’s because our emotions are super important when we make decisions. We often think we’re being logical, but our feelings are in charge.
This means emotions still matter much, even when selling to businesses (B2B). People might say they care about features, but deep down, their feelings convince them. So, when building your brand, focus on the emotions you want people to feel, not just on the cool things your brand can do.
For example, when IBM launched its “Smarter Planet” campaign, it wasn’t just selling computer systems. It was selling a vision of a better, more efficient world. This tapped into the emotions of ambition, hope, and the desire to make a positive impact. It made business leaders feel excited about the possibilities, not just informed about the product specs.
Similarly, Salesforce doesn’t just talk about its software features. It promotes the idea of building better relationships with customers, appealing to the emotional desire for connection and success that many business people feel.
Helping People See Themselves Differently
If you want people to believe in your brand, you might need to help them see themselves differently. It’s like when Tracksmith, a running brand, created this idea of a new “running class.” They weren’t talking about super-fast athletes winning races. They spoke of regular people who run because they love it, even if they’re not the fastest. This allowed many people to take their running seriously and invest in good gear, even if they weren’t winning medals.
Bringing Order to Chaos
Some areas of life can feel messy and confusing. Consider things like choosing a diet, raising kids, or using new kinds of medicine. There are so many options and opinions that it can feel overwhelming.
If your brand is in one of these “messy” areas, you can be the voice of clarity. You can set rules or guidelines that help people make sense of things. For example, look at how Casper approached the confusing world of mattress shopping. Before Casper came along, buying a mattress meant going to a showroom, lying on dozens of similar-looking beds, and trying to make sense of countless features and price points. It was overwhelming and often left people unsure if they made the right choice.
Casper simplified everything. They offered just one “perfect” mattress model, sold it online, and shipped it to your door in a box. They cut through all the noise with a clear message: “Here’s the one mattress you need for a great sleep.” By limiting choices and focusing on simplicity, Casper made people feel more confident about their purchases.
This approach brought a sense of order to the chaotic mattress market. Instead of drowning in options, customers could feel good about making a straightforward choice. Casper said, “We’ve figured this out for you,” which relieves many shoppers overwhelmed by traditional mattress shopping.
Love, Hate, and Why “Meh” is the Worst
Here’s a surprising idea: it’s better if some people love your brand and some people really don’t like it, rather than everyone just thinking it’s okay. Being “okay” is the worst thing for a brand.
Take CrossFit, for example. This fitness brand has built a reputation for intense, demanding workouts that push people to their limits. Their approach is so hardcore that it’s often parodied in popular culture. However, CrossFit doesn’t try to soften its image or appeal to everyone who wants to get in shape. Instead, they lean into their intense reputation with slogans like “Your workout is our warm-up.”
CrossFit knows that its style isn’t for everyone, and it’s okay with that. It focuses on people who are excited by the challenge and thrive in its high-intensity environment. This approach has created a devoted community of CrossFit enthusiasts passionate about the brand, while others might view it as too extreme.
The lesson here is that it’s better to have some super fans (even if you also have some critics) than to have a bunch of people who don’t really care either way. CrossFit’s polarizing nature has actually helped them build a strong, recognizable brand in the crowded fitness market.
Changing How People Think
When building a brand, you need to consider the assumptions people might have about your industry or product. For example, people might think childcare is easy work or that being good at math is something you’re born with.
Your job is to challenge these assumptions and get people to think differently. Airbnb is a great example of a company that did this well. Before Airbnb came along, most people assumed that you would stay in a hotel when you traveled. That was just how things were done. But Airbnb completely changed that thinking.
They introduced the idea of staying in someone’s home instead of a hotel. At first, this seemed weird to many people. Staying in a stranger’s house? That can’t be safe or comfortable, right? But Airbnb challenged those assumptions. They showed people that staying in a local’s home could be safe, comfortable, and even more exciting than a hotel.
They didn’t just offer a new accommodation type – they changed how people think about travel. Suddenly, it wasn’t just about where you sleep but about experiencing a place like a local. This new way of thinking about travel was so powerful that it disrupted the entire hospitality industry and turned Airbnb into a hugely successful company.
Giving People a Sneak Peek
Imagine if you had to buy a ticket to a movie before you could even see the trailer. That would be pretty risky, right? Well, some brands make a similar mistake. They hide what it’s like to use their product or service until you’ve already signed up or bought something.
Instead, try to give people a little taste of the experience upfront. Spotify did this well with their “Discover Weekly” playlists. Even before you sign up for a paid account, Spotify lets you listen to a personalized playlist of new music based on your tastes. This shows you how great it feels to have music tailored just for you without committing to a subscription first. It’s like a free sample that shows off the best of what Spotify can do, making you more likely to want the whole experience.
Taking Credit for Your Good Work
Sometimes, when you do an outstanding job helping your customers, they might think they figured everything out independently. That’s great because it means your product is easy to use, but it’s not so great for building loyalty to your brand.
To fix this, tell the story of how you designed things to work so well. It’s like showing people the blueprints for a beautiful building – it helps them appreciate all the thought that went into it.
Putting Brand First
Your brand isn’t just your logo or the words you use in ads. It’s the big idea that should guide everything your company does. This includes how you make your products, how your website works, how you talk to customers, and even how you organize your company.
Think about Lego. Their brand is all about creative play for people of all ages. You can see this in their toys, movies, theme parks, and even in how they work with fans who create amazing things with Lego bricks.
Making Everything Match
The best brands ensure that everything matches up perfectly. This means that what the company stands for, what the CEO talks about, and how it treats its employees should all tell the same story.
Amazon is a good example of this. Whether buying something as a customer, working there as an employee, or listening to Jeff Bezos talk, you’ll hear a lot about efficiency and innovation. This consistency makes the brand strong.
Building a Community
These days, people are looking for deeper connections. They want to be part of groups that share their values and interests. That’s why many successful brands are focusing on building communities.
For example, Fly By Jing sells sauces and spices, but what really makes it special is the enthusiastic community of food lovers it has built. When people talk about the brand, they often mention the community before even discussing the products.
Solving Many Problems at Once
An excellent brand strategy often solves several problems with one clever idea. For instance, when Architectural Digest rebranded, they came up with the idea of being a “Playbook for living.” This simple idea helped them:
- Appeal to younger readers without losing older ones
- Talk about more than just architecture
- Become part of pop culture
- Build a community of design lovers
- Stand out from their competitors
By solving multiple problems with one idea, they strengthened their brand without having to develop many different strategies.
Staying Positive
When considering your brand’s future, it’s easy to focus on all the things that could go wrong. However, the most successful brand strategists try to imagine positive futures. This doesn’t mean ignoring problems, but it does mean looking for unexpected benefits and opportunities.
Being optimistic takes practice, but it’s worth it. The people and brands that shape the future are usually the ones who can see exciting possibilities, whereas others only see challenges.
Learning from Your Customers
Finally, understanding your customers is one of the most important things in building a great brand. But this doesn’t just mean asking them basic questions about what they like or don’t like. It means being open to really learning from them and even letting their stories change how you see the world.
For example, working with a beauty brand might excite you about getting older. Spending time with fans of a plus-size clothing brand might help you appreciate things about yourself that you used to dislike. When you approach your customers with this kind of openness, you’ll discover insights that can make your brand truly special.
Remember, you don’t need to do all of these things to have a good brand. The most important thing is to keep asking questions and trying to understand why people think and act as they do. That leads to exciting ideas that can make your brand stand out.
Building a great brand is really about understanding people. If you keep searching for those deep insights about your customers, you’ll find the path to an incredible brand strategy. I hope these ideas help guide you on that journey.