It can be tempting and easier to recycle or reuse existing messaging when moving into new or adjacent areas (or markets). This is short-sighted thinking and should be avoided. The investment of resources into using strategic communications to create fresh and distinct brand assets will serve the new entity, business unit or team well.
As a recap, we have shared many scenarios where using a strategic communications lens, approach and methodology will help your brand secure business objectives. These objectives, many with growth or revenue goals, include launching a brand, product or services, market entry, market expansion or even simply a refocus on the customer.
The strategic communications approach involves creating and working through a master plan. In this plan, and against a timeline, we set out the narrative, the brand and product positioning within the area/market of entry, the key messages to use for customers that exist within this area and also the use of channels to target and reach out to these customers. It requires an understanding and selection of intentions and actions that will be taken.
These accumulative decisions – in various formats, materials, timing and frequencies – are delivered to customers, decision markers, stakeholders. The outcomes cover influence, promotion and even defence (when necessary) of the of the brand, product or service.
Why enter a new or adjacent business area with distinctness?
Distinctness is defined as “…being different from that otherwise experienced or known”.
The reuse or the recycle of current master or primary brand narrative, positioning and messaging serves to inform your current and potential customers that you do not care enough about them. As a brand, the message you are sending out is that customers are not important enough to justify the investment to adapt and customise a new offering for them.
Using positioning and messaging not adapted to the new area’s customers will confuse them. These customers might decide to move back to an established competitor or even other players that provide clearer and simpler messaging.
Distinctness is a competitive advantage that can set the foundation for owning a niche and providing customers with reasons to try or buy your brand and offerings.
Even for established brands that choose to enter a new area, pre-determined customer behaviours and habits can be a powerful influence to change. Having distinct messages supporting an offering that gives more value, provides something different to the norm, or solves a recurring problem can be that edge needed to succeed.
We can help you fix and problem solve for many growth and revenue scenarios such as market entry, market expansion, product/service launches through a strategic communications approach.
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We are Brand Utility is a business consultancy. Our principal consultant is a registered management consultant, certified and recognised by the Institute of Management Consultants Singapore.
We work with brands in the corporate, professional services, retail, travel and technology spaces.
Can you explain the need to commit more resources for strategic communications?
All actions in a business require some form of resource to be realised. Whether it’s time, money or talent, resources are committed to hopefully realise an advantage, more growth and revenue, or create a stronger defence. When a strategic communications approach aligned with the business plan or roadmap is achieved, the combination serves as insurance for your investment. The structured process of creating and executing the plan can protect the business by over-extending (saving time and funds), securing new customers (earning revenue), building reputation (growing intangible value) or defending against negativity (using less resources for protection). How do we deploy a strategic communications approach to enter new areas?
It’s important to do research and understand the new area’s customers. Create a customer journey and see where the new brand or offering best delivers value to them. Utilise insights from the master brand’s experience with customer behaviour to see if the new area’s customers behave or react similarly to different content formats, frequencies and tonality. Adjust accordingly. A fresh and distinct narrative, position and messaging will have to be created. Test these iterations against a real group of customers. Which ones resonate the most, the best? Balance the volume of key messages required against what can get the entity or unit operational quickest. Decide on the entry process. Will there be a big launch? Will the launch recognise ownership by the master brand, or is this a stealth launch as a new entity? What activities will be needed for optimal outreach, for example, roadshows, launches, early adopter coffee sessions? Will these activities bring about the desired outreach and outcomes? Perhaps a media launch might bring more third party credibility than a customer party. Consider whether reputation-building activities will help with easier access to customers. How about policy-makers, are they included in your launch plans? Should they? If there is intention to set up a subsidiary or a country/city office, the master plan should spell out the duration and outcomes the project/launch team is responsible for. There should also be a handover to the new office leadership and team upon hitting a specific trigger or after a time duration. And after all the activities, how will they be measured? What is considered successful, and over what time period? With the learning and insights, if there is no pull-the-plug decision, plan and determine how the next 12-month period should look like.
We are Brand Utility is a business consultancy. We work with brands in the corporate, professional services, retail, travel and technology spaces.
We offer strategy and tactics to support growth outcomes - revenue, scale, regional expansion and market entry – for our clients.
Areas of support include:
Strategic communications: Approach to market, brand concept and map, positioning, messaging, story and narrative, thought leadership
Marketing: Campaign/programme planning, story-based marketing execution, digital marketing, community amplification, content planning and production, go-to-market execution
Lead generation and growth marketing: Digital advertising, social media advertising, social commerce, e-commerce
Integration of marketing with business operations: We plan and execute as a marketing and/or PR lead for your brand
Discover more about our services at our website.
Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash
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